World Epiphany

Insight to what's going on
Information keeps us strong
What you don't know can hurt you bad
Take it from me you'll be walkin around sad
Cryin for a better day
Until you educate for a better way
So if you wanna be in control
Ya gotta get yourself in the know

Get the knowledge

---Janet Jackson's "The Knowledge" from the album Rhythm Nation


As I read last week's Newsweek magazine that I stole out of the doctor's office a few days ago I am once again enthralled by world issues. I realize just how small of a mind fence living in America has cause my lack of education about global issues has caused me to be. I read about the struggles of China and their historical humiliation that drives them to their own egotistical mindset. I also read about the beginnings of commercialism and politics that streamed into the Olympics during the 1960's and how the Olympics came about. I learned today during break about the Russian invasion in Georgia, and how America is playing bluff n' puff threatening to take action knowing we can't with our troops spread thin in Iraq and Afghanistan. As I sat through long, boring calls at work I read about China's madness during the preparation for the Olympics. I watched in the break room as they fought vigorously through each event determined by any means to dominate each sport. I watched with fascination and admiration.

I remember how so into politics and news I was and why I loved it again. It sparked the writer in me. I found my passion.

I wanted to imbibe every word, suck in every scene, decipher each history of every country I read about as I came to the realization of my lack of knowledge about the history of things that have caused the current events. I began to think madly about hitting the bookstore searching for books that would give me both objective and non-objective views on each subject. To submerge my interests and expand it as I discovered each European and Asian country's progress in history as they find their own economic struggle to gain global economic status.

I filled out a subscription card to Newsweek during work and have plans to mail it tomorrow along with a subscription card to get Time magazine as well.

I realize now again why I want to become a journalist. Why the only subject that ever grasped my attention all through my academic life was history. How I wanted to break through the barriers of my limited knowledge and be more like my mother who could tell me the history of the most obscure things and rattle it off with ease. It seems people born outside of the U.S. always teach me more than I ever seem to know. My mother, who is a very well-read former book publisher who was born and raised in the country of Trinidad until the age of 13, has such an amazing vast amount of knowledge through the things she learned through her love of books.

I want to take that knowledge for myself and treasure it.

My goal this month is not only to conquer school (which I currently re-enrolled in full time for the first time in over a year) and still maintain a full-time job but to read, read, read as much as possible about every aspect of the world and drown myself outside of the country in a world full of books. Perhaps I'll even explore the towering bookshelves stapled into my house that contain books which pages have not been turned in perhaps more than a decade.

I'm so happy to be passionate about something again I could literally cry.