Dancing in the Water of Life, the fifth volume of Thomas Merton's journals, covers the years 1963 - 1965. It conveys the middle-age malaise of the Trappist monk, writer, and peace activist. On the 22nd anniversary of his ordination as a monk, Merton notes his relative confusion and his continuing "inability to find my way." And on his 50th birthday, he tallies up his physical ailments and his struggle with illusion — "wanting to be something of which I had formed a concept."
The journals, edited by Robert E. Daggy, reveal Merton's continuing dialogue with some of the literary, religious, and philosophical shapers and shakers of the times — Flannery O'Connor, Abraham Heschel, Jean-Paul Sartre, Rudolf Bultmann, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and many others. The monk has some poignant comments on city life, technology, and the peace movement. But his soul really soars only in praise of retreat from the world. By the end of the book, he's ensconced in his hermitage savoring "a life of peace, silence, purpose, meaning." Here is where he feels closest to God. The essay "Day of a Stranger" beautifully presents Merton's thoughts on the bounties of solitude.
