I probably opened up the local news only to find more crazy devastation everywhere again and as usual. Why Why Why?! I kept wondering - I wondered it so much that after a while I stopped wanting to wonder Why - I didn't care. The world stinks and people are depressed and over medicated and we're going to end up like how it was in Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men. Who cares. Yes, DeKalb. That is what I'm talking about. Our Art teacher lives there and goes to school there and there is a road that you pass as you get there called Peace Road - of course then I imagine it all tattered and falling off the hinges like in a scene from Terminator II.

Why Why Why.

That's when I realized that when we ask why we DO care - and a plethora of mottos started rushing to my head. The greats like Make Love Not War, Guns for Plowshares, Question Authority.

So where are we today? Are there indeed enough people who value LIFE - not just being but the QUALITY of LIFE to make the hard decisions - to BUY the GREEN stuff (I meant environmentally safe... by the way) - to DROP OUT of society and live for happiness not money? Honestly I doubt it. I don't think people in general are willing to bust a**... Because that is what it takes. Believe me... and I don't do a fifth of what I'd liek to be doing.

Brings to mind two concepts. One from someone I miss dearly - it is the concept of 'All In'. Like the poker term. All In... All the time though.... What and interesting concept I thought and wondered how many of us live like that? It doesn't mean - to me at least - that we live self indulgently. I believe it means to take risks. Now how about this: Taking Risks BECAUSE it is the Right Thing To Do.

How many people do you know that do THAT? Now those are our Hero's. That is exactly what a hero would do. And we can do this every day with even the littlest of choices - THINK ABOUT IT.

The Other fellow I met "Lost his Shirt" persuing some endeavor. What it brought to mind is that this is exactly what springboards investors - yes I mean YOU - to say bet on something Safe; buy that thing that came out of the coal burning plant because They pay their workers a penny per pound and it's cheap and the profits are HUGE ...HALLELLUJA!

Hmm.... what the heck does this have to do with the shooter in DeKalb?

The answer to that question is embedded in the subtlies of Quality of Life. Are we *medicated* because we're depressed? Are we *consuming Junk*? Do we make time to *meditate and relax*? Are we *Kind* to strangers? Do we *encourage* kindness? I mean as a society... Who are we? Where are we going? And how did we get Here?

Just thoughts.