The suicide rate for young people, especially men, has risen sharply in recent times. In addition to this there is a major problem which no Government has yet begun to consider seriously, namely that as technology takes over more and more jobs, increasingly people are going to be without meaningful occupation or purpose to their lives. And so there is an urgent need to find an inner centre which, all too often, our churches no longer provide. For some, if they can afford it, therapy can help, but even simpler is the practice of silent meditation which enables one to reach the centre of one’s being and to become more aware of how each of us is meant to live our lives. This is perhaps the greatest challenge of our times.
Month: October 2019
Older: Beautiful “Thought Diary”, an Ode to Growing Older
Today marks the publication of James’s latest book, Older.
He writes:
“The moment I became 90 it seemed especially important to record the year of my entry into the tenth decade. What excites me is that the journey continues right up to the very last moment, for, as T S Eliot wrote, ‘Old men should be explorers still.’ It is a stage of life during which much is shed, and much unlearned so that new insights can be explored. It is a time when a whole mosaic of memories reveals the blueprint of the person we were meant to be and have become. It is also a time of harvest, knowing that when our time comes to depart, it is with the realisation that we are finally coming into harbour after a long voyage.”
In his ninety-first year, James Roose-Evans decided to do something wholly unconventional; compile a raw and honest diary with the intention of releasing it to the world.
Older: A Thought Diary is one of the few books on the market to encapsulate old age in such a frank manner, along with the challenges and gifts age brings, to help readers redefine how they view and approach the ageing process.
Synopsis:
This touching diary reveals a year in the life of James Roose-Evans – the author. Older is a vivid and illuminating portrait of growing old.
This ‘thought diary’ was written through James Roose-Evans’s ninety-first year. The result is a cornucopia of delights that touches on everything from the profound to the minutiae of daily life.
Throughout Roose-Evans writes with wit, sensitivity and an eye for detail – and his reflections will teach us much about how we should approach the process of ageing.
The author comments “Sometimes people say to me ‘Oh I’m old’ and always I reply, ‘No, you are older’, which is a very different thing. The word ‘old’ with its final D is like a door slamming, whereas older suggest the possibility of further growth.
Tom Perrin, publisher of Zuleika Books writes:
“Older is a moving, touching and important book, and makes vital points about old age and living.’
Older: A Thought Diary is available from 2 October 2019: https://amzn.to/2RRosUJ
Encountering the Monster
I have never forgotten the first time I saw Martha Graham dance her work Errand into Maze, in which we saw her enter the labyrinth, there to meet the Minotaur. At first she was too terrified to glance at it. Then came the moment when she turned and looked it full in the face and, overcoming her fear, mounted it and rode it triumphantly out of the maze. The Monster is, of course, the beast that is in each of us, what Jung referred to as our shadow side. Until we have come to terms with it – Jung referred to this as the individuation process – the monster within will seek to wreak havoc. I think this is what lies behind the story of St Francis of Assisi and the wolf of Gubbio which was killing local people and creating havoc. It strikes me as a marvellous illustration of the need to tame our own inner wolf, just as the story of St Francis of Assisi embracing the leper is another illustration of our having to have the courage to embrace our dark side and bring it under control, harnessing its energies.