Paradigm Shift Needed

It appears our world and most countries on it are ready for a massive shift in the way things are done. We have moved from simply desiring to desperately needing changes in energy sources, conflict resolutions,and communication. The majority of newspapers all across the world are currently publishing pieces focusing on the wonderful hope that the grave economic, social, and political problems might be solved soon. Hope. Could hope be the word the world has been needing in order to adequately transition from the war trodden 20th century to the unknowns that will manifest themselves in the 21st century?
I would agree with the new President-elect, Barack Obama, as he spent over 20 months on the campaign trail passionately professing that hope was and is what the United States of America as well as the world needs and needs now.
Our world is in need of a massive change. Whether in the macro or micro areas of our world, a shift in the way things are done appears necessary. If you run into a wall once, why would you ever continue to repeat your mistake? Obama strongly agrees with this idea that we must be able and willing to admit our mistakes and be able and willing to listen to those around us for a possible solution to the problem.
Underneath the surface of every major historical and contemporary problem there lies a more fundamental problem. Fear, hate, and lack of communication are three that come to mind initially. I would like to add a fourth one that is especially existent in the US: irresponsibility.
This notion that everything is always someone else's fault and never our own is simply ridiculous. I can count on one hand the amount of people that I know that consistently take ownership and responsibility for their actions. One example of the way our American society lacks responsibility is seen in the huge number of lawsuits against anyone for any thinkable reason. After all, blaming another person or group is so much easier than blaming ourselves. Another example is seen in education when students are tending to blame anything other than themselves for late or inadequate work. When are we going to start teaching students and world citizens that this world best functions when people take responsibility for their actions and thoughts.
My favorite example of taking more responsibility exists in the current "Green Craze" spreading like wildfire across most developed and some developing countries. Exponential increases in alternative energies, recycling, conscious eating, and organic farming are all positive proofs that we are making progress in being more environmentally aware. If we just mix in the recent cry for hope with a stronger and more consistent responsibility for our thoughts and actions, this massive paradigm shift will be easier.
I do not want this blog to be my personal rant, but rather ideas that plant seeds to later grow when appropriate for each individual reading this.
We find ourselves on the brink of a massive paradigm shift, a change we have desperately been needing after the bloodiest century in our nation as well as world's history. The hope and unity that is currently of paramount interest in the world are the catalysts we have been needing for becoming a world filled with responsibility, compassion, peace, and grace rather than fear, war, hate, and inadequate communication.

Change.gov

America and the world are ready for and deserve more transparency in our government. www.change.gov is the answer. The President-elect Barack Obama is breaking new ground by replicating a similar weekly "Fireside Chat" that FDR calmed the troubled nation of the early 1930s with. He is doing the same thing, but with a weekly video update on his website called Change.gov. My hope is that you all watch this video and then go to the website and look around. We might as well take advantage of this opportunity to be in a more "personal touch" with our new president. We have a civic duty to stay informed and now it could not be easier to do so with this new website. Log on. Sign up for updates and stay informed.

Being not just Doing

I recently set a goal for myself: I want to BE and not just DO.
I am going to talk about my own life very briefly but hopefully emphasize this new idea that I have been working with so that you can adopt it into your own life.
I looked at myself recently, (one of those self-aware moments), and realized I was completely exhausted. 36 Final Exams were graded, homework for 2 Masters level classes was lurking, and I was moving houses all at the same time. I have rarely ever had a time in my life when I was so busy as recently.
I felt uncomfortable and unsure that this was the ONLY way to live. There had to be a different way to deal with these "lists" of things I had on my "plate".
As life tends to do when we are living happily and doing good, someone came into my life and enlightened my thought. They made me aware. They opened my eyes.
They said to me, "Jon, try to not just do. Don't be just a doer. Try more BEing."
So, there you have it. Is it easy to do this? It has its hard points; however, I can assure you that things are much less stressful and more more happy and harmonious.
I don't usually write about my personal life in this blog, but maybe one time in a long time is ok. I'd love to hear from people what they think about this idea. It changed my life.

Michelle Obama and Family

Anyone that watched Obama with his family instantly feels chills down his/her spine. Their pure genuineness and overt love could not be a better example to those people struggling with what a happy family looks like.
I have hardly ever heard a man talk about his wife as Obama talks about Michelle Obama. His speech last night was testimony of this point. He introduced his wife as: "I would not be standing here without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nations next First Lady, Michelle Obama."
This video shows the sincere love amongst their family.

Obama's Perfect and Graceful Acceptance

Please take 17:25 and watch this video whether you are black, white, purple, pink, red, or blue. This speech is truly history, not in the making, but history MADE.
God bless America and the horse it rode in on.
The next two videos are the speeches by McCain and Bush. Both of these videos are worth watching as they are, on the whole, unifying and positive speeches. Enjoy.

It is time to actually unify as a nation and as a world

For those who love the election turn out, I offer my happiest hugs. For those who are frustrated and upset, I offer something a bit different.
We MUST as a nation lift our thoughts higher now. We must hold ourselves more responsible for our actions and thoughts. We must actually live in a post-racist nation. We must not fear. "The only thing to fear is fear itself." A wonderful man once said that who understood, just as President Obama does, that the only way for our nation to continue its road to success and prosperity is not through fear but through responsibility, integrity, and a sincere and practiced equality.
These are my thoughts to those struggling right now. I struggled to elect another war hawk into the presidency 4 years ago. It has been hard for me to watch my two cousins and friends go into a war we should have never been in in the first place. I have had to swallow my disagreements and support them though. They risked their lives (4 tours for one of my cousins) because some men thought stepping into a 1400 year old sectarian conflict was the right choice.
Now, we live in a new world. I speak to all humans all across the globe. Black, brown, white, purple, and pink in skin color. Now is the time that we can actually do anything.
What will we do now?

This is simply embarrassing! Palin is in no question NOT READY

I got the opportunity to go canvassing for Barack Obama last Sunday with a good friend. We talked extensively about the important issues we are going to have to vote on TOMORROW!
If you are voting for McCain/Palin, you need follow this link and listen to this "Interview with Sarah Palin" by the President of France, "Sarkozy".
Here are the facts about this interview according to the BBC.
"Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been taken in by a prank call from a Canadian comedian posing as French President Nicolas Sarkozy." It turns out that a Canadian comedian actually was able to get on the phone with Gov. Palin and convince her that he was the President of France?!?! Don't you think that her advisors would be a little bit more cautious than to automatically hand her the phone when the person says they are "Sarkozy, President of France"??!??!
This is simply amazing to me. Please do me a favor and listen to this prank call and then ask this question to you self in an honest and urgent manor: Is Palin really ready to be Vice-President of the United States of America?
Link to the Prank Call from Canadian Comedian

Changeling

I strongly recommend you to go out and see the new Clint Eastwood film, “Changeling”. There is no question in my mind that Eastwood is "on fire" when it comes to directing and producing films lately, (to use the common speech of the basketball world). If you saw his other masterpiece movie, “Mystic River”, starring Sean Penn, you will remember feeling quite uncomfortable during much of the movie. I hope that this next comment will not move people reading this to not see the movie; however, I will say it nonetheless. I am predicting that if you see this film, “Changeling”, you will feel 10 times more uncomfortable than you felt when watching Sean Penn screaming to see his murdered daughter in “Mystic River”. That made the movie, however, that much better for me! It was so real and heart-wrenching.

So discomfort aside, I would love to share why I loved this film. For the sake of taking too much away from this movie and ruining it, I will keep my excitement about this movie brief. I loved the film because of its masterfully crafted script, its downright beautiful score, and its perfectly acted characters. John Malkovich’s character is nothing short of an exact personification of the true definition of moral courage. The character who plays the LAPD corrupt police Captain makes you want to jump into the movie and yell straight in his face to wake up. And then, there is Angelina Jolie. If she does not win Best Actress for her role in this film, then something has seriously gone wrong in this world and/or the entire Earth moved off of its axis just a bit.

You probably had thought about going to see this film already, but hopefully after reading this you are now going to see it with more urgency and desire.

Go to their website to watch a trailer if you still are not convinced.