So I'm back in Seoul after spending some much needed time away reflecting, contemplating, showing Louie the beauty of the 오토바이... and just taking some time to recover. As I got off the bus last night in Soul, I noticed a particular smell... not necessarily bad, but not exactly pleasant either. I was talking with my housemate this morning and told her about it, she commented, "Ahh the smell of metropolitan Korea." Hmmm.. Interesting. As I got back to my room and proceeded to take a shower the subtle scents took me back 11months ago to my first impression of the "mother land" as some refer to it... I remember the excitement, the anticipation, and then the shear exhaustion of my first transpacific flight in over 20 years. Anyways, it's amazing how the slightest scent or voice can take us back days, weeks, even years... translate us for a few breathes... I'm glad to be here another year. The opportunity to study, work, learn, teach, give, experience, I welcome them all.

Oh yea... I saw my other roommate just a few mins ago... His first words, "Nice to see you're back... you gained weight, ha ha ha" My response... yea 2lbs, thanks for noticing.. :P On vacation, all the comments were "wow, you're small" or "you look sick, you need to gain some weight" or "man, I don't even recognize you." Here, they're just the opposite, how a few miles can change people's perceptions so much... It's good to be back.

like i said.

Well I was looking back through my blogs and I noticed that around midterms and finals there was a spike in my blogging.. Hmmm.. Why stop now right?The article goes on to mention Korean web giants Naver.com (by far Korea's top search engine) and Cyworld (by far Korea's top social networking sight).  I've tried to use cyworld in the past, as a matter of fact cyworld did a US launch and as far as I can tell aren't having the success they hoped for.  For me cyworld was a little bit too involved.  Let me explain: You have to build a character, decorate your room, hang posters, buy clothes, add a tv, update your furnature... All sorts of "nonsense" that mimic daily life.  I don't know about you, but when I log onto facebook it's to get away from daily life.  Next, I use google.com as my primary search engine.  Why?  Because it's no frills search.  I love more the fact that the google search bar is built into my browser because then I don't have to look at anything.  I can just type my search terms in the little box and BOOM there are my results.  Today, for the first time, I decided to use Naver.com.  And instantly, I can tell you why these web giants are struggling.    The chosun.com article states that...

Experts say the foreign challengers have failed to understand the peculiarities of the South Korean market. Their quality suffers in comparison to local offerings in terms of Korean-language features, site design and sophistication of services, South Korean experts argue.

After using Naver.com for just 2 search terms, I immediately began to wonder if anyone from Google ever did research on Korea before launching google.kr?  Let me use a couple of photo examples.


References: 

Just thought I'd throw down a few words before my day gets started. First, I've met some new friends in the past couple of days, some really good people with a variety of backgrounds... I say that to say we were having a discussion yesterday over coffee... and I realized that I came to John's defense when the topic turned to his age of ~40. Hmmmm... I thought about it last night and I can honestly say that I don't believe 40 is old.. then again it's not to far from 30 right? :\

Had a rough night, thought I'd sit down and put some thoughts to keyboard. Why is it that life is so hard? I mean, it's not that hard except that we have to deal with people. And if we didn't have to deal with people, I don't know how many of use would consider it worth living. Have you ever wondered if God was just playing a cruel joke on us? I mean think about it, we're creatures that crave and desire community more than probably any other animal in existence, and just about every problem we have, comes from the communities that we crave. Then again, I should probably point out that the highlighting moments of our lives also come from the communities that we live in. When friends gather at Peter Piper for a little shoot-out tourney or when two finally get engaged (it was only a matter of time), or even when you just get to share some late night chicken and laugh about swallowing gum (I guess you had to be there). Anyways, maybe it's not that cruel of a joke after all. Don't they say everything is relative? Perhaps we wouldn't recognize or appreciate the good aspects of the communities we live if we didn't have to occasionally, (or even daily) have to deal with the nonsense.

On to other things, going to visit family tomorrow, going to China in three weeks... Let the good times roll...

It’s been a pretty interesting year so far. From a new relationship to new friends; from interpersonal struggles to a pride check from law schools, it’s been a pretty crazy start. I spoke with a friend the other day, Ms. D., we haven’t really chatted in a while, but it was good to talk to her. It was interesting a question she posed, it went something along the lines of: What do we do when we feel like there’s way too much to do and so little time to do it. Isn’t that an interesting question. I suppose there was a time when I felt like everyone wondered that very same thing, however, over the years I’ve come to discover that there are the few, the “dreamers of day” that are the ones that must deal with such issues. For most others who “dream in the dusty recesses of their mind” life is easy going, with plenty of time to be bored, to have fun, to hang out.

I told Ms. D about a recent video podcast I listened to from Mark Driscoll. I’ve mentioned him before, but just incase this is your first run-in with him, let me give you some background. Driscoll is the pastor of the biggest church in Seattle and one of the fastest growing churches in the country: Mars Hill (not to be confused with Rob Bell’s Mars Hill). He’s a thirty something with a wife and five kids, looks like your average guy who has a firm pulse on pop culture. (He can be seen often sporting the latest from Hurley and the occasional funny “Jesus” t-shirts) He is one of the top 100 most influential pastors in America and His church is the 2nd most innovative church in the country. Mars Hill is nearly 10,000 strong, made up of a lot of “single white twenty somethings who live with their moms, have Starwars blankets, can’t commit to their girlfriend and can often be found catching the latest Star Trek marathon” (paraphrasing Driscoll’s own words). He’s currently doing a series called “Religion Saves and 9 other myths” where Mars Hill received over 300,000 votes for what questions Driscoll should address. In the last message, Driscoll was asked to address the issue in Christianity he has the most challenge with. The idea of GRACE.

In the message Driscoll talks about some of his life goals: write 6-7 books a year, publish 300 books during his life; help plant 1,000 churches, he preaches some 5 sermons a week, travels extensively, and at the same time is a father and husband. He states that he struggles with how he’s going to accomplish any of that because whenever he looks at his tomorrow, it’s overwhelming.

I’ve felt that way before, and often I find myself in the same predicament. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t spend Thurs-Sat of last week writing 150 pages of a book like Driscoll, but I would propose that our goals are equally lofty. So back to Ms. D. I’ve thought about it for for a week now, how to answer her question. I’ve attempted to look at it in the most rational mindset I know how to. And no matter how many different ways I try to cut it, it seems to come out the same: You’ve got to sacrifice. Let’s assume that’s the “right” answer, so next question: What do you sacrifice? As I look through history and more recently, I see many people who have sacrificed a great deal. Whether it’s Einstein, Mother Theresa, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Brittany Spears... I can hear some of you laughing at my list, but let me propose something. Each one of these people, in an effort to attain their deepest desires, has sacrificed. Einstein who married his cousin was it? And Brittany who’s been in rehab how many times and lost custody of her children. And in the name of what? For what? Those of you who know me on a more personal level, know that I struggled with this at age 20 while owning and operating a business, working a full-time job, attending school full-time and still not seeing ends meet. I find myself in another one of “those” situations. This semester I’m taking just over 30 credit hours (yes, 30), tutoring English several times a week, helping to lead a weekly bible study in Korean (and no, I’m not fluent enough to read the bible in Korean), growing a new relationship, trying to visit family from different cities every couple of weeks or so, getting everything ready to start law school in the fall, maintain and build on my existing relationships with friends back home, experience cultural life in Korea, and maybe even visit China for a few days. Needless to say, most days I don’t think I can do it all. However, I found a bit of hope in the words Driscoll eloquently delivered so I’ll point those of you in a similar situation, in that direction.

Watch the Video Here...


ORMars Hill Video Link

iTunes Podcast Link

Blogging for the new year.

Today is December 31, 2007, it’s a Monday and I woke up at 7:30AM. I must say that I feel particularly different about this new year, different than I’ve ever felt. Over the past two days, especially yesterday after hitting up Dr. Fredrick K. C. Price’s church with Elliott, I had an intense urge for solitude. I was slightly torn because I feel like I have a commitment to the guys (rockstar, big love, and bradly) to stay engaged and interact with them during this road trip. At the same time, I feel an unprecedented desire to plan, reflect, and consider. This morning rockstar and I woke up early and headed to the beach. It was a the nicest of mornings, the weather was perfect, the beach was virtually empty, except the dedicated surfers out catching the occasional ridable waves, and the sky was blue. (At least as blue as it can be in Los Angeles) I’ve been dealing with two major issues this year in my personal life: the Sovereignty of God, and change. The first, which I started blogging on before, is something that goes hand in hand with the second.

As we sat on the beach, eating our bagels and drinking our respective favorite Starbucks concoctions and talking; the topic of our futures and the current moment and places in our lives saturated the conversation.

I can’t help feeling like so much has happened this year. As I sit here now in our room, big love, rockstar and I, all blogging while bradly is fighting off his cold, I can’t help but seeing a year full of very high highs and heart wrenching lows. The roller coaster of events, I could not have predicted in my most wildest of imaginations; not just me, but even within the “circle of trust” that I consider those dearest to me, we were all taken for a ride. ... For the first time in my life as I look at this past year, I can say that I feel a sense of movement. My first choice of words was “accomplishment” but I’m a bit hesitant because I don’t know that I feel like I’ve necessarily accomplished anything. But I am quite certain that I have started. For those of you who know me, I’ve always been the mover and shaker. Always doing, moving, working. Isn’t it strange that with everything I’ve done and always seem to be doing, that everything we all seem to be doing, so often we don’t make any headway, no achievement, no advance. We seem to accomplish so many things and yet can’t say that we’ve made any progress of worth. 2007, while by many standards I haven’t accomplished much if anything, I feel like I’ve made movement.

The second area I’m dealing with, change, is the area in which I see the most movement. I’ve been dealing with a lot of change this year. Applying to law schools, two and a half months in DC, mending broken friendships, changes in family, four months in Korea, and immense change within the “circle of trust.” I can’t say exactly when I started feeling it, but it seems like one day I looked up and there it was: CHANGE. As rockstar and I were talking at the beach, we couldn’t help but chuckle at some of the situations we’ve been involved in this past year, and while many were and are still very difficult to close, they seem to be necessary to teach us. For me, the biggest lesson I learned this year, might be simply: I need to change. I wish I could say that many years ago I had this realization, but I can’t. No, it was only in the past 12 months, through a number of unpredictable events that I found myself accepting of, perhaps even longing to be changed. Having just realized this at the age of nearly 27 (or 28 if if we’re discussing my Korean age) I realize I have so far to go, and while my movement in 2007 has been measurable the distance that lies ahead seems just the opposite.

Another first, I can say with all certainty, that I am uncertain of what 2008 holds for me. And at the same time, I am more confident of 2008 than I have ever been of any upcoming year. The “ifs” of 2008 seem daunting so I’ll begin this new year with one of my resolutions and areas of development... WORRY LESS, TRUST MORE...

Happy New Year... God Bless

It's 1:30PM and Christmas is half way over. It'll be another year before this day is here again. I was talking with a friend from Korea last night, and for some reason I had a thought. How cool would it be to one Christmas, charter an aircraft and start at the international date line and from there fly around the world and for once, enjoy 48 hours of Christmas... My friend reacted by asking me why in the world I was talking about that and why I decided to mention that in the middle of our conversation... I can't say that last night I knew why; today I might have a little glimpse.

Wonder. There is no other day in our calendar that expresses the idea and concept of wonder than Christmas. We live lives filled with schedules, tasks, alarm clocks, commitments and daily routines. So often we jump from static day to static day without taking a moment to sit in awe, to sit in wonder. Wonder lives all around us, from taking a moment to sit and be overwhelmed by the vast night sky and countless stars that were placed with intent and purpose, to meeting friends, old and new and then just sitting back being in awe, practically paralyzed at the amazing set of events that brought us together. I was talking to Brad yesterday while we were running errands and we just started thinking about the sets of circumstances that brought us together and brought us to where we are today. We talked about rockstar and I and the no less than a hundred specific and unique events that all had to happen in order for us to be friends. For Loui and Vic and the sovereign set of events that not only brought them into friendship but even recently into marriage. And even how I recently made a new friend in Korea and found out that some 27 years ago we were born in the same city in Korea. Then a few months ago, through a crazy set of hundreds of specific actions we were both unaware of, ran across each others' paths and are now building a remarkable friendship.

Joe mentioned in his blog that he's never quite gotten used to the "Phoenix Christmas" and I can't say that I have either. I'm staring out the living room window and watching a pair of green palm trees swaying in the 65 degree breeze, with a blue sky in the background and a swimming pool in the foreground. Hmmm...

I'm learning so much about myself everyday, and for me it's a difficult process. I feel challenged, sometimes moment to moment, to discover that about myself I have yet to know, to develop those traits which already exist in me, and starve out that "nothing good" that lives in me. And while I can confidently say that I have very little idea what I will look like 5 years, I am more so confident that the person I am on my way to becoming is fearfully and wonderfully made.

Don't take this too personal, I mean unless it applies to you, then take it how you will. Let me start by saying that I'm not writing this from any position of authority or a pulpit from which to glare down and point my finger... I simply wanted to climb on my little soap box today and yell for a minute so here goes...

What are friends for? I mean, what is the true definition of a friend? While I haven't committed to a full meaning of the idea of friendship, I feel like I'm well on my way. Jesus said that there are such friends that stick closer than family. I think that there are two parts to friendship and as the theme of Married with Children states.. "you can't have one without the other" First, there's the part that makes you feel all giddy inside, you know, the part that people most often dream about when they think of best friends. This is the "marshmallowlly goodness" of friendships. It's the having common interests, having someone there to talk after a death in the family or a glowing first date. It's having someone who plans your surprise birthday parties or writes you a farewell card that you leave on your desk and read when you need to be inspired. It's having someone there to smoke a cigar with just because you didn't want to be at home, or having someone to laugh at you and give you nicknames like "baby huey." Then there's the "burnt outer crust" of friendships. These are the parts that most people don't enjoy, as a matter of fact they avoid them all together. This is the part when it hurts to be a friend; the part of true self sacrifice, the part where unlike most of our daily routine, we take a moment and put aside our goals and priorities and make the friend our only priority.

I've never been good at the "burnt outer crust" but rockstar always has. I was talking with him today about a particular situation that brought me heartache. While often I think that he and I are so different occasionally something simple yet profound happens and it reminds we why we've been friends for well over a decade.

It's true that we're more and more becoming a world of I's My's and Me's, and that hurts me. Why do we expect to find anything, especially in the dealings with another broken human being, with no burnt outer crust? It amazes me. I wish that on occasion we would forget about the importance of ourselves and our feelings and for that moment give to a friend. As I was telling rockstar today, if I'm struggling through something and he's my friend, he'll do whatever is within his power to help me, even if it hurts him at the same time. Too often, we call ourselves friends and yet are not willing to hurt with the other person, instead, we simply tell the other person to continue to hurt for our sake.

On a high note, I just got a phone call... ;)

"Are not all lifelong friendships born at the moment when at last you meet another human being who has some inkling... of that something which you were born desiring, and which, beneath the flux of other desires and in all the momentary silences between the louder passions, night and day, year by year, from childhood to old age, you are looking for, watching for, listening for? - c.s. lewis.

So there has been quite a bit of debate about human caused climate change, or so I would like to think. Granted, there are those that would argue that the debate is over and now it's time for action, of course I disagree. While I don't disagree that "greener" companies, less dependence on nonrenewable sources of energy and less pollution in the air are all good things, what I am skeptical about is the fervor with which the "blame humans" crowd telling tales of impending doom of the globe into a boiling planet flooded by melted polar ice caps if we don't immediately change our ways. Before you totally and likely ignorantly come to a decision based on the flyby media and "an inconvenient truth," take a quick sec and check out these recent articles:


Did you know that temperatures since 2001 have actually been declining?

"Carbon Emissions Don't Cause Global Warming" - Dr. David Evans

"Climate scientists at the University of Rochester, the University of Alabama, and the University of Virginia report that observed patterns of temperature changes (‘fingerprints’) over the last thirty years are not in accord with what greenhouse models predict and can better be explained by natural factors, such as solar variability. Therefore, climate change is ‘unstoppable’ and cannot be affected or modified by controlling the emission of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, as is proposed in current legislation." Press Release- Dr S. Fred Singer

Did you know it was actually warmer during the midevil period than it is today?
"Medieval Warm Period Reinstated" - Dr. Craig Loehle

Did you know that one of the founding members of the expert reviewers panel of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UN IPCC) is calling for the abolishment of the panel?
Article - Dr. Vincent Gray

Did you know that CO2 contributions to climate change are considered negligible?
"Heat capacity, time constant and sensitivity of Earth's climate system" - Brookhaven National Laboratory

Did you know that "world climate predictors" admit they're only right about half the time?
Article - The New Zealand Climate Science Coalition

Did you know that many of the climate models used by forecasters are built by "unlicensed engineers?"
"Unlicensed Engineers" - Dr. Hendrik Tennekes

Did you know that less than half of all published scientists actually endorse human caused climate change?
"Comprehensive survey of published climate research reveals changing viewpoints" - Michael Asher

and Finally,

Did you know that Carbon Dioxide did not cause the last ice age? (contrary to popular belief)
"Deep-sea temperatures rose 1,300 years before atmospheric CO2, ruling out the greenhouse gas as driver of meltdown, says study in Science." - Terah DeJong, USC

Needless to say, the debate is still thriving... Perhaps we should wait a bit longer before buying into possible carbon credit schemes and funding more week long seminars on climate change, which themselves, create more pollution that 20,000 automobiles... but that's just a thought.

I got a text message from a friend of mine the other day; it was his 26th birthday.  The message: I feel so old.  How could I respond?  Lately, I seem to be the vent for several of my friends who have been awakened to the fact that they're getting "older" and I'm already there.  Most of their venting and uncertainty stems around the fact that they don't know what they want to do with their lives, or they've woken up one morning and found out that they've graduated school, been working in a mundane job and don't know where the road they're on will lead.  For me it's a bit different.  I don't wake up in the morning wondering what the road holds ahead or if I'll be ready for it.  For me, the challenge is not what will I do but more how will I do it all?  I was talking to rockstar the other day and couldn't help thinking about how any one of the dozens of things I want to do could consume a lifetime.  Do I have to chose?  A career?  Serving God?  Having a wife?  Raising a family?  Caring for friends and family?  Spending time with loved ones?  Seeing the world? To anyone of these I could devote my entire life and find not enough time... Dare I tackle them all?  
Those of you who know me, know I often struggle with priorities. I want to change the world, and yet I'm uncertain of how to go about it. At times I'm 70% sure, other times I'm not sure at all.  Perhaps it's old age, or perhaps it's wisdom (which in essence is old age, but an easier way of dealing with it.)  I think my priorities are setting themselves, and for the first time, I feel like I might hit that 80% mark of surety.

Today's been an atypical day, filled with a rollarcoaster of emotions and thoughts, mostly the down kind... of rollarcoaster.. you know, the one with the big drop where you can feel your stomach in your throat? And yet, it's been somewhat peaceful... thought I'd post a blog I started the other day...

So I haven't had much time to really think about much that's "meaningful" or contemplative since arriving in Korea. Don't get me wrong, I've thought very much about people back at home and things specifically related to the exchange program, but just not in general. Saturday while I rode the subway during my hour long ride (that lasted two and a half because of a misread sign) I was listening to my ipod and started thinking about the idea of "one."

(Now this blog as most others I write, is filled with random incoherent thoughts and ideas... read through it if you can... add what you will, hopefully, it will at least get you thinking.)

Where do I start? Well after posting the last six or so blogs in a span of 20 hours or so, it feels like I’m behind the curve. So quite a bit has happened since Monday when I arrived. I’ve met quite a few new friends through the i-House (Yonsei’s International Dorm) and feel like I’ve completed half first mission: meet enough foreign friends that I have a support system, the other half being to not have so many foreign friends or not hang out with them so much that I use them as a crutch or excuse not to fully immerse myself in Korea. The second part of this goal came swiftly and with what I can only describe as divine intervention! :D To make a crazy long story short, this afternoon I moved into a boarding house in the middle of shin-chon. It ca be best described as "in the action" I'm on the fourth floor and have my own room. (see pics below)

 Seeing as I tend to be an early riser anyways, I feel like I'm going to have plenty of time read and do my usual "thinking" in the mornings.

Something I haven't seen yet: joggers?

It's not often I have to press for words, today however, is one of those days. I just returned from The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, followed by a hosted brown bag discussion on our initial reactions…

I woke up this morning in a somber mood; I was to experience one of histories greatest marked atrocities, The Holocaust. As the time drew near to begin our trip, I felt nauseous and overwhelmed, I still feel that way now. It is difficult to describe with any clarity. Only two hours after leaving the museum there is not much I can tell you about it, there are flashes, pictures in my mind, and emotions stirring in me, but I cannot seem to express them.

The first thing that struck me in the museum is a quote from General Eisenhower:
"The things I saw beggar description...The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were...overpowering...I made the visit deliberately in order to be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to 'propaganda.'"

In a day where the details of the Holocaust are in dispute by the radical hate filled, I found this first quote appropriate.

In the museum, there was a rail car, of the exact make and model that was used to haul thousands of Jews to various concentration camps. I learned that up to half of the people being transported in these cars would not make it alive to their destination; most of these were children and the elderly. The exhibit was designed so that you could walk through the rail car. As I approached the car, I was taken back by eerie sense of horror that emanated from the car. In no way was there anything about the car that specifically told the gruesome story, yet this replica still screamed of the atrocities that had been committed. With a deep breath I forced myself to walk through. Standing in the box car, the silence was deafening. On either side of the car there were small barred openings, images of literally hundreds of people who had been crammed and forced into these cars flashed across my mind…

In our brown bag, Andy, or the closet as he's known by the EPA interns, asked a question that lured my thoughts down an interesting path I had visited before.

"Perhaps this question is more existential then we want to address in this environment but, why do you think we ignore such evil? Do we just deny that evil exists?"

One of the fellow interns responded by appealing to the argument of desensitization. "It's because we see so much killing, it's not a big deal anymore. I mean my friends and I even play this video game where there are four of us trying to shoot each other…"

Maybe this was a suitable answer? My thought went in a slightly different direction.

I referenced a few articles, one by the New York Times which stated "…it is not the sick eroticism or the unspeakable brutality that is important in the Nazi saga; it is the mind-set that drove supposedly average people to commit and condone such atrocities." What are the implications that "supposedly average people" committed these evil acts? I don't know that we as individuals want to develop that question for it seemingly would force the acknowledgement of such evil in all average people, namely ourselves. It would necessitate that we examine ourselves daily if not moment to moment to check our motivations and ambitions, the purpose for which we work and live. Imagine if everyone was willing to concede that such a strain of evil existed in all of us? It would shortly become our main priority to place checks on ourselves to ensure that this beast not be given a foothold…

I do not process emotional substance very quickly, I am positive in the ensuing days and weeks I will have a plethora of things to consider and contemplate… Perhaps I will put finger to keyboard again lest I forget these emotions that bombard me…


Hall of Remembrance.


Elie Wiesel
Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.

Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.

Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.

So I'm at work right now, writing this little note. I was going to wait until I got home in an hour or so, but I wanted to write it "in the moment."

I'm sure many have heard the adage "…the only thing constant is change…" I think the most amazing thing about change is that most of the time we don't realize it's going on. We see ourselves a particular way, in our mind's eye. We feel we look a particular way, act a particular.. and then one day something happens that prods us to take a moment and revisit ourselves. Now whether such an event is life changing, like the passing on of a dear friend, or something small like an email from a loved one, they can both significant.

I received an email from my mom today… actually about 20 mins ago. It was simple, maybe two sentences, I was skimming it while listening to music, chatting with a co-worker and making a telephone call… and in all that, time froze. For a simple moment, I didn't know what to do, emotions welled up inside and I actually started to tear up. This was my moment for reflection…

I had a friend ask me a week or so ago whether I saw her as much younger than myself… and by "younger" she meant in some derogatory way. Initially I shrugged and said no. However, that question has played through my mind countless times since then. I find myself asking "what makes me different than the person that's 4 or 6 or even 8 years younger?" My initial answer is simple.. because I'm older.
But deep down, what's the separation? Wisdom? Life experiences? Perhaps it's this time of reflection? While I can't speak generally I'll speak for myself for a bit.

I think something that separates me, at least partially, is knowing that I'm not perfect, and I'll never be. I know that's a shock to many, it was to me. I am okay that I'm not perfect… And humility begins when we realize that there is so much greater than myself… and that the significance of our loved ones is greater than our own. Maybe the biggest difference is simply the amount of time I spend reflecting… I want to know that I'm growing in a significant measurable way… I want to deposit significantly into those that need it most; whether significantly means sharing with and comforting a friend, buying a meal, or simply saying God Bless.

(sigh) I think more than anything, the biggest change in my own life, is that I am slowly beginning to get a glimpse of the power of simple words. Love, Friend, Humility, Thank you, Confidence, Hero… and while it wasn't always the case.. I am in increasingly in amazement at the thought of my parents. While not perfect, I don't know that there are a better pair of loving, caring, God fearing people…

With that.. I close this disjointed serious of words and thoughts.

I've experienced quite a bit since I began my adventure in Washington DC just over a week ago. I have experienced a memorial concert on the Capitol lawn with Colin Powell. I was privileged enough to spend the morning of Memorial Day at Arlington Cemetery with some of those that were the greatest of American Heroes. I've been to landmarks, had sushi with new friends, touched base with old ones, converted my roommate to macs! I found a very cool church, (thanks to Jon Kelley), and have an internship that is the opportunity of a life time. And yet, with all this, it was a 10 minute situation that occurred today that has impacted me more than the sum total of the rest.

I was leaving breakfast today, as I do every Sunday after church, (or at least for the past two weeks and I walked by a gentleman who was asking for some change for a metro pass. My initial reaction was that of most people, I patted my pant pocket and simply stated "Sorry, no change." However, I couldn't got on. I stopped opened my wallet, hoping to find a dollar I could give this gentleman who was obviously in need of a kind gesture. When I couldn't find any small bills, and of course I wasn't going to give him a five (because we all know that "they" do with the money anyways) I again told him I was sorry, and put my wallet away. He took a step forward and asked if I could possibly buy him some coffee. I responded "definitely."

As he grabbed his belongings I noticed he had a old cassette boom box, so I asked him about it. He told me that he had experienced a difficult life, "seen how poor people live, and not like most people have seen, but REALLY POOR." He then went on to tell me about his dream, he want to buy some batteries and some cassettes and begin a audio journal of the experiences he has each day, the people he encounters, ultimately the life he lives. Once he gathers enough audio, we wants to gather enough money to have it transcribed. "240 pages worth, that'll make for a good amount. Then I'm gonna run as fast as I can to a publisher and have it printed."

What's interesting is that as I listened to the man I just met tell me about his vision or dream, I couldn't help but recall more fortunate people with smaller, less detailed dreams.

I went on to offer him some breakfast, he ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. I couldn't help but notice the look of the employee as we waited for the biscuit to be prepared, initially it was disgust then then he looked perplexed.

As we were checking out the gentleman asked if he could grab a yogurt parfait. "It's healthy, keep me going strong," he said. I couldn't help but smile.

As we walked to his table, I shook his hand and told him, "God Bless." He grasped my hand and said the same. As I left the gentleman there to eat his breakfast and walked to the metro, I my mind raced back to two separate instances. The first, was a documentary I had seen not to long ago. It was of the Invisible Children in Uganda, and ended with one of the children asking that their story not be forgotten. The second was of my friend Emily who traveled to Africa last summer to help terminal AIDS patients. I recall her telling me about the pictures she had taken and how she relives the experience and the memories of that time, and how they spur her on... For some reason I had my camera with me, so I ran back to the gentleman and asked if I could take a picture with him... "So I won't forget this morning," I said. "If you promise to send me a copy," he replied. And so we took our picture. After the picture, he told me he made a face, because in studying portraits, one should try to convey how they feel in side.

His name is Arthur Callum. If anyone comes across this and one day you feel like you've had a rough day, I encourage you to write Arthur, he can receive mail at the following address:

Arthur Callum c/o Beans and Bread Outreach Center
402 S. Bond St. Baltimore, MD 21201

RECAP
What if everyday, we attempted to do just one thing that perplexed those around us?
What if for one moment each day, we stopped thinking and started acting?
What if for one moment each day, we took all of our talk about human worth and dignity, about equality, love, kindness, and creating a more "decent" world... and what if for one moment, we put it into practice?

I'm one of them, the people that have forgotten, that have allowed myself to become numb to the sufferings of literally millions of sick and dying around the world. I had allowed myself to look past their cries for help and focus on what was in my tomorrow. However, through a turn of events and the inspirational story of my friend Emily Harmon, I remembered. 



An estimated 24.7 million people in Africa are infected with HIV/AIDS 



The U.N. estimates there are currently 14 million AIDS orphans in the world 



There are 14,000 new infections every day 



There are over 1,000,000 people in the US infected with HIV/AIDS 



Over 8600 people die of aids everyday

This past week I had to the opportunity to participate in an amazing charity benefit concert to help raise AIDS awareness. The Rock N' Relief, as it was called was the brainchild of Young Life at ASU's West campus and ASU students. The mission, to use a two pronged approach to raise money and awareness about the global AIDS pandemic. The concert was held at Alice Cooperstown, a sponsor of the event. It featured four amazing bands, Cigarbox, Ellington Effect, Blue Jay, and Evan Brightly. The event which lasted over 4 hours attracted hundreds of people and helped to raise over $2,000 in donations. 

For more information on how you can get involved check out these organizations: