Something to Chew On

Congratulations! You survived the most depressing day of the year. Some of you went for walks. Some of you worked out. Some of you quit your jobs. Thanks for the two comments, four phone calls and multitude of email!

Here's what I did: I picked up a book I've always wanted to read (but was a little intimidated by) and started to read it. It's Abraham Heschel's God In Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism. I'm really looking forward to it -- even more so now that I've read the opening paragraph:

"It is customary to blame secular science and anti-religious philosophy for the eclipse of religion in modern society. It would be more honest to blame religion for its own defeats. Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion -- its message becomes meaningless."

Mind you: that's how the book starts! Chew on that for a while. I'd love to hear your thoughts.