Interviews
A conversation with Francis Pring-Mill about his book There Is No Somewhere Else
Q: Your first book was called In Harmony with the Tao: A Guided Journey into the Tao Te Ching. Your new book, There Is No Somewhere Else, is also about the Tao Te Ching. How is the new book different?
FPM: The short answer is that it represents a new path up the same mountain from which Lao Tzu showed us amazing views in his Tao Te Ching. But this time, instead of exploring between the lines of the Tao Te Ching itself, the book explores a series of contemporary observations about life and makes direct connections to what Lao Tzu was pointing at 2,500 years ago.
Q: Why journey up Lao Tzu’s mountain for a second time?
FPM: I think there are four reasons. First, to remind ourselves of what we saw last time, because the views are simply amazing. Second, to look more closely at certain views for aspects we may have missed first time around. Third, hopefully to catch a glimpse of some new views. Fourth, simply to linger in some favorite places and enjoy what we see.
Q: How does your book show views, and what’s so special about them?
FPM: Each chapter in the book corresponds to a view and what’s special about them, I think, is that each view feels fresh yet strangely familiar. It’s as if we’re being reminded of something we already know but may somehow have lost sight of. Again, I want to emphasize that the views are not “mine,” they are not even Lao Tzu’s – he merely points them out. I hope to do the same.
Q: There are two Parts to the new book. Can you say a bit about them?
FPM: Yes, the first Part is called “A Journey” and is a series of 38 observations about life. Each chapter starts with the observation and is followed by text exploring what lies between the lines linking it to insights from the Tao Te Ching. Part 2 is called “A Map” and is an abstract representation of where we have just been on the journey.
Q: Why do you start with the journey and follow it with the map, rather than the other way around?
FPM: That’s a good question because we often study maps before starting a journey. I start with the journey because I think it’s more interesting. After all, you don’t need a map to enjoy the journey. Sometimes a map is interesting in hindsight, if only to see where you have been. So, this book starts with “A Journey” and ends with “A Map.” If you follow this sequence, then when you get to the end, you can look at the map and see if it corresponds to your experience of the journey. Or, if you prefer to start with maps, you can do that instead and then return to the start of the book to go on the journey. It’s up to you.
Q: Where do these “contemporary observations” come from”?
FPM: In this book, the observations are mine as opposed to Lao Tzu’s but I believe the spirit of exploration is the same and we see both familiar views and some new views. As I mentioned, I think the observations take us up the same mountain but by a different route.
Q: Did you write your contemporary observations with the intent to create this new book?
FPM: No, actually I didn’t. I wrote them over a period of many years. In fact, many were written before In Harmony with the Tao was first published in 2018. I simply wrote them whenever I felt curious about something I was trying to sort out in my mind. I didn’t really know what to call them at the time. Were they poems or notes or something else? I didn’t know and it didn’t seem to matter. They just accumulated in a file folder.
Q: When did it occur to you to collect your observations together and create this new book?
FPM: It occurred to me a couple of years ago because it struck me there were many parallels between my notes and the insights in Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. But I didn’t do anything about it for a while. Then I got curious about how close the parallels might be and I started to explore. There Is No Somewhere Else is the result.
Q: Curiosity seems to be a central part of your creative process. Would you say that’s true?
FPM: Yes, I would. I tend to get curious about many things. I don’t explore them all, but some are just too inviting. My way of exploring is to write. I like to play with words on a page until they click to reveal something I couldn’t see before. It’s like a kaleidoscope. When you rotate the cylinder all the bits inside the kaleidoscope fall around. When you stop, there’s a new pattern. For me, it’s like that with words. They do a lot of falling around, then they stop—and there’s a pattern.
Q: What will readers take away from reading this book?
FPM: In addition to hopefully experiencing some general insights, readers will also find themselves guided to ask questions leading to personal insights which they can take away and apply in their own lives. I cannot say what someone else’s personal insights might be, nor can I say what they might do with them. But the reader and I can go on a journey together in which we can each make these discoveries for ourselves. I hope readers enjoy the journey.
Q: Are you working on another book?
FPM: I think the answer is yes, but I don’t know for sure. I’ll probably find one day that the kaleidoscope has created a pattern too pretty not to be shared with others. When that day comes, a new book will likely be the best way to share it.