My first entry since Monday. We are on our way to the first Oktoberfest hosted by St. Peter's Church. Quite a paradox that I don't have as much time to collect my thoughts and post an entry whenever I am in Oklahoma. I will be flying back to the Philippines on Sunday.

I look forward to my return trips to Oklahoma because the long flight gives me a chance to reflect and to think and to read. I get to contrast the different ways that business is conducted in a successful country compared to a country that is controlled by politicians who make a living from governing.

I will zealously maintain my skills as a gastroenterologist lest I become one of those professional politicos who would not know what to do when they are eventually thrown out of office.

Today is Yom Kippur. In synagogues everywhere, the tale of Jonah will be recounted. Remember the man from Nineveh who was asked to become a prophet and who tried to escape from this call by taking the first boat out of the city? And how the ship encountered a storm and how after casting lots Jonah was hurled off the craft and the storm was silenced? And how Jonah spent 3 days and 3 nights inside a big fish?

Point is, we all seem to think of personal freedom as a state of total control regarding our destinies. That we can face this world solely on our own terms. There is a paradox here. True freedom should not be confused with spending the rest of your life playing golf, scaling mountains, gaining weight traveling to exotic locations... freedom is understanding the purpose of your existence and discerning your destiny and investing all your energies towards the fulfillment of this destiny.