SEARCH OPEN LETTER

Spirtual lessons learned from my study abroad

Dear Searchers,
Welcome to Search and to an experience that will forever alter the course of your life. Know first and foremost that you are meant to be here, in this moment, at this hour, in this place sitting next to the people to your right and left, in front and behind you along with all of the people that will come into your life in the next couple of days, whether you know them just now or for the rest of your life. Whatever that moment is to you, cherish it, respect it and honor it, for it can be a powerful tool for you throughout the course of your life.
For me, this moment in time, represents love. Pure and simple love and the idea or concept that no matter who you are, where you come from, or the life experiences you have faced or will face, you should know that somewhere in this world there are people who not only love you, but are there for you in ways you would never expect them to be. In your darkest hour know that there is someone in this world who loves you. It truly is all around you, and every where you have ever gone or ever will go.
In fact, I’m writing to you now from Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam on my travels around the world through a program called semester at sea where we live on a fully staffed cruise ship traveling the globe at yes, 20 miles per hour. We have visited such countries as Brazil, South Africa, India, Vietnam, and Malaysia. It’s been an amazing adventure so far and when you get this I will be in the historic city of Bejing, China. I’m truly living my dreams.
One of the most fascinating things that I have learned on my adventure is the incredible capacity for human beings to love. One of the saddest things in the world to me used to be the simple fact that I would never meet each and every person in the entire world. There was just something about not being able to know who each person is on the inside and out, understanding their life histories and what life experiences made them who they were. But I’ve come to realize that to a degree I already know every person in the world who has existed and will exist some day and that is because we share something very important in common, and that is our humanity. No matter where I have gone, a simple smile lights someone up inside. A child’s innocent laugh is just the same as well, and so are the tears of woman begging for food for her child. The joy and pain of the world is cross cultural and imbedded in each and every one of us.
On my journey I have been blessed to feel the warmth of the Indian Ocean as the sun beat down on our ship. I have tasted the spices and teas of India. I have heard the beautiful laughter of children who simply love life in South African townships. I’ve smelt the incense in the air at a Hindu prayer service. I’ve traced my hands along the marble stones of the Taj Mahal. I’ve been part of a massive gyrating body of people creeping down the street to loud music celebrating carnival in Brazil. I’ve gone on a safari and seen baby lions, elephants, deer and more I’ve awoken to a sunrise so beautiful it brought me to tears. I’ve taken the same path that millions of slaves had to travel from South Africa to the Americas. I’ve felt the hand of an untouchable. I’ve seen, heard, tasted, smelt, and felt the world and when it comes down to it, I’ve truly seen how interconnected we are. How our lives are parallel to many we may never meet, but most importantly in my heart I have witnessed how alike we all truly are.
So as you sit there bathed in love from around the world, reflect on what this love means and how it applies to you and your life. How this feeling that you are feeling right now is shared by millions around the world in a million different ways and how truly interconnected we all are and could be if we were to give it a little more attention. No one can be alone in the world when they learn to look into each other and see what we all have in common, what we share, the love that we have for our world and one another. So please continue the rest of your Search knowing how beautiful you are simply for being you and how your existence in and of itself makes the world we all share that much brighter and beautiful because you are here. Remember to live awake and aware that this world is amazing and that right here, right now is the moment to shine, to be yourself, to love yourself and others, and to live your dreams in the here and now.