Time To Switch Things Up

After the life changing experience I had yesterday, I thought I should focus on that rather than sports, though I'll touch on a few things before heading into the feature presentation. Feel free to skip the next few paragraphs.

This might have been one of the most uneventful NFL Drafts that I can remember. The talent just wasn't there this year. There are plenty of good football players, but there isn't anyone with that "It" factor. Mark Sanchez sort of hits upon it but barely.

Draft winners: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles
Draft loser: Oakland Raiders (I feel this one is fairly self-explanatory)

And the rivalry continues. Sox and Yankees. Their past two games have been extraordinary on an entertainment level. In the long run, these games mean very little.

And now, your feature presentation: The Rescue.

So, my boy Charles got me into the whole Invisible Children thing. Once I heard about the atrocities in Northern Uganda, it changed everything. To hear about little children being abducted from their homes and families just sicks me to the core. I had helped with a book drive held at school in conjunction with the Awareness Club and Invisible Children, I had attended a benefit concert, and I had told everyone with ears about what's going down in Uganda. Still, I felt like I wanted to do more. Then came my chance. The Rescue. A world wide event held in 100 cities to help rescue the child soldiers of Joseph Kony. This was my chance.

Yet there was one tiny problem. There was no way I was getting permission to stay overnight in front of the Capital Building. There was no getting around that. It just wasn't happening. Was it all over before it started?

But when you think it's all over, it's not over.

Not going just wasn't an option. So I did what I had to and lied. Despite what I did, I knew there was no way of staying the whole night, but just going was just as good. I know God will forgive me for lying to my parents, but I just had to go. For the record, I told my parents I was hanging out in Fredricksburg for the day. (I don't understand how that was okay but doing something for the greater good isn't.)

Once I got to D.C. it was amazing! There were so many people there. All of them will the same goals in mind: to save the child soldiers and get Joseph Kony. The excitement in everyone's eyes and in there body language shows the power of numbers to make a point, to send a message loud and clear.

Soon after the march from the Ellipse to the Capital Building began. We split ourselves into groups and each group tied a rope to their hand to represent the child soldiers. I'm not gonna lie, it was a lofty walk through the streets of Washington, but well worth it. The march alone helped spark awareness in so many people wondering "What the hell are all these kids doing?".

"We're changing the world. That's what the hell we're doing?"

Everyone there was so friendly. It was in awe to see so many people in one place. It was incredible. The speakers that showed up motivated everyone to such a degree, from Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy to an actual leader in Uganda. They spoke with such emotion and truth. It was surreal, to say the least. And you could not ask for better weather until...

It was around 8:30 and the sky was covered in darkness. You could feel it in the air that something was coming. Then lightning struck. You could see it back in the distance. It was intense. For the next few minutes. You could vaguely feel some rain drops. Except for the lightning in the background, there were no large eminent signs of anything huge. Then, suddenly, like a sign from the heavens, the rain started pouring down, getting everyone wet. And what did we all do, we got together around some bongos and started chanting in unison. If mother nature was testing us, then she did a bad job at it because we weren't leaving. Well, eventually I HAD to leave, but that's beside the point.

We can easily make a difference in the world. No doubt about it. The experience I had at The Rescue I won't forget. It was well worth it lying to my parents. Not that I promote lying and deception. But I do promote to help change what's wrong with the world. In the United States, we are lucky not to have world hunger, child soldiers and a plethora of other social issue. It is our job to help in whatever ways we can. These last few hours have sparked something new inside of me. With the right mentality and spirit, the world is destined to turn darkness into light.

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