IT'S ABOUT CONNECTION Somewhere inside me A voice says What I do will never be seen Never be read And all that has left my head Is in vain A spurt of thought Then gone Again after again And what does that attain? Connection For I have let thought And angst, and love Leave From me to whatever it may be Outside of me The fruit of my mind, Of my hands Lands Where it may take root and thrive Far beyond the time That I am alive Simply ... connection After years practicing as a physician, and of simply living, I have found that the single most compelling issue for each of us is loneliness. Many of the issues in our lives result from our inability to cross the space between our subjective experience and that of others. I see relationships destroyed, addictions embraced, destructive behaviors of all kinds; attempts to shock others, even shock oneself, into feeling. Various organums have tried to solve this dilemma, but none have succeeded. Religions, philosophies, art, science; all resonate with something in our souls. But answers? None. Just bowls of food from which to feed our appetite for life, but not end our hunger. My goal in writing this book is to shift the quest from the pursuit of absolutes, to the enjoyment of the life we have been given, adjusting to new realities as they force their way into our lives; I encourage willingness to risk disappointment and rejection. It is not just approval we need but connection. And love is the best conduit I have seen for that connection; I emphasize love and integrity, starting with those around us, and gradually suffusing our lives. Otherwise we shall live our lives perpetually trapped inside the bubble of our own existence; lonely and forlorn. I hope you shall find little stories and thoughts in this book, that will take you to places both familiar and new; both inside and outside of your experience... sometimes like settling into an old soft leather chair, and sometimes like being in a bed of thorns... but always bringing you back to the excitement and change of that which we call living RAD