Friday, February 24, 2012

Being greater than oneself?

How is it that some people retain a genius that seems to be larger than any human could possibly handle? How is it that some artists can compose music that holds greater emotion than any human could possibly contain? How is it that some writers can put things to words that are beyond description?

...and, on a related note, why them and not someone else?

While a definite answer is not possible for such questions (or any question, really), it is possible to think about them. One starts like all others in his life: a learner. They gain knowledge and experience with time, and develop different skills and discover their talents. And, with enough devotion and work for something, one can become greater. When one reaches a level of devotion where the idea he is working for is more important to him than anything else, he becomes alive.

This blog post is inspired by the brilliant TEDx talk linked below. I was extremely fortunate to be able to listen to this, and I thought I'd share it with you. It really opens your mind up on things.


God bless.

(:

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Something different..?

I'll try something different with today's post... look at the picture below, and hold the first thought that comes to your mind. Now imagine a story.



God bless.

(:

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Fountain; A Self-reflection

I just finished watching Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain a short while ago, and immediately after finishing it I began writing a stream of thoughts and questions that came to me, which I am sharing with you now. I'd like to note, though, that I have listened to the film's score long before I watched the film itself.

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- The time is one, the people are many.

- History doesn't complete itself; it is just that this is all man can do.

- Is it possible that you are part of someone else's life?

- Is my soul part of a greater, more complete conscience?

- Is love still good if it leads to hating all except for that which is loved?

- Does love arise because of something within us, something within that which we love, both or neither?

- Is my existence just a complementary one for another life?

- Have I existed before? Do I exist in the future?

- Do I exist in different times as the same person?

- Why is it that the journey does not necessarily provide the expected end?

- Death is not fate. Death comes when one is ready to accept his fate, be it good or bad. It is merely a transitional phase.

- You are never truly free until you die.

- The memory of that which is great is what lives on after death. It is never forgotten; only hidden from those who do not deserve. So is the case with the meaning of life.

- Have I lived forever before?

- Why is it that the aching of the soul is so beautiful?

- In our lives, we come across many a great conscience that we never understand nor truly appreciate. Such a conscience does not pity itself for that, but smiles, knowing that so it walks the right path, and smiles (again).

- Death can be beautiful.

- Fate is not all. Life after death is.




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God bless.

(:

Sunday, February 12, 2012

When I pass away...

When my time comes, and death finds me to take me on the real trip to find the purpose of life, don't mourn my passing. I have not left, I have not died. I have simply lost my human form and took on a more complete one. I have been set free, and I live on. I know you can't find me when it is so, but you can still remember me. You can find parts of me everywhere. Remember the words I said and the words I didn't. Read what I wrote. Listen to what I have played. Look at what I've drawn. See what I have captured of my human experience, and find me in it by connecting it all together. That's where I truly live on forever.

Find me in my simplicity and in my complexity. Find me in my depth and in my shallowness. Find me in my words and in my silence. I know it's not easy, but if you really want to you can try and 'meet' the remnants of my conscience that I left in this world. It's as if all of the silences during my lifetime were just one continuous thought that didn't wish to be interrupted; an everlasting, perpetual contemplation of one's existence and all that is and all that isn't. That is why silence is beautiful.

I do not ask you to love me nor to forgive me. I do not ask you to remember me nor to forget me. All I ask of you is to live to be better than I ever was. I have now passed on to the other side, in a continuation of what I was. I promise you, though, that I will still be there when you need me: in moments of joy, and in moments of sorrow. I promise you that all, even time, will pass.

Be silent, be eternal. It is then that you have found the balance.


A Solemn Soul

Walking on the narrow path of his life, he was still silent, still wondering. A foul air of happiness haunted him. He knew that, with every step he took, he came closer to his fate. He couldn't escape the haunting truth that he lived. Is it possible that he could outsmart fate by being the better man? But that's not how it happens, he knows that there have been many a man before him who were better and still failed. He kept on walking, still coming closer to the truth he can't escape. His fate was now within sight, but not to be seen. He could feel it entrancing his every move, influencing his every sense. But could he live through it? He kept on walking until he reached his fate, his death. He didn't laugh, he didn't cry, he didn't scream. His solemn soul stayed still; silent, smiling. He let death slowly take him, fearing nothing but the fact that he may lose the capacity to love, and that he didn't know where he was going. He felt the migration of his conscience, his very self, from its bodily cage and into its original form, free and beautiful. He could not resist but live as he has always wanted to; loving unconditionally, and roaming freely. He then realized that he should have never been scared of death, nor that it should be the case with anyone. He realized that death was never the end, but the beginning. He passed the test of his life. It was only then that he realized that death never took from him his capacity to love, but only enhanced it. It was because he was freed of his body that he could be. He was unconditional in every sense; loving, everlasting and free.

God bless.

(:

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Turn the television off!

I really dislike television. I almost hate it, actually. You might be wondering, "But why? That's where you get all of the news, films, programs, and basically almost everything else that's popular and new from!" Well, that's exactly where my problem is. But that's not where it ends. Let me explain...

As a general rule of thumb, I don't watch television. There's a maximum of five programs that I'd care to watch, and that's about it. These programs are either comedy shows or factual documentaries. I don't like watching films on television, nor watching music videos, nor do I follow sports, and I absolutely don't watch the news on television. I may, from time to time, break this rule if something important is happening, but that doesn't happen often. Now, why do I hold on to this rule? I'll start by laying the foundation to this philosophy of mine. The first principle I hold is that I do not like being manipulated by someone I don't approve of. I believe that's the case with most people actually; nobody would like to be manipulated by someone they don't know. With television, what's happening is that I'm always being subconsciously manipulated by what's on the screen. If it's news, then it's the presenter's bias that affects me. If it's a show (be it comedy, soap opera, or whatever), then I'm being manipulated by the producer's bias towards the social, cultural, and ethical norms he prefers and promotes.

Now to my second point: it's a waste of time and energy. Before you read this, I'd like to point out that I'm not the best person with time management and not wasting time. I do waste time, but in a different way which I'll elaborate on later. Here's the scenario: you are a sports team fan. You like that team, you cheer for them, you watch their games and you've fought with you friends who support other teams over which team is the best. I'm not against the idea of support, but the over-confidence that some fans carry with their "I'd die for my favorite sports team" ideology kills me. An anonymous person once said, "Soccer is the opium of the people." I support that statement in all its sense. Most die-hard soccer fans waste an unimaginable amount of time watching the games, and an even more time and energy are wasted when they fight about the games. What's the point? I do understand and appreciate the idea of needing some form of entertainment, but the fighting shouldn't be part of it.

Third... well, this one's not hard to state as is, so I'll be bland about it: what's the problem with the people creating the media that we see on television? Why is it that almost all shows have to revolve around sex, failing marriages, blood and gore, and/or theft and murder? Why is it that most of the ideas that are shown on television are destructive and/or negative in nature? Why do they insist on infecting the people's subconsciousness with such ideas? I've got two answers in my head: either it's that they can't find anything else to entertain us with, or that they purposely want to plant these ideas. Either way, it's horrible. Why is it that, when watching television, one has to be aroused by the disturbing displays of sexuality or violence? What is the world coming to?

What's worse than these three points is these three points combined. The problem is this: let's say that the average person watches a show, the news and follows a sports team. During the day, they waste away their lives staring at the pixels that form their favorite characters that promote certain ideologies, the news reporter that promotes his biased point of view, and the sports team that empties the head of anything useful and fills it with all kinds of useless trivia. This sick individual then leaves his home to interact with others, who share the same warped views of sexuality, beauty, religion, culture, and almost every other aspect of life. Said individual becomes a hedonist, i.e. one who lives only for pleasure, as it is the only good in life. While that may sound good at first, consider this: what would happen to this individual if his primary source of pleasure died? That's possible, but not realistic. Now, to the more important question: what would happen to this individual if his source of pleasure was controlled by people who manufacture him into the person they want? I tell you, capitalism now applies to humans too and not just physical goods.

The problem is even bigger than that, because it's not just the television. It's also the Internet, everywhere and all the time; on smart phones, tablets, laptops, computers, etc. It's the idea of manufactured media in general. There's no independence for us unless the corporations running this system fall down. We can kill them, but most of us are too weak to resist the pleasures they offer. When will we realize?

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

"Everything popular is wrong." -- Oscar Wilde.

"We are the universe, destroying itself." -- Matthew Bellamy

Before I leave you, I'll give you this: have hope. One day or the other the system will die. Either we will kill it, or it will become so frail and weak so that it'd collapse upon itself. The wait could be long, though. So, brothers and sisters, I beg you to join the noble cause of returning humanity to what it should be: simple, loving and happy.

Do you see why I don't like watching television now?

God bless.

(:

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Random thoughts...

Today's post is different. It's just a collection of random, scattered thoughts that are in my head right now. It can also be considered a stream of consciousness from my mind; one thought lights the fire for the next. Here I go:

- Some kindle fires for light, others for destruction.

- Every shadow is cast by a light.

- I don't have any doubts about anything. Or do I?

- I never question my existence. I only answer it.

- Everything can be criticized. But is the point doing or criticizing?

- Are we destined to ask questions?

- What would happen if the answer was a question?

- If the answer we seek does not exist, can we create it?

- I don't believe that humans are capable of 'creation'. All we can do is imagine based on what we know.

- We have limits that we refuse to accept. That still doesn't help us pass them.

- What would it feel like to be limitless?

- Omnipresence is limiting in itself. What if an omnipresent being wanted to be in one place or time only?

- Are omnipresence and omniabsence just a condition related to place, or to time too?

- What if we're actually travelling backwards in time, but we just don't know or can't explain it?

- I like to think that we're intruders on time. He wanted to be left alone, but we couldn't leave him.

I'll stop here... will post more of these later on. Hope you enjoyed them.

God bless.

(: