Drawings

An ability that I always wished I had is drawing and painting. I am not good at either one however. I just always considered myself a bad artist and with no talent what soever for art. Anyway, I decided to teach my self to draw, by just trial and error. I picked up a book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards hopefully7 I can pick up some pointers, and well just pick it up I guess. I think the way we see an object or the subject to be depicted, really matters. How we see something, really matters to how we draw something. The space relationship must be considered, proportion, shadow, etc. Anyway, here are my first drawings, even if my drawing doesn't get better, I'm sure these drawings will at least get some hahas. 

day 1 of drawings

rEtEnTiOn

Like the wind crying endlessly through the universe, Time carries away the names and the deeds of conquerors and commoners alike. And all that we are, all that remains, is in the memories of those who cared we came this way for a brief moment. ~ Harlan Ellison

What would life be like if we could remember every single event in our life, every single day, every single minute. What would it be like if we could entertain every single thought or idea or image that appears in our vision and our imagination. Would this type of retention be a good thing or a bad thing?

Image found at: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSvMJ3kPrYfFOWXsArWH-7tIOB_wRG4lQRWqzpAMNrU-T-EImFi&t=1

History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul. ~ John emerich Edward Adlberg Acton

When it comes to memories, we already selectively choose what we want to remember and repress those memories that haunt us, my guess is that its good that we don't remember everything. I think that if people remembered everything, people would be more inclined to be nice to each other, or it could be that people may hold grudges more often, it can go either way. Memories are such a great thing, they allow us to travel back into time, and relive those magic moments. I think that we can view memory as a defense mechanism. We remember the pain, we remember when we feel good, the love, whats amazing to our taste buds, and anything that moves us. Memory can help keep us safe. We are reminded of times maybe that we may have faced a similar situation, but now we can take a different route, and explore other options. Say you had an experience where you burned yourself while cooking, memories allow us to reflect on these events and allow us to be more cautious. Memory, what a great thing, the ability to place us somewhere, without physically being there. Memory is a mechanism that allows us to make connections with other beings. Sharing experiences and being able to look back, whether memories are good or bad, nonetheless it is a shared moment in time, that will always link you in some sort of sense with those who share in your memory.

Memory is good because it allows us to learn. Memory is a drive that allows us to relive moments in which we felt great, brave, honest, beautiful and so it gives us courage and a feeling of happiness, knowing that if we once achieved a particular thing, if we once felt that happiness, or beauty, then it can be felt again; finding that may be difficult, but knowing that it is possible, can give us great relief.

A man at work, making something which he feels will exist because he is working at it and will it, is exercising the energies of his mind and soul as well as of his body. Memory and imagination help him as he works. ~ William Morris

One thing I enjoy doing is recording, myself or others, just doing ordinary things. It is so cool being able to look back, and see our actions, emotions and ourselves in action.

What about thought and ideas, , what if we could retain every single though we ever have, what if we had some sort of device in our body that kept record of all our thoughts and ideas, and there would be some sort of engine through which we could search our ideas and thoughts. After all, humans are like libraries, full of knowledge, in various subjects, and different parts of life. Our minds are galleries that hold vivid images of people, art, and anything that can be seen with both the human eye and the imagination. 

click to englarge

 Image found at: http://www.austinkleon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/memories_map_500px.gif

Friendship

Friend defined by dictionary.com is: a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty. Friend is a word with Germanic origin. Freond, is the present participle of freon, which means to love. The root of the verb was ‘fri-’ which meant ‘to like, love, or be affectionate to (suite 101.com). Friend is a word that has stayed true to its original meaning, yet its overuse in our lexicon has diluted its meaning. Friendship is a very special relationship because one has choice over this type of relationship. One cannot choose their parents, brothers or sisters, yet, we can pick our friends. Friendship is also different in that it is reciprocal. In order for the friendship to work, both parties are responsible for its growth and maintenance. It is important to know who are friends are and be thankful for them, for they are a blessing. 

“It is mutual respect which makes friendship lasting.” ~ John Henry Newman 

 

A good friendship requires trust and loyalty. It is important to keep ones promises, and to be able to be counted on. Friends can be of many sorts. They can be different from us in race, gender, physical ability, sexual preference, social economic status, education level or age. I have been lucky enough to have friends of all walks of life. My friendship with different people has taught me so much. It has broaden my understanding of the world and other cultures, other societies and mentalities.

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” ~ Proverbs 27:6

It is important however to choose our friends wisely. I have observed that a common element among my friends is that they have a drive for becoming better people. They are good people who try and do what is right, in their life. They are kind, generous, and willing to help some one in need. A good friend will always tell you the truth, even if its painful. A good friend not only rejoices with you but will share your pains. A friend offers help even before you ask. Friends make us feel good about ourselves; they can make make us laugh, make us cry, and move us in so many ways. Friends are like little rays of sunshine, they warm our hearts and they warm our souls. A friendship is enlightening.

Don't take your friends for granted! I look back at various points in my life, where I wish I had been a better friend. One lesson I learned is: don't put your friendship with others on the back burner when you enter new relationships.

To all those I call friends, I am thankful for your friendship. I am glad you were all part of my life. I apologize if I ever did you wrong, and hope that our friendship continues to grow.

When was the last time you told a friend how much you appreciate them?

Image taken from Cherrybam.com

Not ready to clock out yet

Minutes turn to hours, hours to days and days into weeks. Stuck on an island waiting to be rescued. Waiting to live, waiting to die, waiting for a sign, waiting till hope runs out. There are times I feel spiritually weak. It is difficult to always put on a front, I cannot always be strong.. I grow weaker as time passes. Hope sometimes dwindles to a mere thread which my life hangs by. I wish at times that I was an eagle, or any other simple mind; no moral dilemmas, not much to strive for, your goal; to pass on your genes. Humans on the other hand are so complex; emotions, spiritually, hope, morality, a need for accomplishment. How is it that a person can have so much, yet be so tormented? Same token; how is it that those who are completely devastated and have nothing to lose, how can they know God? How can they know hope? I grow more tired each day, this journey is long, and winding, I cannot see the light, I cannot see the end. To reduce life to mere existence, how devastating.

Dear Lord, please just throw me a bone, give me a hint, give me something. God I lack not hope but courage. That thread of hope by which my life hangs, is a lot stronger than you would know, so please send no more hope; I would appreciate however if you send some courage. God, also please take this world back, its too heavy for me to carry. I don't want to be strong anymore, please teach me to ask for help. The human soul is a heavy and ruthless animal, one that must be treated with care, and respect. The human soul however is also delicate like glass,and easily shattered. Like stained glass however, beautiful with all its colors, should be shared with others. One alone cannot bear the pain.

Loosen up. Don't you have some people to hug, rocks to skip, or lips to kiss?... Someday you are going to retire, why not today? Not retire from your job, just retire from your attitude. Honestly, has complaining ever made the day better? has grumbling ever paid the bills? Has worrying about tomorrow ever changed it? Let someone else run the world for a while. ~ Everyday Blessings, Max Lucado

Share your talents with the world.

Another day passes, another day of existing. The days, weeks, months, are no longer distinct. No beginning, no end, a monotonous cycle; wake up, eat, shower, occupy the hours of the day. Day is night, and night is day. I know that in order for me and many more like me, to lead a happy life, one needs to be able to make use of their talents. One needs to be able to make this world a little better. One needs to feel like they make a difference. Mere existence for people like me just doesn't cut it. I get very depressed sometimes, because I feel like I'm just sitting here wasting my life away. Now a little something you must know before you start wondering, why I don't get up off my ass and so something. Well I am in a particular situation that does not allow me to work, drive, or do many things that people take for granted. Yes this situation is supposed to be fixed soon, but its kind of hard without money. Its hard to get much done with two jobless people. I get very impatient, you can even say I get itchy feet. I want to go out and do, I want to create, I want to make this world better. One thing I have learned, is that its a poison, to live life as a cynic. I know every once in a while I fall into that trap, and its just easier to complain about things, easier to mope, its easier to feel sorry for yourself. The days pass, and each day get heavier. Maybe I should read my previous blog about complaining, ha.

Today's blog is about sharing your talents with the world and living a life you love. Only when we start doing what we were put on this earth to do, can we really start living.

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you game me.'” ~ Erma Bombeck

The world is a better place, when people are happy, fulfilled and passionate about life and their work. Lynn A. Robinson, in her book Divine Intuition, explains three key factors in creating a life we love. The first step is to identify your dream, secondly, visualize your success, and thirdly move in the direction of your dream. Now you may think that it is difficult to reconcile what we like doing, and making a living out of it. I have actually read several books on authors who end up doing what they are passionate about, some examples include Peggy McColl, Lynn A. Robionson, . If you love fashion for example, why not start making your own clothes, start out small, redesign stuff you already have. If you love writing, why not start a blog. The important part is taking a first step.

God honestly must have a good sense of humor. It's funny how things turn out sometimes. Sometimes its these difficult situations, that give us insight or nudge us in the right direction. Even though I have a bachelors degree in French and Philosophy, and I have a masters degree in higher education, yet I still am not sure what I am supposed to do with my life. I am not even sure what my gifts and talents are. I have an idea of what I am good at, but I am unsatisfied with my current state of affairs, and by that I mean my contribution to this world. I have mentioned in a previous blog of maybe going into ministry, my problem with that is that one, I don't feel like a good enough person, two I want to know for sure that this is the right thing to do and that it is what God wants me to do. Lastly I don't want to take on a project just to add to my life's bookcase of things that will sit there and gather dust. I can think of many more reasons why not to do it, but then when I ask my pastor about this, he sees it as a good sign. In fact many clergy people have expressed this feeling of not being fit for the job. I honestly don't know where my life is going. All I hope is that cynicism doesn't make too deep of wounds before I get the opportunity to start doing what I want to do; what ever that is and whenever I figure out what it is. Lesson here people, be creative, share your talents, do what you love doing, invest some emotional labor and make art!

The constants in life

Time and change are to the universe, as food and drink are to a human beings. Time and change are constants. Time and change are infinite rulers; they are absolute. We have clocks because it portrays a physical, mechanical manifestation of the evanescent. it serves as an instrument for measurement. The clock changes, as time passes, yet it is always the same, unless your batteries are low, 3 o'clock will always be at three o'clock. The hands will change positions, just like you change locations. The impression left by these changes, mark the constancy of time. Time has always been a fascinating topic to me. I have come across several ways in which time is understood. The two I will talk about today is: task orientation labor practiced amongst the Lakota Indians, and labor measured by that of a clock, and secondly through a survey of the dreams that Einstein may have had. The second part are all ideas taken from: Einsteins Dream, a book by Alan Lightman. This book is a series of short fictitious essays, on what Einstein may have been dreaming while working on his theory of relativity. Great book, I would really recommend it.

One class project I had to complete while at U of I, was to research several aspects of a people as a whole. Our group was assigned Native Americans. Things that were to be included in the project were: the labor force, education, economy, religious aspects, culture, family life etc. My part in the project was to understand their economy. One article I came across explained how Lakota Indians in the Pine Valley Ridge reservation allocate their time between clock-based wage jobs and task-oriented forms of production governed by social relationships (Pickering, 2004).

When capitalism was brought about, there had been a shift from task force, to labor timed by the clock . For Lakota Indians, time is not marked by the clock, rather the passage of events, is their instrument of time measurement. Lakota Indians don't assign times for specif things, rather events themselves, and the relationships built on these events mark the time, mark the speed one should work at, mark the activity itself. This sort of task orientation, shows little demarcation between work and life. Production is not separated from necessities of life. All forms of production are integrally related to the social relationships that surround that production (Pickering, 2004). Clock time on the other hand, as that practiced by capitalist regimes, is transformed from a quality of human life into a quantified commodity removed from its social dimension. It becomes an economic variable used in exchange value (Pickering, 2004).

This journal article gave me a sense of sadness with the way our institutions have diminished our lives and our bodies to robot like living, in which our bodies are to be ordered around, deadlines to be met, life merely to exist, rather than live.

************************************************************************************

Moving on to a different way of understanding time, Alan Lightman, writes a compilation of fictitious essays which portray Einstein during his time of writing the theory of relativity. The different essays, posit different worlds and time is constructed differently in each.

In one of the worlds, time is circular, so that people experience the same events, time and again, but without knowledge of doing so.

In another world he posits a society that has built houses on stilts on mountains. Brought about by the idea that the farther you are from the center of the earth, the slower time passes, and therefore to maintain their youth, they build these houses up high. These people have even convinced themselves that thin air like that in the mountains is good , with that same logic they take up spare diets, taking up only the most gossamer food. As a result this population has become “thin like the air, bony, old before their time (p. 24).”

In a different world, cause and effect are erratic. Cause does not necessarily presume effect. In this world a law has been made so that pistols may not be sold to the public. This world is ripped by the worst crimes. It seems as though these crimes have been misplaced in time, or is it that because of these crimes that the laws were made. Were the laws, action or reaction? People here live in the moment, for each act is an island in time. It is a world of sincerity, for it is not known which is cause, or effect, so all you have is the present. (p.30)

Yet, another world is described by two times. Mechanical time, and body time. Mechanical is rigid, unyielding, predetermined, while body time responds with an attitude of living accordingly to the rhythm of their bodies. In mechanical time, peoples body is merely a machine, it is a thing to be ordered rather than obeyed. “Where the two times meet, desperation, where the two times go their separate way, contentment” (p. 21).

In yet a different world, little happens from year to year, month to month, day to day. If one is to characterize time by the passage of events, then time hardly moved, but if these two are not the same, then it is the people who barely move (p. 36).

These were just a few of the many worlds and their view of time posited in the book.

As I said before Einsteins Dream is an excellent book, if you have a chance you should read it. Its short and easy to read. I have included a video of someones class project, based on the book. I have also included the website, that gives a book review, a video explanation of Einstein's Theory, and other interesting information.

Sources

-Einstein's Dream by Alan Lightman

-Decolonizing Time Regimes, Lakota conceptions of work economy and society. by Kathleen Pickering

- http://www.squidoo.com/einsteins-dreams

Forward, Together Forward 2-14-08

During my time at NIU, our school experienced and event that marked our hearts. Three years ago, today, 6 people lost their lives at NIU. A gun man opened fire in a classroom, and killed five people, and himself. A day of love, turned into a day of sorrow. Today, is a day of reflection and remembrance. We will never forget you.

Here is a short video tribute I found on the web.

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/2/NIU-Tribute-2-14-08-456066