“A Reason for Living” by Laurent Grenier http://laurentgrenier.com/ARFL.html
ISBN: 1589611659 (paperback) or 097372000X (ebook)
SUBJECT: Inspirational and philosophical autobiography
EDITION: 1st
PUBLISHER: NardisPress/PageFree Publishing
PUBLICATION DATE: December 2004.
FORMAT: 6" x 9" trade paperback or ebook
PAGES: 212
LIST PRICE: 12.95 USD for the paperback
and 6.50 USD for the ebook
RETAIL OUTLETS: Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com,
among other bookstores
PHONE ORDERS (toll-free): 1-866-GO-BOOKS
These days, it seems that everyone who overcomes some formidable challenge feels compelled to share his or her victory with the world. It seems also that among those who indulge this compelling feeling and publicly celebrate their victory, many become self-appointed life coaches. All in all, there are more “success stories” and “gurus” out there than you can shake a stick at.
Is the new release A REASON FOR LIVING (the way to fulfillment against great odds) by Laurent Grenier just another instance of someone winning a big fight on life’s battleground and telling others what is the key to such a win? Is it just another tale of success and recipe book, so to speak, where success is the cake? The answer is no. So why not give it a chance to surprise you?
A REASON FOR LIVING by Laurent Grenier is not only autobiographical and inspirational; it is philosophical as well. It is a success story, to be sure, but it deals with far more than the means to a successful end. It affords a unique opportunity to ponder the reason why people should labor to succeed, or the meaning of the goals they commonly pursue.
One cannot build a solid house without first building solid foundations. Likewise, one cannot devise a satisfying life scheme without first devising a satisfying philosophy that frames the activities of one's daily living in terms of fundamental purpose. This philosophy puts practical knowledge in its proper perspective. It provides an answer to this pivotal question: Why live, and more precisely, why make the effort to survive, work, develop relationships, raise children, and assist others in their own living venture?
Is the answer self-evident? Is success the fulfilling be-all and end-all of life? If such is the case, why are there so many successful people in search of meaning beyond the obvious? A REASON FOR LIVING by Laurent Grenier is the product of a sustained and intelligent effort to help people find this meaning. It does so outside religion in a conciliatory way that can prove beneficial to both Christians and non-Christians.
HOW WELL ARE YOU BALANCING ON THE TIGHTROPE OF LIFE?
No one is free from change, and what is worse no one can count on luck to forever spare them a radical and unfortunate change. Misfortune is the twin sister of good fortune, and she never tolerates being separated from the other for long.
The unlucky souls who have greatly suffered the effect of this powerful and unwelcome attraction do not have the luxury of ignoring it. They are confronted by it and they must deal with it. Among them are victims of grievous accidents that have left their dreams as well as their limbs paralyzed. To them like to others who have been subjected to a radical and unfortunate change, this change usually means grief and depression.
Yes, this is an unpleasant topic. Perhaps you are one of the lucky ones who have been relatively spared until now. If that is the case (and anyone with a kind heart will wish you continued luck for many years to come), should you not concern yourself with this unpleasant topic? Should you discard as irrelevant to you and many others like you the experience and wisdom of a man who has spent the last quarter-century mastering the art of turning grief and depression into serenity and happiness? Should you merely brush aside the product of his extensive study and positive thinking, combined with productive action?
This man is Laurent Grenier, author of the new – part autobiographical, part philosophical – book A REASON FOR LIVING (the way to fulfillment against great odds). A once teenage athlete who became paralyzed as a result of a diving accident, he gradually learned the secret of converting the apparent absurdity of his condition into meaning. Likewise, an alchemist transmutes lead into gold thanks to the philosopher’s stone.
What if this secret was universal and applicable to all, whatever their fortune may be? What if it could significantly benefit everyone, even the most lucky ones, healthy and wealthy, and usually in good spirits into the bargain? “Humans are at their best when things are at their worst,” I have once heard, and surely the enlightening and inspiring philosophy of a man who has risen from misery is an example of such best. Whether you decide to feed on it or let it go to waste is a matter of personal choice.
"PHYSICAL ADVERSITY AND MENTAL TRIUMPH" (ForeWordReviews.com).
Every year a great many people suffer disabling injuries that turn their lives upside down. This disruption is often accompanied by overwhelming grief. Indeed, many victims of disabling injuries feel it is fundamentally their ability to achieve happiness they have lost.
“A Reason for Living” by Laurent Grenier was written especially for them, in an effort to help them adjust and view life in a most positive, meaningful way. “Today I concede without reservation that the absurdity of my reality was an illusion that my adaptation to this reality could dispel. The lack of meaning was a want of awareness. What I failed to see was the flexibility of my nature. More than an individual (in terms of my habits), I was a human being capable of shaping and reshaping my individuality in accordance with my changing situation,” Grenier writes.
The book aims to provide a solid and wholesome answer to the ever so pressing question “Why live?” It is about helping people lead wiser and happier lives – stricken people in particular who not only crave such an improvement, but also strive to satisfy this craving.
Furthermore – and this adds to the unique and resolute positiveness of the book – “A Reason for Living” is both philosophical and autobiographical, and does more than deliver a message; it sets an example. On the one hand, it is a view of life, and on the other, a life story, the latter serving as a backdrop for the former in a very illustrative, relevant, and convincing way. The author thinks what he says and lives it. His words are all the more credible and inspiring as they are matched by his actions. Now 48, he was once a teenage athlete who became severely disabled due to a sports injury and slowly rebuilt his life from the ground up by means of considerable efforts, including much study and reflection.
Hardship often serves as the catalyst that promotes existential questioning and turns many a soul into a philosophical one. Who are indeed likely to ponder on the meaning of life but those who are at a loss to conceive of this meaning, owing to their daily struggle with suffering while they yearn after joy?
Some may search for enlightenment and serenity in the church and discover a doctrine of love and salvation that arouses in them a sense of having found their true home after a period of painful wandering. Others – rationalists by nature – may walk skeptically and wistfully past the square that leads to this place of worship. They are lonesome seekers of wisdom and happiness as the riddle of life boggles their minds and torments their hearts. “A Reason for Living” was written for them, in an effort to help them view life in a most positive, meaningful way. It complements rather than opposes the Christian viewpoint, though it does call certain aspects of it into question.
The purpose of the book is largely therapeutic, not merely polemical. It proceeds from a dogged determination to provide a legitimate and salutary answer to the ever so pressing question “Why live?” It is about helping people lead wiser and happier lives – especially educated and inquiring people who not only are hungry for such an improvement, but also are committed to going to great lengths to satisfy this hunger.
Furthermore – and this adds to the unique and resolute positiveness of the book – “A Reason for Living” is both philosophical and autobiographical, and does more than deliver a message; it sets an example. It is a worldview and a life story, the latter serving as a backdrop for the former in a very illustrative, relevant, and convincing way. The author – now 47, a once teenage athlete who became severely disabled due to a sports injury and slowly rebuilt his life from the ground up thanks to considerable efforts, including much study and reflection – thinks what he says and lives it. His words are all the more credible and inspiring as they are matched by his actions.