5 Comments

Thanks for sharing! Congrats on this personal achievement. Can’t wait to read all about it and discover what’s next for you.

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I was recently wondering when you might do another newsletter. I've worked at two small colleges that were still deeply influenced by the faith traditions they were founded on (a Catholic school and a school founded as a Methodist seminary), and both times they really made me thoughtful about how I've perceived the idea of faith through my life. (It helped that I felt comfortable with how those ideas were expressed.) Both times they've made me realize that I love confronting those questions even if I'm ambivalent about religion in general. Congratulations on finishing your degree, and thank you for coming back here to share your experience.

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First, congratulations on your thesis! You did it! I had my own version of Ivy League MA-jor lifefuck years ago, and to be honest I'm still processing even while I would not do a thing differently. Except appreciate the chance to swim in big thoughts for what it was for me, a chapter of magic in my life. Your journey with religion has been a kind of mirror for myself as I build my own atheistic rituals that celebrate the impossible beauty in this life. Embracing the multitudes of interpretations of that beauty is really something special and, yes, holy. Congratulations again, cheers to what comes next! Take care, thank you for being you.

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Hi Phillip, your words moved me to tears. Specifically your realization that god might have just been there alongside you through it all and the beauty of having to be an outcast to understand your gifts. I’ve been grappling with my own faith (I was raised Hare Krishna) and subsequently the trauma of the cult aspect of the religion, my queer identity, relationships to family and work, loneliness and feeling a lack of belonging - all of it. You’ve made me consider so much more of a nuanced perspective on perhaps what the gifts here might be. I admire how insanely busy your journey must be and truly how you find time in the day to do just so much and thank you so much for sharing! Sending you the best luck and love as you finish the last few weeks of your program ❤️

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Hi phill! Ive been so curious about your recommended readings while in this program. What was the best (take that however you will) book you had to read as part of this course ?

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