- Author Home: David B Roberts
- A Search for Name: Index Page
- Characters
- Notable Quotes
- Table of Contents
Preface
I would like to welcome you to world of American Brahman. The first adventure, “A Search for a Name”, chronicles our young hero as he embarks on his first journey toward spiritual awakening. This is not a book of how-to’s or a sermon with a list of answers. Nor would I consider it part of the New Age genre, where it seems anything goes except traditional teachings. However, if you are genuinely concerned with the pursuit of truth within the American lifestyle (or any lifestyle for that matter) this might be the book for you.
As for me, I’ve always been a curious person. I couldn’t wait to go to school so I could learn to read and find out about things. I thought all the mysteries of life were probably explained in a book somewhere. So imagine how disappointed I was to grow up and find that many of the questions I had about life were left unanswered. To my way of thinking, most of the “standard” answers to life’s important questions could be grouped into two categories:
One: They can easily be dismissed with only a little bit of rational thought,
or
Two: They are either so obscure or esoteric that hardly anybody can understand them.
What a dilemma. The set of answers I had been given as child were no longer working. They were fine while I was growing up, but as a young man of seventeen they were no longer sufficient to satisfy the longings of my soul. Something was obviously missing and I had to know why. It wasn’t as if people knew and weren’t telling me, it was like nobody else knew either. Try as I may, I just couldn’t accept the premise that humanity is destined to wander aimlessly without a known purpose. Was life was just a big mystery that no one could figure out?
I’ve often considered the possibility that I’m a just a stubborn fool. I should just go about my daily tasks without worrying about things that aren’t meant to be understood anyway. But no, that’s not me. I’m like the forlorn bank robber in the movie “Dirty Harry” who pleads, “I gots to know.” And the amazing thing is I have made progress. It’s like when learning something new, it can seem really complicated at first, but after you work with it a while, get to know how it operates, it’s not so bad. I was thinking that maybe life as a whole is like that. At first you don’t know what’s going on, but the more you work at it, the more you study and try to understand it, the more it makes sense.
Anyway, to give you an idea of what’s going on, this story is set against the backdrop of the late 1960’s circa my high school graduation. Times have changed a lot since then, but the story could pretty much happen anywhere. At the time, I was suffering through a post-adolescent transition that I didn’t see coming. I had previously led the carefree life of a spoiled, pampered high school student with a fanciful pipe dream of the future. However, the easy life quickly came to an abrupt halt. I was now coming to grips with the harsh reality that I was just an ordinary plebe, expected to eke out a living within the humdrum existence of the American workforce. I became extremely frustrated and distraught with what the world had to offer. Looking back, I can see how ridiculous this must have appeared to all those around me, especially since I appeared to have everything going for me. However, I felt a key ingredient in life was missing, and I didn’t want to go on another day without knowing what it was. This is a dire state to be in, but on the other hand, it is when all seems lost that the human spirit often rises to its greatest triumph. So this is the story of my pilgrimage, back to search for real answers, to search for a name.
So if you continue reading, I hope it’s not a waste of your time. I hope you will be inspired to pursue or continue your own spiritual journey. If you enjoyed “A Search for a Name”, there are follow on adventures that you can preview at this website. Amazon.com Kindle Books
