Let me begin by saying summer is beautiful and a Pittsburgh summer is always dear to my heart, complete with swimming, Kennywood amusement park, ice cream, vacations, and smiles. It's a good day today!

So, to begin, I was reading the city paper while at work today about this guy who is hell-bent on riding a million miles on his bike before he dies. The article talked about his quirks and just how much he loves riding his bike. He has won first place in ‘Race Across America’ - twice.

Alright, so reading this article cemented a conclusion I have been trying to make - I am especially drawn to fascinating people - people with passions. Especially those that have a passion for something - even more especially for bettering the world. One might think that he is riding his bike for himself, just for those million miles. Maybe he is. But I think it is inspiring. He has a goal and he is going to achieve it just because of his sheer fanaticism for it. He is in LOVE with bicycling. And that's awesome.

So, here's the preachy moment: find something you love and go for it, you know? We need more cool people that want to change the world for the better.

Example reason:
I debate with many people over the idea of pornography. Many excuses that people, both men AND women, give are "testosterone" and "men need to relieve their needs" (near verbatim quotes!), trying to validate porn. I mean, really, everyone, most women (and men!) in the XXX business were abused when they were younger, and sexually molested, and not raised in loving homes like many of us were. That empty, meaningless sex is all they know - they don't know what love is. I, like everyone, have taken out frustration on someone else - and especially with many things I have been through, a lot of it fell to my brother...it's a trend that in children that are beat up or ridiculed when younger (as both my brother and I were) will come home and beat up on a sibling or a pet - it's a transfer of energy.

Energy affects every single thing in the universe. The laws of physics tell us this, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, so do many religious and spiritual texts. To say that people are exempt from movements and trends of things greater than they are, such as nature, the sun, the universe - that's quite arrogant if you ask me, and negative. It's separation.

I really think, as a planet, everyone and everything needs to get re-acquainted, instead of separated. There have been beginning sparks of this going on. For example, playing softer music, such as classical, to small seedlings, will help them grow.

Many Native American tribes have been doing this for a long time - early Western European settlers branded them "savages" and "heathens." And we see more and more traditional Yoga (I'm a huge fan!), Reiki, Chinese Medicine, and more progressive places and methods of worship popping up everywhere.

I think that some people are beginning to wake up from this great void that the whole world has been careening through. The lesson is to not conquer, but to work with. This means EVERYONE - regardless of all socio-cultural implications.

Instead of some religious leader saying "your way is wrong!" and the other religious leader fires right back, why can't people look at their differences as two winding paths to the same beautiful mountaintop?

I will admit, this is something I have to work on, in some areas of my life. But I am human, and the best thing that I, and all of us can do, is to try to better ourselves.

Find something you love, and love it with all your heart. Some people find it through religion and spirituality. Others find it through music, or academia, or their family, or, like our city paper friend, a hobby, but the true lovers don't project their love onto someone else. The moment we try to, the negative energy bubbles to the surface and bad things begin to happen: fear, hatred, war, but, on the opposite side of these, is love, understanding, and peace. They can overcome everything.

Where be the love?? It's a beautiful day - hug someone and share that with them. A positive transfer of energy - even if it's only a little bit - is ALWAYS better than a negative transfer.

Peace and Good Vibes.

Lindsay Nell is a pen name for a wonderful artist and singer that I know who has roots in Pittsburgh!