Cognitive Dissonance

There is a certain element of protocol that seems to be defied; regardless of it’s existence. In other words, if a law exists, it is going to be broken. Our culture teaches us that it’s important to treat everyone as equals, but it doesn’t happen, and it never will; especially if they have trouble paying their bills. Equality is nothing more than an idealistic non-reality. I know a man who claims that he is treated differently because he is black. It’s a fair statement. The flip side of that same coin is that he was raised in a culture that is completely foreign to the group of people that he was finding it difficult to get along with. It’s like any other relationship, both sides have to be willing to work out a harmonious outcome.

...    

The other day a residential superintendent, aka slum lord, came to my place of work and told me that one of his tenants has a broken window. He asked me to provide him with a quote for a replacement, so that he could bill his tenant accordingly. He went on to explain  that the lady living there has three very small children, but she claimed they weren’t responsible for breaking the window. He wasn’t ready to buy her defense. Eventually she admitted that one of the kids had broken the window. She was very distressed by this point, and went on to explain that since her husband died the kids have become impossible to control. When he asked what happened, she told him that he was scheduled to go to jail, but he decided he’d rather end his life instead.
…
It’s a terribly sad story. No matter how you look at it there isn’t anyone who isn’t being hurt. I couldn’t help but think about the term... “living in another world.” That is exactly what it is. At least, that’s what we’re led to believe. The truth is that it’s not different at all.

There’s a lady who I see around town every now and again. Her husband is very abusive when he is drunk. On numerous occasions she’s had to call the cops to take him away. They have this incredibly uncanny way of “making up” and getting back together. Just the other day, I saw her with another black eye.
…..

This is the world we live in people. I don’t know if it’s more depressing to talk about the problem or to talk about solutions. In either case, you’ll find that the topic is endless. There’s nothing that can be done to make such terrible things go away. I do believe that humanity has enough good in it to reach out and help the helpless, but I’m not convinced that it’s enough to break the cycle of destruction.

Why would I write an article that doesn’t offer a resolution for anything? How can we watch school kids get shot every day? What would you do if you discovered that your world doesn’t really want to be rescued? When do the absurdities end? Where do you go when there’s nothing left? Who are you ultimately responsible for? If the answer is you, you’re wrong. If the answer is the whole, it’s slightly better.


If it’s about loving the unlovable... then maybe we ought not to view it as something that’s impossible.


….
Once this article is posted, I will officially have had 1,000 visits. I don’t write with the notion that someday I will win over the masses, but I would like to say Thank-You to everyone who has taken the time to read my thoughts. - I am especially grateful for those of you who ask me to write when I haven’t been diligent in posting new material. - Destiny you provided such a perfect title. :)

Drive Through, Dine In, or Boycott.

Several months ago one of my friends saw me riding my ten speed, and thought to himself; “There goes the only hipster in town.” The fashion trends, and preferred  modes of transportation, are only the start. It got me thinking about how the rise of the hipsters is something bigger than black rimmed spectacles. I was listening to a radio interview in which they were discussing the changing economic playing field that is emerging, especially during the holidays. 

My generation is appalled by the idea of consumerism, and would much rather find non-traditional alternatives. They’ve grown up during one of the most affluent generations in N. American history. The backlash should be expected. Their parents did the same sort of thing during the hippy era. When they got tired of living self destructive life styles they set out to make something useful of themselves and became remarkably good at it. What they never could have expected was that their kids would come to despise anything t associated with the aristocracy. 

The hipster movement is very unique, because it consists of people who for the most part are very well educated. It’s not hard to see how a deliberate effort that is gaining momentum worldwide will do more to change the course of history than anyone has yet realized.

Progress is an aimless illusion. The pendulum swings back and forth...yada yada....
Capitalism failed. Communism failed. We’ve occupied, we’ve gone on strike, and now we’re growing our own gardens and knitting sweaters. 

My role is equally important, and has been revealed to me by divine inspiration: I’ve decided to rent out my fleet of bicycles to anyone who wishes to be Idle No More. 
-All proceeds will be used to disband the Tragically Hip.

Friends, Family, and Broken Hearts.

Normally I like to write a blog... and then wait several days before I put the finishing touches on it. Today I am writing free style. I would like to dedicate it to my friends Lesha and Elena. Both of them have experienced the loss of a parent to cancer.

Perhaps the hardest part to understand is how it can so quickly overtake an otherwise healthy person. Everyone knows that eventually they will probably have to lay their parents to rest, but nobody thinks expects it to happen until they themselves get old.

There are a thousand things that could be said about the meaning of life and it's paradoxical relationship with death. However, we would be no closer to figuring it all out even if we were to search out the answers for a millennium. I think we think that our hopes have the power to change the world. They do, but only in the sense that if hope is lost, than so is all else.
Why bother to hope at all? It's rather like playing on a sports team. It is the hardest thing in the world to walk out on to the field, and pretend that you have a fighting chance when you know that you're going to be destroyed, but you do it anyway. The reason is simple, the odds of winning the game can never be better or worse than 50/50. Life is exactly the same way... we play out our roles as best as we are able... and the rest is determined by factors that we are unable to alter.

Head up, Shoulders back. Life is winnable... and I want you to know... that you are important to me... and that even though all the sympathetic gestures in the world don't seem to ease the pain... there is assurance in this: Everything has it's time and place... and we get to choose what we're going to do about it.

21... but who's counting?

I love to observe human interactions. The one that I will write about today is definitely worthy of pen and ink. 

   

A group of young people were playing a game in which the objective was to remove the ribbon from the back pocket of another individual without losing your own. There was a girl with down syndrome who was also playing the game. Nobody would take her ribbon, even though they knew it would probably be an easy point. As the game went on… a young girl allowed the girl with down syndrome to take her ribbon from her. She then congratulated her for her effort. Her motivation was genuine and illustrated sincere kindness.

People are amazing creatures. We talk about the importance of equality and acceptance. The story I told illustrates that trying to treat someone as if they are normal is very difficult, if not impossible.  Wikipedia says this: Down syndrome can be identified in a baby at birth or even before birth by prenatal screening. Pregnancies with this diagnosis are often terminated. (Around 90%)

It’s not impossible to treat people with disabilities as equals, but it does require time and comfortability to something to for there is not a natural predisposition. How can I say that so confidently? History is full of injustices that are exacted towards minorities. Why is Mother Teresa so well known? She dared to show compassion when no-one else would.

"Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted

according to the graces we have received 

and let us not be ashamed or slow 

to do the humble work." 

"One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody."   -Mother Teresa

....

That is all that I shall say today.

Thanks for reading. 

Ubiquitous Vacuity

"You only live once."

This statement has been spinning around in the back of my head for the last several weeks. I want to live life to its fullest capacity and yet the idea still seems so impossible to comprehend. Since I’m only going to live once… I want to know that I’m living it the best that I know how. This creates a problem. Since I only get one chance to live… I really don’t have the luxury of making up for past mistakes. I know that it is impossible to make the right decision in every situation, but I can think of no greater incentive for me to give it my best effort.

I’m not opposed to self discipline… nor do I question it as an imperative element of my daily life. The only wrinkle in this input/output based motivation is that it cannot accommodate the variances that are dictated by the circumstances that sculpt and shape our life’s course. Why is it that we idolize celebrities? The answer is so straightforward that it almost seems impossible: We think they have everything that we want. You don’t need to read very many biographies of famous people to discover that attempts to mask human frailty are made at a great price.

When you begin to look at the philosophies of modern man… you’ll quickly see that the most dominant theme is the importance of clearing your mind. The idea is brilliant, if you don’t concern yourself with anything, life will be blissful. Idealistic as it sounds, I’m not buying it. Introspection of self is absolutely imperative if we are ever going to grasp the meaning of life. The topic of life purpose isn’t abstract. It’s tangible and relevant.  

You can think a lot of bad things about yourself when there are lips pressing against your forehead and you feel you don't deserve it. They say that being young and stupid go hand in hand, but I sure as hell don't feel old and wise just yet, either. I still feel ridiculous and childish. I talk too much. I'm not pretty enough, nor smart enough, and I don't understand why. Why are you doing this? Why do you care? I want you to turn around and hurt me because that's what I've learned to expect. Having my fears validated will make everything so much less confusing. 

- Livvy Cosh   * To see more of her work, please follow the link: http://ipawed.deviantart.com/gallery/5313270

We tend to forget that we have a role to play that is critical in the making of the time-line of history. 

Every feeling that we’ve ever felt moves us in one direction or another.

What are you man, if you do not learn love? Isn’t that an interesting question?

Life is: More than a pre-determined formula.

            More than the overnight success stories.

            More than existing for one’s self.

Pugnacious

I haven’t had a chance to write anything with any sort of belletristic brilliance recently. It doesn’t mean that there haven’t been moments of inspiration; it just means that I can’t seem to figure out how to relate it to anything else. Here are a couple of thoughts that fall into that category:

 1. A self guided missile does not guide itself.

 2. Love, babies, and all those otherwise impossible things.

 3.  A perfectly indifferent vantage point would make life too easy.

 4. I gave her chocolate and her eyes said marry me.

 5. A psychologist would love to tell you that you’re problems are
     pathetic if he wasn't getting a financial incentive to
     tell you they aren’t.

6. It is impossible to be right absolutely.

7. The most complicated problems have the simplest solutions.

Weighed in the Scales and Found Wanting

One of the reasons I enjoy writing is that I am able to isolate my thoughts and categorize them. If my sole purpose was to gain recognition and receive payment for my work I would have long since dethroned “Goodnight Moon” with an unequivocal literary masterpiece. There is an unexplainable connection between needing to write about things that are important and weighing them out in my head.

The things that occupy my mind are most often left out of the day to day conversations I have with people. Most conversation consists entirely of pleasantries, ideas and topics that are most often topical in nature. Collectively they could be grouped together and labelled "disinformation." It’s much like when the Police ask for the input of the public to help break a case. They could spend months and years chasing down every single lead. Instead they systematically organize information by degree of relevance and authenticity. If you’re familiar with Sherlock Holmes he calls it The Science of Deduction.

We would be surprised to learn that most of the answers to the questions we have about life and how people relate to each other are right in front of us. The problem is that it requires an extremely high level of concentration and attention to detail. There is not a person alive who could successfully master all areas of observation and make the correct observations without encountering failure. What tends to happen is that we amass trivial mounds of data and attempt to sort them into less chaotic rows and columns. It's really not such a terrible thing... except for the possibility of a rather disturbing reality. What if there isn’t a thread of commonality? What if it’s all just part of human nature – the unrelenting force that insists you maintain control?

There are certain schools of thought that amaze me in their dominance. One of them is the gross exaggeration of the political correctness of tolerance. You can’t tell me that there is a greater degree of order and decency when things are allowed to occur that are chaotic and indecent. To help illustrate my point; one of my teachers at college frequently made vulgar sexual references and jokes. When I mentioned it to the Dean of Students, he asked me if they weren’t a “creative method to enhance learning.” Regardless of the teacher’s intentions, the way he conducted himself was very unprofessional.

This isn’t an exposition about the hopeless and aimless journey through life. It’s about facing the reality that we spend our most valuable commodity without realizing we’re doing it. Unconscious decision making causes philosophical nightmares. Time well spent; has no equivalent. The title for this article comes from a verse in the book of Daniel. Daniel is a prophet, and the word that he brings to King Belshazzar is this: You have been weighed on the scales and you don't weigh much.
There is a part of me that becomes so irritated at the thought that I could be wasting my life on things that mean absolutely nothing that I can’t help but examine the issues of life, search for truth, and fulfill my destiny.