The Value of a Human Life

Through every different experience in life, I learn something new: if not about others or life in general, then about myself. Recently, I picked up a cold virus that had me weak, aching, fevering, shivering and helpless for an entire night. That was, by far, the most physically unbearable and uncomfortable experience I’ve ever had. However, it made me think about something else. Health is much more important to me than I realized. Health was a privilege that I didn’t give enough credit to. Being healthy is what made it possible for me to work on achieving my goals, attending events I needed to attend, traveling places I needed to travel, and not have to worry about anything else. Being healthy is a requirement on the road to success. In a way, being healthy gives you the opportunity to make the most of your life. And there’s that word, life. Every day, there are people whose lives are saved by a donated organ. And to those particular people, that second chance at life is priceless. Because life is priceless. Waking up in the morning, picking up a newspaper, having a job that you love, smelling the rain, finishing a task, starting an exciting weekend, winning a game, attending a fun event with friends, sharing emotions with family – priceless. And it breaks my heart to see that something so fragile and indispensable can be taken away from innocent people in a matter of a second as a result of something as insignificant as a disagreement in political ideals and misunderstanding of religious beliefs. The killings of the US Embassy staff in Libya yesterday were a cold, cruel, and most of all, an absolutely heartless act. I subconsciously draw a story in my head, of a man, with a big family: several kids, wife, siblings, parents; with a job that he is most passionate about, as that is why he is still paying off student loans for all the education he went through to get to where he is now – the US Embassy in Libya. A man in perfect health, a man that has good values and strong principles, a man that is involved in his surroundings. And then, imagine all of it’s gone. The man, the man’s involvement, passions, love, affections, fears, emotions – gone. Just because a radical group of Libyans is at disagreement with some video, this man’s life is taken away, in an instant. Without a second to think, without a chance for survival, without reason. How can someone intentionally take away the one most valuable, meaningful, irreplaceable thing from this man and his family? A life. An attribute of the highest value – a human life.

My Best Photos Yet

When I see something beautiful while at home, I try to snap a shot of it if I've got a camera on me. Not to brag later, no, but to have something to hold on to as I grow and change, something to look back to as a token of my roots, reminder of the person that I am and will always be. A Turkmen. Born in the Soviet Union, but living in democracy and capitalism. Taught in the East, though educated in the West. Raised in one millennium and living in the other. Studying last century - learning about the next. My home city, along with my native culture, is changing every hour. It grows but doesn't lose its trends, patterns and direction. Beautiful in daylight, it shines even brighter at night. And as it represents me today, I'd like it to do so even better tomorrow. The tasks I dwell upon are the tasks that worry my culture as well. Battling conformity to reserve individuality by combining conformity with enough individuality. Modernizing the traditional without changing it.

I'm no photographer but these are my best photos of home yet. One is a historical statue turned into a centerpiece for a modern park downtown and another is a childhood attraction renovated and moved to a more contemporary region of the city.

Another Guinness Record Goes to...Turkmenistan

May 18th is annually celebrated in Central Asia as the Day of Revival, Unity and Poetry. Turkmenistan is no outsider to these celebrations. In 2012, the day was even more special: as part of the celebration, the planet's largest ferris wheel in an enclosed space (setting a new Guinness record) was unveiled in the country's capital (which also happens to be my home) city, Ashgabat. Inside a massive glass/white steel casing decorated with a giant 8-point star, lies a 47.6-meter-structure that holds (and spins, of course) 24 six-seat cabins. This structure is part of a new entertainment complex called "Anem" (translated from Turkmen as "the universe") that was opened to the public along with the new ferris wheel. I had the chance to see the place for myself a month ago (June 2012). It is truly nothing like one would have ever seen before and is surrounded by a great park area with fountains. At night, it's filled with young people as it is beautifully lit and is currently "the next big thing", so to speak, not only for tourists but also the city residents themselves. Like me. Came with my family and loved it.

It should be known that Turkmenistan is no newcomer to the Guinness Book of Records. On the Day of Revival, Unity and Poetry of 2011 (last year), Turkmenistan unveiled its answer to the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. An 185-meter pillar devoted to the country's constitution was presented in the Ashgabat city.

The "Arch of Constitution" is now one of the most memorable sights in the capital city - decorated with 5 Turkmen national ornaments in gold, it is also surrounded by beautiful fountains, a great park and has 2 viewing decks.

Besides the 2 world records described already, Turkmenistan boasts to have the world's tallest flagpole, the longest carpet, the "largest star-shaped architectural feature" and the "largest cluster of fountains in a public space". Personally, the fountain record makes most sense to me because my home city has so many fountains that on a hot summer afternoon one will see that there are more fountains per square kilometer than people.

The Caspian Sea Adventure

The closest you can ever get to the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan is to head to the city of Turkmenbashi (named in honor of Turkmenistan’s first President), or specifically the Avaza resort, a resort that has grown so rapidly in the past 3-4 years that it could now be a city by itself. More than that, it is still growing at the same pace. Full of hotels, summer camps, health sanatoriums, restaurants and bars, the Avaza of the future is not yet even halfway complete. At this moment, there are construction sites stretching for over 50 kilometers north of the current-day Avaza. The hotels are great and are the biggest attribute of Avaza. It may also help to ask around and visit restaurants outside the hotel to try different dishes and kebabs, especially the ones out of fish. If planned well, one’s vacation in Avaza should go more than smooth and definitely pleasant. The new Turkmenbashi airport is flat-out gorgeous. Just the right size, very organized and clean. An American-style highway system has recently been laid from the airport to Turkmenbashi and straight to the heart of the Avaza resort. The hotels provide many amenities, responding to almost every age, taste and preference. The pools are cleaned every morning and there are lifeguards at the sea. There are also many restaurants, disco bars, museums and fun little tours on boat along the man-made river that runs through the entirety of the resort. My family and I stayed at the hotel named Kerven and enjoyed our time there. Would I go back to that particular hotel next time? No, but only because I would want to try one of the newer places that are currently being built. Either way, no matter what hotel you choose, you’ll always know it’s worth it when you see the view from your room and breathe in the fresh and healing Caspian air. The air and the sea should have been the main reasons you came down there anyway.

Never Too Late to Rediscover

If you are a geography, history and economics nerd (like me), I'd highly suggest reading the following blog article at: http://thoughteconomics.blogspot.com/2011/08/brazil-how-to-build-great-country.html that contains an interview with the Brazilian Foreign Minister from 2003 to 2011, current Minister of Defense Celso Amorim, on "How to Build a Great Country" and how Brazil got to the international position it holds now. If only we could send a Celso Amorim to every developing country...

The "College Bubble"

Came across a pretty interesting video on YouTube today called "College Conspiracy"...
Here is the link to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpZtX32sKVE&feature=pyv&ad=6739540474&kw=conspiracy

Personally, I don't understand the need to create such an opinionated video. By claiming that "college education is the largest scam in the US history," the producers of this documentary are basically stating that college is a dishonest scheme, a fraud, or a wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in personal or financial gain (according to definition of the word "scam" in the Online English Dictionary). After watching all of the video, I realized that their biggest dissatisfaction with college is based on how high the price of a college degree is and how little benefit a college degree can supposedly provide you.

However, I'd like to point out two things in response to this video. First, there is not one path in this world that is perfect for everyone, and a college degree is not a requirement, therefore it should be one's own choice whether to attend college or not. It's not like there is a certain fixed guarantee that one will not succeed in life without a degree or will with one. The video itself is influenced by an interview of a man that succeeded without a college degree. This example should be used as an illustration of someone who made the right choice rather than the pointlessness of college. College is just another way to systemize the job market, just as many other sorting systems in life, but it does not mean it is absolute - there are exceptions. Second, yes, the prices of college are high, but what prices aren't? The group that provided the research for this video is called inflationUS, and inflation is frankly one of the most contributing factors to this issue. They interview several people that have fallen deep in debt because of college, but they don't see that college isn't the reason. They took an unnecessary risk and made a bad bargain when signing to an unrealistic payment schedule, that's all it comes down to.

My response to this video should be regarded as my objective view on the matter. I did not intend to offend, in any way, the makers of the above mentioned documentary.

Fears and Decisions

Fear. Just the word itself exudes cold. It's a feeling that can grow into one of the largest and most powerful forces behind almost every single decision you make in your life.

It starts out simple, of course. In kindergarten and elementary school, it was fear of being alone that drove me to stay as long as I could at school or outdoors with my friends until my parents came home in the evening. In middle school, it was fear of defeat that made me work myself till sweat and blood in every single sport or other activity I was involved in. In high school, there were so many important decisions to make that it was fear of making the wrong choice out of which I tried to excel at everything. It was fear of letting my parents down that drove me to study Physics through and beyond college level while in 9th grade and brought me to earn the third place title in the whole nation during the National physics Olympiad that year. I’m afraid that in that case, it was probably the only driving force involved. To this day, I still don’t understand – why physics? Honestly, I don’t even like the subject. I never did, not even outside the stressful atmosphere of the competition. Interestingly, acquiring the medal brought more of a sense of relief rather than accomplishment.

See, fear isn’t the best-quality driving force, because it doesn’t do much when there’s nothing else pushing along with it. Neither is it only a driving force. Fear can be as much of a stopping force as it can be a driving one. It is fear of danger and death that stops you from taking risks or breaking rules, whether you’re sitting on a plane or just crossing the road on your way to work. It is fear of missing out that stops you from leaving a baseball game until there is a break. It is fear of being dependent on someone and missing out on certain chances later that stops many young people from creating a family before they think they’ve tried it all. However, when fear is a stopping force, it becomes, in some twisted way, partially less effective. Whether you turn off your cell phone before the plane takes off doesn’t guarantee you that everyone else did the same, therefore, doesn’t quite guarantee you your safety. If you marry late, you still might later miss out on things that you would get if you married young. The point being, no matter what you do and where you are, you’re always missing out on something. But is that a problem? No. It just means that decisions shouldn’t be based on simply your fears. Every turn taken in life can become the “ultimate right choice” for you when led by passion, love, knowledge, belief and purpose.

Life is Either a Daring Adventure or Nothing

I love flying. It is and has always been a part, or, might I say, a start, of a new page, new experience, new opportunity throughout my life. For some, it might accidentally become a problem of identity - if you find yourself lost and confused about who you are, due to all the places you have visited.

I love flying. Flying is annoying to most of the people that use air transportation, but to me, this is always a start of something exciting. This is where I take time to think deeply and realize what awaits for me in the very near future when I get off that airplane. All the biggest impressions in my life and career have resulted from traveling.

As a college student that goes to school half-a-planet away from home, I don’t really get to see my parents and friends that often. Oh, forgot to mention, I am from a Central Asian country named Turkmenistan. So, when I do get to fly home (once in 1-1.5 years), it’s a long, expensive and exhausting trip. Consisting of about 4 flights averaging 10 hours each, that’s what it sounds like to anyone. Anyone, but me. I do not possess explanation to it at this point, but I hope that all the odd pieces come together in the future.

I hope that through reading my blog, at least some kind of an urge to travel awakens inside those who have never stepped foot outside of their own country. It isn’t about patriotism, not at all. I am and will be spending most of my twenties in the States, but it doesn’t mean I’m betraying or losing love for my home country. Nor will I ever be able to deny a special, developed over time, place in my heart for all the countries I’ve visited, especially America, the country I’ve visited the most.

The purpose of this blog isn't just advice, it's more of a message. A message that, in today's globalized world, traveling is a MUST.