The Visitor

By Michael Paul

Join me on a personal journey of Love.

Influenced by the writings of Thomas Merton and Kahlil Gibran, The Visitor is an introspective look at life, Love, and beyond on the eve of death. The Visitor attempts to address some of life’s questions and mysteries from the vantage of today’s perspectives. We live in a world where we are more connected than ever before, where time and distance are not the barriers they once were. At the same time, we have probably never been as disconnected. Communities used to refer to the collective of neighbours within the proximity of where one lived. Today, community is more of a virtual phenomenon. We may have hundreds of friends on social media sites but not even know the names of our next-door neighbours. The Visitor, being an introspective look at life but influenced by other classic's such as Gibran's The Prophet crosses the line from non-fiction to fiction and back again without notice or apology.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Paul
• Release date: Jun 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9781773028385

Michael Paul

Michael Paul, Dr. phil., ist Senior Fellow der Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin, Mitglied des Arktisdialogs des Alfred-Wegener-Instituts, Leiter des Gesprächskreises maritime Sicherheit der SWP und war 2018-2019 Mitglied des Experten­teams im Themenzyklus „Meere und Ozeane“ des Runden Tisches der Bundes­regierung. Zahlreiche Veröffentlichungen, zuletzt über Russland in der Arktis sowie als „Grundlage­n­werk“ (taz): Kriegsgefahr im Pazifik? Die maritime Bedeutung der sino-amerikanischen Rivalität, Baden-Baden: Nomos-Verlag, 2017. 

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Acknowledgments

This novel is dedicated to you the reader. It is my sincerest hope that no matter where you are on your journey of life, you may find within these pages a simple familiar message which provides you some peace.

Nevertheless, I must give special mention to Deborah Lynn Wilson. More than my Love, more than my best friend, she is the living embodiment of the colourful wonders in life which my black and white outlook has never been able to fully grasp.

As outlined in the prologue, I must acknowledge Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet for helping to inspire this novel. The list of inspirations must also include Thomas Merton, my parents, my children, and everyone who has encouraged me, discouraged me, lifted me up, held me back, and help mold me to discount the opinion of any one person. Whether good or bad, they have helped me to pay attention to my own calling.

Well, them and the crow.

Journey in Love,

Michael Paul

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Chapter I

Corvus

Silence is Broken

Chapter II

The Needs of One

Food for Thought

Shelter from Storms

Hiding Our Nakedness

Toil

Trade

Charity

Chapter III

Forward Together

Love

Marriage

Children

Chapter IV

The Needs of Many

Laws

Crime and Punishment

Truth and Honesty

Good and Evil

Freedom

Courage

Chapter V

Communion

Joy and Sorrow

Knowledge

Self-Knowing

Talking

Friendship

Pleasure

Pain

Chapter VI

We are One

Time

Prayer

Religion

Faith

Death

Chapter VII

Love Absolute Never Can Die

Chapter I

Epilogue

About the Author

Excerpt from Book II of the Corvus Chronicles:

The Stranger

Mother’s Day

Copyright

Prologue

The Visitor, an introspective look at life, Love, and beyond on the eve of death, is influenced by the writings of Thomas Merton and inspired by Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet. Originally published in 1923, The Prophet has been translated into more than 40 languages and has sold millions of copies worldwide.

As Gibran’s The Prophet has already entered the public domain in the European Union, Canada, and Russia, and is poised to enter public domain status in the United States in 2018, it is timely to put prayer to paper and offer a sequel for today’s generation. It is my hope that a new generation in reading The Visitor will reflect on what we have forgotten, understand what we take for granted, and work together to support one another in this journey of life.

The Visitor departs from the original work of Gibran on numerous accounts. Some of the chapters in Gibran’s original work are not included, while other chapters, such as those on honesty and courage which are absent in The Prophet, are important elements in The Visitor. Perhaps the most important addition is the penultimate chapter which challenges the reader to reflect on why life is filled with not only joy and pleasure, but also on why we must suffer.

Another subtle yet important difference is in the ordering of the story. While The Prophet is arranged in a manner supporting the notion of a continual circle of life, The Visitor is arranged purposefully in a linear approach, moving out from the centre (individual basic needs) to family, to society, and finally spiritual life. However, the story also bends back on itself, ending at the beginning, to illustrate both the illusion of time and the continuous procession of life.

The differences between The Prophet and The Visitor are not surprising when considering the context of other strong influences that shaped the creation of The Visitor. Perhaps the strongest personal influence on the author, even more influential then Gibran’s original story, comes from Thomas Merton.

Merton was an advocate for peace and an active figure in the United States during the Cold War and the Vietnam War. Although Merton himself may have taken issue with being labelled as a member of the pacifist movement and took strong objection to some of their more overt actions which went beyond passive civil disobedience, he was certainly a supporter of international peace. Merton was also a strong advocate of the benefit found in interfaith understanding. Merton, described variously as a mystic, prophet, monk, and social activist, has contributed quite significantly to some of the novel’s reoccurring messages of silence, solitude, and we are one.

Just as The Prophet was a product of Gibran’s time and influenced by his own life and beliefs, The Visitor is a product of my time, experiences, and beliefs. As such, the reader may find the novel crosses the line from non-fiction to fiction and back again without notice or apology.

As The Visitor is written for today’s generation, the novel also attempts to address some of life’s questions and mysteries from the vantage of today’s perspectives. We live in a world where we are more connected than ever before, where time and distance are not the barriers they once were. At the same time, we have probably never been as disconnected. Communities used to refer to the collective of neighbours within the proximity of where one lived. Today, community is more of a virtual phenomenon. We may have hundreds of friends on social media sites but not even know the names of our next-door neighbours.

Shared, but maybe not emphasized to the same degree, is the strong suggestion that deep within us, in the silence of our souls, we know intuitively the differences between what is right and what is wrong. The novel suggests that ethics and laws are merely manmade rules to protect us from ourselves, the vested interests of those in power, or the ever-changing fabricated social norms put into place by a consensus of the majority with no real regard as to what may or may not be right.

Notably, The Visitor is written from the perspective of a third-party narrative trying to relay through poetic parables a common story about Love and life on the eve of death. It is hoped that each reader will find the message unique to themselves and their own situation. Each stanza is purposefully intended to be able to stand independently while remaining connected