FROM THE editors December 29, 2003 Issue

No one else can take your journey

These days, everyone seems to be on some kind of "journey"—a buzzword that covers everything from developing relationships to explorations into religion, philosophy, environmentalism, even career choices. Yet a true spiritual journey is really as old and as profound as humankind's questioning of existence.

More than 5,000 years ago, for example, the Hebrew prophet Abraham set off on a spiritual journey that changed the world. A correction was made in the February 2, 2004 Sentinel: "When I began reading the editorial titled "No one else can take your journey" [December 29], I was suprised to read that Abraham's era was over 5,000 years ago. Quickly checking a Bible timeline, I found Abraham's date shown there as around 1850 B.C. Adding, in round numbers, 2,000 to 1,850, I found it added up to about 3,850, which I assume is years. Thought you might be interested. And in some ways, his journey was as modern as any of those taken by today's youth who load up the van and head out for parts unknown. Like Abraham, many travelers on the spiritual highway are looking for a new life, and often, a deeper understanding of their relationship to God.

The spiritual traditions that guide these journeys may be ancient or contemporary, but most of today's spiritual travelers are searching for answers to the same questions: "What is truth?" "Is there a God?" "How do I fit into the universe?"

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