July 4th

How do you celebrate a place as diverse as America? What do you do to celebrate a concept as big as "freedom"?? I guess that's what makes July 4th so special to us all, we can celebrate America's independence day any way we see fit. Fireworks are probably the most popular way and for good reason. Painting on the night sky with fire and light is a poetry unlike any other. This year I was lucky enough to see our nation's largest fireworks display explode above our nation's largest city. But I also celebrated in a much less traditional way.

Macy's Fireworks Spectacular

I'm concerned that our nation is becoming too polarized. It seems to be getting easier to isolate ourselves from any differing opinions and convince ourselves that we are always right and that the opposing factions are always wrong. If you're a conservative you can watch Fox News, listen to Rush Limbuagh, and talk with your conservative friends. Or if you're a liberal you can watch MSNBC, listen to NPR and chat with your liberal friends. And you never, ever have to hear that you might be wrong.But we're all wrong sometimes, we're only human. This nation was founded on diversity and we need others to challenge us and share with us their different points of view. Or else we shall become divided and fall. This July 4th I felt it was important to spend at least a little time around people with differing viewpoints. So in addition to fireworks, I also went to an independence day "teaparty", which was a conservative political rally. I don't agree with most of what was said at the rally, but I was filled with a sense of unity and pride in the freedom of expression this great nation affords us all. If America has just one lesson to teach us, it's that we should not shy away from diversity but rather embrace it, for diversity makes us all better. United we Stand, divided we fall. So we all better embrace diversity and learn to talk with (and even learn from) people we disagree with or there is great trouble ahead.

Two Cultures Unite

It's 1 A.M. and I just got back from a wedding in New York City with a Chinese bride and a Texan groom. If you had told me my life would be this exciting a few years ago, I might have thought you were crazy. The marriage was a true union of cultures and lovers. Their hybrid wedding consisted of a mostly western ceremony with a mostly Chinese reception.
I ate over eight courses (I lost count after the duck) of authentic, non-westernized Chinese cuisine. It seems that cashew chicken, chop suey and fortune cookies are all American inventions rather than dishes imported from China. The experience was entirely enjoyable, although not completely delicious to my untrained palate.
I consumed steak, ham, duck, squid, sea cucumber, jellyfish, lobster, fried mayonnaise shrimp, and a few things I couldn't make out. Some of them were genuinely delicious and all of them were certainly interesting. I had an amazing evening exploring new dishes, dancing and most importantly watching two very diverse cultures unite in a glorious festival of love and commitment. I love weddings and this was definitely a great one.

Democracy in Action

While visiting the largest state capitol in the country recently, I got a chance to see a session of the Louisiana senate. It was a powerful moment, an opportunity to see the gears that drive this great nation forward.

Democracy in Action

But as I sat there watching the senators listen half-heartedly while checking their facebook pages, I began to wonder. Will democracy continue to evolve? I think that this generation's technological advances should change how our country is run. Everything else has been transformed by our ability to communicate around the world faster than we can think, so why not the foundations of Democracy? I'm not just talking about changing the outdated rules that allow a presidential candidate who received the majority of votes to be declared the loser, like some sort of bizzaro election.

Bribery in Action?

I wonder, will there ever be a day when there are no congressmen, and each bill is voted on by every American from their living room? That would require us all to be well informed and educated, so that day may be far away. But perhaps the day when Senators are seen as interpreters isn't too far away. Imagine a world where our senators break down each bill into basic language and post them online with a list of pros and cons, or thinking points. And then his or her constituents advise their senator how to vote through an online poll. It seems to me like this would distribute the government's power even further among the people and fight corruption. It's a lot harder to bribe millions of people, asking them to listen to special interests. Who knows how technology will continue to change our world, but hopefully it will shed more light on how our government is run.

Liberty Enlightening the World

She is beautiful in more ways that I can describe. In fact, it would be folly to spend more than a few words trying to describe her beauty. Even pictures cannot capture the inspirational joy she gives all who visit her island.When I visited America's greatest symbol, I got a glimpse of how America must look to foreign eyes. I often forget that America is a far away land to most of the planet. But when I was surrounded by people from all over the world who came to behold the most powerful symbol of freedom ever made, I glimpsed America from their eyes. She is beautiful and full of hope, America. We owe it to Lady Liberty to keep her that way.
I think the Statue, a modern take on the Roman Goddess Libertas, is so moving because it connects us to the past in the same moment that it implores future action. It's not often that our past, present, and future converge in a single moment, but when they do it's a moment you'll never forget.