These are
books and audio recordings I have found inspirational and helpful in the past
several years. There are Amazon.com links for those items available
through Amazon.com. Please let me know of your favorites and new
discoveries that are not listed.
Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work As a Pilgrimage of Identity
by
David Whyte
Editorial Reviews From
Publishers Weekly
Readers who accept poet and Fortune 500 consultant Whyte's invitation to
enter into "an imaginative conversation about life and work" are likely to be
challenged as well as delighted by the beauty of his writing and the
expansiveness of his views. Gracefully using the metaphor of a sea voyage to
depict the journey through the world of work, Whyte views work not only as a
means of support, but as a means for interacting with the world and developing
self-expression and identity. While he draws on the philosophical underpinnings
of the self-help movement aimed at finding one's "inner compass," Whyte doesn't
offer the step-by-step pragmatism of other books. Instead, his approach is
subtler and more organic, presenting an abundance of provocative ideas,
especially on one's relationship with time and daily ritual, on the importance
of dignity and ethics and on honoring the labor of one's ancestors. Interwoven
with and undergirding Whyte's philosophy are passages of memoir, detailing his
unique experiences as a naturalist in the Galapagos Islands, for example,
together with poetic references from Whitman, Spender, Dickinson, Rilke,
Wordsworth and Whyte's own works. Even Whyte's friends are wise, as evidenced
by a monk who tells him that the antidote to exhaustion is not rest but
"wholeheartedness." Thoughtful readers will wholeheartedly savor this book.
Janet McCallen
Whyte’s works are all treasures. His genius is in
being able to show us how the stories of the centuries are still relevant to us
and our challenges today, and can guide us if we let them. His work is
also both challenging and comforting, helping us see the wisdom of our hearts.
