This I Believe In.

On April 30, 2006 (day before International Labor Day), I posted an entry on my LiveJournal ( LiveJournal There are some pretty ridiculous things on my ancient LiveJournal, feel free to enjoy it at its fullest), it was titled "What I Believe In", and I basically listed some organizations that I really believed in. This year, on American Labor Day, instead of listing charitable organizations, I'm going to list a multitude of things I truly believe in. They will range from general philosophies to iTunes podcasts, but, all in all, these are things that affect me in a deep level, and they might just make life that much better.

I believe in Communication:

There is no issue in this world that cannot be solved with proper communication. We wrap ourselves in such ridiculous pettiness and drama, not only in our personal lives, but in politics and International Relations. We refuse to communicate because it somehow hurts our pride or traditions. So we'd rather fight. For some reason, fighting has become more honorable than negotiation and communication. I think that may be the saddest fact of all. Wars could end, poverty could end, if we all just began to communicate openly, and seriously. And by the way, communication includes letting the President of the United States speak to children about doing well at school. Although I understand how much education scares Fox News.

I believe that Technology & Art Can Save the World:

This belief may be my life's work (I hope.) If anything, this is the belief I hold closest to my heart. As human beings, I think we've conditioned ourselves to block out almost everything around us. We don't allow much of the outside world to really affect us deeply, not even the pain of other people. Art, be it music, dance, painting, photography, or film, affects us unlike anything in this world. You can put on a song that you haven't heard in years, and it suddenly puts you back in 10th grade. You can watch a film about the holocaust, and the fact that you feel even the smallest fraction of that actual pain, is astounding. Technology ties all of that together. With projects like One Laptop per Child ( OLPC ), more and more people, especially children, are getting access to the internet. And along with the internet, they're gaining access to opinions, ideas, and art from people around the world. This is huge. Technology has actually opened up the possibility for a global community. Steven Speilberg actually did something astonishing a few years ago. He took that opportunity of Technology & Art, and he gave digital camcorders to Israeli children and Palestinian children, told them to record their every day lives, what music they listened to, their hobbies and so forth. After a month, they swapped DVDs, and learned about each other. They learned that they weren't so different after all.

I believe in This American Life:

I took the title for this blog from a This American Life episode, so it's only natural that I mention it here. For those of you who don't know it, This American Life is a public radio program, a podcast, and Showtime TV show. This American Life may be my favorite thing ever. Every week, they take a theme like "Ruining It For the Rest of Us", and they explore it with multiple stories (or acts), about real people (usually) and their situations. This might sound pretty simple, and maybe even boring, but it's genius. It's hilarious, and heart-breaking, and enlightening, among many other things. While Ira Glass (the host of This American Life, and a personal idol of mine) truly believes that the best way to listen to radio is while driving, I think the best way to listen to This American Life is on your iPod while walking down the street, or in the middle of a crowd. Strangely enough, I don't think I've ever felt so human. You feel so close to every voice that comes through your headphones. I really cannot recommend it enough. Please, please download it here ( This American Life ). And If you end up loving this show like I do, please head to their website and donate. This podcast is free, and yet it's worth millions. You can donate here ( Donate )

These are just some of the things that I truly believe in. Of course, there are more, but I shouldn't turn this entry into a novel. On a closing note, I think it's important to believe in something. I encourage you to find something that you really believe in. Maybe go to Global Giving and discover a charity that speaks to you, and maybe donate and spread the word. Happy Labor Day everyone.