In Trying To Avoid One Sin I've

I'm Addicted To Self-improvement. The Thing Is, There's So Damn Much About Myself To Improve.

Let Me Tell You, Though: Being The Smartest Boy In The World Wasn’t Easy. I Didn’t Ask For This. I Didn’t Want This. On The Contrary, It Was A Huge Burden. First, There Was The Task Of Keeping My Brain Perfectly Protected. My Cerebral Cortex Was A National Treasure, A Masterpiece Of The Sistine Chapel Of Brains. This Was Not Something That Could Be Treated Frivolously. If I Could Have Locked It In A Safe, I Would Have. Instead, I Became Obsessed With Brain Damage.

I Am Officially Jewish, But I’m Jewish In The Same Way The Olive Garden Is An Italian Restaurant.

The Whole Bible Is The Working Out Of The Relationship Between God And Man. God Is Not A Dictator Barking Out Orders And Demanding Silent Obedience. Were It So, There Would Be No Relationship At All. No Real Relationship Goes Just One Way. There Are Always Two Active Parties. We Must Have Reverence And Awe For God, And Honor For The Chain Of Tradition. But That Doesn't Mean We Can't Use New Information To Help Us Read The Holy Texts In New Ways.

I Got A Sense Of The Amazingness Of Ordinary Life, And I Became Aware Of The Marvel That We're Around To Begin With. I Visited A Lot Of Extreme Communities, Like The Amish, Hasidic Jews, And Serpent-handlers. And I Was Proud, Because I Think I'm The First Person To Ever Out-bible-talk A Jehovah's Witness. After Four Hours, He Said, "okay, I Have To Go."