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Tuesday, 19 December 2006 16:53 |
| | David Forbes |
I have to admit, Iëm always just a little suspicious of books like Dan Millmanës "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" (New World Library, 215 pgs, $12.95) that broadcast that they "change lives" ÇƒÓ in this case, right on the cover.
In my experience, the books that change our lives tend to come up unexpectedly, catching the eye or a random passage forcing one to sit down and read ÇƒÓ theyëre also a rather eclectic lot.
Everyoneës got their own pantheon in this regard. Mine includes, for example; Aldous Huxleyës "Brave New World," the poems of Sappho, Machiavelliës "The Prince," Alan Mooreës "Promethea" and Phillip Miller and Molly Devonës "Screw the Roses, Send me the Thorns," just to name a few.
Iëve
often felt that the more likely a book advertises that it will change
your life, the more remote the chance that it actually will. "Way of
the Peaceful Warrior," has some useful lessons, no doubt, but in the
end suffers from the hurbis hinted at by its presumptuous cover: too
many recycled insights passed off in cliched style as the wisdom of the
ages.
Millman is a world trampoline champion and member of the Gymnastics
Hall of Fame, he also coached gymnastics at Stanford University before
moving into the self-help business, especially writing books such as
this one.
"Way of the Peaceful Warrior" was originally released in 1980, spawning
a whole range of sequels, prequels and even a childrenës book. It has
been revised and added to periodically since then, with the current
edition (and revision) coinciding with the release of the movie version
this past summer.
 A (heavily) fictionalized autobiography, the book focuses around
Millmanës college years at Berkeley, where he runs into an enlightened
gas station attendant whom he dubs "Socrates" and who proceeds to
become Millmanës mentor on the path to becoming a "peaceful warrior,"
realizing that lifeës turbulence is an illusion, that he is responsible
for his own happiness and should appreciate what he has, etc.
Millman claims in the introduction that there actually was a "Socrates"
who served as his mentor, while acknowledging that many of the
incidents are fictionalized composites of people and events.
In its general structure, its use of an all-knowning mentor possessing
strange powers and its "everything you know is wrong" bromides,
Millmanës account resembles that of Carlos Castanedaës "The Teachings
of Don Juan," though with less hallucinogenic shamanism and more
athletics. Like Castanedaës tomes, itës not half as wise at it believes
itself to be.
Donët get me wrong, there are some good lessons here. Socrates has his
moments and some of the times he deconstructs Millmanës issues have
universal relevance. I got a few chuckles from a scene where Socrates
uses common sense to bust some hipstersë delusions of grandeur and
where he drops by one of Millmanës gymnastic practices.
At the same time, those moments are the exceptions. In general Obi-Wan,
I mean Socrates, nods sagely, messes with Millmanës mind and dispenses
stories and insights that are by now well-trod ground to anyone whoës
ever browsed the spirituality section in a good bookstore.
In the end, Millman, after several very predictable twists, finally
understands his mentorës lessons and is well on his way to blissful,
accepting serenity.
Honestly, I wished Millman had scrapped the fictions, reached within
himself and just told us the actual story of what happened with his
mentor. It would have had more warts and ambiguities, to be sure, but
reality writes a better script than this.
My grievance is also with the nature of some of the insights
themselves. Yet again, we have a book telling us to change our lives to
reach a greater level of peace and serenity ÇƒÓ to abhor analysis,
embrace instinct and accept what is.
There is certainly a measure of truth to this, to be sure, and I can
see why it is popular. We do dwell in a society that tends to encourage
turbulent overanalysis, overwork and materialism. Naturally, people
will gravitate towards the other extreme in their search for an
antidote.
Still, this sort of tome reeks of throwing the baby out with the
bathwater and advocating what seems a path that leads to overwhelming
complacency.
After all, in pursuing his goals, albeit peacefully, didnët Millman
hurt the dreams of others? What about those he defeated in his
gymnastic pursuits? What about the people he inevitably cut out of his
life to pursue his inner quests? However much his warriorës path may be
peaceful, itës also rather egotistical.
A more honest route would have admitted that any victory comes with
sacrifice and that choices that leave no one hurt and nothing lost
belong only in the realm of fiction ÇƒÓ and bad fiction at that. A more
honest route would have found a way of dealing with this.
Perhaps we need some measure of turbulence and conflict. Perhaps the
world is richer because we can analyze and plan. Maybe scrapping our
current identities isnët the end goal of enlightenment, but instead
part of shedding the old to make room for the new.
Maybe we shouldnët aspire to merely be blissed-out drones. Maybe we
should understand the past and ponder the future as well as
appreciating the moment. Maybe some part of us should always be
striving for more. Maybe we need ambition, anger and conflict. Maybe
the world is there to be changed.
Maybe Millman and his intellectual cohorts have a reply to that. They
should. But if they do, itës an answer that, given decades, they have
yet to voice.
That is why "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" resembles less Socrates and
more a deluded emperor, suddenly realizing that he has no clothes.
ï
The author lives in Northern California. I am always interested in reviewing
such works. If you have in mind a local work you would like to see
reviewed, for any reason, please contact me at
letters-at-ashevilledailyplanet.com. ÇƒÓ DF
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