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Abstract
In this thoughtful and profound account Peter Houghton charts his personal quest for the spirit. His extraordinary story is written during the time in which he had received a diagnosis of terminal heart disease and reflects on the ways in which being about to die developed his ideas about spirituality and humanity.
He describes the development of his search for understanding and meaning in life from an initial sense of spiritual awareness through stages of uncertainty and despair to the ultimate formation of a unifying personal philosophy.
Writing in an accessible and personalised style he discusses important questions about ethics and meaning in life, the problem of evil, and organised and personal religion, considering the ideas of Christianity and other faiths.
Peter Houghton has for many years been a counsellor in palliative care. He was Director of the Birmingham Settlement where he founded Britain's first money advice centre and worked with adolescents in trouble; he is also the founder of The National Association of the Childless in the UK. He is now actively engaged in fundraising for the Artificial Heart Foundation and is in the process of founding the Extralife Society for people who rely on mechanical support to stay alive.