Eat, Pray Love

I may be the only person in the world--well, the only traveller--who hasn't read Eat, Pray, Love. But I did listen to an interview with the author this morning. Part of the reason I have never read it (and at this stage will not read it) was that the concept behind her book was always something I had planned on doing, a sort of travelogue in search of wisdom. In a note on projects I wanted to undertake written more than fifteen years ago I wrote: "A Year in the World in Search of Wisdom" In fact, that is precisely what the plan is for the next year, and so I specifically didn't want to read it in order not to be influenced. But right now, the artifice of the whole thing has me turned off to the project. First, when I compare our titles, I am struck by, well, how artificial/intellectual/unappealing/clunky my own title is: A Wisdom for All Seasons: A Year in Search of Enlightenment. God, "Eat, Pray, Love" is so much more concrete, grounded, real. Mine, too ethereal, disconnected. Like myself. On the other hand (thank God this has finally sunk in from China), mine can be seen as a male version of this, and there is somethint to be said for putting out a male version of this. But despite throwing this bone to myself, my overall feeling about the project this morning is negative. I was going to say, I want to throw up, but we'll leave it at negative.

I also think, to start out with the idea of writing a book about becoming enlightened is presumptuous to say the least. I think the way that Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance evolved, which was originally going to be nothing more than an essay, is a more natural approach to take. So there is nothing really wrong with my plan. It's just that I shouldn't think anyone is going to be very interested in reading about the results. Which doesn't mean (a) I am not going to undertake it or (b) write about it. I have to do something, and it's as good a project as I can come up with. Still, I could walk away from it tomorrow