I think just like other people, we all got tons of thoughts running thru our minds today. Too many to write about and maybe it's not the point to write about all those thoughts here. But I guess I'll just let the words flow...

I just want to say that I love my parents, my family, my friends, and I have a hope in humanity. Even though the innocence of our generation was lost a year ago, as it has been to each generation before us, I think we still have to go on, carrying the ideals which we still hold to be true and worth struggling. Ideals such as forgiveness, humility, and sacrificial love. I definitely accept the frailty of this fallen world more than before, that humankind is constantly at war with itself, and admit that I have gotten more cynical. Everytime Mr. Bush end one of his speeches of rememberance of the lives lost with how we are going to win a "war" by attacking Iraq, I feel disappointed because he is messing up this golden opportunity as a representative of not only Americans, but as a global citizen, to take the high road and set an example to others that we should not repay evil with evil. If we bomb Iraq and maybe even take out Saddam, all it will do is raise up a young generation of Iraqi's to hate Americans. I feel like we're never going to change, and this cycle of violence won't end. We cannot conduct pre-emptive strikes on other nations and heads of state. Once we do that we give a valid excuse to everyone else that it's ok to kill heads of state if we feel threatened. If it's ok for us to conduct our business under that assumption, then who's to say that Iraq can't conduct their business that way and plot to kill Bush right now and still say it's ok.

And so it is...will we ever be doomed to maintain the lifestyles of a certain group of humankind at the expense of another group or will we be able to base our decisions with the entire humankind in mind? I dunno, the circle that separates who is for us and against has to be drawn somewhere. Maybe for Bush and others, the line is drawn at the US citizenship level. Maybe including all the people of the world inside this circle is too idealistic, given the world we live in. I'm not sure. Man, I'm over-analyzing everything again...

Anyway, I just wonder if 9/11 has changed our American lifestyle in any way. Do we even think about the same questions we asked ourselves a year ago anymore? About what makes these people so angry that they would do such a thing and why did they feel so angry and can we do anything to change the way they feel about us? Are we more thankful of what we are given here in this world than before?

The reality is this. There's just so many thoughts and ideas in our heads, but really, that's were it is, in our heads. Nothing happens until we take little actions here and there. I think about how small of a circle I live in and I guess all I can do is to try applying those idealisms in my sphere. Little actions here and there. I know I'll get distracted, lazy, disappointed along the way, cuz we're all human, but at least the effort should be there also.

There, I'll get off the microphone now...On a lighter note, I played Samba de Amigo with those funky maracas yesterday at June and BK's house. Happy Birthday to Brian! It's such mindless fun...dancing with flashing maracas to the tune of the reggae version of Aha's "Take on Me" or the Austin Powers theme... do DO DO do do, do DO DO do do... :D Super Monkey Ball too! It's such a fun party game. Those crazy Japanese videogames designers sure know how to have nerdy fun...