Live from a Belfast Morning

Admittedly, it seems a bit odd to make my first posting to a blog dedicated to events related to, and occurring in New Mexico from a hostel in Belfast. However, the more I think about it, it seems increasingly impossible to seperate my day-to-day activities, regardless of where they occur, from those hopes, dreams, and desires that drive me to return to the Land of Enchantment just as I soon as I can. Besides, it stokes me to have created an online forum to share thoughts with friends, and I could not wait to get started!

So, here I am in Belfast, a city of history, a city of uncertainty, a city on the brink of something so new, so tenuous, so surreal that few people seem to believe it can truly and sustainably take hold. What is this unknowable something upon the brinks of which Northern Irelanders find themselves more so now than at most, perhaps any points in the past? Peace- a lasting peace.

As I meet persons of all different backgrounds, ages, and experiences here, a few things seem abundantly clear. First, people want peace. Secondly, people are frustrated by a political system they see as largely corrupt, incompetent, and interested solely in lining its coffers, as well as those of special interests backing them, with the people's hard-earned and created money and resources, respectively. Thirdly, people believe change is possible.

This makes me reflect on the political situation within the U.S. and calls to mind the way in which many disaffected citizens feel let down by political operatives and deceived, painfully so, by those strategists, corporations, and other entities backing them. In working to convince people that the system can change and government be reformed to truly work in their interest, I often initially have difficulty eliciting a favorable, trusting response.

However, as passion and commitment shine through, as well as my overwhelming desire to connect with individuals at a one-to-one level, an opening appears. It seems that there exists a special power in these personal communications that is capable of awakening in people a new hope to believe in something better for the future. This 'something' is not constrained by traditional limits of what can and cannot be done.

I hope to join in a massive effort, launched by a spirited youthful vanguard of progressive political leaders in the U.S., to fundamentally alter the way the political game is played in this country and inspire in people a new desire to participate in the process. I want to empower people by helping them come into contact with the unrestrainable courage and intellect resting within them. Everyone has a unique talent, a unique ability to shape the world, and a universal longing (which is all too frequently muddled by the day-to-day strain of living in a challenging, often unforgiving society) that unites us in a quest to enable peoples across the world to reach their full potential and live meaningful, satisfying lives. Leaders', particularly within the political realm, have a unique responsibility to put people in touch with these talents, abilities, and this longing. Only then can the world band together and live out its true calling.

This is my first posting. It shalln't be my last. Stick with me as I move back across the Atlantic to start a new chapter in my life as an elementary schoolteacher in New Mexico. The best is yet to come, and I could not be happier to be living this developing story.

Cheers from Northern Ireland.