Photos – Spangdahlem AB, Germany – 2010 (Set One Hundred Ten – The 480th Fighter Squadron Activation Ceremony Program – “Escadrille To Warhawks” – August 13, 2010

livelovethinkexist — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:16:34 +0000

Photos – Ramstein AB, Germany – 1993-1994 (Set Twelve – The Wittlich Pig Fest – Wittlich, Germany – August 1993)

livelovethinkexist — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:43:13 +0000

Photos – Ramstein AB, Germany – 1993-1994 (Set Eleven – The 600 Year Anniversary Celebration of Albersbach, Germany – Summer 1993)

livelovethinkexist — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:42:27 +0000

Photos – Ramstein AB, Germany – 1993-1994 (Set Ten – A Mosel River Boat Ride and Bernkastel-Kues, Germany – July 1993)

livelovethinkexist — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:33:06 +0000

Photos – Ramstein AB, Germany – 1993-1994 (Set Nine – A Day Trip to the Hermeskeil Air Museum and Trier, Germany – July 1993)

livelovethinkexist — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:19:34 +0000

We visited the Hermeskeil Air Museum on our way to sightseeing in Trier one day after we saw a sign advertising it along the Autobahn, and stopped in to take a look around. You can take a good look at it for yourself on the Google Map satellite photo just northeast of Hermeskeil, Germany. I found the link to the translated home page of, “airventure.de/hermeskeil” which is posted below. I didn’t take many pictures that day, but if you look at the link it has grown quite a bit over the years and is a very nice high quality and professional Air Museum today – 17 years later:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.airventure.de/hermeskeil.htm&ei=H5eBTPysLovCsAPU3IX3Bw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dairventure.de/hermeskeil%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GWYE

Photos – Ramstein AB, Germany – 1993-1994 (Set Eight – A Daytrip to Bruch, Germany – July 1993)

livelovethinkexist — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:15:53 +0000

Photos – Ramstein AB, Germany – 1993-1994 (Set Seven – An Albersbach Coffee and Cake – July 1993)

livelovethinkexist — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:32:37 +0000

The Road Less Traveled that Leads to World Peace is Called Love

livelovethinkexist — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:30:49 +0000

Many people over the course of human history have taken the road less traveled that leads to World Peace, and though some have traveled a long way - none have ever reached their desired destination. One by one they have tried and failed to complete the journey, while the world continues on in conflict as it has since the very beginning of human history. The journey seems impossible because it’s never been accomplished. So why would I choose to travel down this road less traveled? Perhaps because I don’t know any better, or perhaps because I have a hard head and have spent my life going against the grain – but actually it all started innocently enough one day at work.

After a brief discussion with a colleague at work, I casually mentioned in passing to my boss as I walked past him that, “We’ve been solving all of the problems of the world.” He said in reply, “What about Darfur?” I paused for a second to gather my best answer and said, “That’s easy - all that needs to happen is to change everyone’s heart. In a second everyone could have a change of heart and the problem is solved.” Ever since that day I have realized that changing a heart to choose Love can occur in a second – and within a single heartbeat it is possible for the entire world to choose Love and Peace – the question is how? This is uncharted territory that no one has ever solved…yet the answer is so simple because it lies within all of us to choose love. The question is – how to get the entire world to choose Love? At this point I have no clue and no idea – but there has to be a way.

So who am I to travel down this road less traveled? Nobody really. This isn’t about me or anyone really, because anyone can travel down this road – it’s free to all. The basic problem is that not enough people are going this direction. In fact to solve this problem of conflict in the world, we all have to walk this road towards Love that leads to World Peace. So I’m taking my first step in the direction of Love for Peace and invite anyone and everyone to walk with me. What is there to lose? There is only gain at the end of this road – not for any one person – but for everyone in the entire world. We spend so much time, energy and resources preparing for and waging war when necessary; so now I’m going to work towards the solution for replacing conflict with Love - for everyone’s benefit.

As with every journey there can be problems and pitfalls long before reaching the beginning of the path at the trailhead - let alone while traveling down it. I’ve been on enough journeys and adventures of my own to know that preparation helps in the beginning, but equipment does fail and storms do arise that can cause even the best of plans to go askew. At the moment on this journey towards World Peace I find that I am very much like a blind man in the dark, stumbling with every step not knowing even the direction to travel just to find the path. Luckily I don’t give up easily, and I’ll briefly recap my progress to date - or lack thereof.

At first I wanted to start a non-profit charitable foundation and quickly learned that without money this would never happen – but I carry with me daily the single anonymous $20.00 donation I was given towards this goal as a reminder that someone unknown to me actually believed in me. If they ever contact me and describe correctly the unique way it was given to me I’ll return it with interest, but until then I carry it with me everywhere I go as a reminder that a single person had faith in me – which keeps me going. So the false start on the non-profit charity was the first strike against me. So what would come next?

I decided at that point that all I had to do is switch currencies from an earthly currency like Dollars or Euros to the spiritual currency of prayer. I didn’t need an official organization or registered charity at all, but simply chose to pray for the world and for all of the needs of the world and its people. That plan seemed to work for a while as I posted prayers online for the needs of the world, until I looked into the nagging doubt that was in the back of my mind and confirmed to myself that Jesus condemned public prayer on the street corner for others to see – and realized that the internet is in fact today’s street corner. After studying the prayers of the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments by doing an online word search, I learned that although there were plenty of examples of public prayer in the Bible – they were participatory – meaning the prayer was offered by one and heard by a group in a participatory setting gathered at the same time in a single location. So that was strike two and my prayers went off to where they are meant to go – in private.

I wrote a piece the other day about why I wanted to choose the middle way through Love, that became a seven part series called, “Love Changes Everything” – describing the journey along the middle road called Love. I realized that I don’t need to have a registered non-profit charitable foundation and that this is a spiritual journey that travels through the heart. My goal for this blog has been autobiographical and philosophical from the very beginning. I’ve spent what seems to be my entire life on adventures and journeys – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – and all I wanted to do with this blog is to tell my story. My third false start was then in deciding to write about politics. I wrote a piece specifically about why I made the decision to leave the arena of politics as usual - and when I revisited it a couple of days later I didn’t like how I phrased the discussion. So I deleted the article and have vowed never to enter the arena of political commentary again. That was strike three against me.

So now I begin my journey down the road less traveled to World Peace that is called Love. This is a journey that I choose to take, along a path that isn’t easily found or started - to a destination where no one has ever been to before. I have learned that this path begins in all hearts and leads to God. Why travel down this road? Why not? Is there a more important or more pressing journey to make anywhere in the world? I don’t think so. It is the ultimate journey of mankind, where the first step is the hardest to take and nothing is ever certain; but life is in fact a great adventure that must be lived. So here I go taking the first step that begins deep in my heart, and step off into the great unknown. I have nothing to lose and the world has everything to gain.

You can call me foolish and naive – or you can take that first step with me that begins deep in all of our hearts. The road that leads to World Peace is called Love, and it is the only road that truly leads to World Peace. No one owns this road that runs through each and every one of us but God, and you’re welcome to come along with me – there’s room enough for everyone!

Cheers,

Mark

Photos – Ramstein AB, Germany – 1993-1994 (Set Six – Sightseeing in Germany – July 1993)

livelovethinkexist — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:53:02 +0000

Photos – Ramstein AB, Germany – 1993-1994 (Set Five – Albersbach, Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany – July 1993)

livelovethinkexist — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:10:23 +0000

Life, Love and the Human Condition