Oh Great Creator
Whose voice I hear in the wind and running waters
Whose beauty I see in flowers and the setting sun
Whose breath I feel in all living creatures
Whose warmth I sense in the heart of my children
Myself, my parents and their parents before them.

Hear my thankful prayers
Thankful for the nature that keeps me alive
Thankful for the teachings of all your prophets
Thankful for the order of your universe
Thankful for the knowledge of all your creation
That allows me to see beyond what can't be seen.

Oh Great Creator
Give me the wisdom to see my insignificant
Give me the wisdom to realize the fragility of existence
Give me the wisdom to comprehend the balance of nature
Give me the wisdom to discern right from wrong
So that I can add to your blessings and not take away from them.

Oh Great Creator
Guide me toward that which is the right path
Guide me to know my limits
Guide me to not harm all things that I can see and not see
Guide me to rise above my ignorance
And see that all mankind are my kin
That without them I am nothing
My very existence meaningless.

I pray so when I come before you
My hands and heart will be clean
And I can stand tall and without shame.

                                                                         Amen.

Reza Ghadimi
From the book: Practicing from the Heart in the Age of Technology

Elections are over, some have won
Others, lost
All the changes and nots
Affect many, but none more than us.
 
In times like these, when uncertainties abound
The nights are long, doubts and fear cry loud
Lying in bed with questions and doubt
Will we ever be homebound?
 
Sometimes under a crescent moon
The memories of youth and childhood
Nag at our soul, and ask
Whatever was our task?
 
But here, in this new land of ours
Ideas are paramount
Everyone's voice counts
No matter the reason or cost.
 
And in this world lies our faith
As it's home now, and we wait
For the call of the day that'll shout
That our votes, too, will now count!

It's Veterans Day. So we salute all veterans.
As a veteran myself, I truly appreciate their service to our country and people.  But it is saddening how some of our veterans are treated.  In the last twenty years, more than 30,000 active duty personnel and veterans have died by suicide - compared to the 7,057 killed in combat in the same 20 year period. The US is number 22 in the veteran suicide rate in the world - this is appalling and unforgivable.
 
Throughout history, many nations treated their veterans better than we do today.  Persians, Chinese and Romans, for example, had high respect for them.  Julius Caesar, for instance, gave land to about 15,000 of his veterans. And it is well known that Emperor Augustus settled more than 300,000 veterans in colonies across the empire. The honorably discharged veterans also received about 3000 to 5000 denarii's depending on their rank. Furthermore, they had certain rights and immunities. They could be a city councilor or serve in their local or regional governments. It seems that our leaders could learn a lesson from the ancients when it comes to caring for our veterans.
 
Today, many of our veterans are homeless or live below the poverty level.  We have the rich spending billions frivolously, like buying a social platform for 44 billion. Just one billion of that could help thousands of veterans out of poverty. There are VA benefits, of course, and I was one of the recipients, but it is hardly enough, these days. Here is an idea; how about interest free mortgages for every veteran who wants to buy his/her first house? How about rent-free dwellings equal to the number of years served, to help them get on their feet in civilian life. Or a guaranteed state or federal government job, or free (really free) education.

There are many ways, our government, organizations, and wealthy citizens can help our veterans further. Let's try!

It was on November 1st 1938, that the racing horse Seabiscuit, made history winning against War Admiral.

Seabiscuit was small and ugly, his legs were crooked, and he injured often. He was named "sea biscuit" a hard bread eaten by sailors, because of his undesirability. It was during the Great Depression, and people needed their spirit lifted by a winner, and Seabiscuit did not seem the one to do it. His trainer had given up on him and he was all but forgotten. Then someone saw potential in him and bought him. A new trainer and jockey also saw prospects and started training him anew. They discovered that if they let him study his opponent, he would feel superior, stare them down and win. So it was that he started winning and on November 1st 1938, a race was set just between him and a younger, attractive horse named War Admiral at Pimlico Race Tracks in Maryland to a sold-out crowd. Millions more listened on the radio. For the first half of the race, they were running evenly, then his jockey eased up on him and let him get a good look at War Admiral, and that did it. As though saying "Oh no, you don't!" he sped off and won the race by four lengths. At one-to-four odds, against him, he not only had a great win, he gave a much-needed boost to a dispirited America during those trying times.

If history has taught us anything, it is that - like Seabiscuit - winners do better if allowed to proceed on their own terms. They cannot be forced to win. Healthcare providers, too, do better without the unnecessary demands of managed care organizations, legislatures, and legal system. Not a single doctor working for an organization has ever won the Nobel Prize. The most unlikely winners in our profession have been solo practitioners serving humanity, often in most dire condition. We salute them all.