17th-century a-wild-sheep-chase activism adventure american-west ancient-philosophy ancient-wisdom apostasy authenticity belief betrayal catholicism character character-building character-development christian-authors christian-books christian-discipleship christian-faith christian-life christian-living christian-living-books christian-meditation christian-spirituality christian-teachings christian-theology christianity classical-literature colonialism coming-of-age compassion conservation contemporary contemporary-fiction conversion courage cultural-assimilation cultural-clash cultural-identity culture-clash dark-humor desert desert-landscapes detective determination discipleship divine-presence doubt dreams ecology empathy enlightenment environment environmental-activism environmentalism eternal-recurrence ethics existential existentialism exploration faith fantasy fiction forgiveness free-will god-is-dead grace growth haruki-murakami healing historical-fiction honesty hope human-nature humanity humility identity individualism inner-journey inner-peace inner-strength inner-transformation inspirational integrity introspection introspective isolation japan japanese-literature jesuits journey joy kingdom-of-god leadership life-lessons literature loneliness love loyalty magical-realism marcus-aurelius martyrdom meaning-of-life meditation memoir mental-clarity metaphysical mind-bending mindfulness missionaries missionary moral-compass moral-development moral-dilemma moral-philosophy moral-values morality mystery mythology national-parks natural-beauty nature nihilism non-fiction nonfiction novel outdoor-living persecution perseverance personal-development personal-growth personal-reflection personal-transformation philosophical philosophy postmodern prayer presence presence-of-god preservation psychological psychology purpose quest redemption reflection religion religious-conflict religious-persecution resilience roman-emperor roman-empire roman-philosophy romance sacrifice self-awareness self-discipline self-discovery self-help self-improvement self-overcoming self-realization self-reflection self-transcendence sheep shusaku-endo silence silence-of-god solitude southwest spiritual-disciplines spiritual-growth spirituality stoic-philosophy stoicism success suffering superman supernatural surreal surrealism surrender symbolism tokyo tranquility transcendence transformation trust truth ubermensch unconventional values virtue virtues wilderness wildlife will-to-power wisdom worship