“The simple fact is that we live in a world of conflict and opposites because we live in a world of boundaries. Since every boundary line is also a battle line, here is the human predicament: the firmer one’s boundaries, the more entrenched are one’s battles. The more I hold onto pleasure, the more I necessarily fear pain. The more I pursue goodness, the more I am obsessed with evil. The more I seek success, the more I must dread failure. The harder I cling to life, the more terrifying death becomes. The more I value anything, the more obsessed I become with its loss. Most of our problems, in other words, are problems of boundaries and the opposites they create.”
–Ken Wilber
Tom Perotta’s novel is an interesting and easy surface scratcher, but if you really want depth, skip it entirely and check out the HBO series The Leftovers. Tells the story of a sudden departure (poof) of 2% of the world’s population, and those that are, you guessed it, leftover.
Perotta, Tom. The Leftovers. St. Martin’s Press, 2011.
