How many of you dream?  It may be a day dream, a night dream or any kind of dream.  I had a dream.  A dream to travel around the world.  Not just a two week holiday, but a trip that would be more of a journey with time to explore and allow the essence of a place to sink into my skin.  

Have you heard of the 7 Wonders of the World?  The Pyramids, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Lighthouse at Alexandria, to name three of them.  I went seeking 7 other wonders.  The wonder of sight, of taste, of hearing and smell.  The wonders of touch, of laughter and of love.  These are the 7 wonders of humanity.  They have no price tag, no hype and no drama.  But they are real, priceless and timeless.  These wonders cannot be faked; they can only be experienced. 

Since 2001 I have traveled for 3 1/2 years and explored over 45 countries. As I traveled around the world, over and over I experienced in colorful ways the qualities of what it means to be human.   We live in a culture that is in a full court press of consumerism.  Everywhere you look you see an ad or commercial that tells you if you have this, or buy this, then you will be happy.  If you have these clothes, these shoes, play these games you will be cool, accepted, liked and, if "you’re lucky," even loved.  

I can tell you from first hand experience, over and over in countless ways, it is an empty promise.  Yes, we need food, shelter, and a system for good health, so we can be productive and contribute to society as a whole.  But how much do we need and does it really contribute to a good life?  The eyes do not lie. Over and over I looked into the eyes of the people I met, those who had so little, but seem to have so much of what really counts, a deep and true love. 

My generation, those before mine, and those who have come after, have mastered what it means to accumulate stuff.  I challenge you to be the ones who break the cycle. Be bold enough and courageous to have the wisdom to know what it means to have enough, and live it with gratitude.  I challenge you to be gardeners of young people, to nurture the idea that happiness is not found over there in something, but to search and find it inside.  Living on less; having more.

This could be our greatest legacy as a nation and a country.  Standing on our own two feet we reach out into the world, not with our military and our money, but with our own hands and hearts, to touch and know the world we all share.

 - Dean Jacobs