Morals arise from our values. They are personal, having to do with the people and environment in which we were raised and the experiences that shaped our growing up. As adults, our morals are still shifting and changing.

My 14-year-old cousin was onto something profound: Whether it's listening to a person or otherwise, if I listen long enough it creates an opening.

The emanation of peace by any one person is a boon to us all. When that person is the leader of the most powerful and sometimes the most dangerous nation in the world, that boon is magnified exponentially.

I place as much value in communication, dialogue and evolving worldviews as I do in certainty or blind faith.

To be part of a small town, or at least my small town, I had to be more broadminded than I had been living in a big city.