For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to make a change. I always thought about accomplishing something big; accomplishing something that would change humanity. This change would probably be headed toward peace. I feel that there is too much grief in this world. I feel that it should change. I want for it to change. I think about this, and how I would like to be out there doing….something! While I am sitting here writing on my computer, there are people dying because of hunger, thirst and violence.I would love to know that all this became history. I would love to feel that I have made an impact. To let the world know that I care, and that I can make a change! But what can I do? I realize that I might not be the only one that feels this. But if I’m not, how come we haven’t changed anything? I know why, because we are all waiting on the world to change. I keep telling myself that it will happen. The world will change. But when?! Maybe I am making a change by stoping and thinking. If everyone stoped to think, wouldn’t that make a difference? But for me thinking is not enough. I really want to do something. I believe that the reason why there are no changes is because we are all waiting. We do not know a way to change thigns so we just wait until someone changes them for us. It would be a relief to know that there has been a chance, but if we all think the same way there is not going to be any change. I feel that we all have to get out there and act. If we do not know how to make a change by ourselves… well, together we could make a difference. A greater difference. “Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.” (John Lennon) Lets not wait on the world to change. Lets change the world ourselves!!!
Last night I dreamed that I was scuba diving. This morning, when I woke up, I realized that I love scuba diving more than anything else. I am currently an advanced scuba diver. When I tell people about this passion, they usually give me comments such as “Aren’t you scared?” or “Don’t you get tired?.” The answer is no! I love the sensation of being submerged in a completely different world. How can I not know about what has been there all along? Even when I have been down there many times, every time it feels like I still do not know what surrounds me. Everything functions differently. It is like you are suspended in a bubble in which there is no sound. The only sound is provided by your imagination (or the sound of the instructors knife calling the divers.) Fishes surround you with their amazing colors which never fail to astonish you. The combinations are endless. They range from very dark ones, to fluorescent and bright ones. Because of lack of air, I do not have time to see every thing I would like to, but I still play with the bubbles. Playing with the bubbles never fails to make me laugh (not out loud, for the water would get into my mouth). The sensations felt when I see a new animal is indescribable. I feel vulnerable because I feel that I know nothing about the world I live in. Turtles, sting rays, sharks, lobsters, octopi, squids, crabs, moray eels, and many other animals make the fright of scuba diving worth while. The invisible air becomes blue water as you submerge in a world of adventure. A world in which everything is new and different. As I enter caves I feel a little tense. What if I run out ouf air while I am down there? Even with these thoughts in my mind, I enjoy every second of this experience.
I am very pleased to feel that I will never run out of people. Even though I am very content with what my blog has turned out to be, this week I want to relate my entry on something that connects with me even more. I chose peace. You have probably seen that I am all about peace, but with this entry I want to think about what peace really is. In wikipedia Peace is defined as “a state of harmony or the absence of hostility.” To me, peace is something that is not yet known to humans as a whole. Many of the people I have written about represent peace to me because they have found the balance needed. Irena Sendler, for example, risked her life by saving children. She did something that at the time was wrong, but because she knew she was doing something right. To me, she found equilibrium between bad and good. In other words, she did something that was wrong in order to achieve something that was right. Like the popuar saying “The end justifies its means.”Peace has to be achieved within a person before we can have it between people. Like Xao Tzun once said “If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations. If there is to be peace in the nation, there must be peace in the cities. If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace in the neighbors. If there is to be peace in the neighbors, there must be peace in the home. And if there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the hearts.”Other people consider peace ot be a battle. An example is Albert Camus, when he said “Peace is the only bettle worth waging.” Do agree that peace is a battle, but it does not involve anyone else. It is a battle with one’s self. I believe it is a battle because peace is something very hard to achieve completely. For me, peace is the equilibrium between one’s thoughts and their relationships and co-excistence with the world. I think it is hard because trying to find peace can sometimes lead us to things we don’t want to do. With this, I don’t mean doing bad things, but doing good things that you don’t want to do. “If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies”-Moshe Dyan. The most important message I would like to get across is that “Every one of us can make a contribution” like Wangari Maathai said. “every one of us can make a contribution. And quite often we forget that, wherever we are, we can make a contribution. Sometime I tell myslf, I may only be planting a tree here, but just imagine what’s happening if there are billions of people out there doing something. Just imagine the power of what we can do.” Every one of us needs to find peace. There is no other way to world peace, but to find peace within each individual, because “Alone, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
This is the time period I am most passionate about. Yes, you probably have heard bad things about it, but in this period many rebellions took place and peace activists started really acting. In this time period we can see people like John Lennon, Martin Luther King Jr., Andy Warhol, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Dr. Seuss, among many others. It was in 1963 where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. Even though many great thing were done throughout the sixties, many people consider this era to be ¨one of irresponsible excess and flamboyance.¨ This decade got the name of the swinging sixties because of ¨libertine attitudes¨ developed throughout it. In this decade, different groups, ranging from friendly to religious, started using drugs to achieve levels in which they felt what they thought was peace. As Paul Kantner said, “If you can remember anything about the sixties, you weren’t really there.” This decade was new, radical, and exiting, which spread onto 1970s and beyond. This period however, was difficult to the government because people were protesting against many things, that many times made them change things they didn’t want to. One of most conflictive events was the Vietnam War. People were highly opposed so there were many riots, strikes and other forms of activism. It was also hard because many times, guards and police men had to be sent to control the angry mobs. Unfortunately, not only great achievements were reached by the freedom of speech showed during this period. The assassinations of some important people were also events that marked this era, like that of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X among others. Even though these things are highly remembered about the sixties, what really marked the era was the anti-war movement. This consisted of sit-ins, protests and resistances against anything involved with the Vietnam War. An example of this is when the peace activists started to burn their tickets that would get them to Vietnam. They also burnt flyers and anything that showed agreement with the war. At first, these groups started as very small and consisted mainly of highly religious people. As time went along, these groups became larger and larger. The numerous crowds would make it easier for the activists to be heard, but also to get hurt. An example of this is the Kent State shootings. Activists were protesting against the war. Just to be sure, guards were sent to maintain peacefulness. Everything was going well that weekend, but on Monday, many other people joined the protest. It turned violent. Four students ended up dead and nine others were injured. “This event caused disbelief and shock throughout the country and became a staple of anti-Vietnam demonstrations.”
This is my favorite decade because people said and did what they thought was right. Even though many times they tried to be stopped they kept on fighting for a better place, a world without war. Peace was a main factor on this decade and even though not-so-peaceful events came with it, the people tried to be heard, and for me at least, they were. It is also my favorite because people started experimenting new things such as the modern art brought by Andy Warhol. These changes created a great impact all over the world giving a way to new ways of living.
“Under the sea!” 
