Shining Thru

When the truth is unknown

When the truth is blurry

Step back and wonder….

Does It Matter?

What’s happening only matters if you care

If you put value on the action

The truth, is only true if you believe it

Perception is your reality,

No matter how skewed it might become.

Truth in the depths of your soul

Can it be ignored…can denial really last?

Can the mind cover up for what the heart feels?

What is the truth?

What you believe or what you see or what you feel?

What is experience other than what you think you experience….

Your perception of the experience creates the reality of the experience

Reality……

Only a matter of perception…

and yet people put so much weight behind it

Every one’s truth is different, but where does it come from?

Does it matter?  Is it important to know the ultimate truth?

Why mess with a reality you’re comfortable in for the plain truth?

Why change realities by allowing your perception to change?

What if things will be better?  What if things will be worse?

What if the truth scares you?

What if you’re reality is denial?

Should you search for the truth when you have already established your reality?

Grabbing the Past

Snatching the moment

Not wanting to let it go

Not wanting time to move

Wanting to stay in the moment

The precious moments that make life happy

The precious moments that make you want to live

The moments that remind you of what beauty is.

We flip through the memories

The pages that have caught the glimpses

The pages that we want to live in

Because those pages have the happy moments

The love that you know

The love that you’ve seen grow

In those pages you can see,

The love and beauty that make life worth living.

People tend to fight what they don’t understand…especially older people who are set in their ways, and already have their opinions on what certain words mean, certain theories, etc.  Watching some clips from the Daily Show that were shared with me, I realized once again how so many people form and express their opinions out of ignorance, or simply because they don’t want to see any change.  I’m not saying that they are right or wrong, but explanations that have nothing to do with the topic of health care, which was being discussed with expressions like, “we should all fear Obama” don’t really inspire me with confidence that these people have actually studied and thought about the topic at hand…instead it makes me think that they have simply decided that they don’t like it because some media personality has told them that it’s a bad idea, or because they don’t want to see things change….maybe my perception is wrong…but none the less it is what it looks like to me.  I don’t understand why so many people keep their pre-perceived information or what the media tells them to believe without being open to new evidence, or arguments about the topic that they are working so hard to fight without any facts.  The only arguments I have heard against Obama’s new health program plan do not have any facts to back them up…just phrases that are designed to scare people, as Jon Stewart’smock experts so nicely demonstrate.  I have a friend who says that people should always write down their logic on paper and read it out lout to see if it still makes sense.  I think this is a good policy since I think that as humans we have a great ability to justify all sorts of things in our own minds….but then when we take a step back and look at the logic behind our own thoughts, we realize that we may have missed a few things as our thought process made it’s mental leaps and went spinning through all of the thoughts on the topic.  I think that the evidence of a great mind is in that they can realize their own fallacies in logic. 

(If you’re interested in the clips that spurred these thougths for me you can find them with the link:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/11/jon-stewart-vs-town-hall_n_256272.html )

I don’t understand what makes our society fear change so much?  What is so bad about moving forward in our way of living?  What is so wrong with accepting that there is a new administration and although you may not agree with everything they come up with, it doesn’t mean that everything they come up with is automatically wrong simply because there are one or two things that you do not agree with.  I don’t know why people feel that they cannot be wrong, is it really that hard to admit when you realize that someone has evidence to prove you wrong?  I don’t understand why we have made that a bad thing in our society.  I would think that we would try to get people to grow from experiences like that, instead of making them feel that they need to fight for their honor, or something like that; that is how people end up making stupid arguments that only they think sound logical, and other people who wont give up the same misconceptions.

Words are a powerful thing…I think that most of us have heard about the power of words at one point or another in some degree.  Have you ever stopped to think about the difference words have made in your life; somebody saying one simple phrase and having it stick with you for the rest or your life?  If it was a positive or negative phrase is irrelevant, the important thing is that you remember it, and because it stayed alive in your mind, and stirred some type of feeling, it’s power came to life, when it influenced who you are. 

Words can do the same thing to the masses.  Words are what make people fear, argue, agree, or ignore.  The way words are spoken, the connotations of the words used, the jargon that is given out freely by the media.  Words can also inspire an entire group, generation, or nation.   Look at the influence of all of the different ways words are delivered, from the nightly news to the newest song played on the radio.  The words that we surround ourselves with have a big influence on who we are.  Having the right words at the right time can be amazingly powerful, you can change someone’s day, or outlook on life, or start a revolution by influencing the masses and convincing them that it’s time for change.  Change comes through words.  This philosophy is demonstrated and and pondered in the book that I’m currently reading, Ender’s Game.  Like 1984 and The Giver, the book uses some sci-fi type qualities to make some very real, current, and relevant points to our world today.  Think about how long books and poems stay alive in circulations, in libraries, in homes, in classrooms, etc….continuously being interpreted and influencing people.  Or at least some books are treated with that reverence….some are never even published.  It’s all about having the right words for the right group at the right time.  Some people have a gift for writing that reaches many people over centuries, generation after generation, the words are valued.  But this gift is rare….

Think about how revolutions throughout history have began…with words.  There is always someone from an intelligent and more experienced group that rallies the masses with WORDS.  Pamphlets, speeches, songs, whatever it takes to spread a common message and influences the masses that are needed to really make a difference.  If the numbers aren’t there than the intelligence is just going to stay an idea in one person’s mind and maybe be discussed on a rare night when nothing else is happening….but it never goes beyond the circle and into the masses if it’s not delivered at the right time. 

Word choice is extremely important if you want to use your words to control, then they need to be considered with all of the connotations(associations) as well as the denotations(definition) that come along with words.  The media has a lot of control over the masses because of their word choice.  The media has the power to scare or reassure with pretty much any story that they put on television or run in the paper.  Either way, word choice is key. 

The internet makes the spread of words amazingly fast…we have advanced now to the spread of video.  In a matter of minutes an entire school with have a video clip that someone took on their cell phone of some unfortunate or fortunate student or teacher…..Think about how many people from different backgrounds, cultures, and countries read the same passages on the Internet….even this blog is read across the world…which is amazing, at least to me. 

Words are very powerful things, they can be used to inspire or knock down….the thing about words, especially the written word, once it’s out there, it’s almost impossible, if not completely impossible to ever get them out of circulation, out of people’s minds, especially with the wonderful world wide web.

It’s funny how we get use to things sometimes….and yet fight other things until the bitter death, maybe we never get used to it.  You can be an addict to all sorts of things that people don’t realize.  You can even be an addict to routine, especially when you find a routine that you like, feel comfortable in, or just find that it makes you feel better.  What is it about some changes that seem so natural and maybe even necessary, but other changes are just met with dispute, anger, frustration….

It’s crazy how good some little things can make you feel.  Something as simple as being able to talk to someone every day to start off the day; for some people it’s as simple as a cup of coffee to start off their day.  Everyone has their own comforts in life, some of us settle for the small comforts in life and are satisfied with the happiness that it brings to us.  Others need material things, expensive things in order to be  happy.  For some people it’s control, they need to be in control of every situation around them, they need to feel powerful in order to be happy. 

I think it’s pretty amazing how most people I know fall into a pattern and then don’t quite feel right if that routine is broken for any reason that they didn’t see coming.  We are creatures of habit, no matter how much some people want to deny it, I still believe it’s true.  I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a routine you are comfortable with.  Life is too short to go around miserable, if you find something that makes you happy, you should stick with it, not deny yourself because you feel like you’re getting too set in your ways.  I think a lot of the happiness just comes from knowing what to expect for the day.  I think it makes people comfortable to know what is going on, and nervous and tense when they don’t have something set up for the day. 

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. 

It’s said that it takes all kinds of people to make a world….I think that’s true, whether we are looking at the whole world or just the world that you live in as a person, there are going to be different dynamics of people any time two people are put together in a small space, or have to interact in any way.  Dealing with people can get frustrating, but I don’t think it will ever change.  There will always be people around, and we will always have to deal with somebody that we don’t get along with, or at least don’t quite see eye to eye with.  Now, I try not to judge people, and just accept them for who they are….but accepting and liking are two different things.  Sometimes we have to just accept that a person is a real jerk, and leave it there…there is no use in hoping that a person will magically change, those great epiphanies seem to only happen in movies, at least in my experience.  Now, it’s great if you can make a person realize something and really open up their eyes to new experiences…but how often can that really happen…some people will argue that just change or touching one person is enough…and maybe that’s true for them…or there is the other extreme who want to change everybody and wont accept anyone who isn’t like them.  Of course there are the people who say that they don’t want to change anybody and just want to leave everyone else alone, and I wonder what causes that attitude…   I wonder if it’s because they have tried and feel like they have failed or if they really just want to be left alone, or maybe they just feel like the world is beyond help.  Why is it so hard for us, as a society, to accept people for who they are and not try to change them?

The world is changing all the time, everywhere around us.  Is change always a good thing?  I feel that most change provides opportunities which is a good thing.  I think it is pretty awesome that we have the first black president in the white house.  I think it shows the growth and change of our country.  Here are a few links to the wonderful site of youtube for some humor with our new president. 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PqI12R8YNU&feature=email

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-yJBsjatW0&feature=email

On a more serious note:  I use to be extremely conservative; however, it was pointed out to me that if you don’t like what has been happening than it’s time to try something new and different.  I am really hoping that this change will do good things for our country.  Sadly, I think the country has been going down hill for awhile as far as the economy and the way we are raising the younger generation.  I do hope that a new administration will provide relief from the issues that we have been dealing with for the past few years.  Things need to change and I really hope that our country is ready for it and will embrace the changes that need to be made.