The Wisdom of "Les Miserables" » wisdom

The Search for Everyday Wisdom

Alfred Garrotto — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:11:22 +0000

Please share with me the wisdom that keeps you going day to day in life. Whether you are 18 or 98, you have something to share with the world about the meaning of life. Send me something you’ve read, seen, heard or have to say on this topic. I will feature it on my various web sites.

Too often we go to famous authors and poets for quotes about the meaning of life. I’m looking for the wisdom of ordinary people, living ordinary lives to the best of their ability. The following is an example that a lovely woman in South America left on my Facebook wall:

“What I learned about life is that what you give to others is what makes your life special, that the love you feel deep inside is what really fulfills you, and God IS Love, and to have friends is to have a great treasure.”–Ana Antunes

Through this project, maybe we can bring some everyday sanity to our very confused and out-of-kilter world.

Camouflage Baseball Uniforms

Alfred Garrotto — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:41:37 +0000

I am always looking for signs of wisdom in our cockeyed world. Flip the coin and I’m also alert to wisdom gaps around me. On July 4th (232nd birthday of our beloved country), I turned the TV on to watch my Oakland Athletics play the Chicago White Sox. Nothing more American than baseball and barbecue on this holiday. The Sox were outfitted in desert camouflage jerseys! Did they think they were playing on a sandlot in Baghdad? If they wanted to hide in a ballpark, they should have worn grass-green tops with red Coke(R) cans sewn on them. That struck me as a desecration of the game and the sport. How far must we go to show support for our troops? Next year will the umpires come out armed with plastic M16s. Fortunately, hiding inside their camouflage jerseys did not help the Sox, who got shelled with 7 runs and 17 hits by the insurgent A’s.

When my literary hero, Jean Valjean, had the opportunity to kill his nemesis, Inspector Javert, he chose nonviolence and released him. Would one more death have saved the people of France from oppression? That question challenges me. But I must answer, “No.”

So, why must we associate this holiday entirely with honoring the military? Our thinking in America today is this: if we can only kill enough of the people who hate us in the Middle East and wherever they are in the world, we’ll run out of the need to kill and finally arrive at . . . peace. Wisdom or folly?

On this 4th of July weekend, let’s honor freedom-loving, peace-loving Americans of all ages, races, creeds and walks of life, including our brothers and sisters in military service. Each of us plays a key role in keeping America safe and free.

Published!

Alfred Garrotto — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:32:43 +0000

It took longer than expected, but The Wisdom of Les Miserables: Lessons From the Heart of Jean Valjean saw the light for the first time yesterday, March 4. When I first set forth to write a book, I feel like a sculptor standing before a block of marble. The sculptor knows that the statue he or she envisions is encased by that block. It’s just a question of working it until the image is found. When I begin to write, I know that the finished product is waiting there to be discovered. So, I chisel away at the words until I can stand back and say, “At last, there’s the book I set out to write!” In the case of The Wisdom of Les Miserables, it took 18 full-scale draft revisions, but I am satisfied with the result.

It would please me no end to share this book with you. To order, you may go to www.lulu.com/content/1795167 or you can use the mail-in order form on my website (www.blsinc.com/garrotto.htm).

In future posts, I will talk about the cover art and the artist, a possible second Les Mis book, why I chose to self-publish, and other topics I hope will be of interest to the book’s and this blog’s readers.

Coming Soon — The Wisdom of Les Miserables

Alfred Garrotto — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 06:10:02 +0000

I am pleased to announce a February 2008 release of The Wisdom of Les Miserables: Lessons From the Heart of John Valjean (Lulu Press).

What can a nineteenth century French novel teach us about life and love in the 21st century? Plenty. In “The Wisdom of Les Miserables: Lessons From the Heart of Jean Valjean,” Alfred J. Garrotto offers Victor Hugo’s flawed protagonist as a model for anyone in search of practical wisdom for everyday living. One of fiction’s most beloved characters, the former convict and life-long fugitive, represents humanity in both its brokenness and its potential for selfless—even saintly—living. The author offers his reader a set of intimate, meditative Reflections on topics ranging from principled living and forgiveness to parenting and the primacy of love. Each Reflection explores a universal theme, including the daily call to spiritual and moral conversion and the summary life-lessons parents impart to their children. Questions at the end of each Reflection invite the reader to use the book as a personal wisdom journal. Alfred J. Garrotto has authored four religious nonfiction books and five novels. His long experience as teacher and spiritual guide has prepared him to harvest the deeper meaning of “Les Miserables” and apply its inspiring message to modern daily life. Cover art by Douglas M. Lawson