Chapter 1 - Standing on the Edge

In the summer of 1985 I arrived in Fishkill, NY for a Co-Op internship with IBM. As an MIS major, I thought I had finally arrived working for one of the largest computer chip manufactures in the world, and yet there was something still missing. The recruiter that interviewed me and recommended me for the job, became a good friend. Early on we had a dinner and based on the conversation, he gave me a book called Damien, by Hermann Hesse. As I read the book over the next week, I really identified with the main character in the book (not Damien), a soul constantly searching for peace and contentment in external things -- jobs, relationships, domiciles.

After finishing the book, I remember sitting in my room and making a commitment to myself that I would find peace in my life, no matter what it took. I would never have embarked on that journey had I known the path and the pain it would lead me through. This book is a continuation of that journey.

There was also something of fate in the original title of my father's book, Les Guerres Sont Loin. When translated into English the title was renamed Lucien's Story, but the original title translates to "The wars are far away." He meant that wars don't end for survivors when the fighting stops. I've often thought it's my job to write a book exemplifying exactly how that really happens.

Finally, the push to circumnavigate on a sailboat is just the external thread that ties this internal journey together. It is a vehicle for focus, learning, overcoming fear, seeing the wonders of the world, and exposing myself to different cultures.

As much as going around the world means coming back to the place one started, I hope my state of mind evolves to the center of peace and contentment.