This is a question that I had to ask of myself when I was 13 years old. It was not part of a thinking exercise; nor was it a question posed at a spiritual retreat. This existential query was...
We would be excused if we thought we were living in the End of Days. We are seeing the planet heat up at an unprecedented level. Millions of human beings are displaced and made into refugees. We have a school shooting on an almost-daily basis ....
When it comes to conversations across ideological lines, we seem to be more divided than ever — perhaps more divided than at any point I can recall. Much of what we do is yell at each other, rather than listen to one another. I have been...
I still remember the scene so vividly. I was walking through Fez, one of the beautifully preserved medieval cities of the world. The Souq (bazaar, market) features many artists and craftsmen who practice their crafts as they have been for...
It’s cold. It’s the raw, nasty kind of cold. The kind of cold that makes your bones hurt kind of cold. The kind of cold that makes you tear up, and then watch your tears freeze kind of cold. The kind of cold that radiates up from the floor and...
Years ago I bought a pair of jeans. They fit my body so perfectly. These jeans have come with me everywhere. They are to my lower body what my mom’s comfort food is to my soul.
Over the years, these jeans have worn out. I have fixed the...
In the past week, we have seen the breathless analysis of President Trump’s controversial decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and recognize Jerusalem as the “eternal and undivided” capital of Israel. This announcement resulted in the...
There are endless versions of the good Muslim/bad Muslim game. The end result is almost always the same. A handful of Muslims get to be the “good Muslims” only if they are willing to go along with the vicious game of throwing all other Muslims...
(From the archives - January 2015) - Lots of people argue over Christmas, whether it is the holy day to honor the birth of the Jesus or a commercial, secular holiday. (And at least to Neil deGrasse Tyson, the birth of Isaac Newton ).
There are lots of men watching in baffled fascination as the list of male celebrities who have been exposed for their vile history of sexual harassment grows. Quite a few of them are responding with “Not all celebrities are like that.” Not good...
