High-voltage hedgehog

It seems to be a fact of life: one of the conditions of living on this planet is that, sooner or later, most (if not all) of us will face a crisis. Something bad will happen. Something will go terribly wrong. Whether it’s the sudden death of a loved one, a natural disaster (ask the people of Christchurch), a dreadful crime, a horrible accident or a relational catastrophe … we will all, to some extent, be affected by something that’ll test our very essence.

But here’s the question: how come some people who’ve been wounded and bruised by life, emerge with powerful lessons learnt – lessons that are hugely helpful to those around them? How come some people, in the midst of their worst nightmare, find a perspective that takes them beyond their despair and leaves them smiling as they choose to enjoy the gift of life?

Celebrated journalist, documentary-maker, story-teller and Harley-Davidson-rider, Rob Harley, is soon to release his latest book, ‘The High-Voltage Hedgehog’. It’s a book, he says, about learning … learning the value of perspective … the value of comparing something to other things, so that problems and setbacks can be accurately judged.

It’s a book, essentially, about the power of the human spirit …