Confessions of a Part-time Seeker
Confessions of a Part-time Seeker
by J. Walter Dickson
The Acorn Press, Durham, NC, ©1994 (Biography) 80pp.
The author writes
about the personal, practical experience of solace and wisdom gained during a four-month stay in India. Dickson has an
arresting style of nonchalance, opening with “I am at a crossroads," and asking
us, “do I continue with what I’m doing, or do I make ‘the leap of faith’.” He then notes, “. . . my early days were wholly unremarkable . . . I
excelled in nothing—especially school.” He easily shares foibles and mistakes, which helped me gain
confidence in him as an authentic bumbler and seeker. Yet, he also tells in his introductory notes of
a couple of strange moments of gnosis that helped guide him to “a peace that is
everyone’s birthright.” It’s a succinct and fascinating tale he weaves of his
life.
While Joel refers to his bodily form as “the donkey,” Dickson
talks of his physical body as “the bundle.” Toward the end of this short little
book, he mentions some of the numerous roles he’s played over the years, from
outdoorsman and rancher, to lover of Beethoven, Bach and ballet, to runner,
cyclist, racquetball player and “spiritual person.” He says he can easily answer to all of them
because he is none of them, and enjoys letting “. . . the bundle romp in such a
large pasture.”
His final advice to his fellow seekers is to relax and enjoy
the ride, since the question of “how, when, or even if you will ‘see’ is completely
beyond your control.” I like that. Might as well.