: About Me

I began writing when I was a young child.  I kept journals, wrote short stories and poems then hid them in the closet so no one could see them.  I felt a need to write honestly about my thoughts, feelings, and dreams but didn't have the courage to allow my vulnerability to show. It was one of my college professors who looked at me and said, "What's the purpose of writing if no one gets to read it?" 

The invention of the internet allowed me to get over my shyness.  Starting in what was at one time the small community of AOL I got into spiritual and religious debates on the message boards.  I became more confident sharing my thoughts and quickly learned to be more careful with word choice. 

I then took a couple of years away from the computer world when I backpacked across the United States.  I kept a personal journal of the experience and documented not only first impressions but also the deeper thoughts that occurred to me during those long daily walks in solitude.  Someday, that journal will be incorporated into the private memoirs I leave for my grandchildren. 

When I returned from my adventure I discovered blogs.  They were perfect for me since I could write freely about any subject I chose.  Mostly politics and spirituality, my blogs allow me to delve into non-mainstream research of obscure subjects while challenging me to turn deep and difficult subjects into a more user-friendly language.  I believe that there is no reason that any subject should be hard to understand.  If it is, it's the writer's fault.

Helium's been good for me.  My blog readers have similar interests as I and it spoiled me.  I just assume that certain background information is common knowledge and move forward.  I cannot do that here.  I quickly learned that I am writing for a more varied audience and I cannot assume anything.  Every piece of knowledge I share needs to be proven either factual or more likely than not-especially when I am writing about politics. 

I still have some fine-tuning to do.  Because my political and spiritual voice is not mainstream I have to work harder at documenting sources than a more popular voice might but it's good for me.  The challenge can only improve my skills. 

My passion is ...

nurturing my family

I know too much about ...

the way the world works

My parents always told me ...

never put all your eggs in the same basket

My childhood ambition ...

to be Walter Cronkite

My favorite memory ...

is my grandma teaching me how to milk a cow

Why I write ...

because I need to

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Reading the Emerald Tablets of Thoth

My first job ...

Papergirl

My best moment ...

was the final oral report for my degree where I tranlated Beowulf from the Anglo-Saxon. I nailed it and impressed a panel of 8 professors.

My inspiration ...

my granddaughters

Religion & Spirituality > Speculations & Criticisms Why morality and religion don't go hand in hand

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Morality is a code of acceptable behavior for a particular culture.  In early tribal cultures, the morality of each tribe could be very different from each other because of the geographical isolation.  That is why you hear of some early cultures demanding their people be wonderful hosts to their guests while another culture finds cannibalism perfectly acceptable.  Today there are very few cultures that have remained so isolated that they are not affected by other cultures so morality is quickly being defined as an accepted global code of conduct.  One of the challenges ...

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