Earlier this evening I realized that I had not yet written here today. I had completely forgotten as I got into my day. I’ve been developing the habit of writing first thing in the morning after meditating and a yoga practice. This morning I got caught up in reading stories of joy and sadness about Haiti. I feel compelled to read and to know, as deeply as the distance and media allow, what is happening in a country not so far from our United States of America. One of the stories I read had to do with how the city of Port au Prince came to be so heavily populated . It seems our government had something to do with it, making some kind of deal with an earlier leader of Haiti to create a sort of personal “Taiwan”. I’d like to be more able to intelligently discuss this but I don’t seem to retain the facts as much as the feeling I had reading about the involvement of the US government…our elected leaders of the people, by the people and for the people. This came on the morning after watching Michael Moore’s movie Sicko about the state of healthcare in our country. As I get ready to make my Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance payment, I wonder if I am throwing away hard earned money with a mistaken belief that, should I need it, I will have the medical help I am paying for. This movie suggests I might be.

Hmmm. I have to wonder what to do with this information. What can I do, one person? And then tonight I listened to a teleconference with Marianne Williamson. Marianne is one fireball of a woman. Petite, beautiful, smart, articulate and powerful. Though very loving, she will hardy let anyone sit in the place of victim. She has put together a conference called Sister Giant in Los Angeles at the end of February, inviting women to come and be a part of a movement to change this world. Creating a force to be reckoned with, Marianne imagines a conversation in the White House. “Mr. President, I don’t think the women will let you slide on providing healthcare to every single American. You had best do something about it and do it now.” I’m paraphrasing but you get the point. I hope to be at that conference, though I am not waiting until then to become part of this force of women who are awake to their responsibilities to take care of the issues at hand and bringing the men along with us.

So, if you’re with me on this, how about doing a little exploring of your own? Rent a couple of movies: Food, Inc. and Sicko. Read “What You’re Not Hearing About Haiti”. Form your own opinion rather than me giving you one. If there is any truth to any of it for you, commit to opening to doing something about it. I know that it might seem large and unwieldy, that one person can hardly do anything about the problems depicted. However, begin to have conversations with friends about it, instead of less imminently important things. Marianne quoted Martin Luther King as follows:

“Your life begins to end when you become silent about the things that matter most.”

Your life begins to end when you become silent about the things that matter most.