Written By: Michael Sandoval

“The Beautiful World”

The Calm Before the Storm

I have been debating the submission and or sharing of this entry with the rest of the world. I have thought about it long and hard and wondered if it would be received with negative connotation as if I was expressing a political position. Please bear in mind that this blog entry is merely the emotional perspective from an outsiders look in. It is an honest and heartfelt stance on our world-wide opportunity to unite!

As most of you may know I have been visiting my parents in Las Vegas, Nevada this last week. It has been amazing to spend time not only with them but also with my sisters, nieces and nephews. I arrived into the United States ignorant. Although, I knew the problematic circumstances that have been occurring, I have been blinded and separated by distance. Living in Spain and focusing on the wide-spread fight against a virus has kept me from understanding how dreadful the country had been affected by forms of chaos, anarchy and or civil position.

Over 170 countries in the world celebrate at least one Independence Day. As a high society we are able commemorate the anniversary of our home countries receiving its freedom or adopting a declaration. Moments like acquiring something as special as a country’s independence gives us strength to unite as one and celebrate life!

It has been very difficult for me to understand how there can be so much hatred in the world. How much we allow our imperfections as humans to take over the steering wheel of life and allow history to continue to repeat itself in one way or another. We have all had family members that have gone to war in foreign countries in efforts to fight for our individual freedom. Some of them never return and most come home emotionally effected and scarred by the gruesome occurrences of combat.

Imagine waking up every morning to the sounds of bombs, AK -47’s and M249’s. The cries of people lying in the street with missing limbs hoping that someone or something could hear their desperate prayers. This is a common event in some forms of civil and world wars throughout our history. I could almost guarantee that a large percentage of our world’s population would or has not enjoyed the thought of death as normality during times of “War”.

I considered the thought of what a sports franchise would look like during the championship game if they all began playing against themselves as opposed to the defending team. It would be a depressing sight….

Are we currently that franchise? Have we forgotten that we are on the same team with the same adversary?

We as a world have been faced with a fierce opponent. It is one of the worst enemies that we can be faced with. It has the superpowers of the invisible man, strength of the incredible Hulk and the determination Superman’s desire to be societies saving grace.

It is the Virus that has prevented people from working, feeding our families and providing the opportunity to live life as “Normal” humans… It is now more than ever, that our world needs to come together to battle the “Evil Villain”; without personal nor individual selfishness in mind, but with our worlds independence at the foresight of importance.

There was a tremendous scene that I remember watching when was a child from the blockbuster film “Independence day”. It wasn’t the Sci-Fi production that I embraced, it was the message.

“Mankind…..

That word should have a new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution… but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live. To exist; and should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”

As I re-read the powerful speech given by Bill Pullman playing the president of the United States in the film, I became emotional. I thought about our possibilities and responsibility as humans. It is apparent that in the coming months we will have to set aside our differences and become bigger than any one individual. This may be the only way….. We will need to think about the future of our young beautiful children and the next generation. We must consider ways to win the “War” that our Viral enemy has declared so that we can forever experience and live in……