#19 - On Gifts, Divine Openings and Role Models

In this episode, we talk about gifts and talents, as well as Divine openings that come along with SSA. Whether spiritual openings, emotional intelligence or extraordinary talents across different fields, men and women with SSA have God-given gifts, which, when used wisely, can end up changing the world. 

We also explore some stories of men and women throughout history, among whom some had strong and platonic same-sex friendships, others had SSA and kept themselves chaste, while others, unfortunately, acted upon their desires -- from leaders like Alexander the Great and Emperor Hadrian and artists like Michelangelo and Tchaikovsky, to writers and poets like Emily Dickinson, Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolf and scientists like Alexander von Humboldt and Alan Turing. We also examine the story of Ibn Dawud al-Zahiri, a Muslim scholar who himself had SSA and loved another man passionately, but kept himself chaste and lived a God-conscious life.