>Now, do I actually have anything to say? I’m not sure why my thoughts or opinions would be of interest to anyone but myself, but who knows?

Right now, I am very distressed with the state of the world, from political, environmental and just about every other angle there is. But I am trying to live peacefully, with kindness and concern for others, being positive, giving that smile to everyone I see……….attempting to do my very tiny part in making the world a better place. I really think that if we all could just be pleasant to those around us, strangers or not, it would help. I also think that the internet can bring people closer. Everyone talks about the isolation of the cyber-world, but when you meet people on the web, judging of looks, dress, color, accents, doesn’t come into play, and the need for the silly small-talk we usually do when meeting someone just isn’t necessary. We can just dive right in to the subject at hand, discussing Buddhism, politics, gardening, war, whatever. I really like that, and I believe that the more we can have a dialog with people we would never normally meet, we can break down barriers and just get to know each other as fellow human beings.

That’s a lot of pontificating for a first post in a first blog, so I’m done for tonight.