The main reason so many people around the world continue to read, absorb and discuss Thomas Merton is because he addresses many of the critical issues facing a world moving toward this second millennium. While a survey of some sixty books written by Merton reveals a wide range of interests, the producers of the film, in addition to presenting his fascinating life, decided to focus on six major ideas that Merton consistently espoused - ideas that very likely will be as contemporary in the Twenty-First Century as they were in his lifetime: