Contrary to urban legend, I did have a proper birth and childhood. On the right is a picture of me with my groovy mother. This picture was taken in 1970 and I was about one year old at the time. I looked naive enough; but I certainly didn't feel that way.

As I grew older, my parents tried to teach me that their religion held the sacred answer to every truly worthy question. But, apparently, my questions were as unworthy as the church's answers!

So, naturally, I began to create my own system of personal beliefs about the infinite universe, of which we are each a part. Unfortunately, my father took the position that I was simply trying to escape being bound by the church's beliefs and rules by creating my own. Needless to say, he didn't recognize or appreciate my sincere quest for truth.

But the gradual loss of my family only increased my hunger for truth and my sensitivity to it. It wasn't long before I realized that virtually all spiritual traditions are built on the same underlying spiritual truths and that all sincere truth seekers eventually arrive at the same conclusion. Unfortunately, I also realized that very few currently living traditional theistic spiritual teachers and leaders are able to differentiate between the spiritual symbols used in their own religions and the universal spiritual truths they represent.

Tragically, this fatal disability (which I call "spiritual illiteracy") is perpetually handed down from sincere teachers and leaders to sincere students and followers, who often become "spiritually illiterate" teachers and leaders themselves. Obviously, "spiritual illiteracy" is the ultimate cause of conflict between different spiritual traditions; but less obvious is the fact that it is also the very reason that true evil has been able to flourish virtually unchallenged by the easily distracted, divided, and demoralized masses.

Fortunately, through the thoughts and actions of conscious people all around the world, the very spirit of all that is truly good is aggressively rising to the challenge. If you are not already part of this powerful movement, please consider looking for, and honoring, opportunities to help create a better world. (See:"Soren's Mission")