Random thoughts and news stories

What an interesting day.

I had some great conversations with friends and family members about what is possible in life.

And I spoke to friends who were quite concerned about the well being of people they care about.

What is common to both sets of conversations is that the people in our lives do matter. Our connections to them matter. And that we want to make a difference in the world.

I'm reminded of a passage for some reason that my cousin shared with me once:

I will close this chapter with some general thoughts on addiction. We all come into the world with wounds; they come with human birth, no matter what kind of family we grow up in, no matter what kind of society we live in. Much of our human seeking is a search for healing. We long for a sense of completeness and wholeness and for an end to craving. Most often we look for satisfaction outside of ourselves. That is the root of addiction. Ironically, whatever satisfaction we gain from food, drugs, sex, money, and other "sources" of pleasure really comes from inside us. We project our power onto external substances and activities, allowing them to make us feel better temporarily. This is a strange sort of magic. We give our power away in order to achieve a transient sense of wholeness, then suffer because the objects of our craving seem to have power over us. Addiction can be cured only when we consciously experience this process, reclaim our power, and realize that wounds must be healed from within. Suffering and craving goad us into action, forcing us to discover who we are, to identify with our true selves.

-- From Natural Health, Natural Medicine by Andrew Weil, MD

What it speaks to me is that we are more powerful than we cop to. That we really are at the source of our lives, even if we are unconsciously creating a reality that has us occur to ourselves as powerless. And that we can make a difference, not only in our own small world, but in the larger one as well.

And if you want to make a difference, here are some articles to read that might give you reason to act:

• Arctic ice melting rapidly, study says
• U.S. Military Excluded Bombs From Baghdad Murder Toll
• Higher Risk