One Man’s Search for Spiritual Enlightenment Stretches Cultures and Continents

Karma and Kismet by Michael Shandler

“The man who comes back through the Door in the Wall will never be quite the same as the man who went out. He will be wiser but less sure, happier but less self-satisfied, humbler in acknowledging his ignorance, yet better equipped to understand the … systematic reasoning to the unfathomable mystery which it tries, forever vainly, to comprehend.”

Author Michael Shandler, in more than one way, in more than one time and in more than one place, was on a lifelong journey of self-discovery, often relating to the words above by Aldous Huxley. Never mind that Huxley was describing his experience using mescaline to help unlock a spiritual dimension; it’s the message that counts, that resonated with Shandler, and that vaulted him from one situation to the next, each with built-in or self-inflicted obstacles to navigate along the way to seeking understanding and fulfillment on this thing we call life.

Shandler has masterfully documented his heartfelt story in Karma & Kismet (Koehler Books), a tale that travels from his challenging childhood in apartheid South Africa to kibbutzes in Israel to communal living in Canada where learning and meaning intersect with confusion and illegal substances to paint a picture of a youth not unlike many trying to find purpose through philosophies, friendships and experiences.

The author, a white Jewish boy whose story takes place during the Sixties and Seventies, neatly crafts his narrative with a fluid, low-key and immersive writing style that propels readers everywhere from his family dinner table to vast potato fields. He is shaped early on by his father, who, while showing love and responsibility for his son’s future, is a wildcard capable of violent behavior on a whim. Shandler aims to please but reaches his limit when he catches Dad red-handedly beating Mom. He punches Dad, in the process also punching his ticket out.

The author is a good student and an impressive athlete, traits that can only carry him so far. They can’t cover up for the racism and hostility he will confront. He works odd jobs, whether in his father’s factory (they actually reconcile) or his uncles’ electronics business, always searching for meaning that continues to allude him. 

He thinks he’s found the answer when he volunteers for a position in Israel. But all good ideas come to an end. In Canada, his friends and mentors steer him toward a spiritual awakening, psychedelic drugs and yoga, and once again he finds contentment. His journey brings him into contact with Ram Dass, the well-known spiritual teacher and guru.

Karma & Kismet is a revealing and substantive story of one man’s life and his quest for understanding, peace and contentment. Readers will gobble it up, particularly Baby Boomers who will easily relate their own experiences to that of the author, and those who have explored New Age Spirituality in some capacity.

Shandler writes, “I am filled with gratitude that I am no longer a link in the chain of abuse … I have found love and belonging.”

Sometimes, the author learns, it’s best to just get out of the way, give up any false control one might think he or she possesses, and let life happen however it may.

Maybe that is the secret to the very tricky business of discovering one’s identity. Some never will. But in the case of Michael Shandler and his moving memoir, perhaps it’s just a matter of letting fate, or kismet, take over.