IDEAS TO LIVE BY
Guildford author Michael Hornsby-Smith examines globalisation, world conflict, power relationships and other related themes through a series of letters written to his grandchildren, though ostensibly aimed at all young people. Generation Y is the group he has in mind, in other words teenagers, sixth formers, and students the inheritors of tomorrow’s world.
Hornsby-Smith uses his Catholicism and a four stage pastoral cycle (social reality: social analysis: theological (and scriptural) analysis: social
action), as an approach base for these weighty themes. The result is a thought provoking book that also offers hope – especially pertinent given the violence in Ukraine, the Middle East and other geopolitical flashpoints. Hornsby-Smith isn’t suggesting that Generation Y should abandon society for a life of religious asceticism; if anything he argues that today’s young people should “find their own vocations” while looking to others for guidance. He points to the former South African president Nelson Mandela as an example of how reconciliation can be achieved through forgiveness.
The ideas in this book are vast and it isn’t hard to see why it took Hornsby Smith the best part of twelve years to complete. To condense a series of complex themes into something accessible is a challenge, yet the real achievement is to show the relevance of these messages not just to Generation Y but also to their parents.
Reviewed by Juliette Foster
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