One Year to Enlightenment: I Need a Short Sabbatical

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I Need a Short Sabbatical

I know, I know, I know. I’ve been MIA (again) for a REALLY long time. But this time, it has nothing to do with depression or the oppressive philosophy of Islam. In fact, it has nothing to do with religion at all. I’ve just been WAY too busy.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past year (not counting the innumerable factoids I’ve accumulated about various world religions), it’s that blogging is (or, at least, should be) a full-time job.

I know I should have posted an update when things first got busy, but this is literally the first moment I’ve had to sit and type (at least for an unpaid project) in weeks. I’ve been so crazy busy for both good and bad reasons.

The good reason is that I’ve had a lot of work lately, which gives me a tiny glimmer of hope that the economy is slowly starting to pull itself out of the shit pile (oops—swear word—sorry!) and that things might eventually get better.

The bad reason is that I have to move, so I’ve been spending every available free moment packing and getting organized. Maybe moving doesn’t seem inherently bad to you, but trust me—in my situation, and thanks to some of the unsavory people I’ve been related to (or married to), it just isn’t a great situation.

But even though I haven’t been posting, I assure you that I’ve still been adhering to my latest religion—Judaism. And if there’s one thing Jews are good at, it’s coming back from a really bad situation and kicking some ass (I’m not even going to apologize for that particular bit of profanity).

So, I just wanted to let you know that I will be taking a brief sabbatical for the next couple of weeks so I can finish packing and get settled in my new place—and get ready to kick some ass myself.

After that, I will pick back up with the rest of Judaism (and I just found my book on Kabbalah in the rubble of my basement, so—score!—I’ll be able to cover everything!). After that, I’ll finish out this year (okay, plus a few extra months) of enlightenment with my look at atheism.

So, hold tight—I’ll be back as soon as I can. I really appreciate all the support you’ve all been giving me, and as a special thank-you gift, I’m working on finishing up a free e-book of some of my favorite prayers from the religions I’ve studied over the last year, so that will be coming out, right here, in early December.

I’ll be back soon—writing from a brand-spanking-new address. See you in a couple of weeks!

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Why Am I Doing This?

I've always been interested in religion. I was raised Catholic, went to Mass every Sunday, and went through CCD and all the sacraments that went with it. I remember times, as a child, when I thought all the ceremony and readings and decorations in church were magical. But after 16 years or so, something changed.

Instead of seeing the priest's robes as regal, I started to see the tattered edges and realized I was looking at the same old guy in the same old dress. And the readings that used to surprise me each week had become rote. It all began to seem like a boring routine.

By the time I got to college, I stopped going to church entirely. My dad, who still went to Mass every week, wasn't pleased. He started calling me "Aggie"--short for agnostic.

What he didn't know was that, by then, I didn't just question the existence of God; I pretty much denied it completely. I refused to believe that any benevolent deity would have allowed all the crappy things in my life to happen to me. So I stopped thinking about God and focused on other things.

Ignoring religion did make life simpler. I got to sleep late on Sundays without guilt--well, just the little twinges of guilt that every Catholic carries for life. But I liked the freedom of not having to answer to anybody. I was just me, and that was enough.

But it really wasn't. As much as I tried to deny it, there was always a nagging inside me, telling me there had to be something more. I tried to ignore it.

Work was a good distraction. I loved editing books, so I threw myself into it. But even work couldn't keep the wish for meaning away. In fact, it was work that eventually brought it back in full force.

I got an assignment to produce a series of books for young adults on "Religions of the World." I tried to stay objective, but I found myself fascinated by each new book: Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam.

I found something I loved about each faith, but never found any one religion that seemed like it would work for me. I already knew I didn't like the obligation of going to a Christian church on Sunday. I liked pork chops too much to be Jewish. I lack the necessary discipline for the rigors of Islam.

I started to wonder if I could create my own religion. I also wondered whether there were aspects common to all religions--things like "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"--that are universal and, perhaps, eternal truths. And that was the motivation for this project.

For the next year, I'll delve into some of the world's religions--some of the biggest and some of the more controversial--to see what I can learn, not only about religion, but about life, faith, and truth.

Obviously, I know that a single month is nowhere near enough time to learn everything about any particular religion, but it's a start, and after the year is over, I'll be able to use what I've learned to discover more about all the religions and, maybe, about myself.

One Year to Enlightenment

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I Need a Short Sabbatical

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