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To me, the moral was that "success lies in living a balanced life, extremism in any matter of life is not good."

What I realized is that all our actions have consequences which not only affect us but also those who are around us. Therefore we must be mindful about everything we do. Also, what we think is right might not be the best thing and bring negative effects on us and others.

I didn't find that there is any one moral lesson in the book. It is very clear that there are several points of view to any one situation. The author provides scenarios and leaves it to the reader to give his opinion on the actions of the characters.

The moral lesson I took from this book was, treat people the way you want to be treated. It is important to think about all the people you step on during your climb up the ladder because you never know when you may meet them again. Material things can be replaced, you should not cherish those things that can be gone in an instant. Sometimes it is a very high price to pay to be on top. Value what's important in life.

Hiruni Bhagya 81 wrote: ↑02 Nov 2018, 09:38 What I realized is that all our actions have consequences which not only affect us but also those who are around us. Therefore we must be mindful about everything we do. Also, what we think is right might not be the best thing and bring negative effects on us and others.

I agree with your comment. For every action, there is a reaction. It is okay to desire finer things in life but you have to be careful how you obtain those things. Even though you may do things for your own good, you have to take into account how your actions affect the next person.

lesler wrote: ↑14 Oct 2018, 10:05 I feel like the author touched hard on ethics, specifically euthanasia. What Hiram did was kind, but not necessarily right.

I am in agreement that the author touched hard on ethics, however, I don't believe that Hiram's actions were done out of kindness. I believe that he was motivated more by revenge instead of kindness. He did not believe that a person who killed others had the right to live. His grandson condition made it easier for him to justify his action. He may have seen his decision as helping his daughter but did it really?

I don't think this novel holds any in-depth moral lesson. However, this book upholds morality. One thing is evident in the story that all worldly possessiveness are momentary. What luxury we enjoy today may not exist tomorrow. If we take McDowell's case, he enjoys luxuries until his middle age, and he lost mostly all of them in later life. So, the implied moral could be people should live at the moment with what they have and should not be greedy.

I think the moral lesson was gratitude, and how you never fully appreciate something until it’s gone. Another would be the consequences of one’s actions.

A moral lesson can definitely be found if you look for it. I like how this book was written in a tone that almost feels like a memoir, making the karmic consequences even more poignant and impactful. I'm a big believer in making your own fate. The choices you make in life, and how you treat others, is a way you feel about yourself.

This book made me think more about human character, ideals, beliefs and attitude. I didn't really find any moral lesson but it did make me scrutinize myself and every action and decision I take.

After the first two chapters, I despised Hiram McDowell. I kept thinking, "What can this man possibly do to redeem himself?" I'm not sure he truly does redeem himself, but he is certainly heading in the right direction at the end of the book. The shift from selfishness to selflessness, material wealth to spiritual wealth, is striking.

lesler wrote: ↑14 Oct 2018, 10:05 I feel like the author touched hard on ethics, specifically euthanasia. What Hiram did was kind, but not necessarily right.

It is not right at this time because people don't accept it but perhaps in the future, euthanasia would be highly accepted with the numbers of diseases that appears nowadays.

PoisonWhiteRose wrote: ↑22 Oct 2018, 13:25 I'm in the middle of reading this book, but it seems to me that the book may not be completely "focused" on giving a moral lesson. It's more that it was included to give the book more depth and to leave the readers thinking but not necessarily as a lesson.

It seems to be a promising book. I hope it is good.

I do agree with you that this book does teach us to appreciate what we have more and to become more responsible. I would also think that it teaches us that nothing is more important than your own family and some genuine friends with whom to share both your joys and sorrows. Hiram did not know to appreciate what he had and ended up alone and on the run.

As for me the moral lesson is, no is ever busy, it only depends with the number of priorities one has. Hiram he deliberately ignores his family affairs just because of his powers and other unnecessary duties.