Christopher Ross
Tunnel Visions: Journeys of an Underground PhilosopherSelf-styled Underground philosopher Christopher Ross tells it like it is, through the eyes of a bottom-rung station assistant at Oxford Circus, Platform 6. This is a totally unique autobiographical tale and a fascinating insight into the mind of the author who ponders life, the universe and everything from deep beneath the human zoo. He observes the human race and draws on his wide-ranging experiences as a world traveller and an encyclopedic knowledge of philosophy and Eastern religion to explain everyday interaction.
Ross is not your typical London Underground employee. A fully qualified corporate lawyer, a martial arts expert and fluent in Japanese, he'd spent the previous 20 years criss-crossing the globe having grown disillusioned with the corporate world's institutionalised dishonesty. His personal mission was simple: he wanted an honest job that would provide him with enough money to survive whilst simultaneously freeing up his mind. He used his time to write his "small book", as he modestly calls it.
He thought of himself as a spy, feeling almost invisible in his uniform as he analysed humankind and kept himself amused. He makes attempts at unravelling the rat race and the commuter's obsession with constraints such as conformity and time. He shines a torch on the slackers who work for London Underground. The colleague, for example, who used his time at work to sleep in a secret cupboard locked from the inside. Inevitably there are many examples of the stupid general public. Take the man who was seen emerging from one of the tunnels, having been told delays meant it would probably be quicker to walk to the next station. The junkies, the beggars, the tourists, the mentalists, all are here.
The narrative is witty and the style precise. Christopher Ross uses concise language and makes potent associations between wide readings and disparate sources, often scraping at the darker side of human nature to create a highly individual and thought-provoking read.
Ross is not your typical London Underground employee. A fully qualified corporate lawyer, a martial arts expert and fluent in Japanese, he'd spent the previous 20 years criss-crossing the globe having grown disillusioned with the corporate world's institutionalised dishonesty. His personal mission was simple: he wanted an honest job that would provide him with enough money to survive whilst simultaneously freeing up his mind. He used his time to write his "small book", as he modestly calls it.
He thought of himself as a spy, feeling almost invisible in his uniform as he analysed humankind and kept himself amused. He makes attempts at unravelling the rat race and the commuter's obsession with constraints such as conformity and time. He shines a torch on the slackers who work for London Underground. The colleague, for example, who used his time at work to sleep in a secret cupboard locked from the inside. Inevitably there are many examples of the stupid general public. Take the man who was seen emerging from one of the tunnels, having been told delays meant it would probably be quicker to walk to the next station. The junkies, the beggars, the tourists, the mentalists, all are here.
The narrative is witty and the style precise. Christopher Ross uses concise language and makes potent associations between wide readings and disparate sources, often scraping at the darker side of human nature to create a highly individual and thought-provoking read.
