Title: Conscious Reasoning

Author: Donald McGibbon

(Self-published)

Title: The Summit by DuBois

Publisher: Booksurge Publishing

Reviewer: Paul H. Williams

In Conscious Reasoning you will find 32 pages of 'proverbs', looking at many aspects of life. Though there is a copyright caveat saying all rights reserved, I am not sure if all the proverbs are McGibbon's original intellectual property. Some of them are attributed to 'Anonymous' and others to the 'Dalai Lama'. The others I assume are his.

In the dedication section, McGibbon thanks his "past employers and colleagues of HEART/NTA, who have given me the inspiration to compile my views on life into conscious reasoning". These views are quite debatable and are subject to various interpretations. For example, he says, "If being a hypocrite makes things right, don't ever make it wrong." For some people, hypocrisy is always wrong and undesirable.

ideas heard before

Many of the proverbs are not original in concept, but said in other words. They are not ideas that will send a light bulb popping up over your head, but rather reminders of something you have heard before, written in another way. Nevertheless, they are food for thought.

Yet, on page 20, the first of two did-you-know pages, McGibbon asks, "Did you know that there are lots of facts that we fail to look into? For example, look carefully at the following." Among the 'facts' he says, "To dream that you are wed is a sign that you'll be dead ... To keep one's shoes above one's head or even under one's bed, will only retard one's progress instead ... That if an unmarried couple take pictures together without a third person the friendship will eventually be dissolved."

Come on, McGibbon, these are not facts, they are superstitions, and as such, you have seriously compromised the merit of your work and worth. Be careful now. For I wouldn't want to find out that the following piece of historical titbit is not true. "The old iron bridge in Spanish Town was brought to Jamaica on-board the ship named Ellison in 1802, from Hull City. That it's (sic) weight was 87 tons, with an arch span of 80 feet." What is this section doing in this booklet, anyway?

The Summit

The Summit - An Amazing Journey to the Blue Mountain Peak chronicles the two-day journey of engineer Delroy 'DuBois' McDonald and his children, Alastair and Abigail, to the highest point in Jamaica.

The 64-page, full-colour adventure book vividly describes the joys and challenges of the trek, while at the same time giving free lessons on the flora and fauna in the area. DuBois transports you to a place that has broken the backs and spirits of many an adventurer, but one which is also enchanting and enticing. There is at least one picture on each page showing the diverse vegetations and landscapes of the Blue Mountains.

The Blue Mountains were also able to bring out "qualities in my children that hadn't the opportunity to reveal themselves, shone like the bright stars at Portland Gap. In Alastair, I saw a cooperative side and a willingness to carry the heaviest load without a murmur. Abigail's protective instinct shone like a beacon even when it put her at risk of falling."

risky trip

The trip was indeed risky; rugged terrains, bottomless precipices, steep gradients, rain, wet and slippery trails were some of the hazards they encountered. But only DuBois can adequately depict what he had been through.

"By the time we got to 'Jacob's Ladder' I had forgotten about pace many metres before because the 'heat was on!' I may have made a mistake when I drank the Red Bull because I was now experiencing rapid beating of my heart and I could hear my blood rushing through my body. I felt my chest pounding, gasping for air, perspiring like crazy and was reliving all the things I had heard from the girls at the lodge.

"I panicked somewhat because I thought, how can this be happening? I am fit and full of vim and vigour! What's going on? To make matters worse the night was dark, very dark and cold, and it seemed as if the heavy and dense clouds had put up a 'Not welcome here' sign for the moon. If you turned off your flashlight you would not be able to see your hand in front of your face. It was frightening!"

Yet, when they reached the peak, it was a different song. "We flung our bodies to the ground and gave thanks to the invisible hand that had guided us safely. We knew that there was no better sight than this in the whole wide world. It was a humbling experience to be on top of the world and seeing God's magnificent creation."

With all of the fears and perils, real or perceived, the journey was principally about the determination of the human spirit. "Some events cannot be fully described by words and this one, without reservation, is one of them. Long ago we had come to the conclusion that it was not just the destination that was important ... it was the journey that made it paramount," Dubois said.