As a godless pantheist in a dysfunctional civilization, I, William Jordan, write with both feet on the ground and my left finger in the air.

I believe in the 10 commandments. I believe in the golden rule, along with the golden mean.
I believe in loyalty and kindness, honesty and earnest, charity and mercy–in the selfless
concern for others, in common decency–the simple love of right existence.
I believe in respect for one’s elders, for one’s peers–in that order–respect for all living
things, including microbes and plants–respect for soil, for water, for air.
I believe in sufficient-but-essential law and a certain amount of self-adjusting order.
I believe in punishment when necessary–spanking, jail time, the atrocity execution.
In a strong military, but mainly to repel other militaries; in the love of one’s country, but only
after one’s planet.
In the acceptance of Fate and the Grand Is-ness, which envelopes us all, without comment.

But above all, I believe in the Truth, Beauty, and Goodness of the natural world and expect to follow its gospels to eternity, and perhaps, if fortunate, even to infinity. And if you try to
stuff me down the red-white-and-blue toilet of some right-wing ideology or the designer-
pink commode of a left-wing manifesto, I will stick in your drain.

On my stone:

“Come On In — The Soil’s Fine”