Wouldn't it be wonderful if all the answers to how to live could be found in a single book that we knew was perfect? Imagine having a book that could strengthen our relationship with the divine when things weren’t going well, and we had full confidence that the answers it provided would grant solace, guidance, and fulfillment.
Throughout my secular phases over the years, I've searched high and low for such a book—not necessarily ‘the’ Bible, but rather ‘a’ Bible. Raised in a Protestant culture, the notion that a single book could hold all the answers remained with me even as I moved beyond Protestantism in my adult years. It took 26 years—far too long—to realize that the answers to life could be found from more than one source.
Guiding voices from many cultures have contributed to the wellspring of wisdom that humanity draws from. In addition to the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, we have the Tao Te Ching, the Jain Agamas, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tipitaka, the Guru Granth Sahib, and the oral traditions of indigenous and African cultures. Furthermore, intellectual figures like Marcus Aurelius, Simone de Beauvoir, and Bayard Rustin have also contributed challenging and thought-provoking perspectives to our discourse.
Naturally, most people don't have time to listen to every voice. However, there's considerable social benefit in at least being open to views outside the comfort of our ideological bubbles. In my experience, understanding how others perceived the world not only broadened my own understanding, but also deepened my empathy.