Corruption Is A Cancer

Corruption is a cancer and here is why I think that.  I've just returned from abroad and something that struck me as particularly unusual with my return is the government agent who spoke with an accent making a rather aggressive insinuation that things would go smoothly if I pass him something.  I don't know if I was shocked or just taken aback some 35 plus years when I first set foot in South East Asia as a young civilian.

Back when I was a young adult and I was traveling throughout the South East Asia region, the first time that I encountered corruption I didn't know how to react, so I did what everyone else around me did, and put some money in my hand and passed it off discreetly to the government official to smooth things along.  It gave me flash backs to an earlier time when I experienced "greasing the palm" with a U.S. Port of Entry official.  I didn't know how to react because it had taken me completely off guard.  Are we so hard up now in America, that some of our government officials have to stoop to soliciting bribes from unsuspecting passengers returning home?  I leave you with an excerpt from the Book of Curthom regarding his views on corruption.

"Corruption challenges the moral fiber of what's right and just.  If, you allow it, tolerate it or simply do nothing, like cancer, corruption ravages the moral compass of the individual, groups, organizations, business and government, collectively, so what becomes of one's society, one's country and one's self?"  Curthom

Cancer & Alternative Cancer Treatment

Well, I'm back from Thailand and I must say, if I weren't so sick from the long flight on Cathay Pacific coming home, I would rejoice that I am making progress against Thyroid Cancer and Adrenal Cancer.  Two days after I got home, I learned that another member in my squad during the period of the Vietnam War has passed away after a long and painful struggle with Agent Orange-related cancers.

When you have no other choice but to persist and hope to live long enough to take advantages of any medical advances, time seems to linger when you're going through chemotherapy and radiation medicine.  Seeking out Alternative Cancer Treatment was an expensive option for me, since getting medical insurance is a pipe dream once you've been diagnosed with cancer.

I finished reading The Book of Curthom, which gave me encouragement and insights into my own mortality and I leave you before the holiday tomorrow with an excerpt to ponder:

"Cancer is the greatest battle humankind has ever faced.  It comes.  It stays.  It ravages the innocent and convicts the guilty.  Cancer is the God of all diseases and time is its judge. "  Curthom