Somewhere Along the Way

I remember the day I graduated Lawrence Tech University with my Engineering Degree. This was it, man, I'd done it. Here was a guy who scraped through high school with a C- average and an impressive collection of beer bottle caps. Here was a guy who spent 4 years in the Navy and had a Chief recommend that he not re-enlist. Here was guy whose career goal, before meeting his wife, was to get a job on the auto assembly line (I owe that woman my life).

And I had, not just any degree, but an engineering degree. That requires like math and stuff.

I was going places. I'd never want for anything. Or so I thought.

This is not about bad economies and the realization that no job is really safe. I've learned that one many years ago. This is about a guy who thought he had it all, and in the eyes of the world he did. But, in reality, what he was lacking far exceeded what he'd gained.

I'm talking about faith, of course. Even more basic, I'm talking about the realization that I had a spiritual side. For someone who had a career based in science and tangible evidence, this was a stretch. While I wouldn't go so far as to say I was an atheist, I'd call my religious leanings "Disinterested Agnostic." It seemed like a nice, safe place to be. I'm one who likes to hedge his bets.

Fact is, it was the science and math part of me that pushed me to investigate the claims of the atheists. The way I saw it, I had two choices. I either believed in an intelligent creator, or I believed that all matter and energy just suddenly appeared from...nothing. Whatever I believed, it went against known science and was pretty incredible.

Think I'll continue down this path on my next post.