With Love

I found out this morning that Eric De La Cruz
passed away on July 4th. No death is more
poignant than the ones that come closest to
home. My thoughts are with those who loved
Eric the longest, and knew him the best.

In addition, there were many people who also
came to know Eric through his sister's untiring
efforts, and I know that this must be a very
sad day for them as well.

If you would like to hear the news from
Veronica, and hear her tribute to her brother,
as well as some music that was written by
Eric, please visit
http://www.hedrichcreative.com/Eric.html

In tribute to Eric, @theexpert on Twitter sent
this message out regarding our health care
system, and suggested that we consider what
could be done so that change can be effected.

It has been said that our mind is unable to
resist answering a question. It makes me
wonder what a good question to ask here is.
It makes me wonder what question will get us
the answer(s) we seem to need.

If you have any ideas, please consider writing
them in the comments section.

Wondering who Eric is, and why I would be
writing about him? See my previous posts.

(ALL WORKS HERE ARE COPYRIGHTED.
ONLY USE WITH PERMISSION.)

Perspective: The Power of a Team Effort

I read a few years ago about some "studies" were
done where people would come together at a certain
time of day and meditate in the interest of peace.
Their focus was a certain area/city. From what I
remember reading, you might dispute the benefit,
or say it was coincidence, however, during the time
of the experiment, there was a decrease in violence
in that (those?) area(s).

I was trying to find the information today, and the
closest I came to finding it was on this site:

http://www.permanentpeace.com/evidence/index.html

I bring this up because of 2 reasons. The first is
that today I noticed that @theexpert on Twitter was
asking for people to come together at a certain time
to send a "Tsunami" of love and good thoughts to
Eric De La Cruz, a 27-year-old, who is in desperate
need of a heart transplant.

Unfortunately, he is struggling with unknown issues
at the moment, and they are attempting to get him
stable enough to get on the heart transplant list.

It occurred to me that a daily dose of this love and
energy would be even better. So...this is what I
propose anyone interested do...at 6:00 PM (local time)
take a few minutes to send Eric loving and supportive
thoughts. With a global audience, that should mean
he'll be getting lots of energy flowing every hour.

Of course, you could do it more than once a day, or
on the hour any time of day, as you'll be supporting
the energy of others who are doing it at the same
time. I would like to think that energy at any time
could be cumulative and helpful, however the more
consistent, the more ability it may have to make a
difference.

For those who are on Twitter, posting the hourly
reminder might just help to keep the subject of #eric
in conversation and on the radar.

The other part of this is the news today out of Iran
regarding the elections, and the subsequent news.
It is unfortunately only one of many negative, news
making, headlines at this time in the world. Perhaps,
given what is going on, at the same time that you are
considering Eric, consider sending some loving energy
to the world, too.

If there is anything to the idea that "everything is
energy" and that focusing energy in masse can make
a difference, then it's worth a shot, don't you think?
And if, by any chance, you don't believe it, I respect
that, and ask what would the harm be in doing it
any way?

Just a thought.

PS At last count, this blog entry has been seen by
people in 92 countries, per bit.ly (via this link ->
http://bit.ly/ay3hE) If you like this idea, let's
keep it going, Please! Thanks.

Sometimes I wonder

Sometimes I wonder something.

Sometimes I wonder if we realize what we,
as human beings, are doing to ourselves,
to others, to our children.

I don't know if you ever heard how
aspartame came to be on the market.
I won't go into it all here, you can
certainly ask me if you want to know,
however, the point is that from the
sound of it, it never should have ever
gotten into our food.

Of course, there are different opinions
on the topic, as there will always be on
any topic.

However, the upshot is that it appears that
people were making decisions that could
potentially adversely affect the health
of millions.

The question that lingers for me is,
what were they thinking? Don't they have
family and friends that they care about?
Couldn't they be adversely affected as well?

Then there is the dumping of chemicals in
our water, our increasing number of
landfills, the pillaging we are doing of
our resources, and...

This comes to mind for me today as on
Twitter there is a trending topic of "Eric."

He is a 27 year old that is in desperate need
of a heart transplant. His sister has been
doing everything she can to save him, and yet
is finding incredible red tape.

I am certain that this story is far from
unique. The only difference here seems to
be that somehow, some way, she has managed
to get the attention of people who want to
help, including the band Nine Inch Nails.

What I can't help but wonder is how the people
who make these decisions can make these decisions.
I can't imagine that they're easy ones to make.
However, if they were in his sister's shoes,
and someone they loved and cared about needed
the help, wouldn't they want every chance,
every opportunity, to make it happen without lots
of roadblocks? Wouldn't they want and need
understanding and answers?

The point for me is when do people come to
realize that PEOPLE are involved in the decisions
made by them? When do they realize that behind
papers and names and stats are living, breathing,
valuable people? When do they realize that life
would be so much better for us all when we think
past the boxes and limitations of a perspective
that goes no farther than ourselves and
of money?

I often say I have more questions than answers.
And often there is more to the story than what
appears. However, at the core of anything is the
fact that we're all in this together...and if we
could somehow, some way, remember that
and act accordingly,
imagine what kind of world
we would live in.

If you would like to know more about
Eric's story/situation and/or would
like to donate, you can find more
information at:
WeLoveEric.com
Tweet4Eric.com
Veronica's (Eric's Sister) Twitter Page
Sign a petition for change & help save Eric