I had read enough Buddhist writings by then to realize that chasing a concrete goal was good, but it wasn’t the point. And the nuns taught us that blind ambition provided a clear path to dubious behavior, so I knew the answer to Jesus’ question, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?” The point was living with grace, decency, and attention to the world, and breaking free of the artificial constructs in your own life. I know all that now. I sensed it then.
