At the Perth Writers Festival many years ago I went to a talk by an author of a very well-known autobiography. He came across as a bit of a demagogue. Confident and charismatic, he told us he’d been a criminal spurned by his own society until he was embraced by the poorest of the poor. He saw the light, and now spends his time helping other downtrodden folk. The vibe of his talk was – I found the key – in a very profound sort of way – and now I am here to bring you with me. His story was colourful and appealing in its biblical simplicity. But his energy was overpowering, and a little intimidating.
Profound transformational experiences can happen, and there’s nothing to say he didn’t have one. But there are reasons to be suspicious of people who think they’ve found the key and are very confident about it. Particularly where the transformation has happened very quickly and radically – they were lost and now they’re found – and they are very attached to the particular thing that ‘saved’ them, such as eastern religion or martial arts or a particular diet. Then the next minute they’re self-mutilating, having a nervous breakdown etc. They’re still on the journey.
Finnish Whaler 