The end of every journey marks the beginning of something new. I, a skeptic and traveler, have decided to quit my job, pack up my things, and make an epic trek along an ancient pilgrimage trail.
Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Steven Pinker have gone to great lengths to explain that so-called spiritual phenomena actually do occur and we will be a great deal closer to understand them if we separate the meditative from the mystic. I agree, feeling that the very idea of a spiritual journey, a long and physically difficult trek towards a goal, is one that can benefit atheists just as much if not more than religious folk. A pilgrimage can bring one closer to the world around him/herself and a higher understanding of the world is something many of us skeptics pride ourselves on.
So I am preparing a long and difficult journey by foot or by bike. It may take many months and the details of it will unfold here. As I develop my plans, I look forward to any comments, criticisms, and suggestions you have. I have to prepare mentally, physically, and financially for this journey, and this training will last several months before the trip begins on or around my 31st birthday on 31 March, 2012.
You'll get some details in the next post, until then, cheers!
PS, the main blog is at http://freethinkingpilgrim.blogspot.com/2011/08/journeys-endnew-tra... but I'm copy and pasting it here for you Atheist Nexusers!