This week when I heard that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was to speak at Columbia University. I thought, wow, this will be a great opportunity to see what this man is really about in an academic setting, not a political setting. After all how can you know how to deal with your opponents if you refuse to understand your opponents.

I tuned in to C-Span to catch the entire debate rather than the sound bites on the news. In his introduction of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Columbia University seemed to be pandering for a future political position. He was invited to an answer/question session in the world of Academia, not a political role. Having been in Upper Academia for most of my life, I have never seen a President of a University that needs to be fired more than this one.

Honestly, as American's, we don't really know who or what he is. We only know what the government tells us, and what the government tells the media outlets. However in his introduction he was called a ''Petty and Ruthless'' Dictator by Columbia University's President setting the stage for a conflicting and argumentative stage of Who and What this man is.

If President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is really as bad as he is proclaimed to be, then that was the perfect opportunity to discover some of the reality behind his ideas and where they come from.

Even after his fiery introduction, Ahmadinejad still spoke with a smile on his face and did not seem to go on the defensive. We certainly can't say that about our own president.

Even with his comments on no ''homosexuals'' in his country, you could tell by his body language, facial expressions, etc. that he was ''toying'' with the audience. While I'm sure it's not respected or tolerated in their country, neither is it in ours for the most part.

It's time to wake up and start ''You can not shake hands with a closed fist''. It is clear that North Korea is working to key up a battle over the Korean Peninsula. Russia is now building it's military like never before and wants ''superpower'' status quickly. Iran wants the middle east for Muslims. China wants Taiwan back. That leaves us with 4 very volatile situations involving large world powers that are ready to make their moves and put American in it's place. It should be noted, that if we couldn't go in and take control of a small country like Iraq, then how do we expect to spread our troops even thinner and remain "The" superpower of the world.

I am a devout Christian, and have never attended a Muslim temple or prayer ceremony. I don't plan on it anytime soon. But we have to realize this is one planet with a very diverse population. If we don't try to understand others instead of scolding them and hating them based on facts given to us by an Administration that lied about going to War, then it is going to be our own fault when the United States is left in ruins.

I pray that one day we can listen with our ears and our hearts, instead of listening with our mouth's open, ready to defend or denigrate the other party. That will be the only way forward in this planet in turmoil.

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