By Raymond Mathiesen
4.5 stars out of 5
Problems, problems, problems… Solutions?
Hannah Lane,
the seven year old girl we remember from The
Power, The Miracle and The Dream, is now 22 years old and a “Pulitzer Prize
winning photographer and renowned peace activist” (Ch. 1). She is with a National Geographic team that
has just landed on Mars, and has become officially the first woman to set foot
on the planet. Hannah has come a very
long way since her loosing childhood days as an asthmatic, but how exactly did
she get here? Was it really the secret
of “the power within … [her] … mind” (Ch. 12) that brought her to these heights?
The Only Way Out: Forgiveness - The Path To Peace & Happiness takes us deeper into the spiritual
philosophy set out in De Lene’s earlier book, concentrating on our desire to
hurt others, and the solution of reconciliation through absolution. We can never really be at peace unless we are
willing to forgive wrong. In this book
De Lene digs deeper into a metaphysical view of the world, particularly the
idea of God, however, the philosophy presented is not at all ‘orthodox’
religion. De Lene instead derives his
inspiration from the non-fiction book A
Course In Miracles (Helen Schucman. Foundation for Inner Peace:__ 3rd
ed.:__ 2007). De Lene’s book is an
unusual blend of novel and teaching manual, and is a very enjoyable and easy
way of looking deeper into philosophy.
Set not too
far into the future, the novel has elements of science fiction, such as the
“video phone” (Ch. 2), permanent Moon and Mars bases, and the “Intelligent
Traffic Management System” (Ch. 21), where cars are robotically steered. Most of the life depicted, though, is very
familiar to the reader, and indeed the book concentrates on ‘ordinary’ life and
the all too common problems such as work and relationships. The book is not science fiction in the true
sense of the word. A great deal of the 29
chapter book is plot line which entertainingly dramatizes the philosophical
points, though there are four teaching chapters which deliver ideas in a
chatty, but more instructive way.
The books
structure is divided into two parts of roughly equal length: Chapters 1 to 16
and Chapters 19 to 29. Chapters 1 to 3
are introductory, covering the events of Hannah’s childhood and
adolescence. Some of this section recaps
very briefly the events and philosophical points raise in the first novel in
the series. Chapters 4 to 11 cover the
teaching and learning experiences surrounding the new idea of forgiveness. Chapters 11 to 16 are wholly narrative and
cover the events surrounding Hannah’s contact with National Geographic and her
first working trip to Kakado National Park in Australia. These chapters also cover the beginning of
Hannah’s friendships with Meiling Wang, “Editor In Chief of National
Geographic” (Ch. 5), and Alexander Messina, an apparently arrogant but very
gifted staff photographer. In Chapters
17 to 24 the plot takes on a truly international theme in which the troubled
world of the Middle East is explored, and in which the idea of synchronicity or
“meaningful coincidence,” (Carl Jung.
Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle, in The Structure And Dynamics Of The Psyche:__ 2nd. ed.:__
Princeton University Press, c1969, p. 426) is dramatized. Chapter 25 is an adventurous interlude
covering exciting action on the moon. Finally
Chapters 26 to 29 explore the outcome of the earlier events surrounding the
Middle East.
As would be
expected from the sub-title of the book the main theme is forgiveness. We all hurt and we all do harm, and this
seems to be a fact of life, but is there a solution which practically
works? We freely talk about forgiveness,
but what does it really mean? What about
retribution and justice? Are they
ignored if we forgive? Success is a
second theme strongly running through the novel. We want to get ahead in the world, but how do
we do that? Is success simply making
money, or are their deeper values we can judge ourselves on? Are money making and values opposed? What should we do with our personal success,
or is it an end in itself?
The three
main characters are immediately likable and indeed this seems to be one of the
benefits of the philosophy they each espouse: we like ‘nice’ people and want to
be friends with them, even if we don’t agree in every detail of what they
say. Hannah is in the main positive in
her attitude to life. She does have
moments of negativity (Ch. 3) and to a certain extent she underestimates her
own ability, but she is a high achiever: the kind of girl we all wanted to be
friends with at school. She of course is
very successful, but she never ceases to be amazed at this, and even more puts
in the work learning her photography.
She does not assume she ‘knows it all’: indeed she is known for her
“determination” (Ch. 2). Meiling is even
more successful, but she too has worked to get there. She is perhaps less certain than Hannah in
her philosophical approach to life, but the two women work well together and
from the beginning we wish the best for their friendship. Alexander, behind his exterior of
conceitedness, is jovial, admits his faults and is willing to pass on his
skills as a photographer. These three
people move the book forward as we at first wonder about them, get to know them
and then hope for their plans.
As we have
already mention, this is in part a teaching book and some of the ideas put
forward should be mention and looked at in more detail, though there is too much
to cover in a short review.
Synchronicity has already been mentioned. De Lene’s take on the subject is that “there
is a reason behind everything” and that each event provides an “opportunity to
learn more about ourselves” (Ch. 2). In
essence a person should “set your goal … [and] … synchronicity will take care
of the rest” (Ch. 2). De Lene proposes
that there is an element of “spirit” in life.
He speaks of “the power within his mind, connected to spirit” (Ch. 2 and
following) and also of “spirit or God” (Ch. 2 and following). In many ways, though, this element remains
undefined. People pray to God (Ch. 15)
and one minor character who claims to see God’s angels seems to know Hannah’s
future (Ch. 4), but the picture of God remains distant. Can we honestly ever truly know the spiritual
in complete detail? On the other hand
there is a detailed ‘creation story’ of sorts in the novel and here many
readers may experience considerable resistance.
We are encouraged, as a result of this story, to believe that we should
forgive because all of life is an illusion, a dream, because “nothing really
happened” (Ch. 9). Most readers would
respond that this dream seems very, very real and so does the pain we
suffer. Similarly in Chapter 13 we read
of a near death experience (NDE), which seems to confirm De Lene’s notion of a
God filled with only love. This
experience, as described by De Lene, is in agreement with much of the
psychological literature, especially Raymond Moody’s Life After Life (Bantam Books, 1976). It should be noted, however, that Maurice
Rawlings in Beyond Death’s Door
(Bantam Books, 1985) reported encountering just as many negative NDE’s as
positive. Judgement and hell seem very
real. These metaphysical notions of
illusion and an all-loving God, though, are not central to the book and are not
needed in order to understand and appreciate the main point of forgiveness. The “ego” (Ch. 2 and following) is a central
notion in the book. Primarily it is seen
as being “controlled by … negative emotions” (Ch. 2), chiefly “guilt”, and
because of this it divides us from others so that we see ourselves as “separate
selves” (Ch. 7). There is also the
notion of “holy relationships” (Ch. 10) which basically says that if two ‘right
minded ’people work together huge amounts can be achieved. All these teaching points are dispersed
throughout the book and are often integrated into conversations arising out of
the plot.
There are
quite a few women characters in the book and virtually all of them are
successful and dynamic in one way or another.
We have already talked of Hannah and her career as a photographer. Meiling reveals herself from an early age to
be “creative” (Ch. 12) displaying a talent for painting. She is also intelligent and is successful in
school. She displays winning physical
ability at sport, being a state champion at “badminton” (Ch. 12). Like Hannah, she is characterized by a
determination in all that she does. As
“Editor In Chief” (Ch. 5) she has reached the top of her profession. She is no ‘pretty silly thing’ of the 1950’s. Anna Messina, Alexander’s partner, is a
psychologist who earlier in her life worked in “a prestigious medical center in
Washington” (Ch. 20). Hilda is a “social
worker” (Ch. 4) who Hannah meets. She is
head of the “Community Refuge Center” (Ch. 4) in Australia. She is very knowledgeable in her field. Professor Amy McLaughlin, who initially
teaches Hannah at university, is “highly regarded in photographic circles
around the world for her technical expertise in the field of photography, as
well as for her innovative ideas” (Ch. 5).
Feminists will be pleased by this book as the women display both
emotional and social intelligence, determination and business nous, all of
which enable them to achieve.
The two most
prominent male characters in the book, Alexander and Nathan (Hannah’s
boyfriend), both outwardly fit the traditional male role of tough, rough
men. Alexander is full of pride and
Nathan is a hard drinker. We at first
feel these men would very much be at home in the 1950’s. Alexander, however, actually has a very soft
side which he has learned to develop as a result of great personal hurt, and
Nathan shows that he can learn to listen and change his ‘macho’ ways. De Lene’s novel shows the benefit of Gender
Studies and will be a challenge to some men.
Minorities
are represented by Meiling who is an immigrant from “China” (Ch. 12). Here difficulties on coming to a foreign
country, the U.S., are mentioned. As we
have seen she perseveres to success.
Minorities and the dispossessed also are mentioned in the novel in the
form of the Palestinians, in the Middle East, and Aboriginals, in
Australia. While mentioned, though,
their presence is not really dramatized.
The Palestinians very briefly appear in the character of Ramy, a youth
who has had great personal hardship, but Aboriginals must be represented simply
by their rock paintings. Also both these
groups are to some degree represented as being helped by others, rather than
being self-possessed. A book centring so
much on personal overcoming and empowerment would have been considerably
enhanced by dramatizing these minority groups more.
The elderly
appear in the character of an “old bag lady … Doris” (Ch. 4). While being bereft personal possessions
because of “bad choices” (Ch. 4), she possesses a remarkable friendliness, joy
of life and wisdom. This is a dignified
picture of this often ignored group.
LGBTIQ
characters are completely absent. Once
again, in a novel dealing with empowerment, it is unfortunate that this group
is ignored as including them would have added extra dimensions to the ideas
expressed.
In terms of
the Marxist/Capitalist debate, and the accompanying discourse on power, it can
be noted that De Lene’s novel is not at all hostile to personal wealth. The Wang’s are well off and the Messina’s
live in a mansion with extensive gardens.
The characters globe trot with ease.
De Lene, however, very much considers what should be done with this
wealth. Hannah gives her first large
earnings to the Community Refuge Center despite her own personal need. She is aided in her causes to improve the lot
of the suffering by her rich friends at National Geographic. Her plans to increase world peace are
resisted by governments and those with “vested interests” (Ch. 29). Hannah is aided in her cause by ‘people
power’ rather than ‘the system’ (Ch. 26 & 27). This interesting balance of
viewpoints makes for good reading and reveals a refusal to be trapped by any
one dogma.
Novels mainly
aim to represent ‘real’ people and ‘real’ life, so the field of psychology,
which aims to find truths about human nature and behaviour, becomes
relevant. De Lene’s novel is no
exception. Brenda, Hannah’s imaginary,
fairy ‘spirit-guide’ will seem to many to be the most unbelievable part of the
novel. The psychologist Carl Jung,
however, believed that ‘archetype’, knowledge bearing sub-personalities deep in
the unconscious, could become manifest to the individual in visionary
appearances. Jung indeed experienced
visits from, and received wise advice from, Philemon, a visionary guide
(Anthony Stevens. Jung: A Very Short
Introduction:__ Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 30-32). De Lene has Hannah feel she is “to blame” for
the sexual abuse she receives from Bruce, her mother’s boyfriend. Psychologists have indeed noted this effect
in victims (Psychology Today. To Forgive Or Not Forgive: That Is The
Question: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-compassion-chronicles/200803/forgive-or-not-forgive-is-the-question
- Accessed 08/10/2013).
Meditation is represented as a valid way of relaxing and gaining balanced
personal insight (Ch. 4 & 6), though it is not purported to be an easy
method of personal development (Ch. 18).
Psychology indeed supports the idea of the benefits of personal peace
and insight coming from meditation (Harold H. Bloomfield, et al. TM: Discovering Inner Energy And Overcoming
Stress:__ Dell, c1975, Ch. 5 & 6; and, Andy Fraser, ed. The
Healing Power Of Meditation:__ Shambhala, 2013, Ch. 3-6). De Lene includes the use of a journal to
record personal insights, for later referral (Ch. 6). This cognitive technique of journaling has
been shown to be of use (Morton T. Kelsey. Adventure
Inward: Christian Growth Through Personal Journal Writing:__ Augsburg
Books, 1980). De Lene has his
psychologist character Anna Messina decide that her clients are too much
persuaded by her colleagues to blame others in their past for their problems
(Ch. 20). Anna believes that instead her
clients should accept “personal responsibility for their lives” (Ch. 20) and
this is certainly very much in tune with the thinking of both Existentialist
psychologist Rollo May (Freedom And
Destiny:__ W.W. Norton, c1981, p. 96-101) and William Glasser (Reality Therapy: A New Approach To
Psychiatry:__ Harper Row, 1975, p. 16- 23). This psychological accuracy very much adds to
the validity of De Lene’s message.
Following
from psychology it should be noted that the novel has a little symbolism. Brenda is of course a fairy. Writing from a psychological perspective Rose
Inserra (Dictionary Of Dreams:
Understanding Dreams And Their Messages:__ Hinkler Books, c2002, p. 163)
notes that fairies “usually represent wishful thinking and belief in the
possibility of magic existing in the world, rather than reliance on the
practical”. Jean Chevalier and Alain
Gheerbrant (The Penguin Dictionary Of Symbolism:__ 2nd ed.:__
Penguin, 1996, p. 369) on the other hand, describes how the history of the idea
of the fairy goes right back to primal, elemental forces, indeed to the “Earth
Mother”, and as such they can be seen as primary creative forces in our
psyche. As Chevalier and Gheerbrant
write, they symbolize “the paranormal powers of the spirit or the extraordinary
capacities of the imagination” (Chevalier, p. 368). J.E. Cirlot (A Dictionary Of Symbolism:__
Barnes & Noble, 1993, p. 101) agrees with this point of view, describing
them as creative beings who bring about change and “transformations”. De Lene,
as we have seen, proposes a real element of “spirit” in the world which we are
meant to take seriously (Ch. 2 and following).
The imagination, creatively seeing our true purpose as expressed in our life
goals and actions, is also very important in the book (Ch. 2). Both these elements of ‘spirit’ and
‘imagination’, when perceived in the right way, can bring about great change. In tune with this transformational nature
James George Frazer certainly describes how fairies in traditional tales can
give “valuable information” to people which transforms their life for the
better (The Golden Bough: A Study In Magic And Religion:__ Macmillan Press,
1976, Pt. VII, p. 227- 228). As Hannah’s
‘spirit-guide’ Brenda certainly gives very wise advice, even if the reader does
not agree all the time. Eric Ackroyd (A
Dictionary Of Dream Symbolism:__ Cassell, 1993, p. 167) indeed says that “in a
woman’s dream the fairy symbolizes her mother, her own femininity, or some part
of her which, if allowed to participate in the conscious organisation of her
life, would bring enrichment.” The approach
to life outlined by Brenda could certainly be said to be more intuitive, more
feeling, more relational, and thus more feminine, and as has been said
enriching.
In The Only Way Out De Lene gives deeper
insights into life, concentrating particularly on forgiveness, though the
teaching goes much further than that.
The book also examines success, and takes a balanced stance in the
Marxist/Capitalist debate. The
characters capture our interest and will be pleasing to those readers interested
in Feminism and Gender Studies. De Lene
quite competently draws on psychology to make his novel more factually based,
and there is some interesting symbolic content.
I am happy to rate this book as 4.5 stars out of 5.
