Abstract:
This thesis is a series of personal essays that explore themes of
fundamentalism, family, loss, personal growth and the question of free will.
The work reflects my study of the written word, of language, and of how
people have tried to define, or have experienced, the numinous. The essays
are roughly chronological and span a period of five decades, beginning in
early childhood and ending in the present.
Using a conversational and sometimes colloquial style, I have drawn on my
own experiences to speak to the concerns of anyone who has had a difficult
childhood. I conclude, implicitly, that it is through a series of choices and
conscious decisions that it's possible to give a different experience to one's
own child something better, to give something better. I also make the case that
loss can be a teacher and that different losses at different times in life can
either maim or heal.
