Like me, like a whale

Soundings: Journeys in the company of whales

Doreen, who fell into the trough of life, lived in a women's shelter with her infant son. Poverty, unemployment, isolation...a series of failures made her decide to embark on an extraordinary adventure to find the direction of her life: heading north, from the lagoons in Mexico to the glaciers in the Arctic, she and her son followed a gray whale mother who was feeding her calf and avoiding attacks by killer whales, completing the longest migration of mammals.
Along the way, Doreen finds the courage and resilience to face life's changes, overcomes self-blame, embraces her own timidity and hesitation, and regains her life. Accompanied by the indomitable whales, she regains her faith in freedom, love, and connection.
At the end of the journey, Doreen reunites with her long-lost self, and the love and memories of six years ago come flooding back...
Editor's Choice★A woman's adventure in embracing life again as a mother and as a human being.
From the cramped confines of a women's shelter to the vast expanse of the Arctic Ocean; from the lowest point in life to the summit of the Far North, traveling halfway around the world on a journey of spiritual discovery |
“I told myself I would learn how to live again from the whales.”
"But what does failure really mean? That's just my wishful thinking. The whales are out at sea, trudging through the storm. Following them is a lesson: we learn that there are second, third, fourth, and fifth chances in life. You have as many opportunities as you believe in."
★A journey of a human mother and her child to find whales, and also an adventure of accompanying a gray whale mother and her calf as they migrate thousands of miles in search of survival and hope.
Along the way, we rushed to meet each other with different desires in our hearts; after separation, we returned to the land and the sea, each taking up our own place in the vast universe.
"I understand whales and appreciate them for who they are. It's enough that they exist. I'm glad I can't see them, so they can be somewhere else, away from human interference, just being whales, living their lives freely."
★A call to the deep sea, a story about courage and resilience, and also a journey of self-discovery.
Transform the storms and tribulations of life into ordinary breaths while diving underwater; follow the gray whales and gain the strength to "be yourself" in difficult times.
"Whales don't deal with hope or despair; they deal with survival, breathing in when it's time to breathe, and keeping going, traveling to the ends of the earth for themselves and their children."
"I no longer recognize the young woman who walked alone in the Niger Delta, fearless. She stood in the way of powerful men and challenged their authority, thinking she could make a difference, that she was fighting for justice. But she must still be there somewhere, and I will find her. If the gray whale can ultimately learn and recover after what it has endured, surely I can too."
★A visit to the whaling culture of the Far North, to perceive the existence and meaning of human beings in the world view of reincarnation.
The Inupiat whales light up the Arctic night. They are a gift from nature, with vibrant souls just like humans. In the cruel test of survival, the lives of humans and whales are closely connected.
"In the Inuit language, there is no distinction between humans and animals, and there are no words for it. This may indicate the equality of all life in the Inuit worldview."
“This place seems to be alive in a way, full of dreams, thoughts, and history. The image of the animal is always present in clothing, in the whale bones and baleen that can be found in people’s homes and outside, and it is prevalent in people’s consciousness and conversations. Everything here revolves around whales. The people here have a deep understanding of whales and their ecology, and talking with them feels almost like listening directly to the whales themselves.”
★Starting this adventure, like you and me, like me and the whale, I hope we will no longer fight alone.
Eighty million years ago, humans and whales were brothers and sisters, but our ancestors chose different paths. Today, facing a future of change as turbulent as an avalanche, we and whales face common challenges – a future with even greater uncertainty. The influence of popular culture, the renewal of values, and the dominance of technology are all fundamentally no different from climate change. They all concern the way and meaning of human existence – how to fight against emptiness and meaninglessness in a future of rapid change, firmly perceive our own existence, and maintain our connection with the land, language, fellow human beings, and the surrounding community.
Crossing the ice between the individual and the universal, life and death, human and non-human, eternity and change, on a whale-hunting journey across the ocean, the author soothes the sorrows and sufferings of life and sings the power of survival and recovery.

2024-02-01

南海出版公司

New Classic Culture, New Classic·Youxiang Studio

361

9787573506115