Becoming Mad and Asking Why the River is Flowing - 5389

This audacious and thought-provoking work is a gripping account of the author's spiritual quest as she journeyed to the inner worlds to understand the "Mind of God," ostensibly through understanding the enigmatic and elusive Will of God, which her Christianized mother would always refer to whenever she ran out of answers. It would be daring, if not scandalous, to try to fathom God's mind or will and then claim to have done so. Despite how daunting it had been, the author was ultimately able to complete the quest, in her own fashion, at least. This work is the result of a thorough process of philosophical inquiry, which started when the six-year-old author, pointing to the river flowing in her hometown, asked her caretaker, her very old shaman grandmother, the question, "Where the river begins and where it ends?" This innocent question was only the beginning of a profound experiential journey into the mysterious worlds of dreams, storytelling, hallucinatory visions, existentialist angst, and the high abstractions of metaphysics. All of this unfolds against the backdrop of two powerfully contending paradigms presented by a reputed shaman grandmother and a strong-willed catechist mother. The narrative takes the form of the retelling of indigenous folktales, parables, anecdotes, unusual dreams, and original visions—elements which are an integral part of the biographical episodes of three generations of indigenous women, upon which the story was based. As a philosophical undertaking, the narrative takes an existentialist approach with a distinct shamanic undertone and saturnine humor. Fundamental questions about God, life, death, the afterlife, purpose, and identity are explored. Abstruse and weighty topics such as free will, good vs. evil, human suffering, consciousness, perception, and the nature of reality are also discussed. Anybody with an interest in indigenous peoples, storytelling, metaphysical philosophy, religions, anthropology, history, psychology, sociology, or just anybody looking to be amused will certainly find this work highly entertaining and informative. Although the narrative is elevated to the level of metaphysical discourse, the core of all themes discussed stems from very deep personal experiences and actual historical occurrences—to which every human on the planet can relate, as everyone is affected by both personal and social issues while, consciously or unconsciously, searching for meaning, enlightenment, happiness, and a heaven on earth.
ASIN: 1502955083
VSKU: BVV.1502955083.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Kuy, Allu
Binding: Paperback