It is often we look to the night sky to see nothing but darkness... stars washed out by the city lights and the cloud cover denying us the vision of glimmering points of hope and strength. With stars a symbol of hope... wishes... dreams... they are rarely seen... as they are also rarely attained. Often they are lost amongst that which shines brighter, our obvious priorities, our daily lights sometimes blinding us from what lies beneath... that lonely desire, lonely aspiration.
We ourselves often shine... only to be washed out by other lights... recognized as "the stars" rather than the individual. When the skies are clear, we all are seen as "the stars", but what seperates you from the next is within and far away. As our sun is just one star... a world depends on it. This is your life, your world depends on your light, the light you cast... and the warmth you emit. What the other stars are doing is not of your concern, as it is your responsibility to light your world.
Stop comparing yourself and your light to the other stars, as in the grand scheme we are equal... the difference is how you light your own world. How you view your light and its importance. Look not to the sky and see yourself as a piece of the constellation, but see yourself as the sun itself... the reason you rise in the morning is the sun rises for you... you make the best of your life... you need to be your reason for waking... Don't be the star to burn out... don't give up, and you'll find your galaxy never lacking.
In your sky... you need to begin to seperate those lights which was out your hopes, dreams, desires and begin to recognize what you wish to light your sky with rather than allowing the norms and the dull to be the ambient light. Single out your stars... and grasp them as they twinkle to fill your vision.
Finally... recognize what will always be there to help you light your sky... what your night sky is empty without... the stars you must recognize, the stars of your life... those which may be lost in the darkness at times, lost in the brightness at others, but always shine for you. Dag Hammarskjold asks you to "Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for", be it your career, be it your friends, be it your love. What you find will always be with you... always shining... never faultering. At times, it may flicker... but don't lose hope... as it will never leave... and will shine for you as strongly as you allow yourself to single them out in your sky.
What's in your night sky...?
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Friday, February 09, 2007
Dis[criminate]Criminals
"Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim."
-Bertrand Russell
Life is perpetuated by money, materials, greed, desire and thrill. What is socially acceptable, inacceptable. What is deviant and what is the norm. As G. Gordon Liddy says: Obviously crime pays or there'd be no crime. Regardless of the crime, small or large, it is committed with rational, thinking and orchestrated to achieve a given goal; be it riches or recognition.
But what is crime... who are we as individuals to judge what is a "crime" of mankind versus a crime in the politically constructed society. What is crime? Drug dealers have been a part of society since the understanding of drugs in relation to capital... murder has been around since hatred... and theft has been around since desire. But what is crime when we look at drug dealers as those providing of a service in an inevitable market. When we look at murder as a cleansing of those deemed weak... or in the end a greater threat to mankind. Or if we look at theft as a way to feed the starving mouth of a child. Charity if you will. Is theft then still a crime?
For those who make it a game... it is those who we must frown upon; but what of those who have made it their lives... for those who have sacrificed it all to live in the world of deception and suffering, often recognized as subhuman. When crime is no longer of choice, but of consequence, of need, of necessity. What then is crime?
Let us question our values, our politics, our preconceptions... our society. Are con artists and frauds any more criminals than our politicians? Is mispending tax money any different than accepting payment for a sought after commodity? When your safety is not being compromised for money by the underside of society, it is being compromised in education, health care and social support systems.
Who are the true criminals and who are you to judge. Who are you to judge a child, a youth, a young adult based on socioeconomic class or otherwise, what kind of person they will become... and based on a single event, for the rest of their lives will they be recognized as criminal. Not discrediting the validity of our legal system, but who are we to judge as free citizens, the legitimacy of a member of society after they have been released from a federal institution for a crime. How do they recieve the label which they may never remove? Are we rightful in holding it against them?
Sometimes crimes are not about the money... not about the goods... etc. Most definitely it pays... and often payment contributes to the crime and it's severity, but what would you do when its the only action in your control remaining to continue to live. To survive... to maintain your status in society... to play a role in natural selection, to show your strength. It's no longer about monetary wealth, but it becomes necessity. How do our laws compensate for those who have not the choice. Not always do you have the choice; but occassionally we are faced with the inevitable. When caught by the hands of fate, we are but puppets to the evil devices which may hold us... and allow us one last breath. As marionettes must we be punished for the strings we could not fight...?
Sometimes... a crime is preventing yourself from becoming the victim... and sometimes... its recognizing a rule broken may be worth the final product. The consequences are often obvious... when you choose to commit a crime... it is slightly different from when you are running from becoming the victim. That is the difference between murder and manslaughter... where do you draw the lines in life...? When do you take the risks... and when do you give in, only to be jailed and held down for the "crime" you didn't commit? When do your wants... your needs... and values surpass consequence?
What crimes have you committed?
-Bertrand Russell
Life is perpetuated by money, materials, greed, desire and thrill. What is socially acceptable, inacceptable. What is deviant and what is the norm. As G. Gordon Liddy says: Obviously crime pays or there'd be no crime. Regardless of the crime, small or large, it is committed with rational, thinking and orchestrated to achieve a given goal; be it riches or recognition.
But what is crime... who are we as individuals to judge what is a "crime" of mankind versus a crime in the politically constructed society. What is crime? Drug dealers have been a part of society since the understanding of drugs in relation to capital... murder has been around since hatred... and theft has been around since desire. But what is crime when we look at drug dealers as those providing of a service in an inevitable market. When we look at murder as a cleansing of those deemed weak... or in the end a greater threat to mankind. Or if we look at theft as a way to feed the starving mouth of a child. Charity if you will. Is theft then still a crime?
For those who make it a game... it is those who we must frown upon; but what of those who have made it their lives... for those who have sacrificed it all to live in the world of deception and suffering, often recognized as subhuman. When crime is no longer of choice, but of consequence, of need, of necessity. What then is crime?
Let us question our values, our politics, our preconceptions... our society. Are con artists and frauds any more criminals than our politicians? Is mispending tax money any different than accepting payment for a sought after commodity? When your safety is not being compromised for money by the underside of society, it is being compromised in education, health care and social support systems.
Who are the true criminals and who are you to judge. Who are you to judge a child, a youth, a young adult based on socioeconomic class or otherwise, what kind of person they will become... and based on a single event, for the rest of their lives will they be recognized as criminal. Not discrediting the validity of our legal system, but who are we to judge as free citizens, the legitimacy of a member of society after they have been released from a federal institution for a crime. How do they recieve the label which they may never remove? Are we rightful in holding it against them?
Sometimes crimes are not about the money... not about the goods... etc. Most definitely it pays... and often payment contributes to the crime and it's severity, but what would you do when its the only action in your control remaining to continue to live. To survive... to maintain your status in society... to play a role in natural selection, to show your strength. It's no longer about monetary wealth, but it becomes necessity. How do our laws compensate for those who have not the choice. Not always do you have the choice; but occassionally we are faced with the inevitable. When caught by the hands of fate, we are but puppets to the evil devices which may hold us... and allow us one last breath. As marionettes must we be punished for the strings we could not fight...?
Sometimes... a crime is preventing yourself from becoming the victim... and sometimes... its recognizing a rule broken may be worth the final product. The consequences are often obvious... when you choose to commit a crime... it is slightly different from when you are running from becoming the victim. That is the difference between murder and manslaughter... where do you draw the lines in life...? When do you take the risks... and when do you give in, only to be jailed and held down for the "crime" you didn't commit? When do your wants... your needs... and values surpass consequence?
What crimes have you committed?
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
You will never know.
"Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future."
-Fulton Oursler
Both thoughts of the past as well as the future are a waste of time. Time fails to stop as you stop it to think about what you've already done and what you wish to do. The actions which you wish to complete will only fail to be achieved if you continue to dwell on what you have done wrong in the past. The fear for the future only prevents you from making the present the best possible, however is it ever contemplated what would occur should there be no future?
As Oscar Wilde has once said "One's real life is often the life one does not lead." By continuing to putting off what you may delegate today, it is inevitable that the days pass faster than you'd wish they did and in the end you'll find that your achievements are mediocre in the frame of things. When you lack the motivation to strive to succeed you'll notice that even the smallest failures are the biggest impacts.
It is often said that in the final moments of your life, your life flashes before your eyes - your job is to make it worth watching. With the perpetual motion of the stars, the sun and the moon, it is inevitable that the sun will continue to rise and time will progress. Whether you progress with it is up to you. Do not forget, life owes no existence to you. Time will progress regardless as the world does not revolve around you. It is up to you to go to bed at night recalling what you accomplished that day rather than what you wished to accomplish. The harder you push at the end of a day, the sweeter the rest comes and the satisfaction is immeasurable, and you yourself will find that you control how many revolutions you will make with the world and how quickly they go by.
Like a child knows not the taste of sweetness until one tastes sugar. Like a child knows not to cherish the sweetness until he tastes bitter... like the child knows not that he values his toys, until they're gone. The toys which you may take advantage of may not always be there... don't forget all the pleasure they provide... don't break them, don't lose them, because some times... nothing can rebuy the joy that it's given you, and though the toys may be replaced with others, there's always the one from childhood you never forget. As this child, we are introduced to sweetness and bitterness, what we need to do, is learn to value the sweetness. Not forget the bitter, but find and cherish the sweet. If this child spends all his time thinking about sweet and never seeking more... that may be the taste that remains solely a memory. Why is it that kids are always willing to taste, to try and to attempt to find things they like... however we hold fear in such an esteem that we discredit adventure and risk. Risk is what will help you find those sweet things.
You will find the more you try, you find the sweetness you love. Settle for nothing but the best. You deserve it. Things with sugar are inevitably sweet however, the question is what do you like the best. Be it chocolate, be it cake, be it gummi bears or lollipops, there are hundreds of different sweets. Don't just settle for the second best dessert in your opinion. Strive to get what you love the most. What you wish to enjoy... just because its sweet doesn't mean its the best you can get. If you have to push that much harder to get the dessert you wish, it will be that much more satisfying. That much sweeter... sometimes it just takes a little bitterness to bring out the flavor. Next time you crave sweets, eat the most bitter thing you can find, and you'll find the sweets are that much sweeter. That's what life is like, without the bitters you wouldn't cherish the sweets. Without the darkness we wouldn't know light, without pain, we wouldn't know happiness.
Your life is your candy shop. Don't let the past and the fear of the future rob you of your treasures. The prices you may pay are small in comparison to the greatness you will receive. Make the sacrifices, and recognize the inhibitions which you have holding you to the crucifix. Pulling your arms away from the distant parts of the continuum, bringing your limbs to your core, allow you to live in the present... where you yourself can choose where to go, allowing you to protect what may come at your center in the present. With your arms spread out... stretching you across time and space, you make yourself more vulnerable than ever, allowing regret and fear to whip you with all their might. By stretching on that continuum, all pain you feel is self induced... you choose to drink the vinegar which may slightly soothe your thirst... but the thirst only intensifies. You make yourself a martyr, which only you yourself understand what sacrifices you're making... who are you living for... and who are you hurting for, but you yourself are human... just short of what would be worshipped. Unfortunately your existence is less than religiously recognized.
Protect yourself... and rise against the planks of time. Make life's replays worth watching... and make memories you wish to relive. Seek dessert after your meals... and don't be afraid of a little bitterness... because the sweetness tastes that much better. Live for yourself and live for the present... as it is the gift which you create. Your life is but an empty box. What you choose to fill it with; the rocks of burden or the light and beautiful easy going emotions... it is all what you choose to place in it.
-Fulton Oursler
Both thoughts of the past as well as the future are a waste of time. Time fails to stop as you stop it to think about what you've already done and what you wish to do. The actions which you wish to complete will only fail to be achieved if you continue to dwell on what you have done wrong in the past. The fear for the future only prevents you from making the present the best possible, however is it ever contemplated what would occur should there be no future?
As Oscar Wilde has once said "One's real life is often the life one does not lead." By continuing to putting off what you may delegate today, it is inevitable that the days pass faster than you'd wish they did and in the end you'll find that your achievements are mediocre in the frame of things. When you lack the motivation to strive to succeed you'll notice that even the smallest failures are the biggest impacts.
It is often said that in the final moments of your life, your life flashes before your eyes - your job is to make it worth watching. With the perpetual motion of the stars, the sun and the moon, it is inevitable that the sun will continue to rise and time will progress. Whether you progress with it is up to you. Do not forget, life owes no existence to you. Time will progress regardless as the world does not revolve around you. It is up to you to go to bed at night recalling what you accomplished that day rather than what you wished to accomplish. The harder you push at the end of a day, the sweeter the rest comes and the satisfaction is immeasurable, and you yourself will find that you control how many revolutions you will make with the world and how quickly they go by.
Like a child knows not the taste of sweetness until one tastes sugar. Like a child knows not to cherish the sweetness until he tastes bitter... like the child knows not that he values his toys, until they're gone. The toys which you may take advantage of may not always be there... don't forget all the pleasure they provide... don't break them, don't lose them, because some times... nothing can rebuy the joy that it's given you, and though the toys may be replaced with others, there's always the one from childhood you never forget. As this child, we are introduced to sweetness and bitterness, what we need to do, is learn to value the sweetness. Not forget the bitter, but find and cherish the sweet. If this child spends all his time thinking about sweet and never seeking more... that may be the taste that remains solely a memory. Why is it that kids are always willing to taste, to try and to attempt to find things they like... however we hold fear in such an esteem that we discredit adventure and risk. Risk is what will help you find those sweet things.
You will find the more you try, you find the sweetness you love. Settle for nothing but the best. You deserve it. Things with sugar are inevitably sweet however, the question is what do you like the best. Be it chocolate, be it cake, be it gummi bears or lollipops, there are hundreds of different sweets. Don't just settle for the second best dessert in your opinion. Strive to get what you love the most. What you wish to enjoy... just because its sweet doesn't mean its the best you can get. If you have to push that much harder to get the dessert you wish, it will be that much more satisfying. That much sweeter... sometimes it just takes a little bitterness to bring out the flavor. Next time you crave sweets, eat the most bitter thing you can find, and you'll find the sweets are that much sweeter. That's what life is like, without the bitters you wouldn't cherish the sweets. Without the darkness we wouldn't know light, without pain, we wouldn't know happiness.
Your life is your candy shop. Don't let the past and the fear of the future rob you of your treasures. The prices you may pay are small in comparison to the greatness you will receive. Make the sacrifices, and recognize the inhibitions which you have holding you to the crucifix. Pulling your arms away from the distant parts of the continuum, bringing your limbs to your core, allow you to live in the present... where you yourself can choose where to go, allowing you to protect what may come at your center in the present. With your arms spread out... stretching you across time and space, you make yourself more vulnerable than ever, allowing regret and fear to whip you with all their might. By stretching on that continuum, all pain you feel is self induced... you choose to drink the vinegar which may slightly soothe your thirst... but the thirst only intensifies. You make yourself a martyr, which only you yourself understand what sacrifices you're making... who are you living for... and who are you hurting for, but you yourself are human... just short of what would be worshipped. Unfortunately your existence is less than religiously recognized.
Protect yourself... and rise against the planks of time. Make life's replays worth watching... and make memories you wish to relive. Seek dessert after your meals... and don't be afraid of a little bitterness... because the sweetness tastes that much better. Live for yourself and live for the present... as it is the gift which you create. Your life is but an empty box. What you choose to fill it with; the rocks of burden or the light and beautiful easy going emotions... it is all what you choose to place in it.
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