Creed for a Unified Life

I'm an American, yes, but also a Canadian... Although I was offered Canadian citizenship at 18 and ignorantly turned it down, my Mother was born Canadian and I lived there for 3 years growing up. Not bad, eh? And it doesn't stop there.

I'm truly a global citizen. I was raised by the famous American fighter pilot, Wayne R. Chaffer, who was awarded the medal of honor by a nation from half way round the world, Viet Nam. And during his tour of duty, i lived in 4 different countries - traveling through 15 different nations altogether. And since leaving home (is that possible if I'm really a global child?), I've travelled through 2 more - that's 17.

Not that it matters, though. In today's world ANYONE can live globally through the internet and the worldwide distribution of goods and services. I have friends from several nations and am now doing business with several outside the Americas. And (like everyone else) I'm buying a WHOLE LOT of products from "Big Red" half way around the world and some other products from yet several more. I regularly play my drums which are handmade from Nigeria, for instance.

All that to say that I'm not called to have a grid for just one small little nook in this huge planet of ours. I'm called to live as I have been raised... globally.

I need to just get used to that. I tend not to want to admit it... but I'm a citizen of the world - no political manipulation meant at all - it's just the simpe and honest fact! Tonight I spent quite some time reading posts in a forum surrounding an investment opportunity I'm interested in from Malaysia - PIPS, Inc.. It's quite an amazing global community that chats there (about some pretty interesting things, financially!) and I'm so impressed by the special scent, the rich flavor of people willing to meet different cultures in one place!

The amazing outpour of horror and soul that was wrought by last week's Indian Ocean Tsunamis is an event that, alone, has probably brought more people out of their "head-in-sand-like-ostriches" reality in recent history. In much the same way that 9-11 did, as it was a "world trade" center that was hit...

And just this week, we were visited here in my house by 2 dear friends who live in Nepal. They shared the rich, ancient, fresh, soulful flavor of Nepal.

And how does that pan out? pan-continentally!

It means I need to stay outside of the little box many put on their thinking which says "think locally."

Why limit your activism for the betterment of humanity (you ARE an activist for justice aren't you?) to just your neighborhood or city? You don't have to limit the think-realm to just that! You could be acting for just your locale but still THINKING about all people everywhere! I think the more accurate popular phrase should be said,

"Think Globally - Start ANYWHERE!"

You can make a difference right where you are, but you can make MORE of a difference if you're SENSITIZED to the many cultures of people who live on this balancing-ball with you!!!

Christopher Cross, the singer/songwriter who wrote Sailing ("takes me away to where I'm going...") also wrote,

"Open your heart until - everyone's in - it's never too late to believe - and begin."

And that's my theme song for this Creed for a Unified Life. Have a sing!