It Is What It Is

This is a story of a very ordinary person who had a few unique experiences. Anyone could have made the choices I did, which have culminated in a wonderful life of grace. What happened to me could happen to you too. I share my story optimistically that it might inspire you, but I wish for more: I'm hoping that you're encouraged to make braver and better choices, to pave the way to a better and more meaningful life now. You don't have to be special in the eyes of the world to benefit richly from life; that would make it exclusive and only for the elite. We're all special and I hope to show you a way to a rich and fulfilled life no matter who you are. My story is about change. Part of my story is about injustice, the ways in which the state, society, and creed systems can suppress the life of individuals like you and me. But, through and out of this, I also speak of the miraculous release and deeper transformation that comes from wise and courageous choices - and Ram Dass and the friends that led me, in my own life, to that path. This is my story. It begins as a nineteen year-old incarcerated in military detention and solitary confinement during South Africa's apartheid past. It's about a young man having to face his personal demons and the injustice of others, the ways in which state, society, and creed systems suppress the life of individuals like you and me. It's about religious fanaticism which upturns love and compassion in favour of forceful, cruel and unsympathetic adherence to dogma; the actions of overly zealous, spiritually myopic people who believe they are called to judge others even if the consequences of their decisions rip families apart, leave fields of broken hearts and decades of hurt. But, out of this, I also speak of the miraculous release and deeper transformation that comes from wise and courageous choices. Ram Dass, my spiritual teacher and one of the most beloved contemporary spiritual figures serving four generations, led me, in my own life, along a different path. It is a story of change. What happened to me could happen to you too. I share my story optimistically that it might inspire you, but I wish for more: I'm hoping that you're encouraged to make brave choices, to pave the way to a better and more meaningful life for yourself.