Becoming
by
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">“</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Creative becoming,</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">”</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> Professor Chapel said as he began his morning philosophy class. Most of the students, arranged in neat semi-circular rows in coliseum-style seating, just stared at each other with an expression of bewilderment. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>A hand quickly went up.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">“</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Uh, professor, what does that mean?</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">”</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> one of the braver students in the audience inquired.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">“</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Well, William,</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">”</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> Professor Chapel replied looking down at his student list to make sure this young man was indeed William. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">“</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">It</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">’</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">s part of a philosophy. Actually it</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">’</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">s half. The second half states that </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">‘</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">creative becoming</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">’</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> is more important than being a perfectly, thus fully finished human being.</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">”</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>The same hand went up again.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">“</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Uh, professor. Are you sure we</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">’</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">re in Philosophy 101? What is a fully finished human being?</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes">”</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>The collective class chuckled, not that any of them understood what Chapel was about to explain.
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About the Book
Rarely does a first time novelist break out with such compelling characters whose tragic and triumphant stories (though they are complete strangers) are woven so seamlessly into a plot filled with twists and turns in nearly every chapter.
About the Author
Bill Magnusson is a surprising source for this book. He is not an academic—he is a successful financial advisor with a long business background. With a Columbia MBA and a string of other letters after his name—CLU, CFP—in his “day job” he helps executives, business owners, and individuals protect and grow their financial assets. But his thoughts go much deeper than just money. He has always been interested in philosophy and its practical use in life. Thirty years ago, he read a book written by a philosophy professor who was also a close friend. He realized that this unknown philosopher had discovered what makes life meaningful, and he had found a way to communicate it to people—a way so direct and engaging—that the ideas truly could change how people understand the meaning of their lives. After studying the ideas for decades, Magnusson decided to write a new story, incorporating the ideas, for today’s reader.