AROUND THE WORLD IN 23 YEARS~Night Train To Lisbon

My journey continues.

The visit to Portugal was a side trip, a detour, between Thailand and Malaysia that turned into a deep dive into the subconscious. On the flight from NY, I read Pascal Mercier's wonderful novel about life, love, and the search for reality.

I was mesmerized by the philosophical insight expressed by the deceased co-protagonist, Dr. Almeida Prado.

"When I read a newspaper, listen to the radio or overhear what people are saying in the cafe, I often feel aversion, even disgust at the same words written and spoken over and over-at the same expressions, phrases, and metaphors repeated." Pascal Mercier

This book, The Night Train to Lisbon, would not have entered my life had I not been traveling around the world.

Mercier is a literary master, the thoughts expressed in the pages of Dr. Prado's book are sheer genius.

As I absorbed the story, I imagined being Dr. Prado, living in Paris in the 1930s. I'm in my prime, drinking wine in smokey cafes, exchanging the philosophy of life with the literary masters of the time. I was in love, not with a woman, but with a lifestyle

"Ever since this morning, I've been feeling that I'd like to make something different out of my life. That I wasn't to be your Mundus anymore. I have no idea what that new one will be. But I can't put it off anymore. That is, my time is running out and there may not be much more of it left."Pascal Mercier

I arrived in Lisbon on cloud nine, here I was, where it all took place, where Mercier put words to my dream.

This can only happen when you travel when you taste life as a participant, not a voyeur.

I was there to attend a conference, mundane and boring, but my emotions were on that Night Train To Lisbon and my life was about to change.

I wish Mercier had written this book 60 years ago when I was an idealistic student struggling with the question all students ask themselves; "what do I want to be when I grow up?"

Comments

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