This search for simplicity carried me all over the world. You could call it a search for a simpler way of living, a more natural way of being. The external journey culminated in living for periods of time with two sets of agrarian people, one Islamic, the other Christian—the Hunzas in their Shangri La stronghold at the roof top of the world and the Trobriand Islanders at their doorstep perched on coral islets in the western Pacific. Each of these societies exists with grace and in balanced harmony with nature.

The internal journey took place while staying in Dharmsala, home of the displaced Tibetans and their leader, the Dalai Lama, in northern India. That journey carried me home to the place we’re all seeking, to the source of sustenance spoken of by every mystic, to the Heart of Life itself.

It is a chronicle of challenges: encountering a ghost, getting highjacked and more than once returning from the shadows of death with a mission. It is a story of import to every human being because it is the journey we are all on, a search for the meaning of life.

This true tale is filled with coincidences to the point of disbelief. The journey brought me in contact with inspiring people who dared to be different, who dared to be themselves. It is an epic adventure. It is a story of love. It has helped me to live my life with a simpler perspective and more meaning. I trust it does the same for you.

Years after the events described in In Search of Simplicity took place, I read The Celestine Prophecy for the first time. It felt like my personal journey mirrored that of the reluctant fictional hero created by James Redfield. I continue to be swept along on a great adventure (of my own making) to discover and to share the magic and the mystery of life. It’s waiting for us all behind every smile and with every breath of the wind. Enjoy!

John Haines

New Zealand, 2010