Life starts at 50, gets great at 60 and primo at 70.
Love acts as preventive medicine, shielding health by reducing loneliness, stress, and disease risks. Emotional support improves survival rates, lowers pain, and strengthens immunity. Across cultures and history—from Indigenous healing traditions to Florence Nightingale’s compassion—connection has been central to recovery. Yet modern healthcare often lacks empathy, with compassion present in less than 1% of medical conversations. Solutions include training providers in emotional intelligence, integrating peer support, and using technology to enhance—not replace—human connection. Medicine treats the body, but love heals the soul, restoring dignity and transforming healthcare into a system of trust, resilience, and holistic healing.
This blog traces the journey of a composite Baby Boomer who came of age in the 1970s, embracing the hippie ideals of peace, music, and communal love. As adulthood arrived, he joined the workforce, trading dreams for neckties. By 2025, he reflects on a world transformed by technology, inequality, and climate crisis—far from the utopia he once imagined. Yet the dream endures: people loving people, food shared freely, and justice pursued. Anchored by Heraclitus’s quote about change, the article becomes a manifesto urging renewed action for food equity, sustainability, and intergenerational solidarity in today’s shifting stream.
Humanity produces enough food to feed everyone, yet millions go hungry while billions of pounds are wasted. In the U.S., 120 billion pounds of food are discarded annually, while 47 million people face food insecurity. Globally, 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted each year, contributing up to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Waste occurs at households, retailers, restaurants, and farms. A redistribution system could rescue surplus food, transport it efficiently, and ensure dignity for recipients. Case studies show solutions exist. Food rescue is not charity—it is justice, sustainability, and humanity in action.
Scientific studies increasingly show that religious practice can enhance physical and mental health. People who regularly attend services and engage in faith-based rituals often experience lower stress, stronger immune systems, and longer lifespans. Religion fosters emotional resilience, healthier behaviors, and robust social support—all key factors in well-being. Rituals like prayer and meditation activate calming physiological responses, while community involvement reduces isolation. Importantly, active participation—not just belief—is what drives these benefits. Though not a cure-all, religion offers a holistic framework for health, especially in aging populations seeking meaning, connection, and vitality.
Last Journey: A Father and Son in Wartime is a poignant tribute to Staff Sergeant Darrell “Skip” Griffin, Jr., who was killed in Iraq in 2007. Co-authored by his father, Darrell Sr., the book began as a shared project exploring war through philosophical and religious texts. After Skip’s death, Darrell Sr. embedded with his son’s unit to complete their work. The result is a deeply personal account of love, sacrifice, and spiritual struggle amid war’s devastation. It offers a raw, faith-testing portrait of military life and the enduring bond between father and son.
