So…..Today is Veterans’ Day. I appreciate all of you who have served, are serving now, and will serve. My sense of appreciation encompasses your husbands, your wives, your mom, your dad, your children, your extended family, your friends. This weekend is UFC 205. It is a stacked card with 3 title fights. Conor Mcgregor is fighting Alvarez. Big fight with the most bombastic fighter in the “game.” Whether or not you feel you lost or whether you won what is needed right now is to find the athlete within you. For all my friends who have played a sport you know what it is to lose a big game and you know what it feels like to win one too. Politics is a game. I know this because I had the opportunity to study political science and philosophy and religion at the University of Rochester and have continued my inquiry throughout my life. This week is my 40th anniversary of being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. This has been my fight. We all have something….right? Look….we live in a world of duality, at a minimum. You may think you are right and those who disagree with you are wrong. WRONG. It is so ironic that those who embrace relativism are so absolute in their views. The Bhagavad Gita says that humility is the foundational condition necessary to enter the path of enlightenment. Be humble in your confidence, righteousness, judgements, perspective. Inject all of these things with Mercy. If you lose then pick yourself up, allow yourself to be embraced. Make a game plan. If you won then care for your opponent. While it may appear that these fighters are trying to hurt each other just like the fight for the presidency appears like people were destroying each other…..you are right. They want to “submit”, knockout or win a decision. This is the objective of the “game.” But once it happens…….Once the fight is over then it’s over and what is needed is humility, caring, compassion, respect. The Decision has been made. Don’t be a bad winner. If you do that you are an asshole. Don’t be a sore loser. If you do that then you are a victim. The yoga path starts with the Yamas. The first Yama is Ahisma – Non Violence. At a deep level this means to not put distress on another. You might be distressed over the decision. That’s Life! The “isness” of life is that you win some and you lose some. Both the Democratic Party and The Republican Party are now divided. We have just undergone the last stage of a double mitosis in the political landscape in our country, and for that matter, on this planet. It really doesn’t matter what you believe or you don’t believe. Belief is not what is needed right now. The visionaries of today are those who can suspend their disbelief. Watch the video and understand that the UFC is a metaphor for fighting the good fight. I predict the UFC is going to expand and go through a huge growth in the next few years. I am not a huge fan of the sport although I recognize that they are truly the most refined athletes in the world. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a metaphor for how to engage in the game of life. They all have great respect for the Art and each other. There are rules. It is one of the few sports that puts emphasis on following the rules. Those who disregard them are shunned. Golf is the epitome of an integral sport. Other sports encourage stretching the rules or trying to get away with breaking them. The recent political fight was not very integral. Anyone can see that. But, nevertheless, the decision has been made. Our only free will is to either see this moment as a threat or an opportunity. Choose opportunity…….Please. If you stay in fear and feel threatened you will shrink and then strike out in fear. Diabetes is a difficult dis-ease. It is 24/7 and it is dangerous. The root of the word Diabetes is Diablo. The game of life is, ultimately, a spiritual war between The Light and The Dark. The paradox is that one cannot be revealed without the other. It’s a Brave New World. Don’t run away from it or try and abort it. Embrace it. Love it. See it as an opportunity.