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Dead Toad Scrolls

Kilroy J. Oldster

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In his famous poem “Toads,” English Poet Philip Larkin suggested that life with our slimy nemeses -our toad-like ego is escapable. Two features of the ego that drive human suffering and prevent a person from attaining personal fulfillment are constant stating of wanting more money, fame, and consumer luxuries, and living life to meet other people’s expectations. Philosophy is an extended meditation on death and the path to living a peaceful existence is to slay the brutish toad – the malevolent ego – that squats on our life. “Dead Toad Scrolls” is a series of meditative personal essays where the author considers philosophical issues and attempts to use the scrupulous self-examination to orchestrate premeditated “ego death” that allows a person to experience a rebirth of the spirit and accept all of the permutations of life without fear, anguish, or regret. Select themes explored in the book include the doctrines of identity, free will, consciousness, personality formation, media, technology, culture, and the benefits of reading, writing, and establishing an emotionally detached viewpoint to buttress a person’s frequently lonely and painful march through time. The author encourages other people to write their own memoirs or personal essays as a method to gain heighten self-awareness and experience bliss. Telling our personal stories also allows us to pay tribute to all the generous people in our lives – parents, teachers, coaches, friends, spouses, children, and siblings – whom contributed to our evocative journey exploring the inherent mysteries that shape humanity.

1200 pages, Paperback

Published July 20, 2016