Joe-Lize's review – Time to reflect on your real purpose
An Ethiopian refugee who fled fighting in Tigray province. Photo AFP, Ashraf Shazly
Christian Life
As Christians, we believe that we should do something for the good of our neighbour. It is a deeply rooted feeling in our faith. But what is our deepest motivation for helping others? It is one of the themes explored by Phil Clarke in his book Falling Night.
Alan Swales is a successful Brit who lives a great life with his girlfriend, has a reputation as a football coach, and has a well-paying job. Yet, he feels something is lacking. "Success and comfort came at the price of the crippling boredom of a routine and unchallenging existence", Phil Clarke writes in his thriller.
More and more people are looking for a job that feels fulfilling to them. Although some still work mainly for the big money, it is not unusual nowadays for businesspeople to switch to a career as a teacher, for example. Instead of living a more than comfortable life themselves, they want to be useful to the people around them, they say.
Knights in shining armour
The same applies to Alan. On television, he sees an advertisement for aid worker vacancies in Africa. Although he tries to laugh it off, he must acknowledge that the images have a certain attraction to him, as the workers "stood out in their gleaming white t-shirts, like modern knights in shining armour."
Doing something good for others feels nice. It appeases our conscience, makes us feel purposeful, and helps us to deal with the evil that exists in this world. But who does not hope secretly for a little bit of acknowledgement for the actions he has done?
Phil Clarke's book presents a great mirror to us as Christians who are willingly providing help to our neighbours. Because how do we deal with setbacks in our well-meant help to others? With disappointments in our job as a Christian leader who helps others with living their life according to the Bible?
Safety
The theme of helping others in difficult circumstances while struggling with oneself is continually explored in the book Falling Night. Alan is able to get through the application process to become an aid worker, but the reality is much different from what he expected it to be. Not only is he despised by some locals and other aid workers, but he cannot even guarantee the safety of his own life.
As such, life in Africa is not what he imagined it to be. The hardships in the jungle, the suffering of the local people around him and the continual danger of being captured or shot by enemies present a moral dilemma to Alan. Because how far does your moral obligation to help others go in the face of life-threatening circumstances? To what extent does your own safety prevail over that duty? And when do you say you have tried your utmost to solve a problem, but you are unable to do so?
Slowly but surely, doubts creep into his mind. Cracks appear in his armour of self-confidence. He even surprises himself by doing something for someone else out of generosity for the first time in his whole life.
Direction
It is the start of a shift for Alan. At the end of the book, the formerly staunch atheist has to admit that he is not in charge of the course of his life. Instead, he acknowledges that the Divine Purpose leads his life. His life no longer revolves about himself, but about the Almighty's supreme will for his life, even if that leads him in a totally different direction than he would ever have expected.
That, too, gives us, as readers, food for reflection. Why are we doing what we are doing? Is that because we desire to be honoured as a Christian leader? Or is it because we feel that God placed us in this position? It is always good to find out.
The book Falling Night is recommended for both adults and children. It reads as a well-written thriller but contains a deeper layer of reflection. In addition, it offers a realistic image of the wars that took place in Africa during the 1990s.
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