Before the modern religions evolved, the concept of heaven and hell was not a factor in people's lives. Paganism and Pantheism were attempts to provide answers to life's mysteries.

The Greeks ushered in a new way of thinking. Aristotle, on trial for heresy in 339 B.C. said " the unexamined life is not worth living". Here was the basis for conscious living that is as valid today as it was then. He was suggesting that we are not merely subject to the whims of unseen forces, but can actually have power and some control over our own lives

Jesus, in his mission to his people, said essentially the same thing. He was exhorting them to go back to the basic Jewish teachings - or perhaps a more enlightened version, from the Essenes. In any case, he was not talking about founding a new church; Christianity as we know it today was developed long after Jesus' death - by at least 50-100 years.

The concepts of the resurrection, heaven and hell, original sin and belief in the body and blood of Jesus as a source of redemption were all inventions that served to make believing in Christianity a worthwhile endeavor. As Christians saw it, the penalty for non-belief was eternal damnation. This may be good marketing for building church membership, but it wasn't what Jesus was teaching.

What Jesus was talking about was our own emotional and spiritual development. Like the earlier Greek philosophers, Jesus knew that each of us needs no intermediary to connect with a greater reality; the only thing we need is the intention to live a meaningful life and the will to carry it out.

Faith based religions which preach hell and damnation are often counterproductive, for they rob us of the one thing precious to all people: free will. The value of free will is that it offers the chance to achieve what each of us is capable of: being the best we can be - and achieving our own destiny. Free will suggests we are not born in sin, and that we need not believe in some supernatural power for redemption

Of course no one knows if hell exists, but we certainly know how miserable life can be while we are alive. That, in my opinion is sufficient.

The calmness that blind faith provides is very much like building a house on sand, for when the tide comes in the house crumbles. It is one of the profound mysteries as to who chooses to lead an examined life. But Jesus, Mohammad, the Buddha, and Aristotle before them, all said the same thing: embark on your journey, learn your lessons, achieve your identity and finally, give back. This life is muscular, involved, invigorating and purposeful,and quite honestly is not a life that is easily achieved.

This is not the lesson that most Christian churches teach today, or one that was taught even when Christianity began.

Jesus was radical in his teachings for he confronted the status quo then, just as he would if he were alive today. He did not offer an easy way out, but he did offer a way that worked - if you were willing to embark on the journey.

I think there are few experiences more painful than betrayal.

Our relationships are based on trust; our society functions best when those in power act responsibly and with honor.

Eliot Spitzer has certainly betrayed that trust and it is not yet possible to gauge the full price he will pay for his behavior.

At a deeper level, examining an act of betrayal reveals much about our expectations of others, and ultimately how much we can depend on ourselves. Do we allow an act of betrayal to ruin our life? Do we blame the other for our own feelings of shock, anger, fear and uncertainty?

Elitot Spitzer did not, in the long run, do anything to us. His behavior, and our reaction to it, shines a light(perhaps unwelcome)on our own betrayals. Though our own transgressions are probably not of the magnitude of Gov. Spitzer's. we need first to acknowledge that we have betrayed just as he has.

Accepting that, we can then summon the courage and compassion to understand how anyone can fail a test. The ultimate test is not to condemn, but to understand.

I am not sorry that Gov. Spitzer has resigned. I do not say that out of vindictiveness. I do not have ill intentions towards him. However, With Gov. Spitzer out of office perhaps we can return to a more civil way of working with each other.

Gov.Spitzer's private life should remain just that; but his demeanor and attitude are in the public domain, and it is for this reason that his departure is good for the people of New York.

I do not have the scientific background to accurately evaluate the data being revealed about arctic ice melting and its consequences. And I don't need a scientific background to make a reasonable decision.

Enough intelligent people have shared enough information to convince me that we do have a problem that needs solving. Do we know the exact dimensions? Does it make any difference? If we have a problem, then we should face up to it and begin taking corrective action.

Is it too late? Who knows - and so what? It's a problem worth solving, and that is good enough for me.

I remember, many years ago, my skin doctor said: "you may have a condition which could turn into a skin cancer. Let's watch it." I said to him, what are we waiting for? If it might be a problem, do I wait until it's too late, and then try and repair the damage? He agreed, and took off the lesion.

It seems to me the earth, and especially our place on it is pretty precarious. How many more people have to suffer before we do something about it?

I have enough proof.