In 1983 I went to Pennsylvania to work on a Christmas tree farm for the summer. I took with me some books such as Why I am Not a Christian, the Bible, and a philosophy book. On the road to Pennsylvania, I started to read the book, Why I am Not a Christian, by Bertrand Russell. It convinced me that Christianity wasn’t true. It gave me a sick dark feeling as though life had no purpose. I was driving the van we were in while my two friends were sleeping. I was near Kansas City Kansas or Missouri just thinking about how meaningless life was while I was driving.

   Later, after we arrived at the farm, I started to read the Bible and the philosophy book. I was also reading a biography about Jimi Hendricks, the famous rock star. As I read the philosophy book, I started to like what Plato was saying about reincarnation as that seemed more desirable for my mind and soul than atheism. I also started to read the Bible starting with the Old Testament, but it was difficult to understand. When a friend asked me what the result of my search for truth was, I told him that I believed that life was like a series of boxing matches and that we would continue to fight in rounds.

   When I went back to the University, I told Lynne that I had studied and the conclusion was that the Bible wasn’t true and that reincarnation seemed like a better philosophy. She told her friends and me that I frustrated her.