To: a*$#!!@etc.com
From: sparky67@hotmail.com
cc: 
Subject: The Internet, The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection, and Ann Landers

   In the past you asked me "why Ann Landers hates the Internet." Well,
it seems she only sees the bad side of the 'net - mainly because people
keep writing her letters about some e-schmuck who promised them roses
+ blowjobs before vanishing into electronic oblivion. She doesn't see
how the 'net makes connections between people, connections that could 
never have existed before - or why that's so important.
   Well, a couple of years ago a writer for USA Today  sent Ann a letter
about the Internet. I thought you'd find it interesting:

Dear Ann Landers,
   [You have called] the Internet is "seductive" and "addictive."
It may be - but not for the reasons you think. As a reporter who 
writes about the Net but who has also covered the mind-body-spirit
connection in healing, I see a unique potential there to inspire 
healing and growth. Consider these aspects:
   Community - Studies have shown its power to heal (i.e., cancer
support groups). For many, it's easier to find in an on-line world
organized by common interests.
   Learning - Many people found school boring. But "surfing" to
museums and libraries, they discover a love of learning they never knew
they had.
   Tolerance - On line, we transcend the barriers that seem to
divide us by getting to know people from the inside out and discovering
how much we have in common.
   Equality - Ordinary people can for the first time make their
voices heard around the world.
   Spiritual growth - When we "go" to cyberspace, we leave our 
bodies behind. Many people start to realize not only are we more than
our bodies, but also we're all connected. Religions and philosophers 
have been saying it for centuries; on line we feel it. This experience
of connection can lead to new spiritual understanding.
   So please, Ann, don't write off cyberspace so quickly. There's a lot
of good there that hasn't even begun to be explored. Sign me - Addicted
in Arlington

			- Leslie Miller
			USA Today, July 2, 1996

Sparky here again. BTW, there's going to be an interesting chat about
hippies, cockroaches and the end of the world at

https://members.tripod.com/~angelheaded/index.html
The host is a guy named "Acid Ace" who you really ought to meet. Stop
by anytime and I'll introduce ya.