What's Been and What's Ben

My website has undergone an order of magnitude spike in readership for some reason. I found it hilarious when I was reminded by friend that all those that followed the link were greeted with a picture of a kitten. The internet (life) went down on campus for a day because of the whole Saudi Arabia/Yemen thing. The outage coincided with the publication of the New York Times article about me being the change we can believe in. I fear that this in combination with everyone thinking I look like Harry Potter (which I think is a case of all white people look alike mixed with denial) will give me a messiah complex. I want now, more than ever, to write a book about my experiences at KAUST and in the Kingdom. An idea I have been mulling over is collaborating with two or three other students to get a broader perspective. This is likely the byproduct of reading “Team of Rivals” before going to bed each night. I did get an English minor.

Thankfully the article did not begin with “…can Rev. Ben Frevert change Saudi Arabia?” as if I had any interested in converting anybody. I am, along with The Beatles, a reverend (from the internet, but still legitimately) in the Universal Life Church. I did recently watch the PBS frontline piece (watch in full) online about Mormonism. It is an interesting religion. I hope the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemeni rebels quiets down. With the Hajj coming up, both sides should at least take some time to cool down and celebrate some peace on Earth instead of a potential WWIII.