Thinking about economics and philosophy

My response to a group friends when discussing the current economic situation, two economic theories and the claim of profit being the #1 goal of companies to increase jobs and standard of living.....sorry it's a typical JOEY response BOMB
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I understand and agree that profit is the main goal of a business... and with it comes jobs and increased standard of living BUT....I think in the 21st century there is and will be something more necessary in business and society than greed for the sake of shareholders.....

here me out....due to my youth, tannic tendencies, big ideas and explanations....I'm very much like a red wine...it may take some time to read what's below and you may need to breath deeply while reading but this increased oxygen to the brain hopefully will open up and soften the effect of my verbal tannins on the palate of your mind! Trust me I'll make a point through my rambling but for now focus on the aroma of my written bouquet.
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"If all men were well off, if poverty and disease had been reduced to their lowest possible point, there would still remain much to be done to produce a valuable society; and even in the existing world the goods of the mind are at least as important as the goods of the body. It is exclusively among the goods of the mind that the value of philosophy is to be found; and only those who are not indifferent to these goods can be persuaded that the study of philosophy is not a waste of time." - Bertrand Russell

I'm sorry but being a lover of philosophy and living during these "hard times" I believe we are in a moment a personal, cultural and global re-evaluation on what is "important", "necessary", "just", "fair", "right"....and on what to "value" in society, business and government. I'm sure most of us in this message thread would agree with this and I'd go so far as to say that a majority of the global population would agree as well. But some people view or see some of these issues as a re-evaluation from a philosophical perspective? My friends, these are fundamental questions of philosophy, of life, of what it means to be human and more importantly what it means to be a human among 6 billion other humans.

Am I the only one who thinks of philosophy and all of it's debates, disputes and discourses that has evolved through time along with man? Sometimes I feel like I'd have to say "yes" I am the only one. Now this is not to say that philosophy has the answers nor that I have them. Philosophy merely has the ability to ask and contemplate these questions we have for life, society, business and government. And yes, philosophy and it's philosophers can be meaningless or relative but then so can economics and it's economists. But here's why I think in these times we can value public discourse with a philosophical perspective.

As Bertrand Russell says in "The Value Of Philosophy":

"The value of philosophy is, in fact, to be sought largely in its very uncertainty. The man who has no tincture of philosophy goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs of his age or his nation, and from convictions which have grown up in his mind without the co-operation or consent of his deliberate reason. To such a man the world tends to become definite, finite, obvious; common objects rouse no questions, and unfamiliar possibilities are contemptuously rejected. As soon as we begin to philosophize, on the contrary, we find that even the most everyday things lead to problems to which only very incomplete answers can be given. Philosophy, though unable to tell us with certainty what is the true answer to the doubts which it raises, is able to suggest many possibilities which enlarge our thoughts and free them from the tyranny of custom. Thus, while diminishing our feeling of certainty as to what things are, it greatly increases our knowledge as to what they may be; it removes the somewhat arrogant dogmatism of those who have never travelled into the region of liberating doubt, and it keeps alive our sense of wonder by showing familiar things in an unfamiliar aspect. "
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Do the talking heads on FoxNews and MSNBC, the voices on "____" liberal show or "____" conservative show, the opinions among far left friends and far right friends seem arrogant? Seem to talk about "common sense" ? Seem to never have travelled into the region of liberating doubt or better yet have travelled into the region of mutual understanding with an attitude of coming together vs. tearing apart?

Maybe this is due to a lack of philosophical perspective on what matters in society, business, government and life!?!?!

Instead of shouting at, yelling at, or demeaning each other with and from our "common sense" perspective, wouldn't it make sense to come together from an uncommon perspective that only philosophy can give us?

Wouldn't that be something if Glenn Beck, Bill O' Reily, Keith Olbermann, and Rachael Maddow could get together and throw away their political prejudices derived from their "common sense" for one day and talk about the role and values of people, business and government in society and in the world now that everything is in a global market? Would they be able to break free from the imprisonment of their habitual beliefs of his or her nation? Of his or her own mind?

Wouldn't that be something if we all could have a tea party (grande soy latte party for liberals) and remember what the role of tea and coffee is or was for centuries....that is to sit down together in shared space with others to nourish the body and warm the soul not only with a common, stimulating drink but with stimulating and uncommon conversation about this shared human experience. From the rugs and mint tea of Algeria to the famous cafe houses of Vienna, from the tatami and green tea of Japan to the corner tiendas with the best coffee of Colombia, from tea rooms and Earl Grey of England to the deli, coffee hut and dinner of everywhere U.S.A.
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Anyways...what I'm getting to is this: Yes, profit is important and necessary for a business to "succeed" but at what cost does profit rule over the other roles of business in society and the world economies? Could it be necessary to move focus from shareholders to the stakeholders (i.e. customers, employees, local communities, supply chain, environment, and or course the shareholders)?

Some say that the common good is reached through enlightened self-interest and that greed is the result of unenlightened self-interest. Often times greed leads to corruption and corruption can hold down society and at times economic freedom. The enlightened self-interest may be idealistic or altruistic and the greed may be reality to many...but why do we give in to this and let it rule us? We all talk about and loosely throw around other idealistic and altruistic ideas such as freedom and we even fight to defend it. So why don’t we fight corruption and greed?

Yes, we can point to crooked politicians and governments for this BUT when it's the greed of corporations, industries and interest groups influencing those in "power"....it's hard to just keep going only with the almighty PROFIT for the shareholder as the means of a "better" life with more jobs and "standard of living"........is it not obvious in today's world where one job is created one or more are taken away somewhere else? Is it not obvious where one man's "standard of living" is increased one family is still held down and taken advantage for the benefit of PROFIT. When greed is the focus who really profits?

Don't get me wrong...I believe in Capitalism...I want it to work.....I believe most companies want to do the right thing BUT I think it is clear through life in a global economy that doing whatever is in "my best interest" to make profit for my company won't be sustainable.

The word is out, from the Harvard Business Review to the Davos World Economic Forum and from the future CEOs to the future employees around the world........times are a changin'.... like all things, we evolve, we improve, we find a way to understand and make life better.....maybe with a little philosophy and a little thought on what's important we can change to say:

"Let's do whatever is in OUR best interest as stakeholders in our business, community and world to make profit which reaches out beyond the bottom line of the balance sheet"

Maybe economics and philosophy can butt heads..... Economics depends upon the idea of man thinking "rationally" in a "rational" world...however the common man relying on common sense often, as Bertrand Russell said, "grows up without cooperation or consent of his deliberate reason".

Isn't our deliberate reason necessary to think and act rationally?????? Hmmm maybe economics and philosophy need each other?

Just a thought from an average Joe who believes a lil philosophy or thoughtful thinking can move us from the unenlightened to the enlightened self-interest side of life.

We don't need to be philosophers on economics but I'll let Bertrand Russell wrap it up:

"Thus, to sum up our discussion of the value of philosophy; Philosophy is to be studied, not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves; because these questions enlarge our conception of what is possible, enrich our intellectual imagination and diminish the dogmatic assurance which closes the mind against speculation; but above all because, through the greatness of the universe which philosophy contemplates, the mind also is rendered great, and becomes capable of that union with the universe which constitutes its highest good."

...to changing...to thinking...to journeying...

*For those reading on Facebook, it's best to read on the actual blog site, joelatorre.blogspot.com*

I have no idea where to start this next portion of my blog. It's been a long time back to writing on this virtual space. I previously wrote while in Europe and shortly after when back in the states...it took some time to figure out what had happened in this life and now nearly 3 years later I'm wondering what will happen in this life? Funny how we seem to always end up back at this question.
For those of you of you don't know me, good luck trying to figure out what the heck I'm talking about in these moments. For those of you who do know me, good luck trying to figure out what the heck I'm talking about in these moments! These moments, in reality, are for self documentation, understanding and reflection but are open to all and definitely meant to be shared. I've often wondered what the point of social media and blogging really is for and who really cares but I look back to my posts from May and July of 2006 and realize that was and still is exactly why I'm going to continue to write about my experiences. To reflect on my understanding in 2006 as to why I'm writing these moments, and to know these blog posts have maintained my understanding today, is what keeps me living. This is a great example of the essence of my motto and quest to understand, to maintain and to live.
I have no intention of being profound for the sake of making a huge statement. My intention is to let you in...to dump whats on my mind onto this space, sort it out and let you take something or nothing from it.

**To my friends, new and old, and to my family, I'd like to apologize if it has been way too long since we've been in contact. I've been working too much and have missed out and many moments with friends and family...I've sacrificed much to get to this point today and have neglected many relationships, friendships...and any other type of "-ship. I guess you could say I've likely sunken many "-ships" and let them dwindle at the bottom depths but as with any sunken "-ship" there are likely chests of treasure meant to be found again if they want to be found. I hope to find those chests at some point and with this off my chest and out of my heart let's move on to the heart of the blog...**

I'm leaving for Colombia in a few weeks and will be down there for an extended period of time. This is a personal and very important journey for me. ***History Time***To those who don't know me well or those who want a refresher, I'm half Colombian and have only met my fathers side of the family once, when I was 18. I've always had a slight identity crisis being I was the only child in my family born in the U.S. and I had no memories of Colombia like my siblings did, who were both born there. To me, being Colombian was not a notion...it was actually tangible, it was an old giant red photo album. You know the kind with real photos glued on the pages, with pieces of tissue paper separating the pages and with that distinct smell only old honkin' photo albums have! Only from this book, from the different cooking, from the occasional salsa music and from my parents speaking Spanish so we wouldn't know what they were saying did I know I was "different" from my very ordinary "American" upbringing. I never learned Spanish. I grew up and didn't think much about who I was nor did I care. After visiting Colombia for the first time I knew I needed to go back...I began to question who I was and what I was. College then led to certain moments of change in direction and then at the end of college I lived in Spain and traveled Europe. I noticed how locals I met were so connected with their families, cities, countries and identity. I shared those connections with my American side but gave a blank stare when asked about my Colombian side. Upon graduation and day one at my job I've been planning, saving and dreaming about this moment. I'm finally ready to leave what I know and enter what I know will be a most difficult yet rewarding journey.

Many have asked "what's the purpose for this ?" or "what are my goals?" and for the last 3+ years I've felt obligated to come up with a deep and moving answer about going to Colombia. It wasn't until recently during the last few months that I realized A) the people asking me these questions just don't "get it" and B) that I really don't know why I'm doing this...I'm comfortable with myself and who I am, or seem to be, even if I don't go. But my heart has not and will not stop pushing me to do this until I just go. As with many things in life our heart knows whats best and we sometimes have to let it lead us. The heart cares not for the goal or destination...but for the journey. Our hearts journey one beat at a time...beating, journeying, beating...until it stops...until it's reached it's destination, a full life. So too with our lives and our journeys do we need to take it one step at a time, one day at a time, one beat at a time. So my final answer to any question about why I'm going or what I'm doing is that I just don't know. What I do know is that a moment of reflection, action and discovery in my life is long over due and that it's OK to embrace this as it leads to true change.What's on my mind when thinking about my upcoming adventure is change!
Change--So why do we do what we do? What is our purpose in life? Why do we change and/or why must we deal and accept change in life? I feel these questions are important at all times but more so when we know a great moment is about to take place in life...getting married, giving birth, moving to a new place, entering or ending a relationship, changing vocations.. etc; essentially entering an area outside our comfort zone and realm of knowledge. How do we get to these moments of change? The question that I struggle with is not "what is change?" but "how does change relate to circumstances, chance, purpose, necessity and moments in life?". We know that all things are always changing...and that you "can never step twice into the same river"...that life is flowing, changing and that we cannot not change too.

I've been reading philosophy lately, more specifically pre-Socratic philosophy. I felt this may be a good way to get to the root of change as this era in history was a great moment of observation, awareness and thought about the natural world around us and was near the beginning of a time of profound questions such as "who are we", "where did we come from", and "what is the meaning of life". Of course during this period philosophy, science and theology were very much the same...today we know they each have their separate and unique places...and it is with this that I feel all little balance of each is necessary to understand our deepest questions.
Heraclitus, Parmenides, and Empedocles were three philosophers who helped me look at change from a few perspectives (some coffee and wine, at the appropriate times, helped to lubricate my heart and mind to grasp these perspectives too!). ***History Time***These three gentlemen breathed and ate during a time when the only elements of life were earth, air, fire and water and all things were made up of these components. With regard to change (in the natural world primarily) they each had unique perspectives. In brief, Heraclitus believed in "perpetual flux" or that everything is always changing at all times, that Strife causes change, and that unity in the world is formed by a combination of opposites. Parmenides believed that thought and language need objects in order to exist, therefore objects are always in our mind and thus nothing changes as all things are in our mind at all times (sorry, I'm not going to go much further into this...check it out for your self). Finally Empedocles believed that change is always temporary, that change happens when the four core elements are combined with Strife and Love. Empedocles also believed that change (in the natural world) is not due to purpose in life but rather due to chance and necessity. (sources: Bertrand Russell's "A History of Western Philosophy)

Are you still with me? I congratulate you for reading all this nonsense!!!

So, what does this have to do with my blog, my going to Colombia and myself? I feel like unity within myself won't be complete without knowing and having my Colombian side to balance my American side. I guess you could say I'm trying to extrapolate change in our current notion of it from the the natural world philosophers. So back to my question: How does change relate to circumstances, chance, purpose, necessity and moments in life?
I'm more concerned with trying to figure out if purpose in life comes from change through chance in life;...if necessity causes change which then dictates our purpose;...if powerful moments in life are caused by chance and if those moments' circumstances create the necessity to change, or the notion that we must change and/or deal with change at all times;or...if purpose is constant and chance, necessity, circumstances and moments are only random acts of change that reinforce our purpose. Why do we feel like we "must" change or have a control of change when change happens whether we like it or not through all the other variables. Finally, is it so simple that Love and Strife in our lives are the catalyst for all these variables to come together and create change?

Confused yet? I am. I can tell you right now I don't have the answer as to how these relate and I feel we all have to create our own path towards an answer. I don't feel we really need to have true knowledge of this question nor do I feel ignoring this question completely solves anything...it's the balance of the two, true knowledge and complete ignorance, that leads to wisdom. Again it's not important to always have an answer...a destination--it is important to always be thinking about an answer...to journey towards the destination.

















I also feel that "belief" in an answer to this question is not always acceptable for you don't need to think to believe. When you just believe, you accept without thinking and without thinking wisdom cannot exist. Balance!, balance and moderation in thought and belief in all things is the journey to many of our answers.

To begin to think and start our own journey towards answers in life we need to need to stop looking at ourselves on the outside for the outside view of ourselves is really only what others think or project us to be. We need to figure out what's inside. This is difficult however and requires time and effort.

An analogy I think of to explain myself is that of a jigsaw puzzle, a big one...a 10,000 piece monster. We either all have one or have done one or seen one right? So I think of the box with the pieces inside as our self. We can look at it and see what the puzzle looks like. It may be a beautiful landscape or object and for many just knowing what the puzzle looks like is good enough because putting it together is such a task. But when we're ready and up to the challenge we open that box...dump the 10k pieces all over the table, and we all have the same reaction..."what the (blank) am I doing?". We stare at a huge messy pile of weird looking yet important and unique pieces. We begin to sort and sort and sort...and finally find the corner pieces...then we begin to find the boarder pieces...then eventually we piece the puzzle together, through laughter and frustration, through moments of wanting to say "screw it" and dump it back into the box. We may notice some pieces are completely missing but we don't worry and keep going...we finally complete the puzzle and have a huge but brief euphoric sense of accomplishment and completion. What if find humorous with jigsaw puzzles is that before we begin we know what it looks like when complete. I guess the point to me with a jigsaw puzzle is not the end product but the process that it takes mentally and physically to complete the puzzle....again it's the journey of completing the puzzle.



So with my life I feel like for the first time I'm ready to open my self up, dump my pieces on the floor, find my cornerstones, find my boarders...my structure...and begin to sort through myself piece by piece and put that puzzle together. And about those missing pieces there always seems to be, well lets just say I'm going to Colombia to find them. There will be many moments I want to give up on the puzzle or say "who cares, I already know who I am or what my puzzle looks like"...but it is with everything mentioned above that I will think of and be reminded to keep going...step by step, beat by beat, piece by piece, strife by strife, love by love, laugh by laugh, tear by tear, moment by moment...reminded to keep journeying.

This is a test

This is a test. If you're reading this on Facebook then the automatic update is working! Hooray

2007.......

OK, this may be long...but a typical family chain of emails. First the characters of this Act I:
My brother Dan: the humanist
My mother: the brief and to the point
My father: the philosophical theologian
Me: the idealist
My sister Andrea: the stubborn
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First email from brother Dan at 9:45 pm Friday December 29th:
Daniel Latorre wrote to our family:

What's your mantra for 2007? Mine is flexibility... and through this site, or via the IM video app, or via iTunes you can get 1 hour of great class instruction free each and every day.

That's my tip. Hope you all ring in the New Year with hope for changes in 2007, for better days ahead.

http://www.yogatoday.com/

-Dan
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Second email, Mothers response to all at 10:50am Monday January 1st:

Happy New Year, beloved ones! Yes, we greet the New Year with hope for good changes and good days ahead.

Last night Ana & Terry came to CR. We went to the nicest restaurant in CR (not a chain), had dinner. Then came back home for some card playing and music. A cava toast rang in the new year. We talked till one thirty or so. They stayed overnight. (Roads were bad...they got 5 or 6 " snow before they drove over here...we got maybe an inch or 2 it looks like. But the 40 degree temp by Wed will hopefully melt it away!) This morning it is brilliantly sunny with bright snow blanketing the ground.

Here is my mantra for the new year:

If you will only let God guide you and hope in him through all your ways,

He'll give you strength whatever happens and take you through the evil or difficult days.

Who trusts in God's unchanging love builds on the rock that cannot move.

Hugs to all....
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Third email, brother Dan's response to all at 12:18pm Monday January 1st:

Metaphors and concepts don't heal sore parts of ourselves, but actually stretching them by methods refined over 5000 years will in fact, ease the pain, this my friends is all very well known....

But other methods, though they may "feel good" to some don't really do much at all... in fact they can hurt more often than help.

http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB0C10F935540C728DDDAD0894DE404482

All changes on this planet were only due to people deciding to make a different life, or ill or for good, history shows this over and over. Even down to choosing what to read, how to informonself about the world, or not an just FOLLOW demagogs idealogs, past, or present. Positive changes on the other hand, like Civil, Womens, Voting, Representation rights all happened when we trusted ourselves to find a better way and were determined to make a real change for all those we are together with. But precisely putting faith in others has led so many to allow this neo-dictatorship we currently live in; we have heard talk and demands to live for some "FATHER-land" before and its mixture of leaders real and imaginary; when will we learn than any such talk is a road to extreme life demeaning alienation and death?

Ah, but I'll stop here, facts, history, and considering all the people we are together with don't matter to some,

If only they did.... only then might we have more peace.

Back to yoga and cleaning out toxins, both bodily real and of the dogma variety.

-Dan
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Fourth email, Fathers response to all at 12:31pm Monday January 1st:

Dear family, it is good to wish one another the best in all respects for this year just begun.

Following Daniel's inquisitive mind, my mantra is, (I really prefer: leit motif and allow me to be a bit philosophical here): to seek the truth...and with this, to search for meaning as human beings that are very aware of two main conditions apparently exclusive of each other: First, our awareness of our perishable, material nature and, second, our capacity to love with overwhelming love that seeks eternity. For we only want to live forever if there is love forever. Nothing else!! Perfect Love that transcends matter. If not, forget it!! There is in loving an unnatural thorn that hurts us when we see that love dies with us, as our material nature decomposes under just a few feet of dirt. Yet part of this love remains in those who loved us until they too die. Our tragedy as human beings is that once we know true love, we want to love forever yet we are not able to. For this I find that reason, and even our own intelligence, gives us a misleading turn when man erects his own reason as a god to whom, and only to whom, one can turn for answers. For our reason is part of us, the perishable, and it is neutral to man's quest to love forever. As a matter of fact, no pun intended, reason knows nothing beyond matter. Reason is limited by our own nature, it cannot go beyond our own shadow, as it were. Our intelligence is wonderful in observing and deducing, but explains nothing concerning cause and destination. Even as of lately reasons pretends that there is no cause and no destination. It has discovered also that there are hundreds of false answers and rejects the possibility of one right answer to that man's quest for eternal love. Paradoxically, Love is and will be the downfall of reason because although reason knows love exists, it recognizes it not.

Love be with you forever..

Ernie, husband and dad.
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Fifth email, my response to all at 2:48pm Friday January 5th:

Resolution:

a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

New Years? I just worked both on the eve and day. watched the ball drop live in NYC at 11pm CST and went to bed
a resolution? nothing new. new years is a symbol...a year, a date...time is all relative. when from the blanket of each night's darkness we awake, arise, and are active in our communities and environments we should recognize that we don't need to set or declare resolutions, they should be a way of everyday life...to live healthy, to care about all things living (people, plants, animals, environments), to have find purpose for all things agreed and disagreed on, to realize that the self is nothing without everything else.

So, for the sake of tradition, my "resolution":

live to sustain. understand to maintain.

Joe
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Sixth email, sister Andrea's response to all at 4:41 pm Friday January 5th:

joe, you need to pick a specif goal, not just concepts, otherwise you will never obtain your goal....it will just stay an "ideal" rather than an action. also, to make a change, one needs to make a personal affirmation in the present tense, not future, otherwise the subconsiounse (sp) mind won't believe it...
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Seventh and final email, brother Dan's response to all at 5:03pm Friday January 5th:

There are many correct paths in life, not only one.

"One young man of my acquaintance, who has inherited some acres,
told me that he thought he should live as I did, if he had the
means. I would not have any one adopt my mode of living on any
account; for, beside that before he has fairly learned it I may have
found out another for myself, I desire that there may be as many
different persons in the world as possible; but I would have each
one be very careful to find out and pursue his own way, and not his
father's or his mother's or his neighbor's instead. The youth may
build or plant or sail, only let him not be hindered from doing that
which he tells me he would like to do"

- Henry David Thoreau

"Walden", Chapter 1, "Economy"

Change is the only constant, slowly or suddenly at times in all ways at all times.

-Dan
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I have to say congratulations to those who actually read this. Keep in mind this is just an email....you can probably imagine what we're like in person.... family get-togethers are always an action packed thought provoking event....I love my family!!! :)

Funny how good it feels...

Curious about these entries...please refer to the May 30th entry...
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What is it about those moments that pull your soul from the body in order to watch your body enjoying its current state. I say this because I feel as though in the past few days or weeks I've been fortunate enough to experience a state of happiness that pulls you from the world for short moments making you stop and remember where you are and what you're doing.
I'm writing about those moments when you realize you should be nowhere else at that time...and with how much we all do in our lives that means something! The reason I'm writing about these moments and sharing them with you is because I want to make it known how important these moments are to me and I hope to you.
Over the past days and weeks I've been blessed to spend precious time with friends, both old and new, and my family. And it is with these people that I feel I've shared these unique out of body and mind experiences. Experiences where sometimes I sit and listen to each word said by those in my company and I appear to not be in the conversation...but I am, they speak to my presence and I enjoy knowing the realization that this moment will have happen again. I'm pulled from the world for a moment; after coming down I stop and remember where I am and what I'm doing...I'm with other people, people who respect each others presence and live for the moment. Funny how the silence of my mouth and mind heighten the enjoyment of these moments (for those that know me...my mouth and mind are rarely silent)....now sit back and enjoy...
A meal so good the only conversation is the noise of silver and ceramic across the table; a snack of wine and fruit complimenting the memories brought back together; a sharing of smiles and embracement which unite the celebration of individual achievement; a bond of curiousity and connection that conjoin like mindedness of strangers on a downtown deck.
......all these moments are moments I've recently been apart of with others in my life....for those who will recognize the moment above which they were a part of...Thank You. Thank You.
I have no complaints. I have no worries. I have no emptiness. I have you with me, and without you I would not even have myself.
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please stop and think about your moments of enjoyment...now go and tell someone...

a change of direction

My goodness. It's been a long time since I've been to this place...to this virtual haven, this site dedicated to me. A place to mentally dump thought to finger, finger to keyboard, keybored to screen. Across the world I believe my thoughts travel, little do I realize that like stars above, my thoughts will always be out there waiting...only to be viewed by those who gaze for something other than the voice of thought in their own mind.

I'm done traveling for awhile. Yet, I journey everyday realizing that the moments of the past 782,824,245 seconds of life I've lived (From and including: Sunday, August 9, 1981 at 8:12:00 AM--To, but not including : Tuesday, May 30, 2006 at 7:22:45 PM) seem like an eternity but are relatively meaningless to the reality that lies ahead of me...second by second.

I'm writing in this blog to share my life with those who care to live with me for a moment. Will I disclose my life story? probably not. Will I turn keystrokes into sentenses of confusion for those who are not me? most definately. Am I exposing myself too much? you'll be the judge. But that is exactly why I will share life with you, because I feel that today we, people, do not share life with each other. We hoard it, we bottle it up, we spend it with nothing to show for it, and when we can no longer enjoy it, we take it away from others...mentally, emotionally, and physically.

With my previous blog in Europe, I asked people to send comments, I asked for a discussion. Now I care less for discussion, because a discourse on the topic of my life is not always needed. Instead I invite you join the greatest trade. The bartering of life's moments. Be it something funny, sad, abstract, concrete, intellectual or superficial....feel free to traffic your moments across this space and reflect with myself or others who care to share...be it friends, family or strangers.