Rating out of 10: 8This tiny little book packs a powerful, albeit loving, punch.
"The Holy Man" tells the story about Joe, a holy man who lives in a hermitage on a mountain. He is joined in the summer by a few people whom he invites to spend their time with him; people who are all very special and unique in their own ways but who don the same robes, shave their heads and share in the daily duties as equals with one another. In winter Joe lives alone, quietly considering and absorbing all that has happened in the summer, thereby learning more and becoming wiser.
The book follows the stories of various pilgrims who come to meet the holy man in the summer. They flock from all over the world to see him and to stand in line on the mountain, sometimes for days on end, in order to meet with him.
The chapters are short (approximately 4 pages each) and introduce us to some of the pilgrims and monks. However, no matter how short the chapters, each story without fail teaches one an extremely valid, true and helpful lesson about ourselves, others and life. For example, there is the story about the person who is greeted at the door by the holy man and shown straight through the hermitage to the back door. "Wait," he says "I have waited days on this mountain and I haven't met the holy man yet." and the holy man replies "If you treat everyone you meet as a holy person then you will be happy."
The aspect I enjoyed the most about the book, besides the superb lessons for living, was how so many of the pilgrims learnt so much about themselves and life simply by making the journey or standing in the line that it emphasises for me the saying "life is a journey, not a destination". It's all about how we become who we are through the process of our experiences and that sometimes we can think that one thing is going to make us happy/help us/solve all our problems (eg. the holy man) when in fact, the truth is that through our journey to that instance, we change and learn so much that when the instance comes about, it's simply a confirmation of what we have learnt. For example, the book tells the story of the drunk who kept losing his place in line because he was going back down the mountain to get more alcohol. He spent weeks on end doing so but by the time he came to meet the holy man, he was fit and healthy and no longer desired to drink because he felt so well without it.
There are lessons in this book for each of us and what I like about it is that the "holy man" isn't so holy that he is inhuman. He makes mistakes too, he has an ego just like others, he has had his time of doubt and suffering. This I feel helps the reader to relate to the holy man so much more because we realise that even we are capable of being holy. We realise that this human experience is just that, a human experience, and that no one is ever perfect. So often we read books in which the protagonist or author is so perfect that we feel that even aspiring to be like them is pointless because they are not of the same humanity as the rest of us. This book shows us how Joe makes humbling mistakes which leave him dependent upon others and so reminds us that we are a) not alone and b) that no man is an island and c) that we all need someone, no matter who or how "perfect" we are. The story also shows us that those of us who are "most holy" for want of better words, are so not because they are flawless but because they acknowledge that they are human and learn from this.
Written in a simple, unpatronising and enjoyable style this little books teaches us about forgiveness, fear of death, letting go of loved ones, anger, greed and vanity (to mention just a few).
I highly recommend this lovely little book. It will bring a smile or perhaps a few tears to your face but I think that you will definitely come away with a lot more that you had bargained for.
Happy reading!
