you're welcome. I was lucky in my mid-20s to have had a little
   experience with Eastern Orthodox monastic things during a period
   of "convertitis" I was going through for a few years.

   I'm agnostic now but immersing myself in the unique
   Greco-Russian culture and learning about historical accounts
   that were FAR more enriched than I learned in my school days was
   extremely enlightening.

   It was a nice contrast to: "Ancient Greeks Good. Post Ancient
   Greeks Stupid. Everything Dark. After a 1000-1400 dark years,
   Enlightenment began."

   Lots of stuff happened in those 1000-1400 years that didn't
   involve knights and flea-infested rats. smile emoticon