Ina world brimming with diverse experiences and viewpoints,understanding the roots of one's personal philosophy can be anenlightening journey of self-discovery.

Bill,a man whose life's path has been woven through a myriad ofcaptivating experiences, has distilled his profound insights into hissecond book, Breadcrumbs: Finding a Philosophy of Life.

Athoughtful exploration of how past life events shape our beliefs andperspectives, Merck's book prompts readers to reflect on their ownjourneys and contemplate the underpinnings of their convictions.

Froma humble beginning that saw him working at a lumber yard at thetender age of fourteen to his roles as a platoon leader in Germanyduring his time in the U.S. Army, Bill's career traversed afascinating range of fields.

Thesediverse experiences formed the crucible for his philosophicalevolution, a journey that he artfully recounts in Breadcrumbs.

Havingserved as Vice President for Business Affairs at James MadisonUniversity, followed by a decade as Vice President for Administrationand Finance at the College of William and Mary, and eventuallyculminating in a remarkable 22-year tenure in a similar role at theUniversity of Central Florida, Merck's leadership roles have grantedhim unique insights into human interactions and diverse perspectives.

Throughhis book, Bill invites readers to delve into their own experiences.

Hechallenges us to dissect the sources of our beliefs, from politicalleanings to our stance on contentious societal issues such as war,capital punishment, and abortion.

Ina world where opinions can often be reduced to soundbites, Billadvocates for deeper introspection, urging us to unearth theintricate threads that form our own philosophies of life.

Joinus in this online interview as we embark on a thought-provokingconversation with Bill, delving into the life experiences that havemolded his worldview and the profound wisdom he has gleaned along theway.

Norm:Good day Bill and thanks for taking part in our interview.

Bill:Verypleased to be here.

Norm:Reflecting on your life's journey, are there any specific individualswhose presence or teachings significantly contributed to your pathtowards enlightenment and self-discovery?

Bill:There were many, with family being at the top of the list. Outsidethe family circle and the influence of childhood friends, twoindividuals that I worked directly for, presidents of twouniversities, Ronald Carrier and John Hitt were significantcontributors to my journey of enlightenment and self-discovery.

Norm:Religion appears to be an important theme in Breadcrumbs: Finding aPhilosophy of Life. How did your experiences with religion impactyour view on spirituality and its role in shaping one's philosophy oflife?

Bill:My experiences with religion were, and continue to be, an evolvingaffair, influenced by my early upbringing. 

Confirmations andchallenges to that early world have come from interactions withpeople from other cultures and religions and being interested intheir spirituality and its effect on who they are. 

I believe in aHigher Power, a power that is beyond my abilities to fullyunderstand, but one whose influence I have seen and experienced. 

Thechallenges to my early beliefs are primarily over specific detailsthat inundate all religions, mine included, that have accreted tothose religions over millennia by humans, who tagged opinions totheir doctrines rather than truths, attempting to fill a void ofignorance or for self-serving ends. 

My philosophy of life, in mattersof religious beliefs, continues to evolve reflecting my continuingpersonal experiences.

Norm:How do aesthetics play a role in the formation of personalphilosophies? Could you provide an example from your life thatillustrates this?

Bill:An adage is “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I agree withthat. But whatever your perception of beauty, to behold it produces asense of awe and appreciation for its underlying characteristics. 

This sense, to me, also causes feelings of peace and calmness, withan appreciation for the world that produces such feelings. 

An exampleI write about has to do with youthful associations with a beautifulestate on the bank of a southern river that fell into decline afterthe owner, who created and maintained it to her high standards,passed away. 

The sadness I felt in seeing the beauty and spirit ofthe place decline taught me a lot about how important continualmaintenance of the things that are important to us applies not justto physical assets like that estate, but even more so to personalrelationships that we treasure.

Norm:The title of your book, Breadcrumbs, implies a path of discovery.Could you discuss a turning point in your life where you followedthese breadcrumbs to unravel a deeper understanding of your personalphilosophy?

Bill:I don’t think there is a finite “turning point” in people’slives when they begin to earnestly seek a deeper understanding oftheir personal philosophy.

 I believe it is a gradually unfoldingaffair as a person lives life and accumulates a variety ofexperiences to reflect upon. 

For me, the path started in college, butit was much later that I began seriously asking myself about mypurpose in being here. These thoughts became more nuanced andtransparent to me as the years passed and experiences accumulated.

Norm:The themes of learning, values, reasoning, morals, religion,aesthetics, and world views form the core of your book. Which ofthese themes do you find most challenging to discuss or explore, andwhy?

Bill:Religion is the most challenging to discuss because much of what eachof us believes is so uniquely personal. 

Emotion plays a huge part ineveryone’s feelings about their faith, and potent emotions can beevoked by different words chosen by participants in a conversation,with the unintended consequence of making communication difficult intrying to make specific points. 

However, I find it fascinating toexplore what I and others believe. The communication challengesinvolved in sharing religious beliefs can stimulate and frustrate allat once.

Norm:Your book mentions seven philosophies of education as a framework.How did these philosophies influence the various aspects of your lifejourney that you discuss in the book?

Bill:That was meant to segment the various sections of the book and assignthe illustrative stories to each segment. 

My thoughts evolved overtime and as the book came together, those philosophies seemed tooverlay what I was writing about, rather than my study of thempreceding the development of my thinking.

Norm:Can you delve into a story from your book that exemplifies theinterplay between past feelings and subsequent notions, particularlyin relation to learning and reasoning?

Bill:There are several stories in the book that deal with prejudice. 

Prejudices that involved people that differed from the ones I wasaround in my early formative years, years when I had no experience togive me comparisons or contrasts to make reasoned judgments aboutwhat I was being told or seeing. 

Later in life, my experiencesrevealed alternative ways of looking at life and my past beliefs.That is when I started examining some of those beliefs I hadunquestionably accepted. 

As a result, some of my early beliefs wereconfirmed, modified, or entirely rejected.

Norm:Where can our readers find out more about you and Breadcrumbs:Finding a Philosophy of Life?

Bill:MY WEBSITE:  

and

AMAZON

 Norm:What is next for William F. Merck ll?

Bill:I have completed a draft manuscript for my next book, Ghost Flower. 

It’s a novel involving time travel, visitors from another starsystem, romance, battles with pirates and an overarching theme offinding a solution to overcome a world-wide pandemic that isoverwhelming existing vaccines and medical knowledge. 

My goal is togo through the editing process and have a book ready for publishingnext year.

Norm:As we wrap up this interview, and as readers delve into your book,they're prompted to examine their own experiences. 

How do you hopeyour readers will benefit from this process of introspection andinvestigation into their own belief systems?

Bill:My goal is to have the readers examine the watershed experiences intheir lives and begin to understand why they are who they are. 

Ibelieve that will also help them have a better appreciation forothers who are not like them, and inspire them to think that maybethey can learn and benefit from others’ experiences rather thanreject them without thoughtful consideration.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your endeavors