"Lao-Tzu's Shoe" follows a series of lively discussions between a spiritual father and his atheistic son, deeply examining the big timeless issues in life we all struggle with. Direct questions flow from the teenager's many areas of simmering modern existential angst. The father is mainly trying to convince his teenage son about the internal realities of the spirit that we all form within ourselves, regardless of the existence of God or not; and he tries to show his son how to live a fuller and richer life than one just centered on scientific materialism. In the process he describes many of the seminal experiences in his own life. The focus of this book is broad and deep, and the author is a also name dropper. Some of these names are Socrates, Lao-Tzu, Mozart, Archimedes, Jesus, Einstein, Abraham, Giordano Bruno, Thomas Cole, Rudyard Kipling, Spencer Tracy, August Kekulé, Shiva, Huang Po, King C. Gillette, Copernicus, Gautama Buddha, Elias Howe, Darwin, Alexander Fleming, Hakuin Ekaku, Buckminster Fuller, and others are all artfully woven into the fabric of this work. As a sea change is happening to people's beliefs, many are disillusioned by the dogma of established religions. They are hungry for positively focused well-reasoned discussions of the big questions in life and are searching for clear new ideas about how to live a spiritual life without resorting to the miraculous and supernatural, or the dry psychological approach. "Lao-Tzu's Shoe" is offered as a useful guidebook for this essential inner journey. The text is highly illustrated, with many helpful educational images reflecting the books content. It also contains selected lithographs, pen and inks, and drawings of original fine artworks by the author.
About the Author: Bob Grawi, a graduate of Cornell University and holds a degree in science and in the fine arts. At different times in his life he has been a professional musician, a substitute teacher, a soldier in the U.S. Army, a lecturer, a professional fine artist, a custom cabinet maker, a professional luthier. an independent American inventor, and a writer of poems. He has maintained a lifelong interest in world religions, especially Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen and Chan. Bob Grawi has been called an anachronism. He is a true renaissance man, but unfortunately the renaissance ended several centuries ago! Still, he is a present-day artist, inventor, poet, luthier and musician. As an artist and an inventor he is probably best known for his original instrument the Gravikord. His fascination with the polyrhythmic music of Africa and their instruments inspired him to create the Gravikord, which he named after himself and the West African kora. One of his musical instrument creations, a variable pitch Gravikord, is permanently on display in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It has also been featured in a book-CD "Gravikords Whirlies & Pyrophones." He has performed before millions of listeners, and independently sold over 35,000 recordings. Mr. Grawi been interviewed on many radio stations including WNEW-FM and on NPR programs "All Things Considered" and "New Sounds." He also holds several U.S. patents on his instruments and other innovative products.