Very hot right now in D.C. The type of heat that makes you want to curl up and go to sleep and wait for darkness. Kinda like in the winter when the cold makes you want to curl up and sleep until the sun comes out.....

I've been reading a bunch of stuff on non-violence and love guiding your actions in life. I think it's particularly applicable to direct action activism. Sometimes I want to react violently when I face stupidity in my life, but that's a base reaction, and upon further examination, it proves to be equally destructive and counterproductive.

I am dedicating my life to the environment and the oceans, but what I'm starting to realize is that environmental work and social justice/activism are not mutually exclusive. I think I've always known that deep inside, but thought that because the struggles are so demanding there was no way I could meaningfully contribute to both struggles.

But I can. If I take it one day at a time and live only in the present. The now. As I've been learning more and more in my Buddhist teachings, the past and future are only illusions. They are distractions that pull you away from the real; the present.

Relax the mind. Breathe. Again and again. And I slowly start to remember that the only thing that is real is what is happening in my life right now. My heart is beating. My lungs are breathing. Just this, here now.

And suddenly I feel like I can do anything. There are no barriers. I am brave and not afraid of death, because righteousness will outlast evil, and death is only a conclusion of one chapter and the start of another.

America is in a lot of trouble. The world is in a lot of trouble. I am not afraid. I will go down swinging with a smile on my face and love in my heart.

Time to start writing

I always thought blogs were pretty lame. Kind of an excuse to be egocentric for a bit, toot your own horn, try to sound important. I still think that's true to some extent, but I was also advised by a lawyer friend/colleague that they can kinda be therapeutic.

Over the past six months I've been writing a bit on ecological/ocean issues in my preferred traditional format of zine writing. Much better than blogging in many ways, more personal, more fun....but they are a helluva lotta work. Some days I get all kinds of ideas running through my head and simply don't have time to hand write them....so I'm going to give the blogosphere a shot for a while, if only for the simple reason of allowing me to put out a greater quantity of my thoughts before I forget them.

Soooooo.....my original aim/goal for Seasick and Lonely (the zine) was to mainly discuss ocean/environmental issues and how utterly lost and foolish mankind is regarding our respect/ understanding of nature. These topics range(d) from marine biology, chemistry, law, species extinction (overfishing, ocean acidification), surfing, and pretty much anything else that has anything to do with the beautiful big blue ocean. I will continue to do that, of course, but maybe broaden the scope to include anything that's on my mind, frustrating me, inspiring me, etc.....this blog is my outlet to get things off my mind/chest.

Living in D.C. can definitely frustrate you, and although my time here has been interesting and fruitful thus far, I know this is not somewhere I would like to live long term. Too many people who are deluded into thinking that their "important" jobs within governmental/international organizations are actually important in the long run. I know that sounds cynical, but seriously, it's a pretentious place.

That being said, I have met some seriously right on activists and government people who are interesting and serious about changing this fucked up world in which we live. I am an eternal optimist and think that anything is possible, and I still somewhere deep down deeply believe in the underlying power of the human spirit to overcome anything.

So that's why I'm writing this blog. I don't really care if anyone reads it, but at least I can possibly make some sense out of the millions of thoughts and ideas that have passed through my head over the course of my life.

First Post

Okay, so this is just a test run....I have too much stuff on my mind to keep it all in....this may help as a therapeutic remedy of sorts