Читать книгу The Great Mystery - Travis Ph.D. Slone - Страница 3

As a young soldier, father, and husband I was presented with a great challenge in the spring of 2004. My life since having open-heart surgery has been very different from what I expected. While the physical recovery was relatively quick, the spiritual and psychological obstacles have been more difficult to overcome.

With my future less certain than ever before, I felt a pressing need to understand the great mysteries of life. I often found myself unable to relax, and wrote the following lines in my journal one sleepless night:

“My mind chaotic every day,

So hard to put it all away

I numb it with my work and play,

But cannot mute it as I lay.”

In response to those restless times, I set out on a very personal journey, in hope of regaining my long lost sense of understanding. I hiked through the wilderness, climbed many mountains, and studied some of the world’s most inspiring books. I searched every day for the most elusive of all treasures: peace of mind.

As hard as I looked, I could not locate the answer in any one place. I nearly gave up, but decided to make one final attempt. I laid each of the puzzle pieces on the table, and observed them from a distance. It was only then, as I stepped back from what I thought I “knew”, that the fog began to lift.

Within this fascinating tale of adventure and discovery, my aim is to tell two stories. On the surface, I offer the symbolic account of my mind’s struggle to overcome adversity. Yet if you look deeper, perhaps you will find The Great Mystery to be more about life itself than anything else.

Should this ever-changing world leave me without a proper chance to say goodbye to the ones I love, my last message can be found within the following pages.

Even the greatest oak was once a tiny seed, rejected by every creature on Earth. Yet look at it now! Standing stronger than the others, it provides shade for those consumed by the heat of life.