Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity [Hardcover]

David Whyte (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2001

This bestselling author of The Heart Aroused and internationally renowned Fortune 500 consultant explores work as an opportunity for discovering, shaping, and nurturing our deepest selves.

When our work is right for us and it gives back to the world, when we develop, as the poet William Blake said, "a firm persuasion," we feel we can move mountains. Maybe we've felt this way only for a moment, maybe some feel this way all the time, or maybe some have never felt this way. But a sense of fulfillment is possible for all of us, and David Whyte can show us how to restore it to our lives. Whyte applies the stages of a holy pilgrimage to the process of seeking identity through the unknown sea of work. These are:

• Longing for refuge
• Finding the strength to begin the journey
• Desiring growth
• Overcoming obstacles
• Avoiding distractions
• Connecting-meeting and traveling with others with a common purpose
• Helping others-a desire to bring hope and help to those left behind

We may think of family, relationships, friends, religion, or spiritual practice as the domains in which the soul is refined, in which our identities are nurtured and shaped. But we overlook the area in which we spend the majority of our time: work. As Whyte indicates, what holds us back at work is what will hold us back the longest in our life's development. Crossing the Unknown Sea illustrates how to embrace the opportunity that work provides for us to begin to inhabit fully our individuality and maximize our creativity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers who accept poet and Fortune 500 consultant Whyte's invitation to enter into "an imaginative conversation about life and work" are likely to be challenged as well as delighted by the beauty of his writing and the expansiveness of his views. Gracefully using the metaphor of a sea voyage to depict the journey through the world of work, Whyte views work not only as a means of support, but as a means for interacting with the world and developing self-expression and identity. While he draws on the philosophical underpinnings of the self-help movement aimed at finding one's "inner compass," Whyte doesn't offer the step-by-step pragmatism of other books. Instead, his approach is subtler and more organic, presenting an abundance of provocative ideas, especially on one's relationship with time and daily ritual, on the importance of dignity and ethics and on honoring the labor of one's ancestors. Interwoven with and undergirding Whyte's philosophy are passages of memoir, detailing his unique experiences as a naturalist in the Gal pagos Islands, for example, together with poetic references from Whitman, Spender, Dickinson, Rilke, Wordsworth and Whyte's own works. Even Whyte's friends are wise, as evidenced by a monk who tells him that the antidote to exhaustion is not rest but "wholeheartedness." Thoughtful readers will wholeheartedly savor this book. Agent, Ned Leavitt. (Apr. 2)Forecast: Whyte established a core audience with the much-praised The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America and through his business seminars on creativity. A six-city author tour, selection by the One Spirit Book Club and a recent excerpt in Oprah's magazine mark this as a title to watch.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In the midst of all the arid, bullet point-ridden business books, Whyte's stands out with its languid I'll-get-to-the-point-when-I'm-damned-good-and-ready approach. A poet, corporate trainer, and author of The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America, Whyte challenges readers to remember their childhood interests and enthusiasms. He claims that this is necessary in order to escape the deadening influences of adult "musts" and "shoulds" and to recapture the passion that one needs to do good work. Whyte discusses his own career changes, from naturalist to nonprofit executive to writer/presenter/coacher. Echoing Fortgang, his main point is the popular "Do what you love and the money will follow," but he personalizes it by telling his own story and by including snippets of focused poetry (his own and others'), so that it's not as hackneyed as it may sound. Because an excerpt appeared in the March 2001 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine, there's sure to be demand in public libraries.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Books; 1st edition (March 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573221783
• ISBN-13: 978-0573221781
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #428,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Poet David Whyte grew up with a strong, imaginative influence from his Irish mother among the hills and valleys of his father's Yorkshire. He now makes his home, with his family, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The author of six books of poetry and three books of prose, David Whyte holds a degree in Marine Zoology and has traveled extensively, including living and working as a naturalist guide in the Galapagos Islands and leading anthropological and natural history expeditions in the Andes, the Amazon and the Himalaya. He brings this wealth of experience to his poetry, lectures and workshops.

His life as a poet has created a readership and listenership in three normally mutually exclusive areas: the literate world of readings that most poets inhabit, the psychological and theological worlds of philosophical enquiry and the world of vocation, work and organizational leadership.

An Associate Fellow at Templeton College and Said Business School at the University of Oxford, he is one of the few poets to take his perspectives on creativity into the field of organizational development, where he works with many European, American and international companies. In spring of 2008 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Neumann College, Pennsylvania.

In organizational settings, using poetry and thoughtful commentary, he illustrates how we can foster qualities of courage and engagement; qualities needed if we are to respond to today's call for increased creativity and adaptability in the workplace. He brings a unique and important contribution to our understanding of the nature of individual and organizational change particularly through his unique perspectives on Conversational Leadership.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing!, August 26, 2001

By 

Barbara Sax (Palos Verdes, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity (Hardcover)

I read The Heart ARoused and found it interesting, appreciated the poetic references. But Crossing the Unknown Sea! It was one inspiring book. And I would add that it is not only a "pilgrimage of Identity" and that it applies to the work environment, but basically, it has to do "where the Self meets the World" whether at work, in a relationship, or, as in my case, in retirement, which is a whole new arena of "self-meeting-soul." David reports "constant busyness has no absence in it - no birdsong at the start of the day." And that is where so many retirement plans falter. Without busyness, the retiree fears boredom, becomes entranced with golf or bridge or ?? and instead, finds him/herself terrified at the absence of meaning in his/her life. As a poet, I was inspired by David's meeting with Brother David, the matter of the antidote for exhaustion, "not necessarily rest," but "wholeheartedness." I was alive at the meeting between those two Souls, I felt as though i were there, hearing that word again, "wholeheartedness" and David's resolve "to do at least one thing every day toward (his)future life as a poet." And Brother David's extraordinary courage to confront his friend with the fact that he "was beginning to rot on the vine." I read this as I gazed at the mountains around Mammoth Lake - and remembered that whatever one's passion, a vow to work toward that goal every day is the only way to sail across that unknown sea. This book holds its place of honor on my bookcase, is a book I have sent to my children, and to special friends, friends who can appreciate the vast calm and meaning within its pages.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new view of work, August 20, 2001

By 

Douglas E. Welch "New Media Consultant" (Van Nuys, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity (Hardcover)

I came across this book in the New Books section of my local library and the title intrigued me enough to take it home. I am always looking for books on work as I write a weekly high-tech careers column.

Whyte's style can be a bit "grand" at times, one of the hazards of a poet writing prose, but there are some very important ideas to be found here. Several times I found myself pausing suddenly to contemplate a line I had just read that effected me deeply. This book needs to be taken in small doses, allowing time to ruminate and absorb what you read.

If you are looking for a book with a unique take on the nature of work in the 21st Century, you would be well-served to pick this one.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insight into who you are and who you wanna be, December 23, 2004

By 

AA (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity (Paperback)

I read this book a couple of months back when it was handed out at the end of a leadership seminar I attended. It is really an exceptional piece of literature. Some of the basic principles of life and work have been explained through simple art of story telling.
I work in a hostile environment. The management believes that employees are there to work for them and to tolerate their whims and fancies. For example, at the beginning of every new project our director asks for 10 different documents none of which is actually ever used. He insults people by belittling their contribution and makes life miserable for anybody who dares to stand up to him.
After reading this book I realized why I am working, who I represent everyday, what are my duties as an employee and what will happen if I quit. David's wisdom gave me strength to reassess my life and priorities and I realized that we had been dealing with work in a wrong way. Our work is really a way for us to express ourselves to the world. It is a window to our character and creativity. If someone insults me, he is insulting my parents, my family, all that I am.
I found the ideas revealing, the prose lucid and thought strong. I decided to act. Next time when the confrontation occurred, instead of running away, I stood up to my manager and told him that company policy forbids him from saying and doing things he had been doing. I further told him that I have worked honestly and if he couldn't respect that, he could hire someone who can do a better job.
From that day, he has stopped raising his voice and has become a very rational person with me. He knows I work hard and I don't listen to unreasonable demands and behavior.
I have been having a great time at work. My coworkers think I am great because the director listens to me and respects me. What they need to learn is that he respects my strenght and clarity of thought, 2 things that I aquired from this book.