My struggle and avocation is attempting to 'understand' the nature of consciousness, the
nature of being.

You may be surprised at how much I can relate to that sentiment. I'm surprised to find it here, even though I always find your posts to be thought provoking and well thought out. Would love to sit and converse with you. I think it would be much like "Dinner with Andre."

I once attempted to write "The Evolution of Genuine." My own naivety at the time, hampered by what I thought was ample exposure to the "real world," but was not, brought that attempt to a screeching halt when I realized how far I still had to go before I could even define "genuine" in a way that, well, merited its evolution within myself.

Nevertheless, all these years later, I still find myself absorbed by the notion that there is little in contemporary life that will provide clarity to the idea that we can move beyond the simplistic as a society. Not in a world where religion and philosophy provide the justification for the murder of innocents. Not in a world where exists the notion that there is more that separates us than there is that unites us. Borders, nationalism, religions that are as old as the hills and based on fairy tales, apathy and of course the all encompassing mans inhumanity to man - all of this tells me who I don't want to be, not who I could be. And so the search for genuine has become somewhat of a lonely one. But I accept that and the sun comes up and the sun goes down.

In U.S. parlance, I lack Faith.

As do I.

"I do not concern myself with gods and spirits either good or evil nor do I serve any."
Laozi