Patch's Diary
April 2004
Dear Friends,
I apologize that I have taken so long since the last entry of September 12, 2003. It is not for lack of activity. I have been hovering to write the piece I've waited to write for 33 plus years. The "We are funded" piece, "so let's organize." This has been especially anticipatory since the "Patch Adams" film came out. At least a dozen groups have said, "We will fund and endow the whole thing." As with all hopeful promises I've fielded for 33 years, I've had full faith each time and over time nothing happened. I never lost heart, knowing that every year our project is more important than the year before. I've always felt someone would one day speak the truth.
What is so interesting is that 2 weeks ago, the Austrian builder of hospitals, VAMED, who have built hundreds of hospitals worldwide, sent their representative to meet me in Milan, Italy, where I was receiving a prize for our service to children in Brescia. I was told they built all these hospitals, and no matter how much had been invested, they were unable to make them compassionate, vibrant, healing sanctuaries.
They recognized all over that both staff and patients were not enchanted by their hospital environment; something was fundamentally wrong. They read my first book (Gesundheit!) and felt that we had the missing pieces. They want to build a hospital like we propose—and have me orchestrate it. What a thrill that two hospitals could grow together, feeding off each other's experience to deliver compassionate, jubilant care. Pinch me!
So what has happened since last September? So many trips, lecturing and performing, for so many kinds of audiences. Many one-night stands, all spreading the message of love to all people in every country and to get involved politically to save our planet. We must get rid of the fascist governments that are promoting the annihilation of our species through the violent, greedy vulgarity of globalization which concentrates money and power into the hands of the very few while being responsible for things like the 35,000 children that die daily of starvation.
In the climate of dangerous government, the current most popular American TV show is about a real-life smug billionaire jerk. I have posted hundreds of books on our Web site that I am reading and recommend to you. I weep for our extinction. Money is not God. Please turn off your TV and study the state of the world and decide if you care enough to take action. There are no tools of violence or injustice that can solve any of the problems; only love in action for all people everywhere can save us. I am somewhat constrained to express any partisan views here, but you must read between the lines and please read enough to, at least, understand why I make correlations between the goings on in the world today, in our country and so many others, and what was done by the Nazis. I am impelled by ethics to tell you this.
It was this concern that made me, as a citizen, look at this next election as a medical emergency. I've become so concerned that my first response was to wonder if I should run for Congress. I did a lot of investigation and decided against it as the best use of me. So since September, Susan and I have stumped around the country for Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who has been one of the Democrats running for President. It has been tons of fun. I never did it before because there hasn't been a candidate that I thought represented me. His ten points are the platform I would push if I were running. We would go to a state and for one or two days go to many venues in coffee houses, schools, county libraries, etc.; six or more of these visits a day, speaking up for peace, justice and care. I didn't do this representing Gesundheit!; but rather as a doctor, a father, a human being intolerant of fascism.
In September, Susan and I went to Italy for a week to several great jobs and for the delight of seeing her relatives who make cheese in southern Italy in a small town 90 minutes outside of Naples. In October, I went to Kansas City for another of Jim Hightower's Rolling Thunder Democracy Reviews. This has the lovely taste of grassroots efforts in each region for care. Oh, the heroes I've met. Thank you one and all for filling my cup. I also went to Mexico for one of the four times during this time period. I engage in large groups there of students and health care providers hungry for a direction of compassion and generosity. Probably the most frequent presentation I'm doing these days is what Susan and I call, "What is Your Love Strategy?" So, what is yours? I also went to California at the end of October because a crazy man wants to create a stateside "Red Nose Day," like is done in England and Australia, and that raises millions for charity.
In November was my 19th annual Russian clown trip. Each one is always the best one ever. This year was the first time that there were more foreigners than U.S. folk. We had 39 clowns from 11 countries, ages 10-71. It's a thrill to see the orphans we have worked with for 12 years be young adults with some of them working for Maria. Marina's kids (Marina is a different person than Maria) are producing a completely different kind of art than Maria's. If you want to help Maria's Children, check the web site: www.mariaschildren.org. Another wonderful event happened in November at Sherbrooke University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. I had a packed house of maybe 1800 people. During the Q&A, a high school teacher who had bussed 50 students four hours to hear me, asked for a group shot. I agreed if all of them would take part while picking their nose. It took a while before I could get 100% participation. I was thrilled when they sent me a framed large photo of all of us digging for peace. After the Russia trip, participating in the annual ?Caring Awards” with dear friends Carl and Elaine Hammerschlag, is an evening’s infusion of citizens of all ages showing their devotion in care of others. Oooooh! A tonic.
The thing that sticks out for December was our week-long clown trip to Cambodia. Through working for and fundraising for UNHCR, I met Angelina Jolie, who has done service in many refugee camps. She generously funded the entire trip. It was our dream team of Susan, Wildman, John, Bowen, Kathy, Heidi, Steve, Ginevra, Mariana, and Lanky, with my son Zag, and his film making buddy from Chile, Esteban (who each brought a movie camera to create a film). We were so moved right at the beginning of the trip, when we were shown the killing fields and Genocide Museum that introduced the highest genocide of the 20th century.
The people were magic. I found them open, curious, respectful, and gentle, everywhere we went. Many venues included hospitals, orphanages, schools, and markets. We all rode on the back of little motorcycles, even Steve's gigantic self. I understand the average income is sixty cents/day. I saw very little complaining and lots of community. I saw four generations on a platform twelve-feet square communing in a way that is so hard to see in the U.S. In our society it would be unsettling to see people content, easy, unstressed, who are earning sixty cents/day. There were so many chances to watch citizens of countries (including Cambodia) who stopped their lives to help a humble situation. Such as "Friends," which is a trade school for 1,800 street kids at all levels of dysfunction. So, along with school, any of them can study to be a beautician, mechanic, chef, electrician, etc. Another culinary school left a strong impression on us; several hundred children with birth defects had a glorious opportunity for tasting something beautiful. I'm sure some of the children are a result of Agent Orange left from the Vietnam war. A devastating photojournalism book has recently come out on the birth consequences in southeast Asia. We also ate all or parts of grasshoppers and tarantulas. Thank you, Angie!
In January (Oh, I leave out so much), Susan and I had eight rapturous days in Barcelona submerged in art and sweet romance. We spent one and a half days at the Miro Museum hungry to be surrounded by his creations. We went to see every piece by the architect Gaudi, and I saw so much I want in our hospital. The park I think sparked Susan's diving into wanting to make mosaics. We met grand Spaniards and clowned with them on the city's promenade. In January I was also thrilled to go to the Russian Embassy for a reception for my heroine and buddy, Helen Caldicott, M.D., the founding force in Physicians for Social Responsibility. It was also a fundraiser to help her new efforts for nuclear awareness (please read her new book), working for disarmament. At the end of the month, I performed at the grand celebration of the 100th anniversary of Montreal Children's Hospital (of course, also clowning in the hospital earlier in the day).
Sad to say that our sponsors for our February trips to Palestine and later, to Iraq, felt they were too dangerous to go to at this time. So I had 3 weeks at home to really catch up on delayed projects like putting all the photos in albums and to doing something I love to indulge in, grazing bookshelves.
I'm leaving out so many of my visits—each wonderful and unique, right human moments. Three times in this period—with Ned at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Julie at Wake Forest; and Phil at Des Moines University—students have, with friends, done all the work to get me to their school. They’ve done fundraising, making costumes, posters, and so on. So characteristic in each of the people is an endearing enthusiasm for the concept of joyful, relentless service for love. Each has clearly already committed their life to service and wanted to be with another, hoping to infect others at the school visit. Julie was so excited every time on the phone we had to cool off the receiver. We have to get a hospital to feed this craving.
In March it was around the world in 8 days (and reading four books on the flights; the glorious part of flying so much is voracious reading) to Australia for 4 days at a medical conference where I met the articulate scientist David Suzuki. I loved his lecture, a call to save the planet. He has a delightful book on Good News. I was privileged to go to the coast to be part of the opening of an important medical model of an interdisciplinary practice. One of the founders, Penny, is Helen Caldicott's daughter, also a physician. I was lucky to stay at her house with her family. It was good to see Helen and her partner live right there; all the generations. I felt a part of the family. I flew from there to Moscow, Russia, for two nights for a fundraising event for Maria's Children. Many of our family were there: Marina, Maria, Janna, Illya, Nadia. We clowned in a hospital and orphanage; met a wealthy Russian we hope will help her, and had an auction.
Then home for a moment before taking eight clowns to Mexico for a week. Six locations, over a 2,000 mile bus ride with Susan, Wildman, Bowen, Kim, Leelah, Sharon, Dennis and me. Those Airline Ambassadors are masterpieces. Each place was one of the campuses of Monterey Technico University. Each night Susan and I did a three and a half hour "What Is Your Love Strategy?" performance. One special clown moment was in a Shanty town, set aside for a particular tribe of native Mexicans, with all the women and girls in big, full colorful skirts and ruffled blouses. The girl kids were much more exploratory in their performance.
We were home for a few days before taking twenty clowns to Cuba for a week in early April. This was our first teen spring-break trip. My 16-year-old son, Lars, brought three friends. John's daughter Terra brought five girlfriends, and Bowen's third daughter Brynn came, each with dads, Susan, me, Wildman, and Kevyn. The other teen was my friend Ruby (15) from Camp Winnarainbow. My son, Zag, and Esteban came with cameras to make another film. Everyone wants to do it again. We all love Cuba. Our friends there are precious. Michelle greeted me for the fourth time. She's an American physician who married a Cuban. "La Colmina", the premiere children's theater company there (as before) was with us as our hosts. Bill Selkirk's clinic in Indiana raised and found $22,000 in medicines for us to take to the association that cares for disabled children there. The teens' immediate engagement in the clowning, and the troupe of the trip, was enchanting. I love clowning with my son Lars. We visited impressive organic farms and one of the country's great artists, José Foster. Thank you, life, for such perfect moments. I received two sweet prizes there: one was a peace prize and a high priest of Santaria did a ceremony of protection and honor.
Three days after I returned, I went to Brescia, Italy, to receive the donation and a prize for serving the world's children, as I mentioned above. The one day I spent in Italy is when I met with Austrian buddy, Bernhard (referenced above), who had set up a meeting in the Milan airport with one of the top people, Michael, in the VAMED hospital building company to ask us whether we were also building in Austria.
Later in the month, my brother Wildman and I went to Corpus Christi for the annual Clowns of America International meeting, because our dear clown partner, Lanky, was hosting. It was our first clown conference, where fart machines are shop talk. The clown competitions were interesting. I presented, "Living A Life of Joy."
So that takes me up to today. I leave tomorrow for two weeks in rural China and Tibet with 56 clowns from 12 countries, ages 7-?. Yes, we are breaking our previous record youth of ten. I'm thrilled Beach Clown is coming again after a long hiatus.
And so much more.
So you may hear from me again very soon, if we come home and the large donation has been made. Cross your fingers.
As always, I beg you to take a very close look at what is happening in the world. This truth can only imply what else is going on. With every day I get more concerned for the depth of deceit and disregard for all life that our pathetic, greedy, warmongering government has. Again, I must speak as an individual citizen, not representing our community. How much fake bullshit will all our citizens take (the world's citizens) before they rise up to make love our value system, not the vulgar adulation of money and power-over. I am reading volumes; please see my "Library" for the 500+ books I'm encouraging others to read.
No matter what country you are in, what nationality you are, there is no human future if leaders (an insult to the word), like those who blatantly rape our constitutions, our lands and the people of the world, stay in power. If you think you know anything from watching TV, it can only be that we are dominated by liars, thieves and brutal thugs. Please at least study enough to argue with me or join all in the world of people who can only tolerate peace, justice and care for all people everywhere.
I love you,
Patch
