”I Want to Kill You” A patient on the psychiatric unit where I work threatened my life last week. In a cold, steely voice, this very distubed man looked into my eyes and said, “I want to kill you.” I believed him. I knew, given different circumstances, he could and would fulfill on that threat. Surviving by Being Nice and Good We live in a world that has seen far too much war, that has known too much tyranny, genocide, terrorism. I come from an unhappy family with a history of abuse, which formed the way I thought and behaved for years. It didn’t make me a happy person.  I learned to survive by becoming  good, sweet and loving.

keep reading...

The other night I ran into a woman I hadn’t seen in a long time and was surprised to discover that she has become a passionate, and incredibly busy peace activist. This woman, who has always been a fierce, proud and strong woman, is now more fiery than ever. Her sons are teenagers and she is doing everything she can to keep them out of the hands of military recruiters. I understood, as she spoke about this, how deep her love for her sons is, and that she is absolutely committed that her sons not be killed in a senseless war she completely disagrees with. She has also become convinced that 9-11 was an inside job, and is totally certain a conspiracy took down the Twin Towers–a conspiracy of the US government. What is it that spurs her on in her quest to enlighten others about this conspiracy theory?

keep reading...