And as we were exploring and learning more about Zoroastrianism the turning point was when I was reading the Gathas. It was so clear that it was about, you know, God is not out there acting upon you. God is from within. Your your actions, your good mind, your decisions, you become closer and closer to being, if you want to use the term perfect. You come closer and closer to true happiness, Ushta. When you work hard on making the right decision and really thinking hard about who you are and what you believe in, and trying things and learning from those things.

It was this dedication to continuous improvement of your mind and continuous improvement of your actions and your impact on the world, and that no one could do that for you. No one could absolve you of anything. It's up to you. It's hard work, and it's up to you. You have to work hard at being a good person and doing good in the world. And that kind of individual determination.

That really resonated with me, because I feel like that's what I've always believed. And then here was a faith that it wasn't saying, well, go say this number of prayers and everything will be okay, or you better show up in church next Sunday, and then everything will be okay. There wasn't that. It was all about, well, it's up to you, like you figure that out, you decide, you learn.

And so when I was an investor class teacher, I used to teach about Asha and Vohu Manah and Ushta, because Asha is the truth. How do you find the truth? You you work very hard through your good mind. You may never get there, but you have to be a practicing thinker all the time and constantly trying to turn things over in your head about what's right and what's wrong. And you have to be an active doer. And the only way you find true happiness in life is through that. So for me, it wasn't a rejection of the Lutheran faith. It was leaning into things that I really believed in.

Anne Khademian / Chevy Chase, MD