I am an old man. I have spent the greater part of my life working and traveling abroad. My life’s work in international education introduced me to the rich and vast variety of peoples in our world. From the hinterlands and coastal regions of Papua New Guinea and its neighboring Island Archipelagos, to the tiny nation state of Singapore; the vastness and beauty of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, to the countries and cities of North and South America; and to the cities and countries on the South, East, and West of the African continent. Fifty two countries in all, with sixteen of these years living and working in the Islamic world. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan hold a special place in my life; because, I got to know the peoples, cultures and their unique histories. I am no scholar on Islam or its history, nor do I claim any expertise in the social and cultural evolution of these unique places on earth, whereby faith is the cornerstone of daily life. However, what I will claim is that people, regardless of their adherence to a particular religious or faith system, value the sanctity of life and abhor and reject the destruction of the innocent lives of men, woman and children

I was never proselytized by my friends, colleagues or students in the Islamic world; but I found a connection between the faith of Islam and the faith in my own Christian heritage. We share the common inheritance of the prophets of Judaism, as well as the historical links with Mary, Joseph and their son Jesus.

Naturally, due to the nature of my work I am reasonably well read. Although I left school as a very young, naïve 15 year old, I eventually pursued an Arts degree, which led me to a further 3 degrees including a doctorate in education. I guess, after all that study I realized there’s so much I don’t know, rather than claiming I know a lot.  My academic interests remain vast with History, Philosophy, the Philosophy of Religion, Psychology, Anthropology and the occasional dabble into the writings of Professor Paul Davies and the new Physics. I have looked into the writings and ideas of the New Age movement, in addition to the writings on Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Christian and Islamic Mystics. I have sought an understanding from the writings of some of the existential philosophers like Nietzsche, and Camus, as well as some of Heidegger’s ideas, and more recently Wittgenstein. Bertrand Russell remains, for me one of the most accessible and influential philosophers in my life, notwithstanding his criticism of religion in general, and Christianity in particular.

I have often been challenged by my family and Western friends about my beliefs, life-style and lack of commitment and interests in traditional values, and in what I call ‘Guru Culture’. Although I have explored the life and beliefs of many of them including Sai Baba, Bagwan Rajneesh, Gurdijeff, Jung and Freud.

Of particular interests to me are autobiographies, which tell the stories of a person’s struggles, and their recovery from adversity and suffering. Two books stand out in my personal readings; Viktor Frankl, the Austrian Neurologist, Psychiatrist and Philosopher, who survived the horrors of Auschwitz, wrote ‘Mans Search for Meaning’ and Pieta by the Hungarian-Swedish Biologist, George Klein. Both these books chronicle their lives and healing through the redemptive power of suffering.

My own life has been characterized through personal struggles and suffering which to a great extent was caused through a brutal and tough early childhood. No need for more detail here; because I am not alone in such experiences, as I have learned over my life time. I turned to and away from my Catholic-Christian faith many, many times. Yet, in the darkest, darkest of moments a thought, or merely a simple non-clichéd prayer would rekindle a kind of sense of hope out of despair. I have found in the words of Jesus, a healing power which gives me hope:

“In the world you will have tribulation. But, take heart. I have overcome the world (John 16:33). I am not one to lecture others on the way to live their lives. I simply know that in the darkest of times, I have never been abandoned. Jesus walks with me and knows me more than I know myself.