So, I am back in San Francisco after completing my round-the-world trip. Many people have been asking if I have arrived at any sort of conclusion - if a grand truth about the nature of the world we live in has been revealed to me and if I can tell you all what it is. And, the answer is (drumroll please) - NO! Because, I think, life does not work in such a way. We learn in small increments, slowly building up our mental libraries with experience and understanding until we reach a point where we are OK with who we are, where we are, and what kind of world we live in. This, of course, is a best case scenario - we could also just die and never reach this state - this sort of inner peace. But, my trip has brought me a bit closer, and here are some major points I took away:

• As shocking as it may sound, I have returned to America with much less anger towards it than when I left. Sure, another war has been fought during this period, a war with dubious intentions, but this is not what has dulled the heat of my dissent. What has brought this about is sadness - I feel sad for our country, for its ignorant masses, for its unbelievably shallow culture, for its shortsightedness, for its arrogance. We are a great society - the greatest the world has known in terms of technological achievement. But, we could be so much better. So much.
• The common man in Asia is happier than the common man in America. Sure, he is constantly lamenting his lack of material wealth (while his American counterpart doesn't blink to drop 200 bucks on a night of drinking), but the spirituality exhibited by those I met far outweighs any type of happiness born from wordly posession. They are almost exact opposites, the two men - the Asian has inner calm but no outer wealth, while the American has outer wealth but inner angst. Which one would you prefer?
• My hypothesis, I think, was correct - 80 percent of people in the world are the same. The all do just want to live, eat, work, and enjoy their time on the planet. Most people I spoke with had no hatred for America - they hate our government, but not the people. They understand the differences between politics and reality. But, there is a significant minority who challenges this notion and preaches hatred, and they are the ones who, most unfortunately, control a vast amount of the world's power.

So, where do I go from here? What is next for Ali? Well, I have decided to continue persuing my grand experiment. I will go back to Asia, back to the motherland, and try and learn more. I'm not sure what the future will hold for me - maybe grad school, maybe a job - but I do know that the man above has given me a unique opportunity and I will not squander it. I will continue updating this site, and I hope you will continue to read, for it is only through understanding that we can create a world in which we will be proud to raise future generations.

peace out,
ali