It all hit at once yesterday, the sadness of our world today. Sure we can distract ourselves endlessly. We can run away to the country or other countries and many of us do, but…
Deaths of despair continue to increase in our beautiful land…
An article like this onecuts deep and right to the heart of the matter. Now we have a president who lies hourly to us, one who recently proclaimed the “War on Poverty is largely over and a success,” while our United Nations Ambassador said it was “ridiculous for the United Nations to examine poverty in America.”
While 1 in 7 of us make up the world’s poorest 10%
“According to the Credit Suisse 34 million American adults are among the WORLD’S POOREST 10%. How is that possible? In a word, debt. In more excruciating words: stifling, misery-inducing, deadly amounts of debt for the poorest Americans.” It goes far beyond dollars. We have millions of deaths of despair in this country caused by the stresses of inferior health care coverage, stagnating incomes, and out-of-control inequality.
The world is full of hunger, poverty, violence and extreme sadness. I felt it all yesterday. It overwhelmed me, especially because I see that it does not have to be this way. Why do we respond to the fears and needs of others with anger and tear gas instead of communication and problem-solving? Belligerence and stupidity will only get us much more of what we see around us everyday.
Hi Diane, thank you for your thoughtful and honest narrative about life between Walsenburg and La Veta. I have co-run the Museum of Friends in Walsenburg, since 2005. I have experienced many of the same emotions and experiences. I attended Naropa in 1979 as a student of Aganahanda Bharati from Syracuse University. I was moved by many of my seniors – Alan Ginsberg, Chögyam Trungpa and my most favorite the Harvard Divinity Scholar Harvey Cox at the time. I am curious how you with your interests in both worlds have never crossed our path? Stop in some time when you are in town. We would love to meet you, Maria Cocchiarelli-Berger. A quote by Harvey Cox “All human beings have an innate need to hear and tell stories and to have a story to live by. religion, whatever else it has done, has provided one of the main ways of meeting this abiding need.”
Hi Maria! My name is Laura Lee. I’ve been maintaining this blog for over 4 years now. You do look familiar! I had no idea we both went to Naropa! Would love to sit down and talk with you sometime.
Adventures of the NEW??? Old Farts 
You said it all right there: ‘Beligerance and stupidity’. It’ breaks my heart!
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Hi Diane, thank you for your thoughtful and honest narrative about life between Walsenburg and La Veta. I have co-run the Museum of Friends in Walsenburg, since 2005. I have experienced many of the same emotions and experiences. I attended Naropa in 1979 as a student of Aganahanda Bharati from Syracuse University. I was moved by many of my seniors – Alan Ginsberg, Chögyam Trungpa and my most favorite the Harvard Divinity Scholar Harvey Cox at the time. I am curious how you with your interests in both worlds have never crossed our path? Stop in some time when you are in town. We would love to meet you, Maria Cocchiarelli-Berger. A quote by Harvey Cox “All human beings have an innate need to hear and tell stories and to have a story to live by. religion, whatever else it has done, has provided one of the main ways of meeting this abiding need.”
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Hi Maria! My name is Laura Lee. I’ve been maintaining this blog for over 4 years now. You do look familiar! I had no idea we both went to Naropa! Would love to sit down and talk with you sometime.
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