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Love this piece and every comment with it. On a mundane level when I can't think of a word or a name and I 'wrack my brains" fretting and frothing - when I let it go and stop chasing it, it usually comes to me easily. I also like Alan Watts' quote from "The Wisdom of Insecurity : A Message for an Age of Anxiety" ''The desire for security and the feeling of insecurity are the same thing. To hold your breath is to lose your breath. A society based on the quest for security is nothing but a breath-retention contest in which everyone is as taut as a drum and as purple as a beet.''

Your words speak to my journey also but not in the same way. When does the new choice and direction bring you the peace and satisfaction of the road 'not to be followed'? You have given up a lot to become more of who you are meant to be but at some cost in a worldy sense. When does the diet and gym route no longer grip you like a 'have to do' and become a 'glad to do'. I dont know how to explain myself better.

Love this piece. For me it revolved around protecting an animal - a horse - I saw the neglect and extrapolated an image of that animal into a wild anger and desire to see right prevail and cruel people to suffer. I didn't know the people involved. There was no love involved for them or the animal and no willingness to take on the horse and give it a home. All I added to the scenario was a toxic pain body all my own and an unwillingess to see that I was not always kind to my own animals. It was a momentary blow up. Later I apologisedsincerely which was accepted and kindness now prevails from both sides.

Your last sentence is key I think. If the poor remain beggars waiting for handouts then they remain slaves internally and externally. They are the ones who should be coming up with their own solutions. Africa's poor remain poor while millions was poured into this continent and ended up in the bank accounts of corrupt leaders, officials and the minions around them. And yet those who gave the money largely from America trusted that the systems in place would work and the poor would benefit. I just think your argument points to only one of many reasons or causes of poverty and can lead to hatred which is toxic to all.

I do think capitalism is set up to advantage those who have wealth and so are governments. You are respected if you have wealth and treated as scum if you are poor. I would be careful to label those with wealth and scum as that is a prejudiced and unbalanced view. But I tend to agree we are all pawns to a system which is not democratic. You could win big money tomorrow - does that make you scum? No it depends what you do with your money. Making meaning will always be more important than making money.