To the core

Wow. Just finished reading Wil Wheaton’s Just A Geek and I must say this is one of my favorite books of all time. It’s a journey through life that most people will definitely relate to. I know I did. It’s surfacing so many feelings and able to capture into words so many of the same things that I think about myself. I find that many of my own insecurities, self-doubt, and career longings are given voice in this book.

The defining moment in the book (and according to Wheaton) and in the author’s life is recorded on pages 177 - 184 — The Wesley Dialogues. You can read them here: Mirror, Mirror, Turnabout Intruder, and The Big Goodbye.

In these three entries from his blog, Wheaton confronts his past that has haunted him and paralyzed him from becoming the writer that he now is. The rest of the book demonstrates the resolution of conflict that he found in his life.

If you’re there, then you can relate. This is how I feel:

I’m 38 years old. My life is about half over. And I haven’t done or accomplished a damn thing that I said I was gonna do when I graduated from high school (when I was 17). I feel like a failure.

I know I’m using the wrong measuring stick to evluate my life. Below are some of the things that are bothering me the most.

1) I’m not rich and I work at a job that is very unfulfilling. Granted it’s way better than teaching assholes and idiots.
2) I don’t have a legacy to pass on since I don’t have children of my own.
3) I want to use my time on my own terms, not spend the majority of my waking hours working for somebody else. I wish I could retire and do what I want to do.

Okay, I’m getting way off track here. I’m supposed to be reviewing this book, Just A Geek, that I just finished reading. But all these feelings keep pouring out.

I must confront Vader . . . Then and only then, a Jedi will I be.

Bottom line: Great book. Impacted my life. Showed me I need to confront these issues in my own life. If for anything else, you should read it because it will challenge you to self-reflection and honesty. And besides, “Stand By Me”, “Star Trek TNG”, and Wil Wheaton are cool.

P.S. I don’t agree with his political beliefs and ideology, but he is a cool guy anyways.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 28th, 2004 at 9:56 am and is filed under Books and Reflection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.