Shining Thru

It’s crazy how controlled our society is by the media that surrounds us.  The news, radio, papers, etc.  All of them press the ideas that they want people to believe, or simply ideas that will sell…that people will want to know about.  The majority of our society buys into whatever the media says, no matter how absurd it sounds. 

Take the most recent media frenzy, the swine flu, for example.  The news pushed the issue so much that people were panicking everywhere over it, despite the fact that the regular flu that went around this year just as it does every year.  People still went crazy because the media made such a big deal out of this particular strand of the flu.  The flu medication is the same, the symptoms seem the same, yet people were in a massive panic. 

Now all of the sudden the media has stopped pushing the issue, someone must have clued them in on the fact that the regular flu still kills thousands and this flu had only killed a hand full of old and frail of health people.  Now that the media has stopped, I haven’t heard a word from anyone about it.  Now that the newspapers have stopped reporting on it, it’s unimportant, people have stopped stocking up on the vitamin C and the hand sanitizer; all of the sudden they are unconcerned.  Simply because the media has stopped telling them to be fearful….. 

I think this is one of the scariest things that has happened to our society.  People of our society are losing the ability to think for themselves.  What will we do when the media has complete control over thought…in reality it’s not that far fetched of an idea.  So many people already allow themselves to take what they see on the news as complete fact, instead of including it as only a source of some information, information that should be questioned.  All media sources have their own interests to keep in mind when reporting on the “facts”.  Information that is left out of the nightly news, can be just as important, if not more so, than the information that is given on a single thing. 

I think that as a society we need to reclaim our right to question the information presented to us, remember that we can think, discover, and reason for ourselves.  If we don’t learned to grasp these skills again, I am afraid for what our world will look like in another few short decades.  Our society is getting too use to being handed things the easy way.  Instant gratification is what people want these days, but we need reo remember that some things are more important that to see the results instantly.  Sometimes it is better to work for something, puzzle something out, instead of simply accepting what is handed to us. 

Wants, Desires

Needs, Logic

Things conflict.

Life goes on and you have to decide

Decisions not easy

Heart verses mind is hard to undertake

How to decide

What is important?

How can we truly know?

The heart is at odds with the logical brain

The brain is in conflict with the overwhelming feelings

How to move forward?

How to resolve the conflict and have harmony?

Do we guess and hope for the best?

Or do we hang back and wait and see?

Conflict Hangs in the Balance….

I think that we have all heard that “eyes are the window to the soul.”  I think that there is a lot of truth to that old sang.  However, I also think that there are a lot of windows to the heart, mind, and soul if we know how to look for them in a person. 

Eyes do generally give away a person’s emotions probably more than anything else.  You can sense their mood change; you can see the sadness or the passion when you look into them…but what about the other ways that people open up to others?

People’s behaviors can say a lot to someone else, maybe not even the person that they are talking to but someone just people watching.  It’s interesting some time to see if you can guess what people are thinking or what kind of a person someone is that you have never met but see interacting with others. 

Sometimes I have to remember that body language can speak a lot louder than any words.  Some people take it very personally if you stand or sit a certain way while talking or listening to them.  Body language is another clue that lets us know what a person is thinking or feeling, despite what they say to us.  For example, if I get nervous or anxious, I will be tapping my foot under the table, or something like that.  People who know me really well, know that when I’m stressed out I generally clean and bake.  I’m not sure why, but I think we all have our  tells.   

I think it’s kind of strange the way you really like someone right away and just “click” and yet there are other people you encounter who’s very presence annoys you and grates on your nerves.  I heard at a conference a few months back that there are new studies that say that sometimes your brain is sensitive to the brainwaves of other people and sometimes rejects what it feels and that is the unexplained connection or dislike of some people….now, I don’t know if that is true or not, maybe someone just really wants an explanation, or maybe they really do have proof that some brains just don’t like each other. 

I think it would be nice to simply make a tshirt that states, “my brain doesn’t like your brain” and just get that out of the way off the bat.  It would be nice not to feel guilt for not liking someone just because you don’t like them….

At the same time, it’s kind of nice when you just click with someone and come together, fitting in every way possible.  Maybe you just need the bad in order to have the good, or at least appreciate the good.  If you never had anyone you just simply didn’t like and didn’t want around; would you really appreciate the people that you do get along with and that you like or even love?

Isn’t it strange what some people will find romantic is the same thing that will turn another completely off???  I also think that it is strange that some things will turn you on, make you happy, or make you curious, and you have no idea why.  For example, I absolutely love the song by Matt Nathanson:

I miss the sound of your voice
I miss the rush of your skin
I miss the still of the silence
As you breathe out and I breathe in

If I could walk on water if I can tell you what’s next
Make you believe, make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire in the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire in the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love

I miss the sound of your voice
The loudest thing in my head
And I ache to remember
All the violence, sweet
Perfect words that you said

If I could walk on water, if i could tell you what’s next,
make you believe, make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire in the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire in the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love

I miss the pull of your heart
I can taste the sparks on your tongue
I see angels and devils
And God, when you come on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on love
Sing shalala love
Sing shalala love

Come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire in the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire in the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me, drown me in love

It’s all wrong
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
So, come on, get higher
Come on, get higher
‘Cause everything works
Everything works in your arms

I’m not exactly sure why I love this song so much, but I find it one of the most romantic things ever.  I think that part of it has to do with the melody as well as the lyrics themselves.  I don’t think that this song would be quite so powerful if it was not done with the melody and instrumentals that accompanies the lyrics.  I find the song almost hypnotizing.  It seems to have a deep meaning, something that my mind can’t even comprehend.  It’s amazing how some things can do that to you.  If you’ve ever been in love or been touched this way by something than you might know what I’m talking about.  Love is another one of those things that you can just feel…you can’t think about it because your mind doesn’t always comprehend the depth of the feeling….

Certain things just touch your soul and you have no idea why.  It can be anything from the look in someone’s eyes to a butterfly, or a painting or song…a poem…a sunset…anything.  And it’s going to be different for everyone.  Some people feel that way when they see a new electronic toy, or a new video game, or a car….it all depends on the individual.  At any rate I hope that we as a society never lose that, no matter what does it for you.  As long as we have souls that can be reached some how, we will be ok.

It’s amazing to me the little things people are effected by.  It’s amazing what people can pick up on or how the smallest smile or frown can truly effect the way a person’s day or even life goes.  It’s one of the strangest things to be contacted by someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time and don’t even really remember very much, and they tell you that you made a huge impact on them. 

It’s crazy how a smile can make someone have a good day or even a good week.  The smallest actions can effect other people in more ways than we can imagine.  The question is….do we change the way we act or let people take us for how we are???? 

How many people do we effect in one day?  On the street, at work, at home, out to eat, out anywhere?  How many people do we pass in one day that don’t notice us?  Which is more important the 100 people we see a day that wont care, that aren’t effected for better or for worse?  Or the few people who are effected, either in a good way or a bad way?

The storm clouds cover,

grayness descends…

Freshness awaits on the other side

Facing the thick humid air…we wait.

The gentle pat of the rain begins

Fingers outstretch

Longing to feel the freshness.

The cleansing water falls all around you

On you, consumes you

The water drops come down harder

harder still…..until

They finally let up

Slowly you can move out of the isolation

Into the freshness

the air is so clean and new

A smile comes, deep breath

The rainbow is seen through the fog

Afresh, Anew

What is it about our nature as humans that we enjoy investigating, exploring, and messing with the emotions of people, even ourselves.  What is the point of a movie like Seven Pounds that leaves you feeling such a mix of feelings that it’s over powering.  What is it about us that makes us push other people’s buttons, knowing that it’s going to drive them crazy…or just the opposite, know where to avoid because it still gives us some kind of control because we know we could set them off but choose not to….Maybe that’s it, maybe it’s a pleasure of feeling in control. 

Controlling someone’s emotions is definitely a way to control them….just as placing ideas into their heads…that is why advertising plays on things like the fear of the majority, or the idea that it will make you one of the crowd or above the average person.  These are all strategies in the advertising world, and they work because they are playing on the emotions…once you make that emotional connection, there is something for the product or idea to latch on ot in the mind of the person…something that they can’t get rid of.  People can’t control their emotions but you can control what is linked with them.

A very simple example is that, like most people I have always hated being sick, and all growing up my mom gave me a certain type of soda when I was sick, and to this day I hate it, even though I liked it when I was young and sick.  I now associate that soda with that feeling of being miserable and sick, I can’t help it and can’t get over it….well I probably could if I wanted to badly enough, but it just doesn’t seem like it’s worth that much effort. 

Why are we so obsessed with emotions and control….???  Why do we try so hard to control our emotions instead of just letting them be, since they are natural….It’s never the emotion that’s the problem, it’s the reaction to the emotions that we need to be careful of.

Feelings are not reliable all the time.  Sometimes they give you a great head’s up on what is going on in your life…situations, people, etc.  However, sometimes they become very overpowering and cannot be reliable.  Sometimes feelings can be a great release, but sometimes they can be intense and overwhelming, to the point where they cause way more stress than the situations that they are over.  I hate feeling like an emotional wreck at times.  I hate it when I know something isn’t logical but can’t help the feelings anyway.  I love feelings for the passion, love, happiness, and joy that they can bring into your life, but not so much when it’s stress, sadness, depression, and hurt.  I guess that’s true for most people. 

At the same time, I don’t think that I would want to get rid of my negative feelings all together or I don’t think that I would be able to appreciate the good feelings nearly as much.  I do wish however, that I could always balance logic with the feelings, instead of allowing illogical feelings to bring me down.

Spring and fall have always been my favorite seasons of the year because they both involve change.  I love the fall colors and how the flowers bloom in the spring.  I love how it feels different, it gives you more and it’s a beautiful change.  I never have to wonder if I will like it or not because the leaves always change to the vibrant fall rainbow and spring breaks the powerful and majestic thunderstorms and gorgeous flowers.  It’s funny how even though a lot of people associate fall with dying things, I still think it’s beautiful and just the right temperature.  You can enjoy the outdoors, without hiding from the sun or the snow.  Spring is the same, warm breeze that comes and sweeps through everything after the darkness of winter.  Even down in the south where there isn’t much of what the northerners would call winter, it is still bleak, cold, and gloomy at times.  Spring is refreshing and makes you enjoy life again. 

Spring and fall bring about a change that I can truly appreciate because they are the two seasons that are the most beautiful and I think the two that there is not a lot of arguing about when they show up.  When the ground thaws and the flowers start to bloom it’s spring; when the leaves start changing colors and you bring out the sweat shirts, it’s fall.  I like that it’s fairly consistent.  I don’t have to wonder about how severe or if the weather will stay.  These are the laid back seasons, a time to simply enjoy and not sweat the little things.  Time to enjoy the fresh air and the beauty of nature.