Are you really a believer?

Do you really believe, or do you just tell yourself that's the way it is and go with it? You see this all the time within closed religious communities. Ignorance and sometimes brainwashing convinces people that they believe things no rational person could ever buy into. In today's society of wishy-washy followers, it seems like true believers in any thing are getting to be rare. The people you see who are hardcore in their beliefs seem to be random nutjobs (see recent not quite Rapture). What is going on out there? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I want a world full of super religious people running around out there chastising the rest of us (we've had enough Crusades), but there are just too many half-assed ramblings going on for comfort. I am all for having a belief, or having faith as I think of it, but make sure you are really following your own heart.

Faith is something that should be a part of daily life. It inspires you and gives you motivation to move forward, to take chances, and to better yourself. Religion does not have to be part of your faith. You can believe in any number of things without the need for a God or a Goddess. Try having faith in yourself, or in your loved one, or in any number of small mundane things that you encounter throughout your day. I think you'll find a little bit goes a long way.

Just don't have too much faith in me posting more regularly :p

Motivation

What motivates people to do the things they do? There are many theories. It could be based on childhood experiences, or perhaps on peer pressure. Some scientist say argue for nature, and others for nurture as our prime motivations. Any way you look at it, its complicated.

Why did people look angry when I was driving around early this morning? Surely the fifty year old man who cut me off in his giant SUV wasn't still angry over his parents not sending him to summer camp. Perhaps he is angry at the media and the constant loop of nonsense they repeat every five minutes. Maybe he skipped breakfast and had low blood sugar. I'll never know.

Some people seem to be able to motivate themselves. They get up every morning with a plan and take care of business. Others have to be constantly reminded by friends and family that they have responsibilities as adults. For the life of me I don't understand how people muddle through the day in a haze of other people's directions.

All people want to be treated as reasonable adults, and have the respect of their peers. Even if they do not deserve it. As you begin this month of May you should look into your own motivations. Ask yourself why you do the things you do. Are your actions your own? Are they based on other people's expectations? Are they based on guilt? Look deep inside and find the fire to drive yourself on to your next accomplishment.

Nothing is more gratifying than seeing success resulting from your own initiative.

Serendipity

Serendipity denotes the property of making fortunate discoveries while looking for something unrelated, or the occurrence of such a discovery during such a search.

With this in mind I will describe the event that lead up to what amounted to a near perfect day.

Around noon we arrive at our B&B in Savannah with plans to leave our car there while we wander off downtown. As luck would have it they did not have anyone staying in our room the previous night, so we checked in early.

We head off walking and quickly make our way to a tattoo shop we had located on the internet. Both of us wanted a relatively simple tattoo and after talking to the owner of the shop on the phone, we were surprisingly comfortable with our decision to use his shop. We arrive forty minutes ahead of our appointment time, but he greats us with a smile and tells us to come on in.

We get tattoos. We also make friends with the artist and wish each other well for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day festivities. Peter at Savannah Ink does simply fantastic work.

Lunch is just around the corner at a pub we have been trying to find a seat in for the last few years. For some reason it is pretty empty when we walk in and we get a seat at the bar, our favorite place to sit. The food is as amazing as our friends promised. If you are ever hungry in Savannah, Molly McPherson's has the best bangers and mash on the planet.

Being a little tired from the excitement of the ink (it can really drain you, ever for small works) we head back to the B&B for a nap.

Waking up and feeling refreshed, we head to the parlor for wine and h'orderve. Flipping through the big book of recommended dinner accommodations, we settle on a place specializing in tapas. It is one of the busiest days in the city, but they happen to have an immediate opening for us.

After arriving at the tapas bar, we are warmly greeted and seated in an ideal people watching location. the dinner is amazing. If in Savannah, we highly recommend Jazz'd. Great food and a fantastic atmosphere. While dining we chat with our server and learn about a rooftop bar above one of the high rise hotels downtown.

The rooftop bar is pretty easy to find and soon we are overlooking all of Savannah. A beautiful city that pays a lot of attention to ascetic values. Everything is cozy and comfortably laid out. While at the bar we meet a few new friends, and notice River Street, which is normally a zoo by now, is relatively quiet. With this in mind we work our way down to it.

After a short walk down the river we stop in a place for a potty break. It is better to buy a drink somewhere than to use a porta-potty. While she is in the restroom I chat with the bartender and learn of a small pub only the locals seem to know about.

Being a little tired at this point we decide to head back to our room. On the way back however we turn down a side street and run into the little known pub the last bartender had described. 

Walking in we find a simple wooden bar with simple wooden stools in front of it. Very quiet at this point, and obviously not a tourist trap. We decide to have a few drinks and people watch for a while, when who should walk in but our new friend the tattoo artist.

We drink, talk, meet his wife and friends, and so on. It is a great time. After a while of this we head back to our room, only a short walk away.

With only the basic concept of what we wanted, the day unfolded into a fantastic mix of food, drink, and amazing people. It really doesn't get much better than that.

Slacker

I know its been a while since my last post, but a lot has been going on over here. I promise all of you a decent post the next few days and maybe some exciting photos of my up coming trip to Savannah for St. Patty's.

Fresh Paint

     I was painting my office a few days ago and the difference had a serious impact upon me. A space which I had previously enjoyed was now on a whole new level. It is amazing the change in my attitude when I enter the room. It is much more peaceful and much more attuned with the person I am. It made me think about other applications for this mentality.
     How many other things in life just need a fresh coat of paint? An old table or chair? Another room? That old bicycle in the garage? Does this apply to other things? Perhaps your relationship just needs a little gloss? The little day to day things we live with just need a little sprucing up. Next time you are looking around and feeling dissatisfied, try to figure out what you can do to make it better. Perhaps it only needs a little paint.

Let there by light!

     After reading the news feeds again this morning I am having a lot of trouble with the above statement. According to Christian mythology their Lord spoke the words of creation and the Universe sprang into existence. In a number of movies and other forms of media the words "let there be light" are used as a dramatic effect invoking the power of the Christian God. A fine idea if you are into a lot of religious drama.
     So lets look at a few events in history performed in this mind set. First to mind is the burning of witches. In the 1400's the Catholic church released a book called the Malleus Maleficarum. It gives a detailed explanation of how to identify a witch and the measures you should undertake to torture a confession out of them. This was done with the intention of bringing them "into the light." All non-christians were assumed to be devil worshipers. Of course this was also a convenient way to get rid of political rivals. We saw this religious fervor reappear in our own country in the northeast during colonial times. It still exist today, just try applying to BYU, you'll pay double for the sin of being non-mormon.
     These days it does not take much to be considered a heretic. Fundamentalist Christian groups are very quick to call some one in league with the Devil and to descend upon them. An odd idea for a religion supposedly based on the concept of brotherly love. In some places they have decided to reject the ideas of science when it comes to education. Replacing our research based explanation of creation for a religious one. These deeds are done with a self righteous attitude that is as contagious as it is destructive.
     The recent story of the old woman burning a dog to death because it ate her bible (so must be in league with Satan) is what caused this most recent soapbox event. If you have your own stories of Christian atrocities I would love to hear them. Just make sure you don't live in Alabama, I hear non-Christians might be banned there soon.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

These are supposedly our inalienable rights. Lately I have begun to question whether or not our society allows us as much freedom as advertised. After watching the news and seeing all of the special interest groups stirring up trouble all over the country, I wonder how we got to this point. So I began to think more about people in general.

The average person sitting at home or still sleeping on this chilly Sunday morning, does not care about what other people are doing. I am among those people. It really does not matter to me what you are up as long as it does not hurt anyone. Why do other people care so much? Does it really affect them if the local package store is open today? Does it really hurt them if I want to buy a bottle of wine on Sunday? If you are home curled up with some one of the same sex, does it really hurt them? Why do they care? Are they looking through your windows and being disgusted? Perhaps they have too much time on their hands.

Of course the real reason we have all of these silly laws, that are written and passed by such a small percentage of our society, is that the rest of us do nothing. All it takes for small minded people to get their way is for the rest of us to just sit here. Less than a quarter of the people I know go to church on Sunday, yet in this area religion has a massive affect on our daily lives. It is past time for people to start stating their opinions. If we do not want this tightening of control to continue we have to start being more out spoken. Let other people around you know your honest opinion on topics. Vote in the next series of election. Find some one who represents your views, or find the courage to run for office yourself.

We live in a wonderful country, with an ideal form of government, but only if the people it represents are truly represented. So do your best to make sure the people in D.C. have your best interests at heart. All of us together can make life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness truly inalienable.

Compassion.... Passion.... Pass the popcorn...

Passion : any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling OR a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything.

Compassion: a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Pass the popcorn: watching life go by as if it was a movie with someone else in the lead role.

With the weekend upon us, take some time to reflect upon your life. How do you feel about where you are? Have you achieved your goals? Are you just starting out? Have you helped those who are truly in need? What direction will you take next? How many steps will it take to get there? Have you already started walking or running in that direction? 

I work a great number of troubled young adults. Mostly they describe themselves as apathetic, or melancholy. You would be amazed how passionately they explain how much they do not care. It often makes me think what they really need is a dictionary. Mostly they feel neglected when the truth comes out. 

They feel that they are something special and people should just walk up and notice as it shines through. No effort on their part is necessary, it is just something others should instantly see for themselves. An air of self entitlement is about them. Slowly and with as much patience as I can muster I explain that nothing in life is that simple. Perhaps they need to speak out more to their peers, or meet other like minded people. Brooding and pouting rarely accomplishes anything. They remind me of dogs that were not properly socialized as puppies. Eventually, with lengthy conversations on social etiquette, some of them become well adjusted members of society. 


The reason I bring all of this up, if because they were willing to sit around and wait for someone to pass the popcorn. Instead of being passionate about their interests and attracting like minded people, they were just waiting for that part of the movie. Instead of showing compassion to other estranged young adults, they were willing to sit in the audience with them. 


While you are thinking upon your own life this weekend, try to think about things that stoke your inner passion. Try to find things you love in life and celebrate them. Show compassion to those around you. Give others a second chance, or show a little more patience while waiting in line. 


What ever you do, realize the movie of your life is not yet over. You are the producer and the director. Try to make it into a movie you would love to watch over and over again.

Love, Fear, and other Four letter words

      Several conversations with friends recently involving their various relationships have gotten me to do a lot of thinking on why people form relationships. Do people only get married, settle down, and have children because they are deeply in Love? My research says no. It looks more like most of the people I know are together because they are afraid of being alone. If you look around at the people in your own life I am sure you will find at least one, if not several couples that do not really Love each other. They might go through all the motions, but if you watch their behavior it is really just mimicking of what television and society has taught a marriage should be. They spend most of the time arguing or being resentful of each other, this is not what I understand Love to be. Most people slip easily into roles that our media has already defined for them. We are after all, a nation defined by it's Fear.

     You are expected to meet some one (of the opposite sex, and only one of them), date for a while, fall in "Love", and then get married and start popping out children. This leaves very little room for interpretation. These are the societal influences that speak out against same sex marriage and polygamy. In America we love to point out anything that is different, and then dismiss it as weird, or in the extreme, as "Evil" based on the religious perspective of churches less than half of us believe in, much less attend.

     When two people (or more) decide to commit themselves within a relationship based on Love and mutual respect, we should honor it. Looking at the divorce rates in America, we should stop discouraging people who are actually in Love from being together. If enough of people find another that they want to spend their lives with, and are brave enough, we can change the views of others. Just as many of them are starting to see paganism as just another religion (instead of burning us at the stake), they will soon see that Love is what really should make the world go around.

     If any of you have experience with any of the things I have mention, I would love to hear about it. Love in the modern world is something rare, and should be treasured, not dismissed with small minded bigotry. Spread the word, Love is on a come back tour.

Resolution

     As with the beginning of any new year, there are millions of people running around with a spring in their step from the resolutions they have made for the next 12 months. Everything from weight loss to quitting smoking to do more volunteer work to do almost anything. If you look online you can find multiple list of the most popular resolutions.

     For some reason when I hear the word resolution, it reminds me of televisions. Except instead of becoming more advanced, it is regressing as the year goes by. It starts off all crisp and bright like a new LED wide screen, but soon fades to normal definition after a few months. Before you know it keeping track of your newest promise to yourself is like tuning in on an old B&W TV with a bad tuner. You are trying to see what is going on, but there is an awful lot of static.

     Try asking yourself "why did I wait until January 1st to do what is needed to be done?" You can start on your goals as soon as you find the need to make a change. If you did wait until the new year, what are you doing to stay focused? Perhaps you need a resolution to help keep your resolution?

   What ever your choice, resolution or not in the new year, try to keep your focus in high definition.