Passion is dying, and I'm not sure there's anything that can be done about it. Sure, it's not dead yet, but it seems as though it's heading in that direction. I suppose it's only a matter of time until all that remains is memories of its influence. Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to say I've lost my passion, or that I don't feel passion, just that we're all becoming more and more apathetic. Well, maybe not ALL of us, just what seems to form the majority.
The question is, are we killing it ourselves, or is it just being phased out for some other way of existing? Is it that we no longer have use for living out our dreams? We replaced passion with a hunger for wealth and power? Have we all just sold out? Or is passionate living viable in today’s world?
It seems to me that fear is a major killer of passion. This growing over-cautious, anti-bacterial, immunization dependent culture we're creating leaves little room for spontaneity and the freedom to live by the heart instead of the mind. "It's too dangerous to do this", "what's your backup plan?", "what if?". This is choking passion to the point where it is gasping for air. I am personally disgusted and sick to my stomach of apathy. Caution should be exercised to a logical degree, but if you arrive at every situation only to ask what if it fails, you're living a life of fear. If you could care less, don't address the issue. Don't stop there though; find an issue that matters to you.
Inspiration and passion go hand in hand. If you see a world of people who could care less about your passion, inspire them. Why should someone else see anything as you do if you're not willing to spend every waking second convincing them of its beauty? We are all afraid. Some of us are fortunate enough to still feel burning passions for some things. Extinguish the fear in others by means of inspiration.
SO WHAT if you fall down, find another way to get back up. SO WHAT if the world or society doesn't approve of what you're passionate about, live for something that matters to you. SO WHAT if it's tough, let your determination and dedication carry you in the darkness. As I say, I'm sick of this apathy, and if we don't want to wonder "whatever happened to passion?” we need to do something to keep it alive.
What am I passionate about? I am passionate about teaching. More specifically, teaching English. Why? To me, language is one of the most amazing acts we as a people engage in. Your expression can move millions to action, it can break the hearts of millions, it can inspire empathy, sympathy, love, respect, heartbreak, heck, it can even inspire others to inspire. Inability to effectively communicate what you feel gives you no reason to want to feel at all. Apathy sets in. I want people to fall in love with language; I want them to embrace the words and phrases they use, to respect every aspect of the language they use to express themselves. Without an ability to effectively communicate what you know, what use is intelligence? It all starts with language. This is my passion, this is my goal, this is what I live to do, and will die happy knowing I've spent my life in dedication to this calling.
Find your passion, pursue it at all costs, destroy apathy and inspire with your passionate pursuit of all things important. Yay pep talk!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Beating the heat
Welcome back.
Recently I've roused my imagination out of a long slumber and allowed it to explore the smooth, ruffled pages of several different books: Books of the creative mind, books of fiction, but books of caution as well. These books remind me how applicable themes in fiction can be to the reality I find myself in.
It's times like these, times where in reflection I see the world to be such an absurd place, in which I see how existentialist ideas could come to be. Is it not an ironic thought that these books of fiction may very well be predictors of the fate of our world? That, for us to learn from mistakes, those mistakes may often be the devises of writers and poets? Perhaps it's best this way, as fact is so easy to distort and stretch. Fiction will always be just that, but rarely needs to be taken at face value, and good fiction always has more to it than a simple tale. So right now, as I reflect, I wonder where it is we may be going.
I say the world is absurd not to complain arbitrarily, but rather to assess the methods and results of society in producing, or failing to produce a meaningful, intelligent, virtuous people. Perhaps the world is too grand a word, when really I'm more focussed on the society in which I live. Anyways, the issues I've been reading about involve censorship and a failing of democracy. I'm not one to complain about the state of things at the moment, as really I don't have any greater solutions. However, it is out of a speculative possiblity that I turn my mind to such issues.
What if we abandon reason and logic as primary means of thought? What if, as a result, we also lose a desire for literature and thought provoking conversation? Furthermore, what if this brings us to a place wherein we choose not to think for ourselves? And even furthermore, what if this leads to rebellion? War? Can it be stopped? If so, by whom? What would we do to prevent rebellion from breaking out again? Who should be in control of such power, combined with such paranoid fear of damaging the system that keeps balance, no matter how brutal that system may be?
Now here's the absurd part... Are logic and reason the primary means of thought within our society? Perhaps for the individual, but for the group? I can't say so. Is there really a pervasive desire for thought provoking conversation in society? There are groups, forums, and clubs, yes, but again, do they exist among the majority? I'd have to say no. So, are we thinking for ourselves? Really? Who told you what to buy, where to buy it, and for what reasons? Interesting. Rebellion? Check. War? Check. Not solely due to these reasons above, but definitely due to disharmony of types, sometimes in rejection of oppressive forces. Finally, who comes in to stop these wars and skirmishes? What are their motives, and what do they have to gain? Maybe these things above seemed like arbitrary, far off questions of fiction, but perhaps they are more real than we'd have thought.
In Farenheit 451, the oppression came in the form of book burners. This begs the question for us, how can we beat the heat? How do we prevent things from getting so bad that we no longer have the ability to stand against oppression? The answer is so simple, just think. This answer, however easy it may seem, can change your life. Think. Don't do it because you're told, however. You'll never do it right if your motives aren't intrinsic. Think, empower your mind with the ability to say no, and not because someone else says no, but because you reject the yes. Social commentaries in the form of fiction are great beginnings of this notion. they force you to digest not only a tale, but also a paired idea.
Set free your mind, break away from your plugged in existence long enough to think. Is this what we want? Twitter, facebook, status updates, gps tracking, summaries and highlights? Don't log on with your mind turned off, think as you go along, and if it doesn't seem right, avoid it. Nobody is going to do it for you, in fact, some benefit when you're most ignorant. This summer, when you're drenched in sweat and hiding from the sun's powerful ways, find more than one way to beat the heat.
Recently I've roused my imagination out of a long slumber and allowed it to explore the smooth, ruffled pages of several different books: Books of the creative mind, books of fiction, but books of caution as well. These books remind me how applicable themes in fiction can be to the reality I find myself in.
It's times like these, times where in reflection I see the world to be such an absurd place, in which I see how existentialist ideas could come to be. Is it not an ironic thought that these books of fiction may very well be predictors of the fate of our world? That, for us to learn from mistakes, those mistakes may often be the devises of writers and poets? Perhaps it's best this way, as fact is so easy to distort and stretch. Fiction will always be just that, but rarely needs to be taken at face value, and good fiction always has more to it than a simple tale. So right now, as I reflect, I wonder where it is we may be going.
I say the world is absurd not to complain arbitrarily, but rather to assess the methods and results of society in producing, or failing to produce a meaningful, intelligent, virtuous people. Perhaps the world is too grand a word, when really I'm more focussed on the society in which I live. Anyways, the issues I've been reading about involve censorship and a failing of democracy. I'm not one to complain about the state of things at the moment, as really I don't have any greater solutions. However, it is out of a speculative possiblity that I turn my mind to such issues.
What if we abandon reason and logic as primary means of thought? What if, as a result, we also lose a desire for literature and thought provoking conversation? Furthermore, what if this brings us to a place wherein we choose not to think for ourselves? And even furthermore, what if this leads to rebellion? War? Can it be stopped? If so, by whom? What would we do to prevent rebellion from breaking out again? Who should be in control of such power, combined with such paranoid fear of damaging the system that keeps balance, no matter how brutal that system may be?
Now here's the absurd part... Are logic and reason the primary means of thought within our society? Perhaps for the individual, but for the group? I can't say so. Is there really a pervasive desire for thought provoking conversation in society? There are groups, forums, and clubs, yes, but again, do they exist among the majority? I'd have to say no. So, are we thinking for ourselves? Really? Who told you what to buy, where to buy it, and for what reasons? Interesting. Rebellion? Check. War? Check. Not solely due to these reasons above, but definitely due to disharmony of types, sometimes in rejection of oppressive forces. Finally, who comes in to stop these wars and skirmishes? What are their motives, and what do they have to gain? Maybe these things above seemed like arbitrary, far off questions of fiction, but perhaps they are more real than we'd have thought.
In Farenheit 451, the oppression came in the form of book burners. This begs the question for us, how can we beat the heat? How do we prevent things from getting so bad that we no longer have the ability to stand against oppression? The answer is so simple, just think. This answer, however easy it may seem, can change your life. Think. Don't do it because you're told, however. You'll never do it right if your motives aren't intrinsic. Think, empower your mind with the ability to say no, and not because someone else says no, but because you reject the yes. Social commentaries in the form of fiction are great beginnings of this notion. they force you to digest not only a tale, but also a paired idea.
Set free your mind, break away from your plugged in existence long enough to think. Is this what we want? Twitter, facebook, status updates, gps tracking, summaries and highlights? Don't log on with your mind turned off, think as you go along, and if it doesn't seem right, avoid it. Nobody is going to do it for you, in fact, some benefit when you're most ignorant. This summer, when you're drenched in sweat and hiding from the sun's powerful ways, find more than one way to beat the heat.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
We All Need Somebody to Lean on
The easiest legs to stand on are my own. See, I have two of them in case one fails. I can walk around without need for support, and pick myself up from being down without a hand. On my own legs I stand firmly; I run, jump, kick, hop, and skip. They work without fail, and with some dedication I can build them to be stronger. They have the potential to carry the weight of my life. Furthermore they may carry your load as well. My legs are the starting point of my self-reliance.
The most trustworthy hand is attached to my wrist. In their mirrored pair, my hands work together to balance the many tasks of my life. When too many things are added, they learn to juggle or drop the ball, but either way they act with confidence and poise. They may hoist me up, pull up and push up my entire being with relative ease. They never leave my side, and always lend themselves to my needs. They are musical instruments, communicative tools, and defensive weapons. My hands take care of me, and yet they are a potential path to reliance on others. But the hands of others may slip through my fingers; they may falter in weakness or pull away at my need. My hands will never leave me, and as such are the next point of my self-reliance.
While I may say your criticism will be taken to heart, in reality it'll go straight to my head. My head houses my thoughts, it is the inn in which my creativity and originality resides. My memory works to extract all the ideas buried deep within this vast expanse and use them as I need. My head allows me to file away and retrieve anything I may have use for, without requiring the assistance of others. Intelligence is a testament to one’s ability to self-rely; without need for reference I may demonstrate the ability to recall one of the many pieces of info you require with a simple process of the mind. Not only do we encourage this, we strive to be ever more intelligent. My head is the final place where my self-reliance is built.
And yet, though it exists as a default position discovered and enacted with reflex reactions, it is ever apparent that self-reliance is a horrible fault. Not the kind of self-reliance which allows you to dress yourself, mind you, but the kind which teaches you self-dependence without regard for the world around you. I suffer from such a heavily flawed inability to depend on others as a result of this crippling self-reliance and often I wonder why. Why is it that I find it so hard to rely on others? Beyond the obvious answer that others have let me down consistently in the past, I think the answer is because self-reliance exists all around me. It is in my legs, in my hands, in my mind, in all that I do.
It highlights a seemingly paradoxical command; to live reliant on something or someone else, yet to maintain my integrity and wholeness as a person. My self cannot be removed from the equation, but in order to be completely reliant elsewhere, it appears it must. So then, how may I remain myself without allowing selfishness overwhelm my life; without allowing self-reliance to plague my every act? My self, the very person I am, must change. I must will, desire, and yearn to live my life for others. If it's all about me internally, I'll never display selflessness externally. For me to overcome self-reliance, I need to choose to put others first. This choice can't be a fleeting one; it must become a consistent, ever-present conscious decision. To avoid living a lie, being one person inside, and another on the outside, I must be aware of the ease of falling into self-reliance, and I must reject it.
To be the person I want to be, I need to work harder than I've ever worked, and change from the inside out. I must seek help in changing, for I'll never have the strength on my own to live outside the reaches of my many tools of selfishness and self-reliance. This is where it's so easy to get it wrong. When it becomes time to change, how easy it is to say "okay, I can do this", without ever considering that was the very mentality which brought me here. Today I say, "Okay, You can do this in me".
The most trustworthy hand is attached to my wrist. In their mirrored pair, my hands work together to balance the many tasks of my life. When too many things are added, they learn to juggle or drop the ball, but either way they act with confidence and poise. They may hoist me up, pull up and push up my entire being with relative ease. They never leave my side, and always lend themselves to my needs. They are musical instruments, communicative tools, and defensive weapons. My hands take care of me, and yet they are a potential path to reliance on others. But the hands of others may slip through my fingers; they may falter in weakness or pull away at my need. My hands will never leave me, and as such are the next point of my self-reliance.
While I may say your criticism will be taken to heart, in reality it'll go straight to my head. My head houses my thoughts, it is the inn in which my creativity and originality resides. My memory works to extract all the ideas buried deep within this vast expanse and use them as I need. My head allows me to file away and retrieve anything I may have use for, without requiring the assistance of others. Intelligence is a testament to one’s ability to self-rely; without need for reference I may demonstrate the ability to recall one of the many pieces of info you require with a simple process of the mind. Not only do we encourage this, we strive to be ever more intelligent. My head is the final place where my self-reliance is built.
And yet, though it exists as a default position discovered and enacted with reflex reactions, it is ever apparent that self-reliance is a horrible fault. Not the kind of self-reliance which allows you to dress yourself, mind you, but the kind which teaches you self-dependence without regard for the world around you. I suffer from such a heavily flawed inability to depend on others as a result of this crippling self-reliance and often I wonder why. Why is it that I find it so hard to rely on others? Beyond the obvious answer that others have let me down consistently in the past, I think the answer is because self-reliance exists all around me. It is in my legs, in my hands, in my mind, in all that I do.
It highlights a seemingly paradoxical command; to live reliant on something or someone else, yet to maintain my integrity and wholeness as a person. My self cannot be removed from the equation, but in order to be completely reliant elsewhere, it appears it must. So then, how may I remain myself without allowing selfishness overwhelm my life; without allowing self-reliance to plague my every act? My self, the very person I am, must change. I must will, desire, and yearn to live my life for others. If it's all about me internally, I'll never display selflessness externally. For me to overcome self-reliance, I need to choose to put others first. This choice can't be a fleeting one; it must become a consistent, ever-present conscious decision. To avoid living a lie, being one person inside, and another on the outside, I must be aware of the ease of falling into self-reliance, and I must reject it.
To be the person I want to be, I need to work harder than I've ever worked, and change from the inside out. I must seek help in changing, for I'll never have the strength on my own to live outside the reaches of my many tools of selfishness and self-reliance. This is where it's so easy to get it wrong. When it becomes time to change, how easy it is to say "okay, I can do this", without ever considering that was the very mentality which brought me here. Today I say, "Okay, You can do this in me".
Ten thousand words
Happy Canada Day, I suppose I should start with. Now that the patriotism is out of the way, on to more pressing things. For today, it's all about discipline. Not the discipline-your-children type, I mean the ability to be in control of your behaviours; the type that can keep you from walking over the edges on the many dangerous cliffs of life.
Why discipline? Cause I lack it, and it's my blog, so...yeah. Sincereously, I have a yearning to be more disciplined, I have a desire to fall into line, but I am so ridiculously unable to keep myself in control. I think I’d be a good soldier, cause when someone tells me to go, I go. I just need to be hearing that someone in order for me to feel motivated. The off thing is, I only realize my inability to stay focussed when I've already made my mistakes. At the point of officially too late, I realize I should have changed courses. I need a time turner or something.
At that pace, however, I wonder what I'll be thinking at the last moments of my life. If I only see my errors clearly once I've done wrong, what will my final reflection of my life provide? What a scary, ominous question. I suppose with most things it'd be quite tough to alter this form of my post-action perception, but in the process that is my life I wonder how I can fair to change my thought processes from reactive to proactive. Someone said to me it's a good thing to be asking deep thought-provoking questions of things, as it shows how important they are to me. If so, I suppose I'm just waiting on a bunch of answers.
Why discipline? Cause I lack it, and it's my blog, so...yeah. Sincereously, I have a yearning to be more disciplined, I have a desire to fall into line, but I am so ridiculously unable to keep myself in control. I think I’d be a good soldier, cause when someone tells me to go, I go. I just need to be hearing that someone in order for me to feel motivated. The off thing is, I only realize my inability to stay focussed when I've already made my mistakes. At the point of officially too late, I realize I should have changed courses. I need a time turner or something.
At that pace, however, I wonder what I'll be thinking at the last moments of my life. If I only see my errors clearly once I've done wrong, what will my final reflection of my life provide? What a scary, ominous question. I suppose with most things it'd be quite tough to alter this form of my post-action perception, but in the process that is my life I wonder how I can fair to change my thought processes from reactive to proactive. Someone said to me it's a good thing to be asking deep thought-provoking questions of things, as it shows how important they are to me. If so, I suppose I'm just waiting on a bunch of answers.
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