My father died at 62 from emphysema brought on by a lifetime of alcohol and tobacco. My mother outlived him by 30 years. With a magic wand or two we could have improved our family life in a number of ways. As it is we are stuck with what we have and the impact that has made on us all.

I look on my father’s death as a slow form of suicide. One of my sisters died as a legitimate suicide, and a second sister died not caring enough about living to go on with it, which I consider as a lazy form of suicide.

I’m saying that it matters how we live. It is important that we live consciously, mindfully aware of who we are and what we are doing and why we are doing it, and doing it as well as we know how. Because how we live impacts how other people live. And how we live is our testimony to life itself, an exhibition of the value of Tao, Psyche, Intuition. We have no business throwing life away as though it does not matter. It matters for the sake of life as it is lived around us. We have an impact and owe it to ourselves and others to live well consciously, intentionally, deliberately every step of the way.