By Joshua Smith Evrima Chicago
In an age of instant gratification and three-minute life hacks, Laurent Grenier is an anomaly. While the rest of the world was rushing toward the next trend, Grenier spent the better part of his long adult life quietly, methodically, building a bridge between the soul and the sciences.
When we spoke recently about his new book, Life Revisited: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Purpose of Existence, Laurent didn’t sound like a man interested in a quick sales pitch. He sounded like a man leaving a legacy. After decades of meditation and study, he has distilled a lifetime of observation into a roadmap for anyone currently feeling the weight of "existential fatigue."
The 40-Year Slow Burn
Laurent doesn’t believe in a single life-changing "eureka" moment. For him, the spark for this book was a grievous sport injury that prompted a profound existential crisis in his teens: Why live when much of what you hold dear is lost? This "initial impetus" never stopped gaining momentum in the course of approximately 40 years of meditative and studious dedication to his inquiry into life's biggest questions. He didn’t rush to print; he waited until he could write "thoughtfully and methodically," ensuring that every word had the weight of lived experience behind it.
It’s that patience that makes Life Revisited feel so different from the crowded shelves of the philosophy section. It isn’t a collection of guesses; it’s a report back from a life lived with wide-open eyes.
Navigating the "Watercourse Way"
What makes Laurent’s work uniquely practical for an American audience is his multidisciplinary approach. He refuses to stay in the "Ivory Tower" of pure philosophy. Instead, he also pulls insights from science and psychology to help readers understand their true purpose on this beautiful and, at times, painfully challenging Earth.
He often references the "Watercourse Way"—the idea of moving through life with a sense of flow rather than friction. It’s a concept that resonates deeply today, as many of us feel we are constantly swimming against the current. This book is written for the seekers—the people who know that wealth and status aren't enough to fill the void, and who are looking for a more authentic way to become a wiser version of themselves.
The Shift to Legacy
As Laurent moves into the last chapter of his life, his focus has shifted from a "massive project" covering four decades of a monk-like reflective existence to the immediate impact of human connection. He is now focused on shorter pieces and group discussions, aiming to bring his inspired mindset directly to his readers.
"My legacy, really, is to instill in my readers a deep sense of interconnection with everything and a renewed desire to live and love on a universal scale. He wants to give people the tools to report back from their own lives with better "insights and direction."
Life Revisited is more than a book; it is a gift from a man who took the time to do the work. It invites us to slow down, look at the world through a broader lens, and finally—truly—visit our own lives and feel enlightened.
Life Revisited: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Purpose of Existence is available now on Amazon, among other online points of sales, LaurentGrenierBooks.com
