A friend of mine Jess Miller wrote a book called “We’re all in this together”. In the book, he spoke about Stress, Tension, Loneliness and Depression (STLD). I have been through two serious bouts of depression first in at the end of 1999 and into 2000 and then to a lesser extent in 2001. These days the depression is mild but I feel it from time to time. My thoughts are like those thoughts I had back then. Life is too much, everything is so complicated, I wish I could start all over again. It is in such times turning to God is much better than any therapist. Talking to God, talking to yourself, healing yourself. For some people, this can seem self-centred but Jess told me once if I didn’t look after myself, FIRST, I wouldn’t be able to look out for or after my loved ones i.e. my mother, my sister, my brother and my father. The world we live in is interactive, it is also interdependent. We cannot isolate ourselves like the ancient masters. When Buddha left his kingdom and meditated for so many years under the Bodi Tree it was an enormous act of self-sacrifice. Many people depended on him but he let go of everything. So I think to myself, Ramon, are you ready to let go of everything yet? And the answer is always “not yet”. So when I discovered the real issue is not letting go but rather letting things happen without trying to control and with trying to stop them or bypass them, I realised there is still hope. Hope of a better future, hope of newfound love, the hope of making a difference and contributing to humanity as a creative benefactor. But before there is hope you have to start with desire. The desire to change for the better.