X's & O's

Salé, Randy, Conor, and I having a great night in Niš.

Change. It can be for the better, or what seems for the better at the time, and later it might not turn out the way a person had anticipated as "improved". As in anything, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and sometimes, it can be difficult to see. During a time of struggle it may seem like a bad decision lead to these crossroads, but "change" takes over the situation through the process of time and may have earned a positive end result that wasn't very clear from the beginning.

Sometimes people think that change is necessary, why? Because it helps us to grow, build on what we understand now and help to process what's before us. In my opinion, the more change a person undergoes the more they can comprehend and apply to not only themselves but their surroundings, and in-turn help improve their pursuit of happiness. An often used saying is, "Get out of your comfort zone". The reason for that is, to learn how to adapt, accept, and appreciate these new situations for the future.

A person that has never been forced to find shelter in the wilderness, would consider it "the worst night of their life". A person, who has never been poor, would not enjoy wearing clothes and shoes that don't fit properly, even when they should be happy to have any clothing at all. An athlete that has never lost, doesn't know how to loathe losing and value winning. A couple that has been together for 6 months decides to break up, they get back together a week later because they don't know anything else. So again, they retreat to the "comfort zone", and in-turn prove that they have a weak understanding of change and how it works. Unless, they had been there before, performed these tasks, and learned to understand and appreciate the reason for what and why they're doing it.

The same goes for people adjusting to new surroundings. If you never leave a place, of course you're not going to have any understanding or appreciation for anything that is different. Just like I said above, I feel that the more a person experiences, the more they can shape what they are attracted to whether it be a surrounding, people, food, weather, language, anything. It's a huge struggle with the human mind on how we want to take our approach to life. There are those that think the more we see and are exposed to, the more educated and worldly we are. Then, there is the opposite where they appreciate the small world that they live in and don't want to be exposed to anything else, for it would tarnish their already "perfect" view on how they enjoy the things around them and have found a "true love" within the little amount that they know and understand.

Today, in a world where people from all over the globe can come and go as they please, there are all kinds of variations of cultures, people, and surroundings where a person is exposed to a lot overtime; that person takes in every little detail and experience that adds up to an extremely encompassing view of the world. In the age that we are living now, the world grows smaller and smaller everyday, more and more people have the opportunities to discover and that's a beautiful thing. In a huge place like New York the start of something new is happening whereas in comparison to small town Nebraska for example; they never leave, find the person that they think is the most beautiful man or woman they've ever seen (probably is, since they have such a small sample size) and are content because they have no other knowledge. In relation to "traditional" American life, the population is told to live in a structured world where a married couple is supposed to "settle down", have children that live in the same place, they go to the same job everyday, with the same people, retire, and then are told to explore during retirement?

I feel that's a backwards practice in relation to where today's age is headed. You see movies where the kids are being pulled from their schools because their parents got a new job and the parents feel horrible because the children have never experienced this idea of change. If your children were constantly learning, applying, and understanding new things then there would be no remorse when they leave their friends. They would be happy to have shared the time they did with those people and begin looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.

Bare with me for a paragraph. Just because thousands of years ago humans shaped the world around having to settle in a place for lack of travel and communication alternatives doesn't mean that the world can't slowly adjust to this new way of life. I know this idea is drastically ahead of it's time, but just be open to the thought of networking with people all around the world with today's technology and ability to travel. Video feed, airplanes, cell phones, and social networking sites have replaced postal services, ground transportation, and the term "distance" is a word of the past. The new world is smashing into the old and running it into the ground with a force that no one could have ever imagined. Why not have great times and friends in Japan, Alaska, Kentucky, Turkey, France, and Australia?

An elementary view that may give you a better understanding of what I'm talking about is, The Wild Thornberry's. Eliza is the main character, she travels the world with her family, meets so many types of animals and people that all have different lives, traditions, beliefs, and surroundings. The family is specifically designed to show diversity and express a worldly appreciation of people and beliefs. Anyone watching is exposed to the idea of accepting differences and experiences in a way that helps to shape Eliza into the beautiful person that she is and the understanding that she has about the world. No matter what scenario is placed in front of her, Eliza knows how to adapt because she has done it her entire life.

Of course, not everyone's father is a traveling nature show host that lives in an awesome "magic school bus" type of RV. But a more realistic style applies to our lives today, study abroad programs in colleges, the growing number of people that fly, and modern networking is edging the human race closer and closer to this new way of life. We are a generation that is torn up in the middle of this noteworthy change in history and a lot of us have yet to realize it.

I would go as far as comparing it to old Western movies where a "new cowboy" struts into town and the first thing out of the townies mouths are "He ain't from these parts." In 200 years, if we haven't blown up the world yet, nobody will know where anyone else is from just by looking at them. More people are learning the languages of other continents, racial barriers are being knocked down, and moves are being made to distribute wealth more evenly among the population. A birthplace will simply be known as a starting point in a beautiful journey that covers a wide array of people, beliefs, places, and experiences.

We're not there yet because time and change go hand in hand, but every day we move a step closer. Today, a lot of people can't afford to travel and share experiences in the way that I speak of them. Many still choose to live a small life and are happy for it. But, like many things in the world, it's a percentage game and slowly but surely I believe we're moving in the right direction when it comes to this aspect of life. I've been blessed to have been born in the United States, be a person of multiple races, and was raised in a way to have an open mind about the world. The picture at the top represents more than just great friends but a Serbian, an African American/Cuban, an Irishman, and an Asian/Caucasian that happened to be united through the game of football and the English language.


I can't wait for the opportunity to show my children and family this view of "the big picture". But even more important, I hope that the world begins to embrace it.

-One Life