Preface
Forgive me for being so generous with "I",
Confessions may help me remove the mask
That hides my self from you and me -
I cannot wait till I finish my task.
The preface of every book should state why the book was written, what it contains and for whom it was written. The original edition of this book appeared in 1968. It owed its existence to a single incident. My company's President and CEO, Mr. Arthur A. Collins stopped by my office in Newport Beach in California one day and asked a very simple question, "What do you really believe in?" I replied, "I can't answer your question with one simple word, or one short conversation. What I really must do is to write a book for you." To that he replied "What are you waiting for? And make it fast. You have done pioneering work for my company and I want to know what makes you tick." I immediately took a 3-weeks vacation and wrote the first draft of my entire manuscript. I subsidized the publication of my book to avoid wasting any time in finding a suitable publisher. The entire process of publication took exactly nine months from the day of its inception.

The purpose of the original book was to describe my life's journey and what I had learnt through my struggles, dreams, and reflections. I wrote about my native land of India, my chosen land of America and my inner land of ideas and beliefs. I wrote it for not only my boss but also anyone aspiring to realize oneself in pure freedom.

Our world, America and I have gone through many changes during the last 30 years. This new edition attempts to describe my adventures and philosophies using a perhaps-matured mind but without sacrificing the freshness and detail associated with my original edition. The latest edition reflects on not only major new events in my life but also new critical issues that didn't even concern our news media three decades ago. The older Edition was organized into dialogs. Many readers were irritated by that style. Based on their feedback, I have reorganized my material in a time-sequenced manner. Although I haven't altered the basic tenets of my original philosophy of life, I have definitely matured in ways I perceive major events and issues. Although the inspirer of my preceeding work, Mr. Arthur A. Collins, is no longer with us to share my new thoughts, I do hope the newer version of the original work can reach a wider audience than those who read the first edition.

Roshan L. Sharma, December 1998

Dallas, Texas

Acknowledgement

To my wife
Who through strange doors of love
Made me see and feel life
In all its glory and splendor

This work is Copyright 1968, 1998 by Roshan L. Sharma. All rights reserved. No parts of the book can be reproduced, linked or redistributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical without written permission of the author. Author can be reached at rsharma@econets.com.