Nothing lasts forever in this physical universe of ours. We can talk about the eternal world to come, the kingdom of Heaven, Nirvana, Tian, the Celestial, Terrestrial and Telestial kingdoms, the six heavenly planes of Hinduism and the 8 levels of heaven in Islam…but this planet that we ran upon today, this place: will not last. The Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and in 7.59 billion years from today, it will be dragged from our solar orbit by our sun which will have grown to be 256 times as big as it is today: and the race course of the World Wide Festival of Races will be consumed in fire, forever. But I have to wonder, what will our evil Robot overlords: or any advanced alien civilization that learns about us over the next 7.59 billion years: come to think about us? Will they struggle to understand why we went to war with one another? Why we murdered and killed each other? Will they dedicate eons in trying to figure out why we’d gather millions of each other into concentration camps and systematically torture and destroy each other? Would they try to figure out why we’d kidnap a noble people from a beautiful savannah, stuff them into sailing ships and sell them as property to wealthy people in a new land? What would they say about a shoe company that treated their workers as slaves, paying them only a few dollars a day and not caring that they had to live in slums while their CEO and sports star promoters earned millions without concern? I have an answer: they’d think WE WERE STUPID. Yeah, that’s what they’d think: they’d have come to the conclusion that our species had evolved to suffer from a form of brain damage. They’d be happy to know that our planet was about to be consumed by the Sun…they’d consider us as a biological disease in the universe; unintelligent and defective. An intelligent and advanced alien species would pick apart our genome, see that we differed by only ZERO POINT TWO PERCENT, and conclude that whatever caused us to hate each other: it couldn’t be because of the color of our skin, or from what continent on the little blue bubble we originated from… there could be no other explanation: humans had to be stupid. But if they could see us now, today: running this World Wide Festival of Races; they’d think differently. They’d have to. Because today, we’re celebrating our community regardless of our differences; in fact: today we celebrate our differences. This planet is small. It’s a tiny blue bubble of life cruising through the cold vacuum of space, and it’s the only place that we’ve been able to find which can support life. Think of this Earth as a life-raft, adrift on it’s own in the Universe…it’s more than just our home: it’s all that we have…that and each other. Today you’re running in an event that celebrates that: we live on a small little rocky life raft, but we have each other…to care for, to cheer for, and to encourage. Our lives on this rock are short, but they should be long enough for us to experience love, joy and peace with each other as friends. Fellow runners: this wasn’t some small thing you did today, and today wasn’t just another run: you participated, you proved by your example that whatever differences we have in thought, opinion, and observation is what makes our time here, in this Universe special and interesting. We are so much alike, you and I…and those little differences that we do have, are something to savor: like the nose of a Cabernet Franc over that of a Malbec…they’re both vitis vinifera, but what makes them different is remarkable, and when you blend them together…well, my friends….you get something magical, like a mertiage or a Bordeaux where the sum of it’s ingredients combine to make a wine worthy of sharing with the world. We are like those grapes, our differences enhance the flavor of our community, and as you run your World Wide Festival of Races today…think about how much we have to give to the world around us….in living this lifestyle, of savoring our time on the road, of sharing our experiences from the perspective of our own bodies and how we have no room for hate in our lives…not when there are miles to be run, and friends to be made. Show Links: http://worldwidefestivalofraces.com The song “Lucky” was by Black Lab pick up your FREE 3 Black Lab songs (from the album “Give Us Sugar”) at http://blacklabworld.com/marathon The song “The World We Are a’Racin” was by the band “Moneypenny, Walker, Chopper and Scott” with apologies to Mr. Dylan; lyrics by Steve Chopper (http://www.amilewith.me.uk ), vocals by Phil Moneypenny (http://www.runcast.tv ) and some annoying American who apparently thinks he can sing, along with instrumentals and vocals by Gordon Scott. Check out the musical talent of a good friend and bad boy of running at http://tiree.blogspot.com Think Global, Run Local.