“In Jainism,” I am told, “a Tirthankara (’Fordmaker’) (also…a Jina) is a human who achieves enlightenment (perfect knowledge), through asceticism. A Tirthankar becomes a Jina (after totally conquering anger, pride, deceit, desire, etc.). A Tirthankar is the founder of a ‘Tirth,’ a Jain community which acts as a ‘ford’ across the ‘river of human misery.’”

I am told this by Wikipedia, which I trust in all matters, save the ones where the Evildoers get hold of the Truth and ransack it. I would tell you who they are and what they think, but I’m a reporter. I can’t have bias about these kinds of things.

I’ve written for The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, Glamour Magazine, Harvard Magazine, and some other little places you probably don’t know. I helped edit a handy resource for writers, “Telling True Stories” (if the only way you’ll buy it is to click through to Amazon now, I understand, but if you have any surplus of compassionate consumerism in you at the moment, pledge to go to your local independent bookstore). I’ve also done trainings in narrative journalism in New England and Africa. Before I began working in journalism, I worked around it, as one of three cajolers responsible for putting on the Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism at Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation.

I do multimedia work for whoever pays, and sometimes those who don’t. You can find evidence of my willingness to work hard for little pay here.