Zero Gravity… What an Experience!

I’ve always considered myself to be very fortunate to have immigrated to America as a child.  I have been quoted by saying that as Americans, we can be looked at as the lottery winners of the human race.  There are so many things that the average American has at their disposal that people of the World (even from the civilized world) want.

Access to experiences like the one I recently had are what makes us part of the fortunate few who can expand our knowledge and our experience in life relatively easily.  Since I was a little boy, I dreamed (like many boys) of joining the US Air Force and becoming a fighter pilot in hopes of someday becoming an Astronaut.  I remember having in-depth conversations with my best friend Michael Wright about how we would become the best fighter pilots the United States had so that we could make our country proud and fly future shuttle missions to Mars.

As you can see, we had vivid imaginations.  It’s now 2010 and we still haven’t expanded our reach to Mars, and the Moon still waits for homo sapien and our possible colonization.  Experiencing Zero Gravity was a once in a lifetime thing for me.  It fulfilled my childhood dream of being in space and feeling what the great men and women of NASA experience when they travel outside of the Earth’s atmosphere.

But reflecting on the experience after the fact, I came to terms with what incredible beings we are and how far our technology and engineering has come in such a relatively short time. To think that we have figured out the mathematics to create machines that fly us outside of our planet and bring us back safely is truly remarkable.  This defines our species’ dominant role on this planet, but it also creates a secondary, and what I consider more important secondary responsibility.  We are ultimately the custodians of this marvelous place we call Earth and the species that inhabit it with us.  This responsibility extends to our neighbors as well.  Having the fortune to live in a country where almost anything you want and every opportunity is easily accessible, we have to duty to give back and take care of one another.

Observing this principle should serve to broaden our sense of charity and stewardship.  One of the principles that I try to bring to the daily duties of my practice is giving back.  Education is ultimately what got me to a place where I could take a Zero Gravity flight.  Understanding the critical role education plays in shaping a persons life, I decided to start  a non-profit organization that is funded entirely by the practice.  This organization will devote resources to our local community and it’s underprivileged children and provide resources that our education system fails to.

The first project we will implement is called Lil’Farmers and will focus on education in food.  Food is one of the issues that our country has fallen behind in.  Educating children about food and it’s impact on their health as well as their planet is going to be at the forefront of issues we need to deal with for a healthy and prosperous future.  A recent talk at one of my favorite conferences T.E.D. was given by Jamie Oliver, an English chef known for his growing list of food-focused television shows, his more recent roles in campaigning against the use of processed foods in national schools, and his campaign to change unhealthy diets and poor cooking habits for the better across the UK. Let’s hope that we heed this message and work together by giving back to our communities and changing the direction of food for our children so that they too can pursue their dreams and someday walk on the surface of a distant planet.  Stay posted for updates on our first Lil’Farmers project in Los Angeles… there will be a link on the Giving Back page in the next week.

I really appreciate you visiting our site, and reading my blog.  I know that if we harness that great power of being good neighbors and just plain being good to one another, we can achieve really great things.

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