Me no speak no Americano

As much as I love the magnificent sight of the Rocky Mountains, the warm Colorado sun which warms up the days long until September, the current exchange rate which makes me a king in America, and the large coffees, when I was asked by a random small talk acquaintance, if I could move to the States, my immediate answer was: no way!

It’s fun to visit, but I would go crazy if I actually lived here. I don’t want to offend anyone, I’m just being honest. And here is why:

1) Americans still believe that having just two extreme opposites in the government is democracy.

2) Americans have absolutely no idea what socialism is. For them it’s the biggest nightmare and the end of the American dream. When the world’s third richest man Warren Buffet publicly stated that the tax cuts for the wealthiest have gone too far, and that they need to pay their share, he was accused of being a socialist. Excuse me?!

3) Whenever I hear the word ‘terrorism’ here I want to puke. Attitude towards Muslims and Arabs is unheard-of.

4) The pure lies spread in the news, mostly in TV. It is true that America has an outstanding record in investigative and war journalism, but they also hold high records in propaganda. It makes me sick to watch some news shows (Fox news, krhm), because of the pure lies, opinions and assumptions that they portray as facts.

5) Many Americans actually truly believe that they are the greatest nation in the whole world. Any nation that lifts itself to such stand, I feel uncomfortable with. Definitely don’t want to live there.

I could continue this list for a long way. My intention is not to insult anyone and I know there are many Americans who do not fall into the category I portray here. But sadly enough, this is the feeling that I have been getting since I’ve been here.

So since I will not be staying here, my future country of living will be… Mexico! Because politics and journalism is so much simpler there! All you have to do is pay the drug cartels for protection. Awesome.

All kidding aside, I will be going back to Mexico and starting to write my thesis there. It’s going to be an interesting ride, so tag along.

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy."

-Earnest Benn

Love is patient, love is kind

Today I have a topic in mind that probably differs from previous texts. You may think it’s not very journalistic, you may think it’s soft, you may think it’s idealistic, you may think it’s nothing but a vague dream. And you might be right. But I’m going to write about it anyway.

I’m talking about love.

When I look at the world today, it makes my heart ache. It seems that human kind is incapable of love. Sure people love each other, they love their children, their parents, their spouses, even their siblings (most of the time). But what does it really mean to love?

The Bible describes real love very powerfully: ”Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1^st Cor. 13: 4-7, NIV)

Now think about the people you love. Is this the kind of love you feel? What if you get hurt? Is it easy to dig back up all the old things, things you have forgiven already?

True love does not seek for its own good, true love forgives, true love doesn’t remember the wrong things or the pain. But who can really love like this? Is it even possible for humans?

Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and pray for those who seek to hurt us. His teachings were revolutionary at his time – and they still are today. Now whether you are Christian or not, these words must make you think. Even if you don’t believe in God, maybe you believe in love, or in peace. Peace in the world or in your heart can’t be accomplished without pure love.

I truly believe that the only solution to the problems of the world is to start loving each other. Forgiving the people who hurt you the most, praying for those who seek to destroy you and your family. That is the only way.

Hatred is easy. Love is hard.

It is so easy to become bitter, to carry anger in your heart, to hate others and blame them for the pain. Loving is difficult. Loving your enemy is not easy. It does not come to us naturally. But loving is also a choice. It’s a decision we make.

Maybe it’s idealistic. Maybe it has nothing to do with journalism. But I believe it and I stand by it.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

- 1st Cor. 13:13

Respect the Mountain

Three years ago in August in Colorado, United States, at the Rocky Mountains National Park, I pushed myself to the limits I didn’t know I had and conquered the highest mountain and the most difficult climb (class 3) at the Park.  And I did it all in outstanding time: that was due to the bet I had with my friends, who at the time were laughing at me when I said I wanted to climb Longs Peak in five hours (final time was 4hrs 20 minutes, which for a first timer is really good).

I remember coming down the mountain, my whole body in pain, my lungs screaming for mercy and my muscles aching. Even though the breathtaking view on top of that 14,250 feet (4,3km) mountain was totally worth the pain, I swore to myself that I would never put myself through that much suffering ever again.

Yet there I was, climbing the same mountain exactly three years after.

There is just something amazingly magnificent about mountains. I’ve always been in love with nature, and connecting with it has been close to my heart. I also want to push myself to the limits, to exceed myself.

This time I knew that I was not in as good shape as I was three years ago – back then I trained six months just for the climb. Also my sickness in Mexico had squeezed me out of my strength pretty bad and it was only about three weeks ago that I started training again.

But I still wanted to climb it. Test myself. Test the mountain.

If last time I conquered the mountain, this time definitely the mountain conquered me. With my friend, we were able to climb all the way to the Keyhole, so about 12 kilometers. But the last kilometer to the peak was impossible for us to reach. The weather was drastic, the wind so strong that I could not stand up without being blown away. So we realized that we have to respect the mountain and its powers and not risk it. It was too dangerous. Besides dark clouds were gathering above us and lightings are the biggest threat while on a mountain.

Like I learned in Croatia, at the Plitvice Lakes National Park, nature will always be stronger than man, nature will always win. This time the powerful mountain was too powerful for me to conquer. Respect, Longs Peak! Still it was a good climb, and my body is once again in pain.

Can’t wait for the next challenge!

"You can never conquer the mountain. You can only conquer yourself."

-James Whittaker