The Road Less Traveled

When people I know embark on a spiritual quest, I often recommend two M. Scott Peck books: The Road Less Traveled and People of the Lie. The first line of The Road Less Traveled is "Life is difficult." In People of the Lie, Peck gives the best explanation of evil I've ever heard. You'll be amazed how banal evil really is.

All of Peck's books explain, in clear and beautiful language, the spiritual struggles that last an entire lifetime but can also open up conversion experiences.

I'm a huge fan. So I was saddened to read that Peck has Parkinson's disease, the same disease hounding Pope John Paul II.

In a lengthy and terrific article in National Catholic Reporter, Peck talks about this latest development on his spiritual journey. Read the entire article.

Here's one excerpt:
He belongs to no particular church, attended several and, until Parkinson’s ended his driving, he regularly received the Eucharist. Now the Eucharist comes to him if one of his visitors is a minister. When asked which faith tradition he would move toward if pressed, he said that with a gun at his back in a choose-or-die situation, he’d become a Roman Catholic.

Here's another:
When asked if he was afraid of death, Peck replied, “Less than I used to be, but yes, still afraid.” He admitted he was critical of people who won’t face the fact that they are dying until the absolute end. “Terrified they are, and still in denial, even intelligent people. The power of denial among people dying is unbelievable. I mean literally -- a brilliant person, a previously introspective person, the body now down to a skeleton, but with a bloated belly, obviously dying and still just not dealing with it.”