Hello World

In January 2010, I'll be traveling across the world with Feleciacruz as part of a Fighting For Futures initiative.

In this blog, I will document our experiences leading up to and on our voyage. Topics covered will vary widely, depending on my mood and my thoughts. There will be minimal editing; what goes up will be what's in my brain.

I don't like to think of what we (will) do as philanthropic - that is, even though we'll be "teaching" photography and music to kids, I plan on learning more than teaching. I am not going to paint myself as a selfless saint - my goal is, in fact, self-serving.

I recently saw a tweet that made me think. It was something along the lines of "perception without familiarity is reality." When we are children, everything is new; our eyes are full of wonder and we play in the true sense of the word. As we grow older and more familiar with our surroundings, we start ignoring the magical absurdity of existence; we get caught up in bills, possessions, disagreements, politics, pain, and so many other things. We lose touch with reality as-it-is.

Is that what life is about? Growing up in a world without magic? Perhaps. But we can choose to constantly experience new things, to embrace change, to keep that innocent wonder commonly found in children.

Not all children have the good fortune to be able to live an innocent life. Some of the kids we will be working with in Cambodia have seen more horrors, worked more hours, shed more tears than many American adults - what I want to give them is a reflection of what I want to get from them: fresh eyes.

When one travels, one notices the beauty in the tiniest things. For example, every time I walk out of the Kochi Airport in Kerela, I am absolutely blown away by how green the trees are. Everything is brighter. The smells, the feelings, the sounds, the tastes of a new place really open up your mind! You become like a child, seeing the wonder in the tiniest things! This is "perceiving without familiarity"... this is experiencing reality as it is.

By playing with these kids - by "teaching" them about music and art, I hope to give them a brief moment of "fresh eyes" as well - an opportunity to share in the excitement and beauty of learning something new, seeing something a different way, and truly enjoying life to the fullest.