Political Politics???

It is absolutely amazing that our country will finally come out and vote in unprecedented numbers in a few weeks! I have a sense of national pride for the first time in at least 8 years and really appreciate the fact that my national pride is back. How is it back? The answer is one word: Obama.
Over the past few years I have had the chance to hear Senator Barack Obama three times in a live setting and each time was similarly life changing! Each time Obama spoke "to me" I received a distinct feeling up my spine that I get right after I write a new piano song. This kind of inspiration has driven me to never doubt the sincere hope and unwaivering integrity that I believe this unique man to possess.
You will hopefully not hear me (or read me haha) saying that John McCain is a terrible man. In fact, I believe that he is inherently a wonderful person; except for the fact that he is a puppet for a mudslinging campaign that makes him look like a poor individual when he really is not. In short, I agree with a friend who recently said that McCain's campaign ruined the image that their candidate had made for himself by the desperate, erradic measures they have taken recently.
Mudslinging....hmmm mudslinging. I do not agree with the fashion in which McCain and Palin do it. Nor do I agree with the ways Obama retaliates at times. PICK UP THE OVERALL INTEGRITY OF POLITICS PEOPLE!
I do not and will never accept the stupid excuse: "It's politics. It's ok to do that. After all, it works, sadly." I believe human beings to be inherently good until they are shaped by their surroundings to be otherwise. The social pressures to adopt a specific doctrine whether it is from your parents or from "your political party" can be things we do not have to take so seriously. Have opinions but never lose a sense of perspective.
Which leads me to my last point this morning: having a world perspective. Having traveled to the 11 countries I have been to so far in my short life, I have realized how impressively important it is to understand other countries. Not only should we be traveling to other countries, but I sincerely believe we should be participating in the societies and cultures on a more personal level. Speak to those people reading in a plaza. Smile at others when they smile. Eat on the streets with the locals.
This is the way my thought expands from one idea to another. This blog post went from politics to traveling. There you have it.