God, Racing and Writing (Book 2)

A (My) "Holy Trinity"

GOD, RACING AND WRITING: A NEW BOOK "A/My Holy Trinity"*

“ “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

– Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

" Your God is a ‘petrol-head’, but He/She/It does have a sense of humour.” •

– thoughts of my good micro-biologist and dentist friend, Andy •

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”

- Franz Kafka

"There are only three sports: bullfighting, mountain climbing and motor racing; all the rest are merely games."

- Ernest Hemingway

“Racing is a metaphor for life itself.”

“The Zone could simply be a gateway to the divine, one of God's methods of reminding us of His - and our - glorious power. Omnipresence means that power must be everywhere, everytime. Including the racetracks. Including today."

- powerful and fine writing from Clyde Brolin in his great* book 'Overdrive: Formula One in the Zone' that I've been studying and researching for many years, a "true labour of love"

* fascinating to "fellow petrol-heads", like me

“Grand Prix racing is primarily a mental contest… it’s a battle of strength of wills by the combatants and a magnificent contest, the arena to display and share unique gifts and talents. Perhaps in this ‘theatre of speed’, F1 is a metaphor for life itself.”

- craig

From my racing blogs

“People talk about the Zone as a very outward thing, but it’s not”. It’s very spiritual. To me, the Zone is when you’re operating at the intuitive level. You’re not thinking about it, so it happens naturally. You’re at the top of your job. You’ve got your emotions controlled, your energy is channelled and you’re just doing it. That’s the Zone. You’re just doing it.”

– British touring car driver (and multiple World Touring Car Champion) , Andy Priauix from Overdrive, which inspired me to write my own book(s) - thanks Clyde.

“Look across all sport and observe the truly great. All had this zest for combat, this taste for being truly tested. All wished to explore (and even expand*) the limits of their own possibilities.

* (my words)

Time after time we are forced to wonder why one great talent succeeds… and another still greater talent falls short? The reason is not merely 'the will to win'. Rather it is the will to be tested at the very highest level. It is the ability to not only dwell on the far edge of sporting possibility, but to hold one’s balance…and to relish the proximity of the void.”

– brilliant writing (in the Zone from The Times, London

and some inspiring words to end off...

THE WILL TO WIN

"To drive fearlessly to win is to win another race - the race against fear -
(trophies themselves are but symbols to delight old age);
To challenge your fellow man in peaceful pursuit
Of courage is the epitome of courage;
To lose the race with grace is the embodiment of grace itself.
To triumph is to achieve glory
But glory is empty without the overthrow of fear, the acquisition
Of courage, of grace -
For the possession of these is the true glory.
Good breeding is displayed in the ability to lose well
And is primarily engendered by respect:
Respect is created by the acknowledgement not of the other man's shortcomings or faults
But essentially the acknowledgement of his virtues -
For without virtue
What is man - be he on the track challenging the fates,
Or on a bed of sleep?

L.F.

(from the International Grand Prix Book of Motor Racing (Edited by Michael Frewin and first published by Leslie Frewin, London in 1965)

For dearest dad and 'my pal', a 'champion' - see the dream never died - it's just taken another course!

Started today 4th August in the year 2015 and following on from my books Racing and Writing in the Zone and God and Formula 1 •

*To be continued and added to (as I write). Or perhaps publish another new edition??

enjoy

c

PPS

"Our talents are our gift from God, but it's what we do with them that is our gift TO God"