오늘은 미국에 생신... 7월4일 Independence Day입니다.

I just want to say a few things about this country of 236 years that we now call home. There are many around the world and even in our country that have grown critical of the U.S.A. Many believe that our best days are behind us and that the new emerging growth countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs) could be the future leaders of our world. I disagree. A country is only as strong as the strength of its middle class and I do not know of another country where so many people throughout the world are still eager and willing to leave behind their homes to immigrate here and start a new life. The reason is obvious. Quite simply, there is no other country in the world that welcomes immigrants with open arms and the opportunity to build a future for themselves and their children irrespective of race, religion, or sexual orientation. I repeat, there is nowhere else in the world where one could expect to experience an equal opportunity and I believe to some extent that is all why we are here. We are all chasing some form of the "American Dream". We come from different backgrounds, education and socioeconomic status, but in the U.S.A. we are all given an equal opportunity. A fair opportunity to achieve personal, professional and or family success purely through hard work, sweat and tears is rare in this world.

When I lived in Korea in the mid-nineties, I did not quite understand the importance of certain Korean holidays until many years had passed. When I was young, a holiday was a day off from work. As I started to understand these days of significance, it helped me appreciate more the opportunity for a Korean-American, U.S.-educated person like myself to be able to work for a Korean conglomerate and hopefully add something to the company. That's when I felt that I was really integrating myself into the Korean society. Until then I was only a visitor, but from that point on Korea was my home. I think that as immigrants, 1.5 generation or second generation Korean-Americans that have adopted the U.S.A. as our home, we also have a moral and social responsibility to understand, be thankful and if possible celebrate those that have come before us to make this country what it has become today. Until, we learn that it is part of our responsibility as residents, citizens, employees, business owners, etc. we can never expect to fully integrate into this society that has given us and our children a unique and special opportunity.

So today, I hope that in some way we can all celebrate the birthday of the United States, July 4th Independence Day and also give thanks to our troops around the world that defend our notion of freedom and opportunity. If it were not for the forefathers of this country that had the bravery, courage and intelligence to defend themselves and forge the foundation of a new, free country, we might not be here today in this beautiful country today.

Happy Fourth of July!

오늘에 훈련:

Avg HR:	150 bpm
Max HR:	172 bpm
Training Effect :	4.6