Natural Wonders

Natural Wonders is the story of my search for solid ideas on God, the Universe, and how to live a good, ethical life. I was raised in a devoutly Catholic family. I believed that reality, at its core, was an epic struggle between good and evil. Supernatural forces existed beyond the natural world, not just outside it, but bigger than it. The clash of these supernatural primary forces was the essence of reality, and the rest, the everyday world, was the playing field for these outsized forces.

One afternoon, I had an insight that put this view to the test. As I was exiting a college class, an idea came to me that said, “How do we believe there is a supernatural if we do not know the limits of what is natural?” What is it specifically that nature can’t do? Maybe we are too quick to accept a supernatural realm. Could it be that all phenomena are of the natural world? We just don’t understand it all well enough yet.

At first, I was unsure what to think about all this. I was afraid to talk about it because this was a dangerous, unholy idea, not something I felt free to share. Despite that guilt and fear, I knew that this insight was important to me.

While I didn’t discuss it much, I never stopped wondering. I continued to build out my beliefs. This search is personal and, for me, essential. I have spent so much time contemplating the topics of God, ethics, and how to live a good life.

Now, in my late fifties, I decided it was time to tell my story and share my philosophical outlook. Filled with personal stories and fresh ideas, Natural Wonders is a memoir, but a philosophical one that explores these big life questions. Genuine and positive, it offers a philosophical framework that honors this amazing Universe of which we are a part. Natural Wonders is the story of my path through a painful part of my life, a period in which I was stuck between my old faith and appealing new ideas. I hope this encourages others who find themselves similarly stuck, no longer comfortable with long-held beliefs but unsure what to do next. There is a way to make progress with these big questions and hold on to reverence and wonder about the magnificence all around us.