We have to reframe the experience that we are undergoing now if we are to thrive within it – and yes, we can. It is not easy to tell a drug addict or an alcoholic that his quality of life would be so much better if he did without that next fix, or that next drink – but we know that it would. Imagine a place, some island isolated from the rest of the world, where drugs and alcohol were free so long as they were only indulged in on that island. In this way, the addicts would not be a danger to the rest of the world. Eventually, those who came to the island to get high – would stay high and stay on the island. Yes, many with loved ones would miss them, and suffer some guilt in neglecting them, but the powerful intoxication of the drug could mask the pain and guilt of missing and neglecting loved ones. However, once addicted, nothing and no one could overpower the need for the drug. One of the many gifts that we receive from the Divine Presence that some call God, is the awareness of our own demons, intensified and mirrored back at us through small pockets of the population. We have become addicted to all things material with the focus and obsession of a drug addict. Our egoic attachment to more, and more of the things of the world has become so strong that our soul’s attachment to things of the heart has been increasingly ignored. We make time for loved ones when we can, justifying all of our neglect and all of the love that we miss, just as any addict does. Just like drugs, most of the things that we can’t do without today, we never needed before we had them, and what they do to us, is make us want more. We want more and better quality drugs to feed our addition to the world. There is a force called gravity which keeps us on the earth. There is a force called addiction, which is equally strong, that keeps us chained to the things that we think we possess, but that really possess us. We are like the two people in the Tarot Devil Card, they are chained and shackled to the devil, but if you look closely, the shackles are large enough to remove – if the people really wanted to be free from the devil. The fact is – they don’t. We see the street gangs, they kill people with no remorse just to gain power within the gang. What scares us the most is that they kill without feeling, without it being personal. We condemn drug lords, and drug dealers for their Indifference to human life. There is an offense called, “Depraved Indifference”:

What we don’t consider is that all indifference to human life is depraved. Drug company executives who rush a drug to market for the money – holding back information on the possibility of fatal complications exhibit depraved indifference when their concern is, not the value of the lives that could be lost, but the financial cost of the law suits that could ensue, versus having to continue research that would delay the release and the profits or worse, prevent it at all. When the executives of chemical companies and power plants choose saving the expense of safely eliminating toxic waste over saving the lives that illegally dumping will cost, is depraved indifference. HMO’s who withhold life saving treatment in order to maintain a healthy profit show depraved indifference. So long as enough palms are greased, enough people profit, we have become comfortable legalizing mass murder, sometimes called, “Collateral damage”, other times called, “Acceptable Losses”. We ignore the Divine mirrors. There is an Hasidic story that I will paraphrase.  A man has a small shop in his village, and he is very generous and giving to the poor and the needy.  He never turns anyone away because of lack of money.  He is, although not wealthy, the most admired man in the village.  One day he comes into a great deal of money and he changes, so afraid of losing his wealth he has the poor and the needy turned away.  No one invites him to their homes anymore and he becomes an outcast in the village where he was once loved.  He went to the Rabbi and asked for an answer to why he is being so badly treated.  The Rabbi takes him to the wondow and tells him to look into that glass and tell him what he sees. “The man answers that he sees many hungry, needy people looking for help.”  Then the Rabbi takes him to the mirror and again askes him what does he see, and he replies, “I see myself”.  “And what is the difference between the two sheets of glass?”, asked the Rabbi, and the man answered, “there is silver behind the mirror”.  The Rabbi said, “You see, when you see through your soul you see other people and their needs and cares, but when you see through silver, you only see yourself” Anyone who tells you that things will get better is dreaming, dillusional or lying. Things will not get better, we must get better. Have you considered how well the Amish have survived without our necessities? For all who believe in Satan, here is the newsflash, Satan has been called home by his Father and guess what? He’s taking all of his toys with him. You see, in the Old Testament, Satan basically told God that this creation of His, man, was not worth the love that God bestowed on them because, they could be turned away from God, Satan believed that they could never love God as the angels do, and so they just are not deserving of God. So, God basically told Satan to do anything that he wanted to tempt or turn mankind from God – except kill him. And so Satan has tempted us with money and power, divided us with religion, preoccupied us with prejudice, hatred, envy, jealousy, and fear. And here is how the story really ends – not in fire and brimstone, but in Divine love and forgiveness. Because Satan tempted the prodigal son (mankind) to take his inheritance, leave home and party. And now that Satan is taking all of his toys back, we will have nothing left, and, like the prodigal son, we will have to slave and work for nothing – until we realize that Love is the only thing that never goes away, never runs out and grows like the mustard seed when planted. Then, again like the prodigal son, we will love the God in ourselves and our brothers, we will share with each other, we will feed each other at one table, as one family in Divine Love. THE END