Book subtitle; format for conference talk

I received inspiration yesterday for a subtitle for the book.  (I am not sure if subtitle is the correct word; what I mean is that part of the title in small print.) The title will read as follows.  Medicine Children: Parenting and Entheogen Use in an Imbalanced Society.  I have considered other words, such as insane, unwell, hysterical, addicted, and out of balance.  We will see but I am leaning toward the original.

In addition, I believe that I will organize my talk for the conference (Exploring Psychedelics - see http://www.exploring-psychedelics.org/) using the letters of the word 'IMBALANCED ' as an acronym to discuss the myriad facets of this topic, followed by using the word 'BALANCED ' to discuss the positive future that is possible.  I am excited to try out this idea, while at the same time, feel that I am really stretching myself.  So, I would very much appreciate feedback about this, if any of you readers feel inspired.

First of all, the definition of imbalance(d):

• lack of balance, the state of being out of equilibrium or out of proportion.

Balance, on the other hand, means:

• the state of having your weight spread equally so that you do not fall
• the ability to move or to remain in a position without losing control or falling
• a state in which different things occur in equal or proper amounts or have an equal or proper amount of importance 

I think this is pertinent to the discussion for the following (not very linear) interpretations.   First of all, as a society, having our collective weight spread equally so that we do not fall means to me that we're not over-reaching ourselves. I think most of us can agree that with the national debt in the trillions, and over 60% of our population overweight or obese, we have over-reached, and these are only two examples off the top of my head.

Secondly, the ability to move or to remain in a position without losing control or falling... to me, this speaks of the quality of centeredness, and being grounded.  If you still happen to think our society is grounded and/or centered, go watch the Republican presidential debate, or even the Democratic one!   Another example is, of course, climate change, and the complete unpredictability of the weather and of natural disasters. A final example is in the incredible environmental devastation that exists right now, and the mindset that allowed this to occur, and in fact still denies its existence and importance!

Finally the last part of the definition of balance: a state in which different things occur in equal or proper amounts or have an equal or proper amount of importance.  When I read this, I think of the four aspects of being human: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.  I think of our educational system, and the amount of time spent teaching our children about these various aspects.   I think of different religious institutions, and the importance placed upon various aspects of each religion's teachings.  It is my firm opinion that a major aspect of our societal imbalance is our collective lack of emotional intelligence, stemming from both a lack of education and a lack of healthy modeling.  In addition, organized religion (at its worst) promotes fear, separatism, and unthinking allegiance, instead of love, unity, and heart-centered discernment.   I believe that for some people, the use of entheogens can correct these imbalances and promote a more balanced state of being.

Here are my proposed topics for consideration in my presentation...
On the down side:
I - ignorance, insanity, instability, illness
M - manipulation, mainstream, media
B - broken, bought (maybe need another concept here...)
A - addiction, alterants
L - law, legal issues
A - attitude, allopathic philosophy
N - no (just say)!, naughty
C - censorship, conformity, cultural taboos
E - economics, environment
D - drugs, drug war, demonization, denial

Then, on the bright side:
B - breakthrough, bottom line
A - attitude, addiction-resolution
L - legal right (to primary religious experience)
A - alliances (with therapists, medical research, spiritual teachers)
N - no fear, neutrality, natural selection
C - clarity, consciousness, choice, culture
E - education, evolution
D - deference

I will, of course, explain each of these word-concepts in detail in the presentation.
Getting to work on this speech asap - now that I have a concept!

I think that I could use help with words that start with a 'B' in the down-side column.  The two words I have so far are not exactly what I am looking for.  By 'broken,' I mean our society itself - we are and have been (since WWII) living in a way that is not sustainable, and are far past the point of correcting our collective global problems, even if everyone admitted them and was willing to put the continuation of life before profit!  By 'bought,' I am intending to cover this huge concept of our society choosing money over everything else, to the point where the drug companies would actively and on purpose demonize marijuana and other 'psychoactive sacramentals' because these substances have the potential to address, treat and even cure the root causes of our illnesses, both physical and mental... which of course would take us out of the 'paying customer' category!

The reason I am doubting these words is the overlap - 'broken' is also explained by 'insanity,' and 'bought' is also explained by 'economics.'  I don't want to be redundant!   I could probably get rid of 'insanity' and use 'broken' instead, but I like "bought' more than 'economics.'  It is more specific.  The other 'e' word is 'environment,' and by that I mean the difficulty in having a spiritual practice that employs the use of a Schedule One controlled substance, in all of our various environments or areas of life. For example, discussing our spiritual beliefs with our children, after which they have to keep secrets from teachers and friends; having to keep our spirituality a secret from employers and coworkers; and fear of legal ramifications if a co-parent were to find out, just to name a few.  Does that make sense? 

So, expect at least one more post this week, as I pare down my intended word meanings and refine the content to accompany them.  I will be 'mining' from previous blog posts, so some of the content may be familiar to you, if you have been following along.  Anyway, I do appreciate those of you who are keeping up with this project, no matter how slow it is progressing... and again, I would love feedback about all this if you care to share!  You can email me at harmonysue23@gmail.com to make sure I receive your comments.  I have had problems getting them from here.

Blessings, and enjoy the beauty of the natural world as we head into spring!