As someone who's not a fan of the literary genre, this book is a wonderful masterpiece that ruminates on the nature of spirituality and what it means to be human. I especially love that the author leaves it entirely up to the reader's experiences to fill in the holes of the final story. The real brilliance in the author's commentary is "Choose the better story."
Pi struggles with losing his morality and humanity while at sea. But while he's nonetheless saved by reason, cold logic, and an animalistic nature, his faith, philosophy, and spirit allow him to survive beyond his savagery and find meaning in the journey. Too many readers are trying to find on which end of the spectrum the author comes down on being in favor of: atheism or religion, spiritual or literal, and missing the point entirely.
The ultimate question asked by the Japanese businessmen at the end of the story, and Pi's answer of "and so it is with God" speak to the deepest experiences of the human condition. Is God real or not? Is there a purpose to suffering or not? Can we as humanity benefit solely from cold, hard logic, or do we need our imagination, storytelling, and ability to digress?
Choose the story that works for you in your own journey.
Contemporary Spiritual Musings of the Finest Kind
As someone who's not a fan of the literary genre, this book is a wonderful masterpiece that ruminates on the nature of spirituality and what it means to be human. I especially love that the author leaves it entirely up to the reader's experiences to fill in the holes of the final story. The real brilliance in the author's commentary is "Choose the better story."
Pi struggles with losing his morality and humanity while at sea. But while he's nonetheless saved by reason, cold logic, and an animalistic nature, his faith, philosophy, and spirit allow him to survive beyond his savagery and find meaning in the journey. Too many readers are trying to find on which end of the spectrum the author comes down on being in favor of: atheism or religion, spiritual or literal, and missing the point entirely.
The ultimate question asked by the Japanese businessmen at the end of the story, and Pi's answer of "and so it is with God" speak to the deepest experiences of the human condition. Is God real or not? Is there a purpose to suffering or not? Can we as humanity benefit solely from cold, hard logic, or do we need our imagination, storytelling, and ability to digress?
Choose the story that works for you in your own journey.
Choose the better story.