The Fifth Season
Creativity in the Second Half of Life
by Mark Nepo
St. Martin's Press pub date: 16-July-2024
This review is a courtesy provided by NetGalley.
Publisher's Summary:
Now in his seventies, poet and philosopher Mark Nepo explores the rhythms of aging in the second half of life.
As the years go by, the question for each of us becomes more and more real: What does it mean to age? Despite the limitations that come as the body wears down, Mark Nepo believes that there are many gifts to inhabit by aging. So much is gained and so much is shed along the way.
As Mark began to reflect on the gifts and challenges of this process we’re all immersed in, he realized, more than ever, that we are called to live a creative life as we age. We are led to what the Chinese call “the fifth season”—that moment in late summer when the glare of the sun fades so that we can see clearly the true colors around us.
The Fifth Season offers Mark’s wise and gentle insights on growing older, helping readers identify the second half of life as a turning point, a time of integration and transformation that guides us in making sense of our experiences. All seasons lead to this season; all experiences lead to this understanding of experience.
In truth, Mark writes, we each must face living and dying from the inside of the one life we are given. But we can share the journey, which is the purpose of this book, to be a companion in your effort to enter the fifth season of your life.
Review:
This review is a courtesy provided by NetGalley.
Mark Nepo's book, The Fifth Season, is accessible to newcomers of his work. This book is set up in a similar way to his past books.
Chapter content
Quotes before and included in each chapter
Passages from other texts or oral traditions
Questions to ask yourself at the end of each chapter
Discussion topic with others at the end of each chapter
In The Fifth Season, readers meet a mature Mark Nepo now in his seventies. If you've been a reader of his work then this will feel like you're meeting up with someone you only get to see every few years and you have some catching up to do. This book doesn't pull punches with conversation around the topics of aging and mortality. From the sound of it, Nepo is satisfied with the life he's had and if he were to die today, he'd be comfortable with it.
With that in mind, if the subject of facing death is not something you're in a mental place for, you'll probably want to keep this around without reading it until you are truly ready. All of us will die. We shouldn't be afraid to talk about it. Yet, in many (probably most) American families, this is a taboo. About the only thing you may hear from an aging loved one is what they want to wear when they're buried or however they're sent off to the afterlife.
Nepo is a white, cisgender, heterosexual man. He's had privilege. He doesn't address that in any of his books from what I can remember. He talks about his life and his friendships matter-of-factly. If you read this book to find out how to prepare for death or caretaking, keep that in mind. His experience may not resemble yours at all.
His personal brush with Death was in his thirties when he suffered with a rare cancer. He's always talked about this subject and how it impacted his life. Now that he is in his senior years, it seems easier for him to discuss his inevitable demise than if he hadn't already spent decades contemplating all that comes with dying. In The Fifth Season, readers get his account of aging; but there are many calls to action. He wants to there to be more conversations about death in his hope of all people letting go of the fear. In Yoga, this fear of death and the grip on life is called abhinivesha.
The Fifth Season could be appreciated by younger readers (under 40 years old), but they may not get the same out of it unless they are close to aging loved ones; are a caretaker; have their own illnesses; or, do not have basic fundamental survival needs being met. Nepo's ease in welcoming death is not about self-harming nor should it be taken that way. A young parent who doesn't know when the next meal is coming may think about death obsessively in unhealthy ways that are authentic to them. This book—while trying to overcome fear for discussion—is not about encouraging death.
Nepo pushes for people to find what they love in life. As a poet and author of self-help books, he typically gives tips on creative experiences like visual art or music. However, if you love your job and it's filled with black and white solutions to problems rather than being a creative outlet like plein air painting, find your joy there.
Due to Nepo's poetic nature, the chapters' section can take wandering routes to make his points. His gift with language is beautiful, but readers looking quickly for his tips may end up glossing over paragraphs until reaching the summaries with conversation and journaling suggestions.
Summary:
Mark Nepo continues his call for people to find joy in who they are. He encourages authenticity. If you don't know who you are yet, his journaling and conversation tips are a great place to start. If you're not feeling joy, he questions directly, what makes you feel joy? If you can't take the next step in your life, he asks, what are your afraid of? His other important directive is for readers to overcome their fear of death because it is inevitable. Find peace sooner rather than later.
Readers who are feeling age creep up on them will likely connect with The Fifth Season and Nepo's brazenness to talk about getting older, grief, loss, death, and diseases (like cancer, dementia, Alzheimer's). If all your meetings with friends open with noticing who isn't there or which appointments are scheduled for that week, there is common ground regardless of race and privileges. However, if you are a reader that is from a marginalized group, there are probably better books for you. This book doesn't seem to have anything insulting in it, but I'm a middle-aged, white, cisgender woman. I might not pick up on the same things as another reader.
Rating: 4 stars
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