An Examined Life

Conformity is never real security, only an illusion. Breaking away is seldom easy. Try we must. Have you lived a lie every single day of your life? Have dark secrets been kept from you by the people you trusted the most? What if you woke up to discover that you are not who you think you are? In fact, have never been. What do you do next? Is there a way out or are you trapped forever? Set in the mid-twentieth century South Africa amidst the bitter three-way struggle for dominion between the Boers, British, and black South Africans, An Examined Life is a tale of extraordinary courage shown by a remarkable white man, who dared to challenge the status quo, forsaking everything he had worked so hard to achieve, and what most people would hold dear above everything else. Most, but not him. Every bold move has its consequences. Courage commands a steep price. He pays with interest. Meanwhile, far away and oblivious to all the commotion, a boy born in the lap of luxury grows into a fine man. However, all is not as it seems. Beneath the surface, a terrible past looms. Outraged by the ways of the world, he tries seeking order and meaning. Life wears on, and he begins to question destiny until it finally reveals itself, shocking him beyond belief, ending everything the way he knows it to be. Slowly, he tries to make peace. But can he? More importantly, is it even worth? In this world of popular opinions, constant comparisons, standards to live up to, reputations to maintain, only real men can stand up for their beliefs. In the form of a story, the book subtly asks essential questions of us, forcing a long, hard look in the mirror. Hatred, misery, sorrow, hurt pride, vengeance - emotions we have been burying since childhood, bottling them inside, screwing the cap tighter. Are they worth hanging onto or would we be better off without them? The final pages help arrive at a suitable conclusion.