A long time ago I realized that I had ideas about people and places I only knew about through second hand sources.
I began to wonder if I had any wrong perceptions.
I could educate myself from afar, but all the material would be biased by the perception of the author/creator.
The other option was to have direct experiences.
So I found myself on an almost fifteen year quest (to almost 35 countries so far) to encounter not-yet-familiar humans, cultures, religions, animals, plants and landscapes.
I share the essence of my explorations through creativity – painting, photography, public speaking and writing.
In the backdrop always I’m conscious of being the eldest male in an unbroken lineage of rabbis reaching back a couple thousand years.
As I had almost no contact with anyone outside of the Orthodox Jewish community until my late 20’s, I am able to explore almost anything with the wonder-filled eyes of a child and the mind of a mature educated adult.
Connect With Azriel
Check out Azriel’s intriguing article about reconnecting to animals by exploring our primitive nature.
You can also get in touch with him by visiting his Matador profile or his homepage: www.azrielcohen.com.
Tim Patterson
Tim Patterson is a longtime contributor and former contributing editor at the Matador Network.
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