While I admire the elegance of Einstein's definition of insanity as "repeating a behavior expecting different results", I wonder if its weakness is its very simplicity. Because by that definition, prayer is insanity, especially unanswered prayer. No room for any sort of faith in such a technocratic definition. No room for the paranormal. So I cannot accept it.

Quite the opposite, imagine a world where all is predictable, every last detail understood, every result expected...now, THAT way lies insanity, I think!

The most insane thing I ever did? At age 19-20, away from home and with no money, I left the comfort of a good scholarship and university for... I didn't know what. I had no positive view of my future, I only knew I didn't want the present direction I was on. I didn't have any ideas and no faith even when I jumped out of the boat into what must have been a bottomless ocean of disastrouc possibilities.

But then two heroes stepped up to my rescue and supported me unquestioningly, trusting me and my instincts when I did not trust them myself. They bought me time and gave me courage, and in the end I flourished. One of those two heroes was my father, may his God rest his soul. The other one many of you have met.