Citizenship Now

It’s easy to succumb to reactionism today. Our phones, constantly attached to our bodies, feed us information continuously throughout the day. Thus presidential gaffes become quick news.

Reading this Truman biography during an election year was coincidence. But the contrasts between the Oval Office in 1950 and today could not be more jarring.

As citizens, it is our responsibility to govern ourselves and to direct our representatives. A phone call or letter can be the most effective way to make our opinions known, our voices heard. Facing the “choices” in November, now is the time for us to be proactive citizens, and to make our history.

Personal Dimensions

Fulfillment, success, happiness, meaning, purpose. Every human can consider these concepts, the slight variations between them. I remember writing my thoughts and convictions regarding how I wanted to live my life back in my early twenties, while living outside Cape Town, South Africa. I scribbled in a notebook alone at a table for hours at a time, simply pondering.

And I have revisited my principles and life philosophy often, sometimes modifying them. To consider how we see the world, how we define our own experience in life… this is a fundamentally human trait, and a right. When more of us think deeply about what we want, what we feel is just, and how we want to live, the world becomes smaller and more beautiful.

Fate of Contribution

We may “never know what is in store for us,” as Truman said, but I believe we can also influence fate.

I believe thinking about contribution, about creating and producing rather than consuming, affects our inclination for overall output. It’s easy to become complacent with “earning a living” and watching tv in your free time. And that’s not necessarily bad.

But in the end, if blessed with long life, I think we look back on how we contributed to the world. It’s where we derive our pride and fulfillment. How much have I contributed to the universe today? What have I created?

These questions, while sometimes painful, help us grow.

Earnest Purpose

It’s easy to get mixed up or confused about purpose in life. Especially in today’s world, distraction abounds. But I think at the end of one’s life, you think about love and your fulfillment of purpose. The best way we can serve ourselves and the world is to discover that unique purpose, and pursue it with earnest.

Momentous Citizenship

Recovering from traveling and the time change, I read a lot of my Truman biography book at home today.

I can’t help but feel we are living in a momentous time period politically. That we must rise as citizens and actively guide our country toward our desired direction.

Most people in this country, and in the world at large, can agree on basic, just policy. We all want the same things: love, freedom, health, and opportunity. We can show this with our votes and our voices this year.

Will we rise?

Airport Differences

Airports are a good barometer for cultural differences. Because everything is fairly standardized internationally within airports, you can isolate variables to an extent and gleam glimpses of how locals really behave: what they eat for breakfast, how rigid or chill their adherence to procedure is, etc. I noticed this while passing through the Rome, Barcelona, and San Francisco airports today.

It’s also somewhat of a microcosm for our planet: despite our smaller differences, we’re all one species living on this one rock together.

Arrivederci Italia

Today was the journey back to the mainland and back to Rome. We hauled our bags up the cliff from our perched villa to the “main street” on Ponza, then drove our Jeep Samurai-Santana back to the harbor. An hour ferry back to the Italian coast, then a quick zip to the beaches of Sperlonga.

The beach was incredible; shallow, sandy, and devoid of crowds. The hilltop town towering in the distance was as picturesque as the villages of Cinque Terre. It was one last magical day in the sun.

I often tell people Italy is my favorite country. This trip reinforced that even more. Rome, Ponza, Sperlonga—amazing places that each captured my heart in unique ways. Europe is a fascinating continent, and our time in Spain, just one week ago, seems like another lifetime.

People on this continent have been perfecting their way of living for centuries. I respect their culture and hope to continue to learn from them. We’ll be back some day, hopefully soon. But now it’s time to make our way back.

Patriotic in Ponza

I’ve been reading a biography on Harry Truman and have felt more patriotic. I enjoyed the most atypical Independence Day here in Ponza, Italy: we rented a boat and cruised around the island, stopping for a swim amongst the towering rocks. There was no English spoken anywhere around us.

Yet for all the bliss experienced today, I also felt lingering background thoughts about my country. Truman faced perilous times at the close of World War II and immediately after; his immaculate character was necessary to keep the country afloat. It feels as though we are in similar dangerous times. There are multiple sinister wars abroad, the country’s economy feels precipitous, and the two candidates in our upcoming election seem completely inadequate.

It’s thus time for us ordinary Americans to be extraordinary citizens. To talk about domestic and foreign policy, to write to our representatives, and to of course vote. We must be the change we wish to see in our country and in the world. We can help lead the world toward peace, we can fix our economy so that all have a chance at a decent life, and we can nominate leaders of whom we are proud and confident. But it takes doing.

Two hundred forty eight years later, on America’s birthday, we need true patriotism. Are we willing to provide it?

Blissful Existence

No alarm clock. Politics and the news machine fades away. Simply looking out at the view. Such isn’t suitable for a lifetime maybe, but for a few days? It’s important to take breaks. Ponza is bliss.

Island Wonder

I got to chat with my old housemate today who is also currently living the island life, in Greece. Being here automatically unlocks possibility. With basic needs met, the simplicity and beauty of the island feels like all you need. Millions of people around the world have inhabited islands for millennia, living out a simple, but likely fulfilling, existence. It’s just another way. I’m grateful to experience this and wonder more.

Ponza Arrival

Sometimes exotic places require a lot of effort to reach, and it’s better that way. You appreciate your surroundings when you have to sacrifice time and sleep to reach them.

Ponza is a minuscule island off the coast of Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea used as a retreat/hiding place for Roman Emperors. I feel like royalty in our villa on the cliffside. Tiny and secluded, this rock is inhabited by friendly and quirky individuals. And can’t such be said about the Earth as a whole?

We’re exhausted, but ready to enjoy a place I had never heard of a few months ago. What an amazing planet and an incredible time to be alive.

Eternal Forever

Rome is hands down my favorite city in the world. The vibrant energy of the city center is unmatched: local Italians indulging in the wild beauty of life, with tourists clamoring to share in the culture. Roma is a living, breathing open air museum with thousands of years of history. Art is all around you. Italians are content with their place in the world. All is well in the Eternal City, where fresh water flows freely from fountains everywhere, one walks the same cobblestones as Caesar, and you can bask in the passion and glory of one of the world’s most renowned cultures. I am grateful to experience a few days of all the majesty.

Roman Style

I felt a rush while wandering the Eternal City this afternoon. Rome is basically a giant museum, and we’re staying right in the center of it all, near Campo de’ Fiori. Walking the cobblestones, staring up at ancient churches and dilapidated columns, one feels transported back in time. To walk the crowded, labyrinthine streets of Rome in sandals resembling caligae makes me feel like I can time travel. Roma, show me your style.

Friendly Barcelona

And then there’s the city, so much different than the countryside. I got to spend two days in Barcelona with my wife and our good friends, and it was a blast. The noise, the smells, the options are vivid and domineering. Yet the people of Barcelona are still incredibly friendly, willing to communicate however is easiest with language, and generally happy. The water of the Mediterranean from the sandy beaches is cool and comfortable. It’s a city worth visiting, and it was all the more memorable with the company I kept. Tomorrow, onto the Eternal City. Until next time Barca.

Travel Gives

Things are different when you travel. You’ll often be uncomfortable. There’s rarely a set eating schedule, and your sleep schedule is regularly disrupted. But I disagree with the recent New Yorker article, “The Case Against Travel.” Travel is not synonymous with vacation, and while the aforementioned change or inconvenience will likely be experienced in both, I think truly additive experiences only occur during travel.

I’ve met people across the world that I’m still friends with to this day. People I see every few years, maybe even only once a decade. Those relationships still teach me different ways to see the world and enrich my social life.

I treasure all my experiences with the incredible nature on this planet. I almost always hike abroad, and I hike at home often. Walking different parts of the Earth have connected me to the oneness and majesty of this planet, knowing we all share this diverse space (and need to learn to appreciate it together).

And I usually do see the typical “touristy sights,” but those are often not the experiences that linger and grow years later. It’s the new food experiences, the new relationships, the unique feelings I’ve encounter along my journey. Travel provides a window to another world, one in which you can enter if you chose. Or it can be something that enlarges your perspective. Travel can make us better human beings by being more empathetic to both culture and planet. Travel is largely responsible for who I am today. Travel gives.

European Countryside

There’s something special about the European countryside. Although completely different countries, I’ve experienced a similar peace here in Olivella as back in Umbria. The slowness, the sun dropping behind the rolling hills each evening, the quiet… it’s very different than New World California. You haven’t seen all of Europe until you spend time in the countryside, where people have lived simply yet fully for thousands of years. We have much to be proud of as a species, and one of them is the perfection of living right, in accordance with the beauty and bounty of nature.

Living with Love

Today marks my three year wedding anniversary. Marriage is one of the most consequential choices we make in life—it’s important to get it right. My wife continues to inspire me every single day, and I know I’m a better person today than I was three years ago because of her.

I can also confidently say that love is the most important aspect of life. The love we’re capable of experiencing as humans binds us together in this universe. Through love we can sacrifice our own well being for the good of others. Through love we strive to make the world better for others.

I know the world can seem dark sometimes, and there’s a lot of negativity out there in the news and zeitgeist. But I also know we can make it through anything with love. We’ve made it through our most trying times through love; we’ve made and kept peace through love. This is the answer as we move forward.

All we must do is ask ourselves: how can I live with the most love possible?

For Love in Spain

Spain is a wonderful country full of friendly people. I am fortunate to attend a friend’s wedding here. Across the world you see how different people live, and I could get used to the Spanish lifestyle. The best part—we’re here to celebrate love, both theirs and our anniversary. To adventure, to love, to hope…

What is Contribution?

The most poignant line in my morning saying reads simply:

“My purpose: to contribute to the universe.”

What does this mean? Honestly, this was somewhat vague to me, even though I recite it to myself daily, but I’ve thought about it more deeply.

To contribute means you are not simply a consumer. Anyone can eat and sleep and consume and be entertained and take from the world. Anyone can consume resources, consume energy, consume life on a basic, meaningless level. Anyone can stagnantly live.

But to contribute is to offer something, to build something with your life force. We are alive in this universe and we can shape the matter around us to create, to build something of value.

So to contribute to this universe is to use this short, finite life afforded to us to build something valuable to the universe, to create something useful for humankind, to be a net positive in the global ecosystem of our planet.

This is why we are here: to contribute to this reality we call the universe.

Citizenship not Politics

I am removing the tag of ‘politics’ from my blog.

This blog is not about politics. It's about citizenship and how we can be the best citizens possible. Politics is about power and the machinations behind government; that's not what this blog is about. This blog is about empowering ordinary people to be strong citizens in their community.

What is citizenship? Citizenship is the public act of integrity within a larger community. Our species no longer lives in small tribes, we are no longer bands of 15, 50, 100 people. We live in nations of hundreds of million.

In order to successfully function as a society, we need proactive citizenship. We need to care about politics and influence politics. It is our privilege, it is our right, it is our responsibility and our duty to be strong, engaged, informed citizens to govern our society together. Through strong citizenship we create a society of equity, justice, openness and freedom.