Customer Reviews

Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity

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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.

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.

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.

There is so little real literature out there on the subject of work and its effect on the individual so it was wonderful to come across David Whyte's Crossing. I found this book a real jewel, a kind of navigational aid in helping me to reach a few horizons I had almost forgotten about. Crossing the Unknown Sea is both a marvellous, insightful tour of the human psyche and a deeply satisfying read. I recommend it to anyone giving their life or their work some real thought.

Couldn't put this book down, had to read it from beginning to end and immediately it was done, I started slowly again from the beginning. I found myself making hundreds of little crossings as I read David Whyte's beautiful prose: crossing to memories of childhood, to crucial thresholds in my life as a young woman, to a deeper sense of my present life and a fuller sense of the future. Amidst all the success oriented drivel out there on the subject of work this is a real heirloom gem; something to be passed on to others as a gift, to be thanked for, and to be talked about for years to come.

I don't often pick up books that threaten to be more touchy-feely than substantive, as the title of this book and its first few pages implied to me. But I read it upon the advice of a friend.

David Whyte has one foot firmly planted in the practical with the other firmly planted in the spiritural and, by the end of the book, you have an idea about how you might achieve a similar posture. One of the reasons Mr. Whyte can pull this off is because he is both a genuine artist--a poet--and has substantial experience in the nuts-and-bolts corporate world. In fact, he has billed himself and sold himself (lucratively, apparently) as a corporate poet.

"Crossing the Unknown Sea" refers to the author's life adventure in search of a career and a meaningful life. I suspect it is because of his roots in poetry that he can write as a novelist--not by virtue of plot or character development, because there is little of that other than the plot of his own life and the development of his own charachter--but because of his ability to use words to capture subtle and deep meanings without sounding as if he were trying to do just that.

I could go on. The book as been a kick-off point for my own life's adventure for which I had already been preparing. However, it is a book well worth reading for its own sake, even if you aren't in the market for a life adventure for yourself.

Each of us will likely reach a point in our professional lives when we ask ourselves what is the value of what we're doing. Some may ignore the impulse and go on with their routines with little adverse effect, while others may feel they are on the edge of a precipice with no path marked toward fulfillment. Author David Whyte, who is both a professional poet and a Fortune 500 consultant, certainly has the experience to write a book about self-discovery, and his most pervasive theme is one of pilgrimage toward our real selves. What makes Whyte's book essential reading is how he is able to translate this journey to our working lives. For many, work is a means to ward off fears of poverty, but the author illustrates how work at its best can be joyful, a "hidden trove of imaginative treasure that we hope can give us self-respect, independence and the ease we desire". At the same time, the harsh reality is that most companies deprive us of time and spaciousness and cause us to lose our creative spark, even ourselves.

Using his life as a guiding post for the reader, the author reveals many of the questions, crises, and turning points in his own search for meaningful work suited to his nature. He candidly discusses the life-changing encounters in his life, as well as the family memories and formative experiences that shaped his own psyche. More specifically, Whyte discusses his stint as a naturalist in the Galapagos Islands and the key role his ancestors have played in shaping the structure and form of his creative work. This emphasis he places upon our inheritance from those who have gone before us is probably the most inspiring message he conveys here. He cites his inspirations from William Blake's paintings, Rainer Maria Rilke's poems, and from the way poet John Keats lived his brief life. Keats believed that truly great people have the ability to accept that not everything can be resolved, that they can thrive in uncertainty. Such dependence on what Keats called the "holiness of the heart's affections" is what Whyte feels needs to be valued now.

Keats' concept of negative capability is the crux of Whyte's thesis, that one should follow one's calling and be guided by one's desires and aptitudes in spite of the uncertainty. Choosing or working at a job or career one is not suited to by nature is a mistake many make due to blinding factors like keeping up with the bills or placing emphasis on what others think. Whyte shows why and how to get back in touch with one's nature and get back on track and why it is so important for people to do so. This is not a stepwise manual toward self-fulfillment. Rather, it's a book of the author's own decisive path, and as such, certain sections of the book will be more relevant than others. Fortunately, Whyte knows firsthand what the corporate world is like and shows how he got back to writing poetry and what the costs and benefits were of doing so. Now he works in the corporate world, using his poetry self to help those who have left behind their creative, inner selves to regain them. It appears he has found the best of both worlds.

A wonderfully written book about what goes on inside your head, whether your aware of it or not, as you relate to your chosen work. It makes you examine the details of your relationship with what you do for a living and just how happy and content you really are with it. Being true to yourself and making a living using your God-given talents is a scary thing for most people. We come into the world and become conditioned by doubts and fears and sometimes we live our whole lives reacting falsely because of them. Interspersed with poetic references, this book is a great soul-search read. I enjoyed it very much.

I was "moved" and inspired by this book which was a gift from a respected Executive Coach. This books assists all that want to deepen their connection to their life's work or find out what their life's work is. The author states that far too many people trudge through a mediocre work life - scrambling through day-to-day "busyness" towards exhaustion. Rather he encourages more time for self-reflection and analysis. While many most often want to get away from work - it's where many spend the majority of their time, and it's where many spend much of it wishing they were somewhere else, doing something else. Many overlook how work can actually be our greatest opportunity for discovery and growth - and author explains how. The Chapters include the following:

1) Setting out with firm persuasion
2) A stranger at the door
3) From Powerlessness to participation
4) Ambition, Horizon and Arrival
5) A short Sea Crossing
6) From Exhaustion to Wholeheartedness
7) Arrival and Authenticity
8) When the real you wants out
9) Escaping the Prison of Time and Work
10) A voyage through the hours of the day

This is a book recommended to me by a close friend, and one that has helped me to change my sense of myself, my sense of my work and my possibilities for the future. Crossing the Unknown Sea compells the reader by its mesmerizing stories and its unusual insight to take another step forward whatever that next step might be. My copy is marked and underlined from beginning to end and sits by my bedside for reference when I need a touch of inspiration and courage. Highly recommended.