A Spiritual Quest of Life: Self Realization and Human Consciousness - Book Report/Review Example

A spiritual quest of Life: Self Realization and Human consciousness Yet another underlying theme of “Born on the fourth of July” by Ron Kovic What a brilliant account of human life! “Born on the fourth of July,” Ron Kovic’s memoir is written with poetic passion and grips the reader’s attention from the very first page to the last. It is a classic of antiwar literature and many were inspired by his true life story. The book is not just a brilliant story on war; it is a true autobiographical story of the life of a young man who leaves his small town after high school to enter the harsh Vietnam War to honor his country. He tells his story of the horrors that he had to face and watch as a soldier confronted with many difficult situations. Truly, Kovic has written this book with his heart and soul in his words. It is true that Kovic complains too much about how badly he feels about himself, his life, his injury, and the war etc... A reader may view this as the author whining and on occasions it detracts him from the book and his writing style. On the other hand, for a person that has not experienced a situation as grim and tragic as the war, it gives an insight into the feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, and lack of self worth a veteran may suffer. This is an insiders view of the war that one would not normally be exposed to. This type of interpretation is hard to depict yet Kovic does this with ease and panache. The veil of thoughts and sensory stimulus draws the mind outside, to the outside world, and obscure the awareness of the consciousness that is beyond the mind. Practice of meditation and contemplation makes the mind peaceful, and develops the ability to silence it. In this state of inner silence one stops the identification with the mind, thoughts and ego, gets beyond the illusion of separateness, and realizes the oneness with the One Spirit. It is as if a new sort of consciousness dawns. Realization of human blunders emerges out of sheer consciousness of the human soul. Tragedies occur. Human beings suffer. One starts to view the world in a different manner. This is reality of life. It is true that great works leave a mark on human conscience. People think about it, what it means, and talk about it for days. It changes their perception of things on many levels. Truly, when the readers go through each line of “Born on the fourth of July,” they recognize the quest of life and experience utmost consciousness and self-realization – the spiritual side of man’s very entity. This is evident from Ron Kovic’s own expression. “I now believe I have suffered for a reason, and in many ways I have found that reason in my commitment to peace and nonviolence. My life has been a blessing in disguise, even with the pain and great difficulty that my physical disability continues to bring. It is a blessing to be able to speak on behalf of peace, to be able to reach such a great number of people. I truly feel that this beautiful world has given me back so much more than it has taken from me. So many others that I knew are gone, and gone way too young. I am grateful to be alive after all these years and all that I’ve been through. I am thankful for every day. Life is so precious.” “Born on the fourth of July” is a good book to read not only for the historical issues discussed, but also to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading. It depicts human tragedy, political turmoil and above all the impact of war on humanity. Eventually it is a valuable resource, as it provides great historical accuracy and abundant information to the reader; while maintaining its compelling appeal as a fictional account. The book was written completely from first hand experience, hence it is completely factual. A reader does not have to be a history buff to enjoy the work. The story As any young man, Ron is full of passion for his country and believes in serving its cause, not caring whether he dies in the process. He eagerly enrolls in the Marine Corp and before he knows it, he is sent to Vietnam fighting for his country. While serving his nation, he gets badly injured in action and is forced to stop fighting and go to the hospital. What he sees there is what no man should ever have to experience in his life. His injury is severe. He is paralyzed from the waist down and will never be able to walk again. The hospitals were in gruesome conditions. The government did not want to give the funds for better equipment. Kovic explains how the conditions of the hospital were worse than the war itself. He goes through a life changing event. He struggles with his handicap as he also struggles with the horrific memories of the war. During the course of the book, Kovic seeks to find himself in a world that he is lost in. The book goes into deep detail of Kovics post war experience. When it seems that Kovic will never overcome the painful memory of Vietnam and many missed opportunities, he realizes that bravery isnt jumping in uninformed to the misguided war of attrition. Ron Kovic shows what it is to be a true American: to fight for the truth. Ron Kovic becomes an active anti-war advocate and goes to many demonstrations. He travels to Washington DC and even sits in on a speech given by the president. He and many other anti-war veterans hold up signs and try to draw national attention to them. “And yeah, everyone will be there when things are going well, but none when things are not well” –Ron experiences this valuable philosophy of life. Kovic feels so strongly against this war that he even puts himself in a position where he was sent to jail for his beliefs. Kovic’s efforts move a lot of people. You can feel the emotion Ron going through all the way; from humble and innocent beginnings, to a torn and desperate man left scarred for life. Its not hard to imagine yourself doing the same if you were in his shoes - guilt, pain, fear and acceptance of death. The unique aspect about Kovics book, "Born on the Fourth of the July" is that he wrote the entire book from personal experience. He is not a writer but had a lot to say. He writes his beliefs and thoughts down to tell the world. Suppressed by the government, this is Kovics way of expressing his self and getting the word out to the world. He believed that the war was wrong. Here is a person who believed in supporting his country and then came upon the realization that he and his country were wrong in their actions. His writing style accentuates the fact that he is like most males from his generation – less educated lot. However, the book is remarkably well structured. Early on, Kovics narrative shifts back and forth between Vietnam and his childhood and teenage years in Massapequa, New York, discussing burned and broken soldiers alongside him in the hospital before moving on to baseball dreams and pretty girls. Later, upon his return to the US, he juxtaposes his war experience with his attempts to fit into American life, to find a peer group, and reconnect with his family. The objectives of life in a universal spirit are emphasized in each dialogues of Ron. The book reads almost exactly how it was written -- in a stream of consciousness style (in just over a month) by a writer whose life almost depends on the words therapeutically reaching the paper. The reader cant help but move along the sentences quickly, no matter how jarring the content. Kovic uses intense, powerful words that the reader will find hard to forget. As in the following his writing clearly and effectively communicate the intensity of emotions that the character is feeling. “Thats not fair! I want it back! They have taken it, they have robbed it, my penis will never get hard anymore. I didnt even have time to learn how to enjoy it and now it is gone, it is dead, it is as numb as the rest of me... It is Gone. Gone for America. I have given it for democracy. I have given my dead swinging dick for America. Nobody ever told me I was going to come back from this war without a penis. But I am back and my head is screaming now and I dont know what to do.” The reader can almost feel the writer’s emotions about his life, pulsate within the text. In effect, it becomes clear that the war and Kovics experiences affect every part of his life, including his pre-war years as a boy raised on war films, trained almost, to respect his country and its government without question. "Ill never forget Audie Murphy," he says, "…on top of a flaming tank thats just about to explode...” As Kovics opinions evolve and dramatically change, so do the readers. His style allows the reader to understand his reaction to war from all angles -- his hero-loving childhood driving his motivation to go to war, through his realization that his government is fallible, to his decision to do something about it. Kovics book rationalizes the war problem, and examines the fear behind this incomprehension, presenting the protagonist not as a guy in need of sympathy, but as a man who knows first hand the futility of military combat. In the end, though, he is not exactly forgiving, but he is accepting (of him situation, not the war), and his summation of war’s affect on him 30-odd years later is simple and stirring: "I saw firsthand what our government’s terrible policy had wrought. I endured; I survived and understood. The one gift I was given in that war was an awakening. No one will ever again be my enemy…" Realization & Consciousness: the spiritual Quest Kovic also tells us---in various flashbacks---about his psychological journey as a paraplegic, about his loneliness, his depression, his pain and misery, and his frustration at being unable to walk. He writes frankly and cathartically of coping with the loss of his sex life. He recounts how the well-meaning but unknowing people of Massapequa made nightmares that shook him badly. However finally he comes into terms with reality and his spiritual transformation becomes evident when he says, “The only thing I can think of, the only thing that crosses my mind, is living. There seems to be nothing in the world more important than that”. True, for some, the agony and suffering, the sleepless nights, anxiety attacks, and awful bouts of insomnia, loneliness, alienation, anger, and rage, will last for decades, if not their whole lives. They will be trapped in a permanent nightmare of that war, of killing another man, a child, watching a friend die fighting against an enemy that can never be seen, while at any moment someone--a child, a woman, an old man, anyone--might kill you. These traumas return home with us and we carry them, sometimes hidden, for agonizing decades. They deeply impact our daily lives, and the lives of those closest to us, as evident from the statement that, “To kill another human being, to take another life out of this world with one pull of a trigger, is something that never leaves you. It is as if a part of you dies with them. If you choose to keep on living, there may be a healing, and even hope and happiness again--but that scar and memory and sorrow will be with you forever.” Ron Kovic rightly says that he became a messenger, a living symbol, an example, a man who learned that love and forgiveness are more powerful than hatred, who has learned to embrace all men and women as my brothers and sisters. He also eschews the element of hatred and feels that no one will ever become his enemy no matter how hard they try to frighten and intimidate him. He also claims that he will never allow any government to teach him to hate another human being. Thus “Born on the fourth of July” is the result of the spiritual realization attained by Ron Kovic. It will indeed touch your life and allow you to think about it to experience the true mission of life. Read More