Excerpt from a message to a loved one

[JohnnyCougar]

Posted here because I think it's relevant to the campaign.

I've had experiences where I have felt like just a tiny speck of sand, too. It is true, to some extent. As individuals, our abilities to change the world are severely limited. But that doesn't mean we can't change the world together. There are reasons for pessimism, but there actually has been significant progress in a lot of areas in the last 100 years. A lot more people have freedom now than ever before. A lot more people are educated and empowered, both here and around the world. Because the cynical forces of greed and power continue to operate doesn't mean it's hopeless, though. One person alone will never be able to stop it, nor should they feel overwhelmed by a responsibility to. But we can all do our part in our daily lives, and if enough people are motivated to do their little part, we can make significant progress together. Alone, we are small, powerless and isolated, but together we are one. One powerful team around the world.

When you think about the world, you can get angry about all the negative elements of humanity and society. But you can also acknowledge that most of these negative elements come from people who are even more confused than we are. They haven't had true leadership and guidance in their own lives. The reason many people act out of line and hurtful is because they are weak, and feel weak. It's easy to feel spite for these people, and also, it's easy to feel powerless against them, but one has to realize that true compassion and love helps one to rise above their confusion and hopelessness. Love and compassion is what makes one strong, and helps one reduce confusion in their own lives. It gives us a purpose for being here, and it gives us a place where we belong. All across the world, people are having their own private struggles and storms, no matter what culture they live in. And their salvation lies not in a place somewhere across the border, but within themselves and within the souls of others. It lies in the hearts of their neighbors. It lies in the beauty of nature. It lies in their family relationships. It lies in that connection to others fostered by the opening of their hearts to both sorrow and joy. It involves experiencing the full spectrum of life's ups and downs, but with the assurance that one will survive the lowest lows and cherish the highest highs. You can't have one without the other, and when people try to force themselves to have the highest highs without the lows, it is a big mistake. It never makes them happy, because happiness isn't a solid state of euphoria followed by a crash, but a contentment with the full dynamic of life. People will try to force joy upon themselves without the spiritual sacrifice it takes to make that joy real -- by buying stuff, by pursuing material possessions, by using drugs, etc. It is the failed path of narcissism. On the other hand, people can pursue contentment through self-deprecation and destruction -- by setting the bar extremely low for themselves, using other people and being mean to others in pursuit of the feeling of the negative euphoria of domination, and not expecting anything good of themselves lest they once try and fail.

Being happy with the world requires one to experience full-on the sorrows and mistakes of life, because they truly are learning experiences -- experiences that help one put into context and fully appreciate the highs.

But despite all the sadness, there is beauty brought out by people like Jesus and Gandhi. They didn't do anything alone, though. They were simply leaders who brought out qualities in people that were already there. If this weren't a world with beauty in it already, each of those great people would have had no effect on anything, and they never would have been famous. They both died, but everyone dies. You can look at it like they were killed by jealous, power-hungry people, or you can look at it like they died strong. Because real personal strength goes beyond your own life, your own breath, your own ego. If your own life is extinguished, your spirit and soul live on with others, and continue to inspire others -- centuries and even millenniums after your death.

I feel like I know you well, and I am 100% confident in the goodness of your heart. It inspires me and it reminds me of why I am here. You just can't be afraid to bring it out. It may cause you to get hurt sometimes, but that is not to be feared. Hurt is only temporary, but the strength that you gain from getting through it lasts forever. That is the best argument for intimacy as opposed to isolation that I can think of. You shouldn't expect yourself to change the entire world. You may be just another grain of sand, and so may I be. But there is peace in realizing that truth -- as long as you know that you are not alone, and that there are other sparkling grains of sand around you. :-)