Sunday, January 6, 2013

I am Woefully Neglectful of this Blog

When I started this blog, it was 2007, and I was confused about how to live my life. Should I be religious? Should I not? Was there some merit to "staying on the path" even as I had rejected all of that path's underpinnings? And, if I was to "stray from the path," how on earth could I break that news to my parents, friends, family.

Many of these issues have been resolved. I have accepted myself as an atheist, secular Jew. I have come to terms with the fact that Orthodox Judaism, as the culture in which I grew up, still holds a certain enchantment for me, and that to a certain extent, its practices will always likely be a part of who I am. I have broken that news to (some of) my family members and (most of) my friends.

I still have some strides to make, but much of the anguish is over and done with. I realized this, most recently, when I visited a good friend of mine who has much more recently gone "off the derech." The issues he is still battling with are issues I felt at peace with long ago.

I suppose that's why, in the words of this post's title, I am woefully neglectful of this blog. I still notice hypocrisies and larger issues within the Orthodox world itself, but it's not really my world anymore, and so the pressing need to write about said issues is considerably lessened. And while I'm still working to the point where I can say I am completely transparent in terms of my religiosity with all of my family and friends, even that has taken a back seat to other things going on in my life.

That said, there are a few remaining topics that I'd like to write about here, and I intend to do that soon. And in the meantime, happy 2013 to all who read this blog!