I had a letter that really touched me from a cadet at West Point, who said while he didn't necessarily agree with my actions, he admired my convictions -- or not convictions, strike that word -- my adherence to my beliefs.
My life was centered around a strict adherence to my religion.
When I discuss the complicated nuances of adherence with my students, I often offer up the example of my grandmother.
The strength of a relatively unadorned rack of lamb, which came with a delectable timbale of goat cheese and baby spinach, was the meat itself and the kitchen's adherence to my guest's request for medium-rare.
The issue that I felt most conflicted with personally, was the notion that any reference or adherence to my Hindu background and Indian culture was viewed as both religious and blasphemous.
Is it the flat cap, the ferret down my trousers which always entertains the troops at morning conference, or my strict adherence to getting my five a day (that's pie, peas, chips, gravy and a barm)?
Did my adherence to the Ivy League "label" incur debts my dad was never able to escape?
The book includes several poems by Jewish writers, barely known to Iraqi Muslims today, that reflect their love for and identification with Iraq, as well as the pain of falling prey to its tyrants: "My adherence to Moses's creed / diminished not my love for Muhammad's nation," writes twentieth-century poet Anwar Sha'ul.
"My adherence to due process and the rule of law is uncompromising," he said in a comment that received some of the biggest applause from the audience.
Even as I surprised myself with my adherence (minus a few lapses) to a lighter-drinking life, I worried about backsliding when it came to red meat and offal.
