Review of Fulfillment
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Nyasha Gogoma
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Review of Fulfillment
[Following is a volunteer review of "Fulfillment" by ICA.]
Who is God? Does an all-powerful, all-knowing being in control of the entire universe even exist? Should those who believe in God try to persuade those who do not? Mihail Militaru, writing under the pseudonym ICA, attempts to answer these questions and more in his first work, titled Fulfillment: A Journey Through a Spiritual Life. Aimed at all and sundry, the book strives to help us uncover our divine purpose and reconcile with the divine being that created us. ICA believes the name used to refer to this being is inconsequential; we need only acknowledge and obey Her. Using allegories, personal experiences, concepts taught by Jesus, the Bible, Buddha, and even Lao Tzu, he demonstrates the necessity of spiritual awakening.
I knew from the get-go what to expect when I started reading Fulfillment. I was not expecting enlightenment, and indeed, I did not find it. Instead, I was fascinated by the author's ideas, and my curiosity was satisfied. I knew that my religious beliefs would not alter in the slightest, but I was curious to see how he would attempt to unify all world religions into a single spiritual experience. That being said, there were many points I generally agreed with. For example, ICA dwelt on the importance of loving others and rejecting fear. He said our purpose is found in loving and serving others. As for fear, particularly that of death, we should have no room for it. He asserts that only absolute truth can remove this fear and thereby set us free. It is therefore incumbent upon us to search for this absolute truth.
There are numerous grammatical and typographical errors in the book, suggesting literal translation. This may be expected of a first draft since the author is not a native English speaker. For a published work, this is unacceptable and reflects a failure to engage a professional editor. Another thing that grated my gears was Militaru's poor use of examples. He would present stories whose endings were clearly intended to deliver a moral. However, these fell flat each time as there was no punchline or clear ending - nothing to explain why he decided to use that particular story in that scenario. Furthermore, he began each new chapter by summarizing the main points from the previous chapter. I found this style of writing particularly annoying because each chapter is only a few pages long.
I cannot fault the content as it is entirely the author's opinion, and I respect that. I am always eager to hear opinions that differ from mine. The lack of professional editing, however, made it impossible for me to enjoy the book more. Overall, I rate it 2 out of 4 stars.
In my opinion, Fulfillment is suitable for non-religious people seeking their lives' true purpose. On the other hand, people with tenacious religious beliefs are unlikely to enjoy or find this book helpful, as it contradicts widely held religious convictions. Thus, I recommend this book to anyone seeking spirituality who will read it with an open mind.
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Fulfillment
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Who is God? Does an all-powerful, all-knowing being in control of the entire universe even exist? Should those who believe in God try to persuade those who do not? Mihail Militaru, writing under the pseudonym ICA, attempts to answer these questions and more in his first work, titled Fulfillment: A Journey Through a Spiritual Life. Aimed at all and sundry, the book strives to help us uncover our divine purpose and reconcile with the divine being that created us. ICA believes the name used to refer to this being is inconsequential; we need only acknowledge and obey Her. Using allegories, personal experiences, concepts taught by Jesus, the Bible, Buddha, and even Lao Tzu, he demonstrates the necessity of spiritual awakening.
I knew from the get-go what to expect when I started reading Fulfillment. I was not expecting enlightenment, and indeed, I did not find it. Instead, I was fascinated by the author's ideas, and my curiosity was satisfied. I knew that my religious beliefs would not alter in the slightest, but I was curious to see how he would attempt to unify all world religions into a single spiritual experience. That being said, there were many points I generally agreed with. For example, ICA dwelt on the importance of loving others and rejecting fear. He said our purpose is found in loving and serving others. As for fear, particularly that of death, we should have no room for it. He asserts that only absolute truth can remove this fear and thereby set us free. It is therefore incumbent upon us to search for this absolute truth.
There are numerous grammatical and typographical errors in the book, suggesting literal translation. This may be expected of a first draft since the author is not a native English speaker. For a published work, this is unacceptable and reflects a failure to engage a professional editor. Another thing that grated my gears was Militaru's poor use of examples. He would present stories whose endings were clearly intended to deliver a moral. However, these fell flat each time as there was no punchline or clear ending - nothing to explain why he decided to use that particular story in that scenario. Furthermore, he began each new chapter by summarizing the main points from the previous chapter. I found this style of writing particularly annoying because each chapter is only a few pages long.
I cannot fault the content as it is entirely the author's opinion, and I respect that. I am always eager to hear opinions that differ from mine. The lack of professional editing, however, made it impossible for me to enjoy the book more. Overall, I rate it 2 out of 4 stars.
In my opinion, Fulfillment is suitable for non-religious people seeking their lives' true purpose. On the other hand, people with tenacious religious beliefs are unlikely to enjoy or find this book helpful, as it contradicts widely held religious convictions. Thus, I recommend this book to anyone seeking spirituality who will read it with an open mind.
******
Fulfillment
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Reconfigurement by E. Alan Fleischauer
