Looking in the Distance: The Human Search for Meaning

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Canongate, 2005 - Body, Mind & Spirit - 227 pages
By the former Bishop of Edinburgh, Richard Holloway, "Looking in the Distance" celebrates the possibilities of life, its rewards and profound challenges, with a fresh, humane optimism that is both passionate and pragmatic. Fearlessly pondering life's end, Holloway examines how doubts too often paralyze people. He explains, "A sentence is not finished till it has a full stop, and every life needs a dying to complete it ... Our brief finitude is but a beautiful spark in the vast darkness of space. So we should live the fleeting day with passion and, when the night comes, depart from it with grace." Written in the context of organized religion's structural difficulties, "Looking in the Distance" is a highly personal and meditative work that helps us better understand the myriad ways in which the human search for wholeness and healing can be approached. Accessible, funny, inquisitive and ever hopeful, it will inspire all who read it.

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About the author (2005)

One of the most outspoken and best-loved figures in the modern church, Richard Holloway recently stood down as the Bishop of Edinburgh. He was Gresham Professor of Divinity in the City of London and remains a Fellow of the Royal Society. He has written for many newspapers in Britain including The Times, the Guardian, the Sunday Herald and the Scotsman and presented his own series on BBC Television. His books include On Forgiveness, Looking in the Distance, Godless Morality and Doubts and Loves. His forthcoming book Between the Monster and the Saint: Reflections on the Human Condition will be published by Canongate in August 2008.

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