This is a discussion about real things that are so solid that people tend to ignore them. It asserts and insists the great truth that life must have a meaning. Thomas Merton shows that meaning has to be worked out for each individual, in their own unique way. It is a book about aspiration, asceticism and above all sacrifice - of oneself and of one's domination of self. It is about the choice between life and death, people's last and most important decision.