Random Ramble-- I Believe

I believe deeply in humanity, in something intrinsic that makes us rational; that makes us passionate. I believe in innate goodness, and I also believe in animal instinct. I believe we have certain control over ourselves, that our psyche is ours even while shaped by things that we do not own. I believe in commonality, in a shared spirit that lives within us all. I believe in pain and suffering, in trial and error, in triumph and personal success. I believe in community.
To this extent I ask myself: how can I ever be ok with playing up so severely on stereotypes? How can I be cruel to others? How can I choose to have such loose control over things that are within my power to will?
How can hatred abound?
I speak about HUMAN RIGHTS. I cannot speak to the struggle of the African (North) American, but I can relate because I have gone through similar, albeit different and maybe more diluted, struggles. I cannot speak for the Latino, from fair to brown and every color in between. See, I am submersed in the culture, my life forever intertwined, but I am classified differently. I have very little Latino blood in me, almost a negligible amount. I, claiming to be part of this Latino culture, have been treated differently, and I can speak to that. What I can speak to the most is the struggle of the homosexual. I can speak to feelings of worthlessness because it is something that is considered wrong but is beyond you to control; I can speak to discrimination, slurs; I can speak to having those you love most reject a part of you, and therefore, feeling rejected altogether. Luckily, I cannot speak to physical violence, but I can speak to almost every other kind, and so I sympathize.
I realize now that I can speak and relate to anyone who has ever felt like the outcast; To anyone who has had low self-esteem, or fail to see their worth; To anyone who has ever felt extreme sorrow; to anyone who has ever lost something; to anyone who has felt everything, and nothing at all. And although I cannot relate to the perpetual pessimist, I can say that it is true that we have all had those feelings. In short, I can speak and relate to humanity. It is something that connects us all. It is something that eclipses geographic boundaries and political lines. It is something that transcends color, sexuality, gender, and class.
Human rights; life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, as the USA standard suggests. It is not a bad standard to hold. What I want to know is, what is your standard? How do you want to make the world a better place for EVERYONE? What are you willing to sacrifice (because, undoubtedly, sacrifices have been and will continue to be made)? Can you be a visionary; can you see happiness? Can you help erase hatred?
I ask that we not only think of these questions, but that we strive to answer them, and put them in action. I ask that we brainstorm, that we discuss, that we “analyze and abstract,” as TV Reed would say. I beg of us to see that change happens, and that it starts with each and every one of us. This I firmly believe.

Game ONe-- The ONE campaign

After a long hiatus, I return with exciting news: The ONE campaign. This is an nation-wide effort to end the global problem of poverty, hunger, and disease in the world's poorest countries. The word is running quickly from mouth to mouth, from inbox to inbox, and you should get in on the action. Help raise awareness of this issues, and ultimately, help eliminate them. And there's even a specific website for college students to get involved while having fun. So I'll give you the links below. Oh and I was asked to spread the word by copying this and sending it to friends, so I'll post it here as well:



Hi,

I've just signed the ONE Declaration committing myself to help fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty.

I'm asking you to make that commitment, too, by adding your voice.

I think your name belongs on that declaration, too. You can put it there by visiting:

http://www.one.org/declare/

ONE is a new effort by Americans to rally Americans - one by one. So far, over two million have signed the declaration in support of a historic pact for compassion and justice to help the poorest people of the world.

Together as ONE we can make a difference!

Thanks!



Expect more updates on this effort in the following weeks. Game on!

One.org

One.org/campus

I care about fighting AIDS

AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a condition caused by a virus that attacks the T-lymphocyte cells that provide our bodies with defense against common diseases. This virus is known as HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The virus was first spotted amongst gay males is New York City and San Francisco in the early 1980's, and by 1983 had become a epidemic of gargantuan proportion. According to the CDC statistics, through 2006, there were an estimated 1,014,797 AIDS cases in the United States alone, 37,852 of those only in 2006. Also, there have been an estimated 565,927 deaths in thirty-three states since the beginning of the epidemic, this only accounting for about 63% of the actual figure.
How did I join the fight? My sister joined an AIDS Walk team in her High School here in New York. She decided to take me along. Now in Honduras, I began learning about AIDS in about fifth grade, so I knew a bit about it. However, seeing the multitude, the many who cared, really alerted me to how deeply rooted and widespread the problem was. I’ve walked ever since, and raised funds with my High School peers. I figured that I could help people by not only being a contributor, but a supporter as well.

My latest eye opener came this summer, while reading “And the Band Played On” by Randy Shilts. This heartbreaking, but extremely informative work of journalism reaffirmed by belief that the fight is long from over, and that AIDS does not discriminate, so there’s no reason why we should.
For more information on HIV/AIDS and what you can do, my recommended sites are: cdc.org, gmhc.org, and amfar.org.

What I care about...