Alan

"I BELIEVE THAT THE VERY PURPOSE OF OUR LIFE IS TO SEEK HAPPINESS. THAT IS CLEAR. WHETHER ONE BELIEVES IN RELIGION OR NOT, WHETHER ONE BELIEVES IN THIS RELIGION OR THAT RELIGION, WE ALL ARE SEEKING SOMETHING BETTER IN LIFE. SO, I THINK, THE VERY MOTION OF OUR LIFE IS TOWARDS HAPPINESS…" DALAI LAMA---"I DOUBT IF ANY GENERATION HAS FACED A MORE DIFFICULT AND DISCOURAGING FUTURE THAN YOURS. IT'S IMPORTANT, HOWEVER, NOT TO DEAL WITH IT IN AN EITHER/OR WAY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE IT INTO A CHOICE BETWEEN TOTAL SELFLESSNESS AND TOTAL SELFISHNESS. IN ORDER TO KEEP GOING, YOU MUST BUILD A LIFE FOR YOURSELF THAT'S WORTH LIVING. THIS ISN'T SELF-INDULGENCE, THIS IS A NECESSITY. SAVING THE WORLD IS SOMETHING WE ALL MUST BE ENGAGED IN, BUT TO BE EFFECTIVE, WE ALSO MUST HAVE LIVES THAT INCLUDE FULFILLMENT, SUCCESS, HAPPINESS, AND MENTAL WELL-BEING. YOU HAVE PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS THAT MUST BE MET, BECAUSE IF THEY'RE NOT MET, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR BEST TO THE COMMON CAUSE. OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE MAKES A POWERFUL LINK BETWEEN SALVATION AND SELF-DENIAL, BUT YOU WON'T FIND ANYTHING IN MY BOOKS THAT REINFORCES THAT LINK. WE'RE A PROFOUNDLY DEPRIVED PEOPLE-- AND THE WORLD SUFFERS FOR IT. WE LITERALLY TAKE OUT OUR MISERY ON THE WORLD, PLUNDERING IT TO ENRICH OURSELVES WITH TOYS THAT STILL LEAVE US MISERABLE. TO BE KINDER TO THE WORLD, WE DON'T NEED EMPTIER LIVES, WE NEED FULLER LIVES." Daniel Quinn ------ "YOU'RE NOT ILL. SIX BILLION OF YOU WAKE UP EVERY MORNING AND START DEVOURING THE WORLD. THIS ISN'T A SICKNESS THAT YOU CONTRACTED ONE NIGHT WHILE SITTING IN A DRAFT. HEALING IS ALWAYS A HIT OR MISS PROPOSITION, I'M SURE YOU KNOW THAT. SOMETIMES ASPIRIN FIXES THE HEADACHE AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. SOMETIMES CHEMOTHERAPY KILLS THE CANCER AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO FOOL AROUND WITH 'HEALING' YOURSELVES. YOU'VE GOT TO START LIVING A DIFFERENT WAY, AND YOU'VE GOT TO DO IT VERY SOON." Daniel Quinn ------ "NEVER THINK THAT WAR, NO MATTER HOW NECESSARY, NOR HOW JUSTIFIED, IS NOT A CRIME." Ernest Hemingway ------ "ONE CANNOT SIMULTANEOUSLY PREPARE FOR WAR AND CREATE PEACE." Unknown ------ "IN A TIME OF UNIVERSAL DECEIT, TELLING THE TRUTH IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT." George Orwell ------ "CATCH-22 SAYS THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO DO ANYTHING WE CAN'T STOP THEM FROM DOING." Joseph Heller, CATCH 22 ------ "ONE OF THE MOST PRESISTENT AMBIGUITIES THAT WE FACE IS THAT EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT PEACE AS A GOAL. HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT TAKE THE SHARPEST-EYED SOPHISTICATION TO DISCERN THAT WHILE EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT PEACE, PEACE HAS BECOME PRACTICALLY NOBODYS' BUSINESS AMONG THE POWER-WIELDERS. MANY MEN CRY PEACE! PEACE! BUT THEY REFUSE TO DO THE THINGS THAT MAKE FOR PEACE." Martin Luther King Jr. EVER WONDER WHAT'S MISSING?A