A Letter to a Friend

Shiv,

You blew me away with your comments. I was very moved by what you wrote. Also, for a person like me, who is so isolated from everyone else, I was touched by the fact that what moved me had the power to move someone else -- and particularly someone like you who are so intellectually gifted and spiritual. You have inspired me to continue writing for the blog. Though I will be taking a break from posting until Tuesday, December 27, 2005.

I need to tell you something about my writing. It is a mix of fantasy and reality. I was in fact lonely in college (as I have always been). I didn't really meet a couple of psychoanalysts. That is fantasy. But it is something that I wish could have happened. I didn't really study Sanskrit, but I did take a course in Indian history and culture. I have a deep identification with Indian culture, which places the spirit above the material. I sense that you embody the spirit of your people. The fact that you have responded as you have to my identifications and fantasies tells me that my feelings are genuine and deeply-held, even if the "facts" of my life as I present them are falsifications. I hope you understand what I am saying.

I feel a great connection to you, Shiv, and I am very honored by the things you have written and your action in dedicating your blog post to me click here. (Incidentally, today, December 23 is my birthday, so your blog post has an uncanny quality of specialness about it.)

I've read about your background and the work you have done in engineering. It means a great deal to me that someone of your caliber has responded to my writings as you have.

Thanks, buddy.

GARY FREEDMAN