This isn't a rule as much as it is a request.

I realize I may never physically meet the people on my friends list. I don't expect my friends to agree with me on everything, or even to like everything I like, though I do hope we get to enrich each other in some way, even if it's a very small way.

I would ask that if you choose to remove me as a “friend,” please drop me a note. I know things don't always work out for everybody, and I have no problem with that. So please send me a message if you decide to leave: “So long, and thanks for all the fish!" or "Dear John, Up Yours!” Any kind of note will do. You can be sure I won’t argue the point with you. But please don't just disappear.

From an interview with Hector Aristizábal in the October 2005 issue of _The Sun_:

"It would be easy for me to hate [the U.S.], but also very useless. Who cares? The entire world hates this place. I'm tired of hating Bush. I have realized there's no point in simply acting in opposition to others. I have to live my own desires instead of just opposing theirs. This is what we all have to do: find our own style of living and working and making love, and do it, I hope, with some beauty and grace."

(My thanks to O2 for sharing this.)

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs ... I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City!

From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends!"

I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. I am an American in search of better political decision-making. I am of the opinion that bipartisanism is no longer good for this country. The "team" approach to politics is stupid. Accpeting and standing behind a political "label" is no longer the right thing to do.

I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. I will not even call myself a Libertarian. I want better political minds in office. As Americans, we are doing our country a disservice by allowing vituperative-charged-vocabulary to continue to divide us. There are plenty of valid points out there which are lost due to the divisive nature of our conversations. If you're going to make me feel stupid, I'm not going to hear you.

If I’m a Democrat, and you need me to “be” a Republican for a minute, I'll listen if you can make me feel good for being a Democrat. Any Democrat who wants to point out the error of Republican dogma cannot make the Republican feel like an idiot before explaining things to them. If you have a valid political cause, there is no longer room for political divisiveness.

Make friends. Listen first. Speak later.

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element.

It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
I possess tremendous power to make a life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration,
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated,
and a person humanized or de-humanized.

If we treat people as they are, we make them worse.
If we treat people as they ought to be,
we help them become what they
are capable of becoming.”

GOETHE