A few words to ponder, thanks to the band Creed:

Affirmative may be justified, take from one give to another
The goal is to be unified, take my hand be my brother
The payment silenced, the masses sanctified by oppression
Unity took a back seat, sliding further into regression

One the only way is one

I feel angry I feel helpless, want to change the world
I feel violent I feel alone, don't try and change my mind

Society blind by color, why hold down one to raise another
Discrimination now on both sides, seeds of hate blossom further
The world is heading for mutiny, when all we want is unity
We may rise and fall, but in the end we meet our fate together

I was just now listening to this song, and it hit me how it applies to my friends and myself during the last few weeks. We've been oscillating from being angry and picking fights with each other and our significants to feeling helpless and out-of-sorts. I think it has a lot to do with the current world situation, which makes the last verse seem to play a little more loudly.

Not to get all metaphysical (or maybe I am, so you'll just have to deal with it), but that might be why I bought a couple of herb gardens this weekend. I've had about all the death I can handle for a while, now I want to try to help a little life burst through. I bought aromatic herbs (chamomile, lavender, and lemon basil) which all also have medicinal qualities (chiefly calming for the chamomile and lavender), and I also bought my favorite cooking herbs (basil, parsley, and oregano). If I can get these going, maybe I'll buy some more. Lately, I've gotten great pleasure out of watching my Mother of Thousands plant form babies on the edges of her leaves, and I was tickled pink to see my Jade plant growing taller and branching from the two tiny stalks it had become. Obviously, I've rediscovered a simple joy in playing in dirt and watching something grow.