The Face of Politics

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

Many Paths to the Truth

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

Inherent Good

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

Open Heart, Open Mind

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

One True Path

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

Inherent Evil

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

Open Book

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

True Human Nature

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

The Great Detox

Restoring Physical Energy When I became vegan I did it for one reason and one reason only ─ the animals. I decided that I would no longer contribute to the suffering and slaughter of countless innocent lives, and so the vegan path was the new way for me. However, a few days after making the … Read more

Leading a Cruelty-Free Lifestyle

I remember the first time I encountered the term ‘cruelty-free’. It happened at the grocery store shortly after I became vegan, as I was shopping for vegan-friendly shampoo and body wash. One of the first things I discovered was that being vegan affected more than just the food I ate; it affected just about every … Read more