The Sacrifice

Greetings my friends.  I have returned to my broken battered friend, America.  I had heard all of the stories about body cavities searches, scanners and law suits.  I braced myself as I boarded my flight from Nanjing, China to begin my journey in total peace.  I wondered what I was going to face as I flew in semi turbulent air, but even my past flight anxiety evaporated.  If I was going to make it to America or not, well, it was all out of my control.  I let the pilots do their job, and I simply did mine.  I finally let go of trying to control everything and spoke to others along the journey.  I went through security and saw all of the agents, weary, they did their jobs, but all that I had heard seemed to be a huge myth as I walked through JFK.  I was back in America.  However, I seemed to be looking for the land of the free.  Were people still pursuing life, liberty and happiness?  Right now, I see what appears like sacrificial lambs.  When I left the University I noticed a new object that was installed,  it looks like a sacrifice altar set up on the new campus.

Maybe it was an altar, acknowledging the sacrifices of old wars, however I was hoping that it was not an altar asking for new blood.  We all have shed enough blood.  I thought of all of the stories I had been told along the way from people from all over the world.  I have asked many to share their stories for the purpose of promoting not peace, but love and understanding.  I have been incredibly flawed along my journey,  You can look back throughout my blog.  I am human and make mistakes, but I also don't want to talk down or up to people.  I want as many people as possible to be able to read and understand and share the message of this simple page.  We don't have to have war to be at peace.  We can start by learning how to love people and to stop being so self-centered.

As I came in to the United States, I would smile at people and I saw their fear in their eyes, coupled with furrowed brows and looks of pain.  We have done a good job of being divided.  We sacrifice much for those whom we love; our friends, family, countries, and religions.  The things we believe in.  The things we love.  I want to use this to promote peace and love to all people.  For the people I don't know.  For the countries who are not my homeland.  In short, for strangers.  As I myself, have been a stranger in strange lands doing impossible things.  Extending hands of compassion to those I have never met before.

So in the future I am going to share stories from all that I have come to understand and know.  We all have a story.  There is no right way or wrong way.  However, I think it is time to realize that we need to stop letting others use our beliefs against us.  To stop letting others take our love and turning it into hate.  I walked out their in the world and I learned to listen to all over you.  I have shaken your hands, smiled with you, cried with you, and shared my life with you.

We all have been torn up enough.  I stopped being afraid of all of you.  I learned how to love you as you all are.  You shared your hearts, dreams and minds with me.  Now, some of my friends are going to share their lives with you.  We have all cast stones at each other, it is time to end the competitions, comparisons, and see we all can build bridges to each other.

There is no more blood that needs to be shed.  There is nothing to forgive.  You are all my friends and I accept you just as you are even if you can't accept me.  You aren't required to.  I am required to accept you if I want to be at peace.  We sacrifice only our ego, our self-interest in order to be the change we want to see in others.

I am willing to do that.  I have no control over if you are not willing to do that.  None whatsoever.  It's your choice.