. Thomas Merton and Mahatma Gandhi both speak of God in a personal way. They both speak of God as truth. Famous Thomas Merton, Trappist American monk, was a traditional Christian. Born in France in 1915 and died in Asia in 1968 Merton was greatly influenced by the complexities of the twentieth century. His writings served as a personal may in his search for God.. He pursued the ascending path towards the eternal kingdom of truth, towards heaven, while leaving the world of shadowy existence behind. Truth would be a passion of his life. He also took it upon himself to speak on behalf of the disenfranchised of the word.
             Thomas Merton was a dynamic, modern man who committed himself to a lifelong search for a meaningful and authentic way of life. He had only one desire and that was the desire for solitude-to disappear into God, to be submerged in his peace, to be lost in the secret of his face. This singular passion and boundless energy led him to combine in one life a unique variety of roles, prolific spiritual writer and poet, monk and hermit, social activist, all while living at the Trappist monastery in Gethsemani, Kentucky. Merton, a monk under a vow of silence, found fame by not seeking it, by speaking the truth. Much can be said with the praise "the truth will set your free" Merton provided a path that is still setting people free. Freedom from silence.
             Many feel that a monastery is a sanctuary to escape from the realities of the real world. Merton saw it as helping rescue the world from the new dark ages. "In the night of our technological barbarism, monks must be as trees which exist silently in the dark and by their vital presence purify the air." Some believe Merton's world was the monastery grounds, the whole world was. He believed that all men and women are to be seen and treated as Christ. Failure to do this, involves condemnation for disloyalty to the most fundamental of reveale...