Playing for Change

One of the many questions I struggle with often is why was I placed on this Earth and given a relatively easy life to live? I live in a free country to do as I please, I have a roof over my head, food on the table, clothes on my back, heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, an education, and a job that gets me by… among many other things. Granted, I don’t have the best paying job, but even with the money that I make, I can provide for myself and my future family better than most people in other countries can ever dream of. There are millions of people that live their whole lives in fear, sickness, hunger, and pain every single day. It just boggles my mind that I get to sit here, behind the computer, in the comfort of my room, while others are out their struggling to live one more day.

With that said, I can do two things about that thought. One, simply be thankful for what I have and two, volunteer more to help make this world a better place for others to live in, as little as a footprint as that may be. I am ashamed to say that I have not done any volunteer work in the past couple years. In high school, I volunteered all the time. In college, I played a big role in organizing a charity event for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. However, since then I have been missing in action… and that needs to change.

I saw a segment on PBS the other night about an organization called “Playing For Change“. Basically, they are a group that builds schools, connects students, and inspires communities in need through music. They have a DVD coming out, of their award winning documentary, that features songs that they recorded with musicians from around the world. They spliced all these musicians together to form the songs. This song, Ben E King’s “Stand By Me”, is one of the greatest videos that I have seen in a very long time…

The power of music, and what it can do, will never cease to amaze me.

On another, and completely unrelated note… Rod Blagojevich, you are horse poop.