Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O’Donohue (Harper-Collins, 1998)
This is a self help book for the soul in which traditional Celtic wisdom from Ireland is couched in universal terms. It is full of quotable anecdotes about living correctly and completely.
On the downside, affirmative thoughts are frequently undermined by woolly references to ‘spiritual’ values that imply all life’s gifts are God-given. O’Donohue argues that “At every moment and in every situation, God is the intimate, attentive, and encouraging friend”, ignoring the fact that there is not a shred of concrete evidence to support such a statement.
As a life-long Atheist I find the pseudo-religious aspects of the book frustrating primarily because it seems at odds with the admirable Humanist thrust of the key ideas. How can we be truly free as individuals if we are subservient to a divine being? Continue reading
“The story is King” says Clint Eastwood and his attraction to the screenplay of Hereafter seems to be that it offered the challenge of linking three fictional lives in France, America and England.
