America in Six Words

"This works adequately, So should you."

Broadness in Ideals

I believe that not all ideals have to be predefined. For example, if someone were to ask me my feelings on the insanity plea, I would have to think and most likely discuss for a while. I would try to gather facts and make an informed decision. I think that people run into problems when they circumvent this process and try to come up with their own opinions just to have an opinion. They often make the wrong decisions due to ignorance.
However, I also believe that a firm set of guiding principals is necessary for every person to have. These principals can come from religion, family, society, yourself, or any mix of the above. Once these principals are decided and ingrained in your thoughts, then your ideology is much more likely to have deeper meaning.

Personally, I draw much of my ideology from Judaism. While I am far from strict in my belief, I do see a lot of sense and reasoning in Jewish teachings. For example, I do not believe that there is an old man with a long white beard staring down at us from the clouds named God. Nor do I believe that eating a ham and cheese sandwich is wrong. However, I do agree with Judaism's teachings of tolerance, peace, and love. I firmly believe that one human being should not hate another just because of where he was born, and that war accomplishes very little in the long run. It is these guiding principals that I use to form my ideals.

So, to put it simply, rather than pretend to know everything, I prefer to form my ideals based on facts and my strong opinions (such as those described above).

Che and America Are NOT the Same

I think these two operations are almost complete opposites. What Che was trying to do in Bolivia was upset established governments by training guerilla warriors. What America and Pakistan are doing together is strengthening the Pakistani army and government in the fight against terrorist insurgents like Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Che’s aim was to topple established governments and begin revolutions, while America and Pakistan are trying to maintain order.
The operations do have some similarities, however. Both sides of every conflict believes that they are doing the right thing. Che thought that by reconstructing some Latin American governments, he could improve the quality of life for the people. And, the Americans and Pakistanis believe the same thing now. Overall, intentions tend to be good.

It was the Bolivians.... in the jungle.... with the gun

I think the Bolivian’s killed Che. He was a prisoner, a high officer was sent to see him, and he died. I think it’s pretty clear what happened. The Bolivian’s probably did it because of what Che had done and what he was planning to do. He was using their country as a training ground for rebels to overthrow the governments of Bolivia and other Latin American Nations. A person like that, from their perspective, is simply too dangerous to be left alive.

There is Nothing Lonelier Than Adventure

There is nothing lonelier than adventure

Not the abandoning presence of wonder
Not the unnerving silence of power
Nor the gut-wrenching, heart-throbbing, mind-bending, nothingness of death.

No,
There is nothing lonelier than adventure.

What Grinds Che's Gears

Since I missed a day of the documentary, I feel like I’ve missed some crucial turning points in Che’s life story. Based on what I do know, however, I think Che’s philosophy would consider the working class and common welfare top priorities. He would categorically denounce elite wealthy treatment. I think this because of his blatant refusal of special treatment due to his government status. I especially think of how he insisted on having illiterate peasants as bodyguards and teaching them to read. Other than that, I think Che’s mission statement would try to achieve the true socialist goal of total and utopian equality.

Documenting a Martial Art of Peace

If I were to make a documentary, I would make it on Aikido. Aikido is a Japanese martial art created around the WWII era that focuses on using an attacker's energy against them. The techniques used in Aikido are designed to keep the attacker and defender safe, rather than trading well aimed and practiced kicks, punches, and blocks.

I think this documentary would be interesting because Aikido is such a unique martial art in theory and visually. It's something that is hard to explain in words, but is very interesting to see and feel.