“Quality of life” is a term so ubiquitous and oft used that it has become banal. The question to be asked is: what does the phrase truly mean or entail? Are we speaking of material well-being or spiritual enlightenment? Are we living the ultimate American Dream or we ensconced in the upper reaches of Bhutan: the self-described happiest country on Earth? These questions are fraught with as many new questions as they are filled with antiquated answers. Obviously, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Are we capable of making ourselves “World Citizens” (1) or must we choose between civilizations and countries? Recently I travelled to Canada. During my sojourn, I had an opportunity to speak to many Asian immigrants. I inquired if they were contented with their new-found home? The answer was invariably, “Yes, but…” The “but” being in essence, “No! The dream that I was promised has not or will not materialize.” Conversely, few foreigners stay in Taiwan for a protracted period of time. Both examples, tragically, hinge on 20^th century models that, by definition, are either nationalistic or chauvinistic. It is to be noted that passports did not always exist. In the 30 years prior to WWI, for example, they were considered unnecessary in Europe, due to the speed of train travel. (2) The severity of the passport system has been greatly enhanced by the post-apocalyptic period after 9-11. There have been relatively very few incidents of terrorism in the subsequent 12 years, but we are herded like cattle and treated like criminals when we travel. It has come to such a point that we are endlessly, endlessly searched by sad-looking, blank humanoids. Why? To quote Henry Thoreau (3) while he was in jail for civil disobedience: “They plainly did not know how to treat me, but behaved like persons who are under-bred. In every threat and in every compliment there was a blunder; for they thought that my chief desire was to stand on the other side of that stone wall… I saw that the State was half-witted, that it was timid as a lone woman with her silver spoons, and that it did not know its friends from its foes, and I lost all my remaining respect for it, and pitied it.” What Thoreau is indicating is that the security personnel are as equally a part of the “big farce” as we are. The reason, simplistically answered, is power and control. There is an international “push” on the part of the ruling elites to control population movement and limit personal liberty. I give you a very small private experience. At Canada Customs, the official noted that I lived in Taiwan, seeking my acknowledgement. Nowhere in my passport does it state that I live here; I have never registered with the Canadian Consulate nor have I signed any documentation. Contemporary governments do not possess the expertise to stage management the developing new economy. We have a very fascinating article entitled Young Whistle-blowers are trying to protect the US identity. The piece claims that the youth of today are trying to expunge the moral corruption of the old post-capitalistic system. Interesting! They are afraid of George Orwell. (4) We must remember that change is eventually good: winter gives way to spring and spring to summer. We are left with this thoughtful quote by Mother Teresa (1910-1997): Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. (Reprinted from July 13^th 2014)

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Just bad luck! The other day, I finished re-reading Rabbi Kushner’s book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.” The book is predicated on the death of the man’s son from an incurables disease, and his relationship with God before and after the tragedy. I found this little manuscript thoughtful and, in strange sort of way, extremely peaceful. The net result of the book is, in my interpretation, that God affords us the moral authority that is necessary to live a productive and fulfilling life but he cannot micro-manage individual situations: and rightly so. We can pray for courage, justice and honor, but we cannot pray for a lottery win or to spare the life of my dear father, no matter how precious that special man is to me. Our prayers must be to request that “Pater” be given peace. This is a very morally freeing book: who now takes responsibility for your life? You do in partnership with God. You can freely make your own moral or immoral decisions. Juxtaposed against this piece is Tolstoy’s disquieting novella, The Death of Ivan Ilych. Ivan has it all: progeny, a beautiful wife, a fantastic legal career and good standing in the community. He, however, develops a terminal illness and comes to question everything in his life. The subsequent realization is that he is not satisfied with the way that he has lived and is truly dying, with no chance of reprieve. In my opinion, the obvious message of the book is that physical life is finite and has no chance to be revisited in this form, if at all. We must, therefore, lead a life of fulfillment and joy, not a life led in the shadow of others or consumed by the values of others. In this context, consciousness is a pure gift to be embraced and our personal mission achieved: not an easy task. Knowing this, one would have to question the societal ennui sweeping the earth. Why are millions of people seemingly lost and sailing in a rudderless ship when, to be happy, we only have to make choices? Simply put: we can’t! We are so imbued with the concept of ownership and the value of things that we feel immobile: any potential choice or option, by definition, has an element of risk or loss. Countless individuals toil in pointless economic activities with the mythical belief that their chosen activity will free them: from what they are not sure. Certainly it circumscribes some concept that borders on the American Dream or the delusion of financial “success.” Many intellectuals now place humanity at a crossroads. Can we continue to live in a civilization that allots the tiniest percentage of the population the greatest percentage of the society’s wealth? The answer is a resounding “no.” Socialist countries that seek to balance extreme wealth through taxation with the general needs of the nation might be a more equitable way to achieve economic parity. Few people migrate from the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Sweden or Norway, for example. Is civilization improving or is it continuing an endless cycle of pain and suffering? Ultimately, this is a pointless question. The being that we can truly improve is the self. In that regard, we are totally in control: given that “life is fickle” and we are born with a set of givens: our sex, our skin color, our intelligence, etc. We are left with a thought by Steven Covey (1): Ineffective people live day after day with unused potential. They experience synergy only in small, peripheral ways in their lives. But creative experiences can be produced regularly, consistently, almost daily in people’s lives. It requires enormous personal security and openness and a spirit of adventure. (Reprinted from August 6^th 2013)

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