Lamb, a lesson in Life beyond Life

First of all I would like to say that I'm finished with the book and that I recommend it to all readers in for a laugh or just a good book. Secondly, kudos to Moore for his ability to write an interesting story about a controversial topic without questioning any one's faith as a Christian. Furthermore, I would like to express my disappointment and distaste with the blog master for not posting prompts for Lamb.

The next of the three wise men Joshua and Biff look for is the Buddhist monk guy who attempts to teach Joshua the complexities of compassion. This has led me three questions: What is compassion? How does one learn compassion? Can compassion be taught?

After much meditating, I have come to the conclusion that compassion, like all forms of good, exist in all of us. It just needs a little guidance and shaping to squeeze it out. Furthermore, compassion is a word that is either used to loosely or not specifically enough. I think they should have more words for it. For example it's not really compassion to help a little old lady across the street, it's more chivalry or boyscout-ism. Compassion is an emotional thing; it requires a heart.

The last of the three wise men Joshua searches for is also a monk who lives in India and teaches Joshua about the Divine Spark, which he later calls the Holy Ghost. My thought on the Holy Spirit are biased of course, seeing as how I am a Christian, but from a neutral standing it appears just like all the other religions; always praying to somebody. Of course it's much more complex than that, but I think that teaching people to find the Divine Spark in themselves is a good idea. Goodness exists in us all, and like I said before, it's just a matter of letting it all hang out.

Alas, like all characters and books, there is an end to the magic. Joshua is a perfect example of a hero's journey, a coming of age story, and a tall tale. His end comes with suffering, like most heroes and protagonists, but I don't feel sad. His suffering, like in the Bible, means that I don't have to suffer and feel bad because he dies. That means that Moore did a good job, a spectacular job, in weaving a classic tale into biblical references and magic storytelling.