“Happiness…come(s)…as a result of learning” Aristotle
Paradoxically, the dawn of the information age with all of its technological advances has contributed to the new dark age in which we live. It’s easy to become complacent and even lazy when all the answers we need are found through a simple keyword search with words that don’t need to be spelled correctly. It’s easy to forget how to construct proper sentences with correct punctuation when we busy ourselves writing tweets. It’s difficult to make time for learning a new skill or reading a classic work of literature when we are constantly being bombarded by emails, texts and updates.
The protagonists of my previous two novels, Silvia and Cosmo, were both active knowledge seekers in different ways, the former being an artist and the latter being a scientist. When they are active in these pursuits, they are happier people. My forthcoming novel focuses on a character who is a true Renaissance man: an artist, a musician and a life-long student. Donna (the Greco family matriarch) is the protagonist of this book and the Renaissance man is her brother, Vincent. He is keenly aware of the joy that comes from learning, creating and having varied real life experiences. He also contemplates the meaning of life and is open to the magic in the universe. Above all, he acknowledges the limitations of the outer world, (which is never enough), and the infinity that exists inside.
I am writing this book from a place of hope as I believe that this new dark age is temporary, that the light is coming.
Sign up for my mailing list to be notified when the third book featuring the Greco family is released!
This post is from my blog series, “Fiction Books about Happiness.” The theme of happiness runs throughout all of my novels, including Olive Branches Don’t Grow on Trees, Discovery of an Eagle, and The Bird that Sang in Color. These books are available from all major online book sellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books.
