So apparently I have a broken soul, according to Jared. The test is simple: if you like cold pizza anywhere as near as much as you like it warm... your soul is broken. Don't ask why, just accept it. I have.

Labels: rants, ravings

In recessive times such as these, it is easy to compare our current economic position to those of more prosperous years and fear that we are helpless to save ourselves from some financial disaster that waits around the corner. I myself have felt the pinch of this wounded economy and even marveled at what a change I've noticed in the short years I have been a member of it. That said, I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of keeping our views in a tightly focused perspective, especially in these dismal times.

America, although currently strained, still continues to lead the way in the ranks of the most wealthy nations in the world, backed by Japan, China, and Germany. And for all our recent troubles we still are very much a first world nation, in fact we are the first of them. And between us and the rest of the worlds most "developed" nations we make up a measly 20% of the worlds population. That number is pretty low and it is downright tragic that between that tiny 20%, we consume 86% of the worlds goods. That means that all the overlooked little luxuries that we continue to enjoy in one of our nation's "hardest" times are most likely a monumentally unaffordable luxury that the other 80% of the world could scarcely dream of much less enjoy. Poverty is killing the majority of the world's population and we in this country have the audacity to complain that our favorite Starbucks around the corner has been shut down. These are facts:
1. Over half the world's population (3 billion people) lives on less than $2 a day.
2. 11 million children under 5 years of age die every year due to poverty. That's 1 child every 3 seconds.
3. 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water.

These are just a few of the staggering facts that we have, of course, heard time and time again in this country yet continue to justify our spending on cosmetics, tobacco, alcohol, and entertainment. Yes, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a job. Yes, the housing market is in the crapper and people are being forced from their homes. And yes, our government is forced to bail us out of these hard times by backing the wealthy banks, saving the automobile industry, and stuffing our pockets with extra cash to be used on consumer goods. But when you compare our troubles to a lack of clean drinking water, not having enough resources to feed our children, and parents dying of AIDS leaving their orphaned children behind to suffer a similar if not worse fate of starvation, we are all understandably humbled.

It is not reasonable to think that by reading this people will stop everything and reach out to the poor people of these impoverished countries; I do not expect a massive change in the distribution of goods and wealth on account of one passionate blogger. I do feel, however, it is not too much to ask people to pause, even for a moment, and reflect on what a marvelous lifestyle every man women and child in this nation continues to enjoy on a daily basis. Even our homeless community has access to the basic necessities that should be available to every man. Perhaps one will read this and think to him or herself that although there has been complaint about the things we don't have right now, I'm damn glad that I live in a nation that, at the very least, continues to provide me with the sustenance and programs that keep me from knowing the true horrors of a life in dire poverty. Please enjoy your life in this nation to its fullest, it is the least you can do for someone else who will never get the chance to walk down the paved street, grab a bite to eat with friends, go out for a drink, and come home to a warm bed.

And if you can, give a little. Find ways to do it. Trust me, there are plenty.

Labels: economy, poverty, rants

I'm over the halfway point in Chuck's new book Snuff, cruising along at about 30,000 feet on a Boeing that's bound for fabulous Las Vegas on my way back home, when I happen to glance out my window and catch a glimpse of a beauty that struck me to the core.

Out my window it was nearing sunset. The sky was that pallet-blend of orange and purple with tints of blue and yellow at every corner. Below me was an alien landscape, a plain of white fields that was too serene to be inhabited by men. The ground was made of this coiled mass of gray and white that resembled brain matter or perhaps the intestine. At some points it simply looked like cotton a second-grader would pull and spread over the bottom of a shoe-box-diorama. In between the cracks and folds there was nothing but the darkest colors the eye can see. Every once in a while a burst of goldish-orange would erupt from the depths, a twinkle of light glowing far below. Probably some cruise ship.

It was in this moment, as I was taking all this in with a heavy sigh, that I marveled at what a stunning opportunity it was for me to be granted this vision.

The first commercial flights took place around the end of the 1920's. At first it was a thrill only the rich could afford, but advancing technology made it a common way to travel for patrons throughout the 30's. Eighty years. We've been privileged enough to grace the skies for a measly eighty years of human history. And that's what struck me so deep. A hundred years ago no one would have even dared to conceive what the world looks like traveling above the clouds in the stratosphere. Although thousands of people cruise around up there everyday now, at one point in history the thought of a human flying was considered blasphemous.

The reason it hit such a chord with me was simple. I take so much of our civilization for granted. It's easy to point out our flaws, to belittle our accomplishments for all the harm we've caused. Any one can look back on what we've achieved and ask ourselves "but what did it cost?" and the answer is never pretty. But flying over mass distances in a manner of hours while watching the sun set into the distant sea from the safety of my little flying machine is just too cool a thing to take lightly.

Labels: flying, rants, ravings