Once I had explored the similarities between the journey in the desert and the modern-day landscape, a sense of serenity returned to my mind. It seemed I had found what I was supposed to find and thus brought this chapter to a close, both literally and figuratively. However, just as I was beginning to get … Read more
Needless to say, once the games had been played, and the popular candidate had been shown the door, I threw my tantrum and vowed to never step foot inside the political arena ever again. Although I was furious at how the powers that be had manipulated the contest (if you can even call it that … Read more
Truth be told, I gave up on politics a long time ago. It happened when I watched George Bush Jr. ‘win’ the presidency twice in what were very dubious circumstances. As I watched the country, then the world, get torn apart, I simply chose to walk away from the political scene altogether. It was clear … Read more
The Old Paradigm tells us that one road leads to the truth, and that if you aren’t on the right road you are ultimately doomed. This leads to an ‘all or nothing’ approach that not only alienates different traditions from one another, but it also limits what a person is able to explore. After all, … Read more
There is probably no greater contrast between the Old Paradigm and the New Paradigm than that which is found within the overall world view. While the old traditions tend to define the world of physical reality as less important than the world of the non-physical, and the present life as inferior to the afterlife, the … Read more
Although books can be a good source for wisdom and guidance, they need to be recognized for what they are─ manmade tools. Each and every book ever written, sacred books included, are the product of people’s thoughts, ideas, experiences, and beliefs. In short, they are the lives of people expressed in writing. Thus, the more … Read more
A movement that has gained traction over the last few years is the Coexist movement. From bumper stickers to t-shirts, almost everyone has seen the iconic word ‘Coexist’ comprised of the various symbols representing the major world religions. Perhaps it’s not entirely accurate to call this a movement as such, but rather an idea or … Read more
Realizing that I no longer believed in ‘the book’, it was time to embark on a quest to find something I did believe in. I was in my early twenties and was eager to discover the meaning of life, the secrets of the Universe, and any other enigmatic truths I could get my hands on. … Read more
One of my earliest memories was that of receiving my first Bible. I was probably five years old at the time, and so it may seem a very strange gift to have received. However, within the fundamentalist tradition that I was raised in, this was the present of all presents. It was the proverbial gift … Read more
When I took my first steps down the vegan path in August of 2020, I realized that I had entered a new landscape, one that I wanted to learn as much as I could about. Although the primary motivation behind my decision had been compassion for the animals, I knew that veganism was also about … Read more