| Week 42: Life Flows Like Time |
[28 Jul 2009|06:47pm] |
It is of no surprise to me that things change and people come and go. That many of those in your current days you are likely to never see or talk to again once the times change and everyone moves on with their lives. In the end, everyone you ever meet will leave their mark on you. Obviously, those with whom you are close will have a much bigger impact than those you met so briefly as to have forgotten even meeting them. If you ever feel lonely or miss them, all you ever actually have to do is look inside yourself.
But so it is how time goes. The days pass leaving you with nothing except memories. The seasons change bringing with them new experiences as the year continues around its cycle time and time again. With each cycle comes new things while leaving others behind. Yet, there is still that same pattern to everything that makes you sit and realize that you have been there before even if things are a bit different. There is no stopping or slowing of the pace that time takes. All you can possibly do is watch it pass by as you try to enjoy what you presently have and take the most out of the unique occurrences of the time being. There is little use in dwelling on the "what if?'s" or the "what could be?'s" as nothing can undo that which has been done and by always looking to the future, you are bound to miss out on the mysteries of the present moment. In any case, hold close that which you have because everything shall change in a seemingly fleeting moment; and, once it is gone, you are likely to never get it back exactly how it was.
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| Week 41: High in the Sky |
[17 Jun 2009|05:46pm] |
High in the Sky
By: Me
Up in the ionosphere
Oh so high
Free electrons float around
Far above in the sky
Their numbers rise
And peak at midday
But during the night
Most of them go away
They may seem useless
Just floating around
But radio waves bounce off them
And are received on the ground
Communications can travel
From place to place
Because of electrons
And this, we embrace
But many things happen
Far above your head
The electrons get excited
So the scientists have said
Sometimes the sun flares
It causes a storm
The air molecules go crazy
Many excited electrons form
The party keeps growing
Until emission
When red, green, and blue
Fill up your vision
People gather around
To see the electron's foray
The bright glowing colors
Of the magnificent aurorae
When the electrons settle
No more energy to spare
The colors must fade away
But nothing can compare
Now look to the sky
Just sit and ponder
Of the electrons up there
Have you ever been fonder?
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| Week 40: A Thought of the Rain |
[14 May 2009|12:42pm] |
Oh humanity, can't you see,
God is crying down on thee.
To death you sail, for surely you'll fail
When comes the time to end this tale
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| Lyrics 1: What am I to Do |
[12 Apr 2009|12:59pm] |
What am I to do
When I can’t be with you
And without my favorite things
Life means nothing
What am I to do
But keep watching for you
As the days pass by
All I can do is cry
What am I to do
When I can’t play the blues
The joys of my day
For their return I pray
What am I to do
But hope for something new
To remind me of the past
The happiness that doesn’t last
What am I to do
Until my cheerfulness is true
When my desires will return
My happy life will be reborn
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| Week 39: About Fears |
[26 Jul 2008|01:48pm] |
So as with most ideas, the origin of these thoughts begins with a question: why do people fear specific things? Knowing how classical conditioning works, one could say that a person may have had a bad or painful experience with something, say dogs, and develop a fear as a way to try and prevent having another similar experience. This makes sense, and it would be fairly easy to treat a fear with this origin if the person was willing. It would mainly be a matter of reconditioning the person by whatever means works best for them. Another simple way to gain a fear would be by observational learning. If a child watches a parent act fearful around something or in a certain situation, it is not surprising that the child would begin to act in the same way and develop the same fear. For these situations, the easiest way would be to prevent a fear from passing onto someone else. To do so, in this example, the parent would have to get over his fear or at least hide his fear within him while around his child. He could also encourage his child to do or interact with that which he fears, so as to prevent his child from developing his fear. These would be the behavioral reasons behind fears.
In and of itself, there is nothing wrong with the feeling of fear. Nature's use of fear, as with many instincts, is to prevent injury and preserve life. It goes along with caution. Fear is a way of keeping a being out of a situation which it cannot handle well. What I have problems with are fears of a specific thing or situation, especially if there is seemingly no solid reason behind it. When I come across someone who is afraid of something, I often ask them the question that seems so simple but is often the hardest to answer, "Why?" Why would you be afraid of something if you have never had a bad experience with it or any of the reasons the behavioral psychology may suggest? The common answer I get when I ask someone why they fear something is "I don't know; I just don't like it," or something similar. Is it that they really do not know why they fear it or have they just never taken the time to try and figure out a reason for why?
Is it possible that there are reasons for fears other than those described by conditioning? It is my opinion that the answer to this question is yes. Sure, conditioning explains how all animals and people develop behaviors; but, why could there not be a another meaning behind some fears? After contemplating these questions and others, I came to a conclusion. Maybe it is that people fear what they do not understand. This could possibly explain other human behaviors. There are times that people create explanations to explain what they don't understand. For example, the ancients used a sun god to explain how the sun would rise and set each day. Some people were not content with this explanation, and it was eventually discovered that the Earth's rotation causes the sun's rising and setting. By having an explanation, an event or thing is less mysterious and less of something to be feared. If something is understood, there is little reason for one to fear it because he knows how and why it is. Having an understanding of something also appears to create a certain respect for things.
It would be much more pleasant to respect and use caution around something or to know how to handle oneself in a situation rather than dealing with the negatives which come along with fears. It some cases it is even more beneficial to handle a situation with respect, understanding, and caution than it is to handle it with fear. For example, someone may fear dogs because he fears being bitten, basically feeling pain. Now if this person finds himself in a situation with an aggressive dog, he is more likely to be bitten if he shows fear rather than confidence in dealing with the situation. If he ends up being bitten, then his fear will only increase, and a negative cycle is created. The problem is that fear appears to be a weak state of mind. A strong has understanding, respect, and caution. A strong mind understands how to stay calm in an unknown or difficult situation and how to handle it with respect and care. A calm mind is needed to determine that best path of action that will create the least amount of anxiety and trouble for all involved. A strong minds gives and receives respect. Weak, fearful states of mind cannot accomplish this.
So, are people content to just live with having a fear of something? It seems to me that life would be easier and better without having a fear of something, particularly if what is feared is something that is common in everyday life. Being afraid causes anxiety and stress. Most people would like to lower the amount of these things in their lives. Then, why should they put up with having a fear of something? It is easy enough to rid oneself of a fear if one knows the basis for it and if he is willing to rid himself of it. Whenever one is dealing with ridding his mind of a trouble, he must face it full on. It is not something that can be solved if he only shows half-hearted determination at doing so. It is always easier to just continue doing that which one already does than it is to try and change one's behavior. Even so, if he really wishes to improve his life, he can find the determination to do so.
I don't mean to say that one should like and enjoy everything. Just because one understands something does not mean that he must like it. The meaning behind caution is for one to understand what he is or is not comfortable with. For example, take someone who has a fear of spiders. I don't mean to say that he needs to be comfortable with handling a spider. I just mean to say that he should not act in a needless way, yelling and feeling anxiety. I just mean to say that he should be able to handle the situation with a calm mind and a respectful manner. Instead of throwing something at the spider and squishing it, why could he not use something to pick it up with and put it outside? He never needs to come into contact with it to show it respect. In this way, he is using caution in a way that he feels is necessary for that situation while at the same time showing respect and strength of mind.
Fears appear to form in different ways for different reasons. Some reasons are easier to deal with and solve than others, but it seems to be in one's best interest to rid himself of these unnecessary fears and strengthen his mind. Situations and things are best dealt with respect, understanding, and caution.
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| Week 38: To Walk the Path Alone |
[10 Dec 2007|11:30am] |
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With so may people around, it is amazing that one can still get the feeling that he is alone. It seems that he should be able to find someone who will care about him and, in return, that he can care about. It is much easier if one has a buddy, be it human or not, who goes along for the walk down the path of life. So then why are there so many who still walk alone? If there is someone else who can share one's experiences, it just makes the path so much more pleasant. When there is someone else who cares, one just gets that amazing feeling that there is more to life than just the bare path that he sees before him. He finds a great number of things along the path that he would not have found if he had continued along it all alone. These things could be similar to the difference between living in a 2-D world versus a 3-D world. Taking a buddy along for the walk just adds that extra dimension that one needs to have in order to really enjoy himself as he walks along the path of life.
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| Week 37: To Change The World |
[30 Jul 2007|07:06pm] |
I wish I could change the world,
By making people care,
By helping them learn to believe in themselves,
By stopping the needless violence,
By showing everyone what the world could be,
If only they would work together
To do what needs to be done
Because no one is useless.
I wish I could change the world
Into what it is capable of being.
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| Week 36: Apples and Wine |
[03 Apr 2007|03:38pm] |
I got this in an email a while ago. I think it is pretty funny and, at the very least, interesting. Enjoy.
Apples and Wine
Women are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the
tree. Most men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are
afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they sometimes take the
apples from the ground that aren't as good, but easy. The apples at
the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they're
amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along, the
one who is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.
Now Men.... Men are like a fine wine. They begin as grapes, and
it's up to women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into
something acceptable to have dinner with.
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| Week 35: Life's Amazing Journey |
[12 Dec 2006|11:17am] |
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Life is a journey that each person must embark upon. Each twist and turn leads to a new discovery. Every fork in the road gives two paths each leading to their own surprises and ends. Moreover, the only way one can find the correct end of his life, his destiny, is to let his mind and heart lead him through. There are times when one wanders off the path and finds himself lost. In the end, he finds a path and continues on his way. Whether or not this new path is connected to his first in any way does not matter for he was meant to find it.
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| Week 34: Descartes |
[04 Oct 2006|07:49pm] |
While reading Descartes for philosophy class, I stumbled upon some interesting thoughts. They are in the order that they appear in his writing; so, in a way they might seem to contradict each other, but in his writing they build off of one another.
"I at least know for certain that nothing is certain."
"I am, I exist."
"I am; I exist; this is certain. But for how long? For as long as I think."
"I am therefore precisely only a thing that thinks."
"What is that? A thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, and which also imagines and knows."
They flow better together than I thought they would. Feel free to add your comments about these.
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| Week 33: Be Proud of Yourself |
[21 Sep 2006|06:24pm] |
Everyday walk proudly with your head held high.
You are what you were born, but you are more of what you have made yourself to be.
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| Week 32: Our Fight With Nature |
[29 Jul 2006|11:49am] |
When one fights nature, he is destined to fail. One can only be successful if he works with nature for it is the most powerful thing on Earth as well as the only thing that can keep us alive.
Does this mean that continuing to fight nature will mean the failure of mankind?
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| Week 31: Life's Lessons |
[27 Jun 2006|09:01pm] |
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Life's greatest teachers cannot speak any human language. This means that we must be more aware of them if we hope to learn their life lessons.
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| Week 30: Better? |
[23 May 2006|03:22pm] |
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To never have something that one really wants is better than to have it and lose it.
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| Week 29: Would you? |
[14 May 2006|12:42am] |
If you were given the chance to have all of the knowledge in the world, would you take it?
This means that you would know everything there is to know about the universe, the past, the present, and the future. You would know everything everyone thought. You would know all of the good things as well as the bad things. You would know about disasters that were going to happen, but you could not stop them. If you did stop them, then you would know that you were going to. You would know what death and pain feel like as well as what true love feels like.
Would you still do it? I would.
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| Week 28: Just a Thought |
[08 May 2006|07:32pm] |
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Sometimes one feels like he is the only one who is missing his shadow in the bright sunlight.
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| Week 27: Consider This |
[26 Mar 2006|10:03pm] |
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The strongest man is the one who knows his weaknesses and works to rid himself of them.
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| Week 26: Knowledge |
[06 Mar 2006|08:18pm] |
What good is knowledge if only one person has it?
People should be more willing to share that knowledge with others. If only one person knows something, what good is it?
The world could be a better place if everyone knew just a little bit more.
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| Week 25: An Unknown Purpose |
[04 Mar 2006|01:28pm] |
The purpose of life is unknown. People often think of their own purposes in life.
But what purpose does life itself have?
Sometimes life just seems pointless. Every living thing dies eventually, so why is life here to begin with?
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| Week 24: The Great Battle |
[18 Feb 2006|06:30pm] |
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There is a great battle going on nearly every day. Most people notice it but do not really realize it. It is not any kind of battle that can be seen. It is a battle in the mind. It is conscious versus subconscious. One's conscious mind will think one way and the subconscious will think the opposite. He must choose which one to follow. Often he will not know if he chose the right one. Only time will tell.
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