A. J. Jacobs
A. J. Jacobs
Arnold Stephen "A. J." Jacobs, Jr.is an American journalist, author, and lecturer best known for writing about his lifestyle experiments. He is the editor at large for Esquire and has worked for the Antioch Daily Ledger and Entertainment Weekly...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJournalist
Date of Birth20 March 1968
CountryUnited States of America
prayer believe everyday
I'm still agnostic. But in the words of Elton Richards, I'm now a reverant agnostic. Which isn't an oxymoron, I swear. I now believe that whether or not there's a God, there is such a thing as sacredness. Life is sacred. The Sabbath can be a sacred day. Prayer can be a sacred ritual. There is something transcendent, beyond the everyday. It's possible that humans created this sacredness ourselves, but that doesn't take away from its power or importance.
religious believe cognitive-dissonance
After a while, if you're committed, you start to believe in the things in which you're praying. It's just cognitive dissonance. You can't live a completely religious life and not start to have it sink in.
prayer nice believe
I don't believe that prayers actually change God's mind - if there is a God - but I liked praying for people in need. It was like moral weightlifting. I tend to be self-obsessed, and it was nice to get out of my brain once in a while.
expert field greatest knew
I pledged to become the world's greatest expert in a field I knew nothing about.
trying sin committed
In trying to avoid one sin I've committed another.
nice feel-better games
Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t really explain why.
responsibility rights world
It's a different way of looking at the world. Your life isn't about rights. It's about responsibilities."--Mr Bill Berkowitz
lord said rings
I've rarely said the word "Lord," unless it's followed by "of the Rings.
education joy neighborhood
I know that knowledge and intelligence are not the same thing - but they do live in the same neighborhood. I know once again, firsthand, the joy of learning.
altars
I thought religion would eventually wither away and we'd all be worshiping at the altar of science.
wise book brutality
It comes back to the old question: How can the Bible be so wise in some places and so barbaric in others? And why should we put any faith in a book that includes such brutality?
clouds world this-world
I thought religion would make me live with my head in the clouds, but as often as not, it grounds me in this world.
miracle sometimes
Sometimes miracles occur only when you jump in.
thinking community ordinary
I got a sense of the amazingness of ordinary life, and I became aware of the marvel that we're around to begin with. I visited a lot of extreme communities, like the Amish, Hasidic Jews, and serpent-handlers. And I was proud, because I think I'm the first person to ever out-Bible-talk a Jehovah's Witness. After four hours, he said, "Okay, I have to go."