Spiritual Education

Revisiting the novel The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman was an intriguing and somewhat nostalgic experience.  I was introduced to the story by my father, who rented the audiobook of it for me from the library.  The story was the first audiobook I ever listened to, and it fascinated me so much that I soon bought the book and re-read the story multiple times.  When I discovered that there were sequels to the book, I managed to quickly devour those as well.  The movie was somewhat of a disappointment, but that's another matter entirely.  Needless to say, the book had a large impact on me at the time, and probably still maintains some of its impact on me to this day.

I find it somewhat humorous – although completely understandable – that the book is situated in the category "Spiritual Education".  Seeing as how the book (and the rest of the series) denounce organized religion, it at first seems odd that the word "spiritual" would be associated with it.  However, even though the book does not look to religion to derive its morals and lessons on growth, it does include quite a few morals and lessons of its own.  Independence, questioning authority, and critical thinking are all values viewed favorably in the book.  While I didn't really pick up on the anti-religious sentiments in the book initially, those values came across pretty clear.  And looking at how I began independently developing games during high school and continue this practice today, I can say that at the very least the values of independence and critical thinking managed to stick.