…The host of this blog has deceived you!

That’s right, and GASP you should!

See, this Jared guy sure puts up a nice front, acting all wizened and caring and whatnot, but he never fooled me! No sir, not for a second! Well maybe ONE brief second, I did discover him by reading and following his blog after all, but not for a second longer than that initial second… which was an inordinately brief second to begin with! (I swear!) He’s not some nice dude, concerned about your happiness and well-being — NO — he’s a sham! A rouse. A villain! A vampiric siphon for your digitized web traffic and time, operating solely to further his own dastardly and duplicitous motives!

(Go on, have another GASP!)

Who am I, you say? What proof do I have? Well, for security’s sake, let’s just call me a concerned citizen. Someone tired of all the BS. And on behalf of all of us subject to said BS, and in order to seek out the truth behind this tyrannical monster, I’ve broken into his home in Astoria, Queens and am perusing his bedroom. I know, the irony’s not lost on me. It’s just that, well, someone needed to learn the truth, and learn the truth I have!

Firstly, I have to say, this place is a mess! Papers everywhere, scattered about without cohesion, dirty dishes stacked irregularly along the floor, hand-written pages with hastily scrawled and satanic looking images taped all about the walls, a pair of wooden nunchaku left abandoned on the bed alongside stacks of dirty clothes (one, a canary yellow button up, has blood splattered all across the fabric…) and, possibly the most ominous and disturbing facet to this whole incongruous scene — a lifeless parrot hangs helplessly upside-down, forgotten, serving as a misbegotten gate-keeper to lead you through the portal which is his bedroom door…

He’s named it “Nolon Effe”, two palindromes. Curious, that… Remnants from what I believe was a pirate party held here at his apartment… Curiouser and Curiouser…

Does this seem like the type of place an honest, caring man would keep!?

I would think not. You, his good-natured, gentle and sweet readers, deserve better than this. I know you think that he’s preaching about pacifism, love, creativity, openness and well intended insanity on here, but, trust me, it’s only a matter of time until his subtle brainwashing technique kicks in, and he’s got you walking the ole’ zombie shuffle up toward capitol hill. Still not convinced? Well, let’s have a look-see at his calendar than, shall we?

Oh — what’s this? Knife class? Fight lab?

That’s right. Sounds mighty peaceful, doesn’t it? For the last month your ‘enlightened’ author, who wont shut-up about creation, love, invention and non-violence, has, every Wednesday night, taken a two and a half hour course with knives, at a place called Combat, Inc. A knife is a very personal weapon, readers, and one which requires you to fully embrace and acknowledge the pain that you are about to inflict on another person… sounds rather violent, wouldn’t you say? Psychotic, even. Furthermore, every Tuesday and Sunday, he has his calendar marked with something he’s calling, “Fight Lab”. I wonder what could that be? Do you suppose he kicks cute little Labrador puppies? Fight Lab(rador)!?!? Oh, I bet that’s it… and every Tuesday and Sunday too!

ThE MoNsTeR!

Oh wait — crap — someone’s coming! I hear keys jingling just outside the door. Now someone’s slid one into the tumbler! Ahh, oh no! There’s no more time! I have to go, gentle readers… but remember, FOR ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY IN THE WORLD, stay away from this creepoid! For, after all these lies, who knows what he’s truly capable of?!

And I’m off!

………………………………

………………………..

…………………

(Screw it, I’m stealing Nolon Effe!)

……………

………

…..

..

.

OK then…

So, wow, yea… uh, hey guys. It’s me, J, now. Evidently some nut-job, some sunflower loving fan, broke into my house while I was away at the dentist today, and left, not only this crazy rant on my blog, as you can plainly see up above, but also tons of bar-b-que flavored sunflower shells all over my floor. WTF!? He also stole my prop shoulder parrot. Double WTF!? Who steals a shoulder parrot, I mean really? Nolon, was the man! He’s irreplaceable! Ugh… Plus, evidently, he broke my window during his hasty escape.. Seriously, what is wrong with people? You think I have the money to replace that? I’ll give you a clue……… NO. Why don’t you all go ahead and take a wild guess at, “who has two thumbs and will be eating salad for a month so he can pay for a busted window?”

Yea, that would be me… on both accounts.

But, whoever he was, he wasn’t completely off…

I haven’t been completely honest with you all, and I’m a bit ashamed that it’s taken all this insanity to make me come clean… I — aside from genuinely believing in unilateral love, cooperation, hard work, and general pacifism — am a fighter.

As a child I’d studied multiple forms of martial arts, and, as I got older, I traded my know-how with a good friend who was a boxer, picking up some of that. My years in school were not kind to me; I was picked on a good deal — leading to at least a fight or two a week. Yea, that many… Most of these I lost, I did not like to hurt others and so I held back what I knew, but I did learn how to end a fight without landing a blow, and how to take a beating without being hurt — mighty valuable skills in and of themselves.

I then became a wrestler in hopes to advance my physical capabilities further, finding that I was rather talented at it too. I took a few tournaments, pinned plenty of people who were purportedly out of my league, and had a damn good time while I was at it. Also, as my confidence grew and as rumor of my winning circulated, I was picked on less. I guess no-one wanted a ‘fair fight’ after all, just lunch money.

But, after six years in the sport, during which I had moderate successes in all three styles of wrestling, I began to feel that I no longer had to worry about fighting. And, being that it was so tied to a negative memory from my past, I was more than ready to let it go too. I’d learned plenty about self-defense by then in my life, and, because of why I’d begun to learn, I worried that it would only be detrimental to my psyche if I kept moving forward. Who wants to have their history solely dictate their future? Not me. No sir. So, even though I enjoyed the sport, I hung up my violence cap once and for all (or so I thought), and took, instead, to the sanctity and freedom of the stage.

I should’ve seen this coming…

I mean, what did I expect? A whole chapter of my life to just… disappear? Sure I’d left fighting and the whole physical aspect of myself in the past, (where I’d thought it belonged), but my body knew, all along the years that preceded this stoppage, that something was missing…

So I kept in shape, I couldn’t really tell you why, and not the, “Look how much I can bench-press”, rounded shape, which some guys prefer, but rather the, “I can do hand-springs, back-bends, and a whole bunch of push-ups” shape — practical stuff only, nothing just to look flashy. I never had the biggest biceps, but I took first place in a college arm wrestling tournament with my dominant arm, and second place with my non-dominant one. It’s still, to this day, one of the first images that comes up when you Google me .

But why, right? Why bother? Well — I liked it. I knew this. I liked being physical. However, simultaneously, I denied myself of this same pleasure in order to ensure that I was pursuing it only for the right reasons. I never wanted to be anything like the kids who used to harass me, enjoying violence for the manipulation and fear that it could create in others. And so still, all throughout college, I ignored anything physical — even when it came to cooking up some good Theater, my major, despite it’s inevitable healthy dash of Stage Combat.

Now fast forward eight years – to my accidental encounter with Fight Lab.

“Lab”, as in laboratory. As in the way that Dexter says it.

Firstly, the sunflower jerk was wrong in his assumption. Fight lab is not at all about punting Labrador puppies, (nor full-grown ones for that matter), it is about taking fighting to the laboratory. A dash of this, a hint of that, stir it all up and see what works. Now this is not to be confused with “Fight Club”, for, if it were that, I’d be breaking the first rule by even writing all this (and Brad Pitt would already have a lackey en-route to deal with me). No, this is Lab; a controlled environment where a group of talented people get together twice a week to geek out on all that is fighting for stage and film.

For me, my involvement began when I met one of the fighters, Dina, by chance on a film I was doing for a friend: Sweethearts; a film made for Valentines day, about just how screwed up love can be at times (I’ll try to tuck a link in here later so you can watch it). Throughout the day of shooting we got close, as actors tend to do, and I told her about some of my past in combat.

“Well than you should come to lab tonight”, she said offhandedly.

“Sure” I said, without really thinking much about it.

See, I thought I was being polite by agreeing, I’d not really expected to go, but she thought, (cause why shouldn’t she), that I was serious. Now, you have to understand, Dina’s the type of person who could sell Ice to an Eskimo, Sand to an Egyptian, Funk to Parliament Funkadelic, and so, despite my objections post filming, even after no sleep and a thirteen hour shoot day, I found myself running home to Queens as soon as we wrapped to go grab some workout gear.

Yea, she’s that good.

What can I say — I got hooked. It’s been every Tuesday and Sunday now since I’d worked with Dina back in early February, and I wouldn’t give it up for the World. The people there are all hard-working, honest and real, easily the first group of genuine friends I’ve had since moving to the city all those years ago, and, under their tutelage, I’ve been chasing away my own private demons. It’s exactly why I took that knife class the sunflower bandit highlighted too, to support my growing knowledge of choreographed combat. So you see, gentle, good-natured readers, I am NOT — contrary to sunflower-boy’s claims — a violent person. I am just one who enjoys exploring the potential for the human body. It’s just another form of creative obsession, and, let me tell you, there is plenty to be obsessed about over at Lab. Check us out!

Here on the blog for the Deranged and Enlightened, we often talk about breaking out of our comfort zones in an attempt to keep growing as a person — so what kind of hypocrite would I be if I kept running from my past? In Lab we choreograph, rehearse, and then film a new fight each and every night, and, though I still get butterfly’s when I have to hit someone, I am slowly getting accustom to the practice. Hold the pencil. Punch the parrot. Sell the strike. This stuff is fun incarnate.

It’s not all just for fun either…

…These guys have a master plan, and one which has already been initiated. If we get our way, we’ll be the guys and gals that flood your movies, TV shows, and stages, heralding in a truer type of combat for all to enjoy. As a matter of fact, the timing of this break-in couldn’t be more fortuitous, (that is, if any break in which resulted in a stolen parrot and a broken window could honestly be labelled fortuitous), as the group, CKT (Contact Kick Therapy) has just released their first Commercial! I joined a little too late to be a part of this glorious foray, but I’m just so gosh-darned impressed with the product that they’ve put out for “The Baconery”, a bakery where everything is made with — yep, you guessed it — BACON, that I couldn’t resist sharing.

Now I’ve really got to run, it is Tuesday night after all, and now that my deep dark secret is out you all know exactly where I’m headed (plus I still have to clean up all this glass before I go…), but, please, go on over to You-Tube and “thumbs up”, as well as “Favorite” this video, as it greatly helps us as a group.

Thanks everyone,

Let me know what you think in the comments

And, sunflower man, if you’re reading this… please bring back Nolon. I miss him dearly.

~J

Aja

What is the purpose of our existence?

Mankind has been taking blind flailing swipes at this curious conundrum for many a millenia now; spawning religion, philosophy, and science as potential divining agents along the way.

It’s no surprise we’re so focused on it, really — after all, it’s the original question.

Without doubt, as man, through whatever means, found himself separated from the other animals due to self-reflection, his inaugural novel thought could have been nothing other than, “What now?”. In other words, “Now that I have the freedom to choose what I want to do, now that I find myself above solely instinct — what should I do?” Followed closely thereafter by the reduced version of the thought, “What is my purpose?” Or, “Why am I here?”

At the time, it must have been quite a burden.

After all, where do you begin when you don’t know what you’re after? We need a game, don’t we? A way of keeping score. Before, it was merely survival. If you did — hurrah — you were winning! But now… what were we to think? Past instinct, past simply surviving, what was our angle — what else was there to life!? Advancement? But, why? Where would that lead us? How would that be preferable to where we were?

And on and on our ancestors thoughts spiraled…

…Until, at the end of the day, (since it was simply untellable), we had to do something in order to move on. We desperately wanted to get to the truth of the matter, but, in a cruel twist of irony, what we choose to do at this juncture of our past — in order to merely begin our journey — would prove, over time and more than anything else, to carry us farther away from the very same truth we so desperately sought…

Because we so direly needed that game, that direction, that purpose — a primitive type of insecurity that has been insulating us from honest truth since before we’d known it to be a worthy pursuit — we devised a clever way to put the distracting query on the back-burner, involving, mostly, a curious type of mental gymnastic which we still employ today — namely: Religion.

Now, I try not to talk about Religion much,

though it is often on my mind.

Religion and I have traveled down a rocky, uneven road, and, being not able to objectively answer some simple conversational questions I’d had along the way, I respectfully parted ways with the thing long ago. These days, I cling to the questions. I, honestly, find greater comfort in the acceptance of non-knowlegde, than in the attempt to describe the theme park from the entrance-arch.

That’s not to say I don’t empathize with those who are religious, as a matter of fact half of my family, whom I love dearly, are members of a devout Pentecostal faith, it’s just that I don’t personally believe their revered books to be anything more than a somewhat-decent collection of historical science fiction. This, for me — along with being an only child (within a vast familial average of 3-plus), produced of a divorce, who grew up in an all around unwelcoming environment — caused me to travel along quite the lonely path of life inquiry and discovery. A path which, up until a few days ago, I had thought, of my family, I had traveled alone.

Turns out, I was wrong.

Fate, destiny, or just dumb luck: I might never know what had brought me to see John Rullo’s show that Saturday night before Easter, but whatever it was, there I stood, unnoticed — across the overly sticky barroom floor from someone who, like me, had chosen truth and isolation, over faith and family. The man jammed away blissfully on the dimly lit stage. He was quite good.

John had made himself known to me, not too terribly long before this, via Facebook, as someone who was on my vibe spiritually — which came as a surprise at the time, particularly because, initially, I’d known him from the religious world I’d been born into. As far as I knew, John had a Wife and two kids, and all of them were diehard Born-Again Christians, much like my family, who should, by all rights, have less than zero interest in the type of things and topics that find their way to my main-page. So when he let me know that he’d been not only been reading my blog, but enjoying it, by sending positive and helpful feedback through the Facebook comments, I was, understandably, a little shocked.

All I could think was, what happened to this man?

After all, this place of honest inquiry and unabashed truth could easily be described as an anti-religion. Common sense, logic, truth and reason? Hogwash! Honestly, I’ve been expecting the accusation of being the anti-Christ for some time now. But his words were true, this I was sure of. There was no pretense, hesitation, or double meaning to his comments whatsoever — he just honestly enjoyed the conversations I was putting up. So, curious as to what sea-change had manifest within this man to make him speak as he now was, I began to check out his work, and it didn’t take long for me to discover he’d written a book, “Planet Love; The end of the world as we knew it“.

Now where was I?

I had come out to the Island that Saturday, rather than solely on Easter, as was my custom, because I hadn’t seen much of my family and was hoping to play catch up. I had a vague recollection of the invitation to go see John’s show, but A) I originally hadn’t planned on being in town while the show was going on, B) Being I was playing catch-up with the fan-damily I thought I wouldn’t have the time, and, (of most relevance), C) I don’t own a car, and thus had no means of traversing the two towns necessary to get to his venue. But as fate would have it, and as the evening slowed the motions of the day while everyone in the home settled somewhat (having mutually relinquished the noteworthy stories of our recent lives to one another), my phone rang.

It was a dear old friend from high-school. She’d just been broken up with. Right before a long scheduled vacation was to happen with her, and her then man. She wasn’t happy. She needed a beer. I, in my defense, almost always can use a beer. We agreed to travel together and go hunt out a gaggle. She came by, scooped me up, and we went to the first local pub we could think of.

The guy was a jerk, that much was sure, and she was confused and in need of a good night. Aside from me, she had also reached out to another school-hood friend of ours, another cool ‘dude’, like us — evidently at some point I’d ruined his car antenna, but that’s a story for another day (it’s funny what you forget…). So, we then left the bar not long after we got there, went to this “dude’s” house across town, where we met his girlfriend and learned about what we were going to be doing for the evening — going two towns over to the very same pub that John was scheduled to play at, the “dude’s” lady had a job interview.

That's odd...

Now, look, I’m not entirely sold on the whole fate thing…

… I don’t like the idea of a predestiny any more than the inevitability of annual dentist visit, but, occasionally, something like this comes along and forces me to stop and think twice. So there I stood, against all odds and obscured by the volume of voices and the density of the crowd, directly across the way from someone who had, somehow, walked the same queer path as me. It felt like spotting an albino zebra in the wild.

Though I still hadn’t known what had happened to the man, not exactly at least, I could tell by his commenting on my work that we were alike. Mind you, I still could’ve left the bar undetected at this point, but felt like I needed to connect. When you believe as I do, it’s an opportunity that simply couldn’t be ignored. Though not completely sold on fate, I felt this was the reason I’d gotten that call earlier in the evening; this was the reason I was even here…

Finally, after the show, I got my chance to say hello.

Having only had online communication up until this point I don’t think John recognized me right away, but as soon as he did a brief flicker flashed throughout his eye, and a broad smile quickly formed about his lips. We dove into conversation, as if a gasp for fresh air, conversing about life, the universe, and the potential origins of it all — much like our ancestors had once posited, but had invariably supplanted with religion — and found that, on topic after topic, we had a similar sentiment. Truth, love, and acceptance seemed, constantly, to be the unifying threads.

Though, because the spirit of this venue was such as it was, not exactly lending to a lengthy exchange, (particularly when his Wife likely wanted to go home and my friends were all wondering where I had gone), what might have been quite the meeting of the minds had to be cut short, but before we parted, John was kind enough to thrust a copy of his book into my hands — Gratis. It took me a little over two weeks to read it, but, now that I have, how could I not share? The book is, quite literally, the quintessence of this blog as a whole, and, having fallen into my hands through such an inplausable chain of events, it just plain feels right.

Planet Love, The end of the world as we knew it

Told in a whimsical first person, past-tense narration, this work of Fiction John’s crafted, based loosely on fact, addresses just about everything that is near and dear to this blog. It is honest, raw, real and unyielding in the face of anything but truth, love, or compassion — quite inspirational indeed, (particularly to someone who still pulls punches in the face of the specific type of adversary that his awakening had riled).

It follows John throughout the days which unfold just after he has an encounter with an extraterrestrial craft, which, upon viewing, had flooded him with visions that imparted on him the knowledge of truth throughout the universe. He is left both enlivened, and bemused — as he is not sure what to make if it all. Unable to tell many people about the wondrous experience he’s had, knowing, full well, he’ll be dismissed as a nutter, John has to suffer alone with the fact that there is more to life than what those around him insist upon.

Soon, through curious and quirky twists of fate, like-minded people from varying and sporadic stages of his life make their way back in toward him, all finding that, to some extent or another, they’ve all shared in his experience. Together they begin to understand what is to come: another visitation, possibly the last, an event tantamount to the christian rapture. Gradually John begins to comprehend that this is what the ancients had reported into the biblical texts he once worshiped, merely misinterpretations of what they couldn’t fully understand at the time, harkening the third of Arthur C. Clarke’s laws on prediction: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

I wont give away the end, you should buy it and check it out for yourself, but what I will say is that it’s a very good read, which, personally, came to me at an important point in my life. John, though his story, reminds us all that life should never be about defining our differences from one another — I.E. Race, Religion, socio-economic status, gender, etc… — but, rather, should be about identifying our collective commonalities. We are, in the end, ALL AS ONE, each on a different path of experience which adds to the collective of mankind’s whole, and we all have our own paths to walk, none better than any other.

At the beginning of this post I’d mentioned that our inaugural thoughts as man, once we became self-aware, must have had to do with our purpose here on earth. At the time it was a question without answer, and so, to put it aside, we invented a system of belief, which became religion. The reason I’d started here was because this was the one thing that this book really drove home for me — when you seek truth, you don’t look for a workaround, you merely seek truth, and that’s enough. It’s OK to not know. Scary, sure, but just plain fine. Only when you know enough to know what you don’t know, can you then learn.

Did you follow that?

I think it’s important, uncertainty. But what I find equally as important is the understanding that if this is the path we all wish to follow; this blind and uncertain meandering of drunken discovery, than we must support each other — with love. Love is the glue that makes it all work, Love is the driving force behind it all, and, as beautifully illustrated in John’s book, only through the lens of love, can we ever hope to discover genuine truth.

Check it out people

~J

I know I do, and I know you do too — don’t play coy. They’re just so darn comforting, is what they are. The more the merrier, that’s what I always say. Otherwise, I mean, how else would we know how to behave — am I right? For, without rules, why wouldn’t we all just be purse snatchers, pickpockets, thieves, card sharks, or, better yet, politicians?

What a world that would be…

Yep, without a doubt, there sure is nothing like a nice, tidy little set of parameters to let us all know when we’re well within the guidelines of society. Nothing quite so comforting as an automatic feedback function to jerk our choke-chains and let us know when we are acting as we should, and when we’ve simply stepped over a line. Indeed, nothing is better for a budding society than a voluminous set of thorough, intertwined, and rigorous rules.

Wait a minute — what am I saying !?

I loathe rules! Nothing more efficiently stifles experimentation, or novel thinking — they’re pretty much the worst thing conceivable for society. Shackling guidelines, put in place by those who came before us, with the expressed purpose of making people do whatever seemingly made sense at the time, but was likely only sensible at the precise second of their origin — and, OK, maybe fifteen minutes or so after that?

No, thank you!

Rules, by nature, establish the status quo. They seek balance, normalcy, and comfort… but since when have any of those things actually been good for us? With respect to our progress — the only true goal of any society, other than survival — every innovation we’ve ever spearheaded has come about, to one extent or another, by being the exact OPPOSITE of these things, I.E: unbalanced, a little odd, and certainly well outside of our comfort zones. Do you suppose the first man who proposed going to the moon thought it would be tantamount to a Honeymooners marathon spent on the sofa?

He really did it. Wow...

Doubtful…

But I get it. I do. Particularly in the professional world, there’s more than a mote of logic surrounding the idea of detailing proper behavioral practices. After all, with the ever-present ‘lawsuit’ looming overhead, one would be wise to take pains and properly insulate oneself from the stupidity of those who merely operate around you — which can be as vast as the ocean is wide… That, at least to me, is somewhat practical.

However, notwithstanding, and that being said, why than would we, any of us, wish to actively impose extra rules onto one another, especially when outside of the professional realm? Why on earth would we ever seek to add additional restriction to our lives? Aren’t there enough guidelines imposed upon us which we have little to no say in, without imposing more upon ourselves? Guidelines that we expect our friends, loved ones — and complete strangers alike — to adhere to, despite their lack of utility, semblance of sensibility, or even the slightest ease of comprehension?

I am, of course, referring to Taboo.

Click this image for a better look. I might still suck at Photoshop, but I've compiled a set of at least 15 taboo's here in this picture. Can you find them all?

Taboo just is…

…and that might just be what irks me the most about it. Rules should serve a purpose and, when that purpose is exhausted, then be eliminated. I, admittedly, have logical issues. And by that I mean, if I can’t make logical sense of a rule, and nobody can aptly explain that rule to me, I will, and have, take(n) issue with it, and will proceed to go out of my way in order to break it.

It’s my nature.

Be the change you want to see in the world, and all that…

I want to see a world full of people who think for themselves. I want to see individuals do what makes sense to them, not some senseless stigma — and if that entails wearing white shoes after Labor Day to match an outfit, (despite the fact that that snob, Becky Sievermore, from the local community watch-group will attempt to oust you from the next local chapter meeting), well, by-golly-gee, I want to see you confident in doing that! To hell what others think about you — you do what makes sense, and if that loses you friends, well, than, why in the heck would you want to associate with those people anyhow?

Don’t follow, simply for comfort.

Comfort has never achieved a thing!

I invite you, here, today, now — be uncomfortable!

Break free from the status quo, and begin traveling new and exciting roads!

Isn’t it high time for a change, people? Aren’t we all ready to usher in a new world? A world where ‘Common Sense’ is just a trifle more common? I mean, for the love of all that is cheese, how can extra rules possibly help with that? I guess that’s my real grudge with rules, standards, expectations, and Taboo’s alike, their execution accomplishes the exact opposite of their intention.

Seriously!

Think about it…

The intention of a rule is to ensure that people behave in a civil manner. OK, I can dig it. The problem isn’t in that, the problem arises when we have acclimated SO MANY RULES that people cease to THINK about WHY the rules exist in the first place. What this inadvertently creates is a society of people who are living up to expectation, rather than thinking for themselves. These type of people are, by nature, followers, and will find it nary impossible to do anything the least bit satisfying with their lives. This, often times, can lead to depression, personality disorder, and overall mental discord.

My friends, all that made us human arises from thought, and when we sacrifice thought, or even expression — on any level — to some nameless, faceless, and, potentially, unjust system of caste based rules, we forfeit everything that might move us ahead.

Why would we ever want to do that?

Instead, as currently unrealistic of an ideal it is, I would like to see a world with no rules what-so-ever. Yea, that’s right. Sure, it might be messy at first, but when people hold others accountable for their faults, and the whole of our society begins to think about how others feel, work, live, and even dream, then, and only then, will we truly know the face of humanity, and, for the first time in history, be able to know what to do, collectively, in order to improve.

So, in conclusion, and contrary, I’m sure, to everything you’ve just read, I do believe in taboo — yet, only the one — the one and only thing that should be taboo is, in my opinion, the ultimate Taboo itself — Taboo.

~J

]]> http://jaredblakedicroce.com/2012/04/17/the-ultimate-taboo/feed/ 1 jaredblakedicroce good rule SayWhat alice-kramden Taboo status-quo NeilDegrasseTyson RethinkEverything http://jaredblakedicroce.com/2012/04/10/quotes-from-my-insane-brain-pt-7/ http://jaredblakedicroce.com/2012/04/10/quotes-from-my-insane-brain-pt-7/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:33:52 +0000 jaredblakedicroce http://jaredblakedicroce.com/?p=2458 ]]> We see only what’s in front of us…

Cute... no?

…And even then, only what we’ve told our feet to carry us toward. Choice and conviction, too, play their roles at the behest of your own personal direction. Something must physically change, than, in order to view what lies beyond the boundaries of our peripheral — but at least that remains an option.

So how might one begin to look within?

Should we place our faith solely in others? Depending on them to focus our peevish perceptions of the world and ourselves — or is there another way? Can we learn who it is that we are, somehow, on our own, and yet still be free from bias?

I believe we can.

It might be my youthful naiveté, but I have been convinced, for quite some time now, that the self can be known — though it takes a preternatural resolve towards the necessary work, and, even then, years. First and foremost: Honesty. Honesty with ourselves, and, as well, honesty with others. Before we go spreading “information”, which, truthfully, when is unproven, is nothing more than mere rumor, we must know that what we’ve heard or seen was true — and not merely an illusion…

Looks like you're the butt of the joke. Bet you didn't see that crack coming!

There is a passage in the Pulitzer prize willing, John Patrick Shanley play, entitled, “Doubt”, that I always return to in my mind when I think on the concepts of rumor and gossip, which speaks volumes, as well, as to what havoc they reap on our own psyche, along with others’.

It reads,

VI

Father Flynn, in blue and white vestments, is at the pulpit.

Flynn: A woman was gossiping with a friend about a man she hardly knew — I know none of you have ever done this — and that night she had a dream. A great hand appeared over her and pointed down at her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession. She got the old parish priest, Father O’Rouke, and she told him the whole thing. “Is gossiping a sin?” she asked the old man. “Was that the Hand of God Almighty pointing a finger at me? Should I be asking your absolution? Father, tell me, have I done something wrong?” (Irish brogue) “Yes” Father O’Rouke answered her. “Yes, you ignorant, badly brought-up female! You have borne false witness against your neighbor, you have played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed!” So the woman said she was sorry and asked forgiveness. “Not so fast!” says O’Rouke. “I want you to go home, take a pillow up on your roof, cut it open with a knife, and return here to me!” So she went home, took the pillow off her bed, a knife from the drawer, went up the fire escape to the roof, and stabbed the pillow. Then she went back to the old preist as instructed. “Did you gut the pillow with the knife?” he says. “Yes, Father.” “And what was the result?” “Feathers,” she said. “Feathers?” he repeated. “Feathers everywhere, Father” “Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out on to the wind!” “Well,” she says, “it can’t be done. I don’t know where they went. The wind took them all over.” “And that,” said Father O’Rouke, “is gossip!” In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen.

Fly, my pretties!

How many feathers have we all cast to the wind over the years?

If you’re anything like me, quite a bit. Embellishment makes for better stories. You instantly become more affable, enigmatic, and entertaining — but, at what cost? In my humble opinion, the feathers that are impossible to reign in which, in the parable, have graced the townsfolk’s ears, are similarly released into your mind whenever you’re not honest with yourself. And soon, if not held in firm check, when you release enough, you’ll find that your living in delusion. Or, rather, you wont. Sometimes you get so deep in the rabbit hole that you can forget that you’d ever gone down it at all…

This is why the self, and knowledge of it, is paramount.

It’s about growth. It’s about improvement. It’s about getting better. You simply can not grow if you cover up your failures from yourself. When you spin lies you become blinded to what is, what can be, and the work — as, there is ALWAYS WORK — required to get there. Blind as you will be, you won’t find the road, and, if you do, you won’t be able to recognize the path anyway to your true happiness. You will forever walk a twisted path of your assumed success, miserable, for some untold reason, with every gaining step.

Surely this is not the way

However, and again, it is possible that all this is just my 28-year-old, unrelentingly child like, naiveté talking (It’s an admission I must make if I hope to believe my own words), but I am skeptical. I’ve been doing my best to relay information honestly, to others as well as myself, for a while now, and though it’s not won me many accolades, nor hoards of acquaintances, it has brought me into some meaningful relationships, of which I would not sacrifice for the world.

In any case this is all very personal, and unique to each of us individually. There is a journey to be taken when searching for the self. An expedition I’m still on, say thank’ya. But I feel that this is the real fun of life. The meat of it. Simply: the path.

It wont be easy, cleaning the mirror we face — but what award would be worth it’s shimmer without a fight? And when you feel down, or lost, or simply out of gas — which you will, if you’re driving at the path with everything you’ve got (as you should) — a good Quote will always be there to remind you of who you are, or at least of how to remember. This is why most quotes revolve around The Self, and this is why I’d like to share with you all my quotes on the subject as well.

The Self

People who base decisions on one factor alone cannot possibly understand the matter at hand. — Jan 1st, 2012

There are no absolutes — only a spot on a spectrum within your own private perspective. If held in mind, this makes life easier to bear. — Dec 21st, 2011

Verbal or mental judgement of others is an obvious and ugly reflection of the self. Don’t judge others — change yourself. Lead by example. — Dec 26th, 2011

If you overly concern yourself with the adventures of others, you will never experience any for yourself. Live or observe — those are the choices — Dec 26th, 2011

The only thing you will ever regret learning, is nothing. – Feb 21st, 2012

When people use words to hold you at bay; to bring you down, make you small and incite a bad day — remember then this one shining truth: You’re fine, they’re in pain and their salvation relies on you — Dec 30th, 2011

You might have the best idea in the world, but present it poorly and no one will notice. If you’ve worked hard, than you’ve earned faith in yourself, and it’s not hubris. – Feb 18th, 2012

A life led in pursuit of understanding the self, is a self that’s lived misunderstanding life. Be good, be, then — be happy. — Jan 2nd, 2012

Health should be regarded as existing in three distinct places: Your body, your mind, and your awareness — all essential, and each no more important than the other. — Jan 3rd, 2012

It’s not everyone’s destiny to be great. Some are destined to be mediocre, to be worthless, pathetic and scared, and some, the smart ones, forge their own paths, knowing that destiny is highly overrated. — Jan 9th, 2012

Inspiration leads to Creativity, Creativity becomes Invention, and Invention lends itself to Inspiration — Thus is the wheel of life.
If you can’t find your place on the wheel of life, well, than — You’re not living it. — Jan 21st, 2012

Discernment above instinct is all that has made us man. Never sacrifice who you are for a group, as you yield to the very thing which has made you. – Jan 17th, 2012

When presented with opportunity, never ask, “why?” — that road leads only to excuses. Instead, try, “why not?”. – March 7th, 2012

Never sacrifice your own uniqueness in order to worship someone else’s. – Feb 28th, 2012

~J

Both just reflections of the state of our world…

… or, possibly, just the state of our own minds. One’s considered a dirty word, a thing taboo; not breached lightly nor often in public, and the other IS the public itself, often dirty and taboo too, in its own way. You have to be nice, in public. Empathetic. You have to recognize, in an instant, a whole other system of belief and boundary (one you may or may not agree with…), and partake in a delicate, sort of, ‘push and pull’ in order to achieve anything — which can be exhausting. Particularly if you’re anything like me, and wish that we’d all just judge a little slower and love a little faster.

“How does all this relate to quotes?”, I hear you ask…

(Quiet back there — I’m getting to it!)

Jeez, give a guy a second…

OK. See, here’s the thing… Generally, quotes deal solely with the self. “Bring about change from within”, they’ll say. “Learn to do what you know to be best”. “Listen to your heart”… Now, and without doubt, all this, very good advice, would be wise (and easy to heed), were we to live atop an isolated mountain, feasting upon the bits of shrubbrage that popped up about our unwashed, untrimmed and likely calloused, lotus crossed feet. But — and I know… I’m going out on a limb here — I’m willing to bet that nobody reading this is a Mountain Yogi. I happen to know there’s terrible reception up there. I’m willing to bet that if you’re reading this, than, A) you have a computer (yes, wise-ass back there, I hear you again… smartphones are computers though — so please put your hand back down.) B) you have access to the internet, and C) you MUST interact with people, in one way or another, on a daily basis — which can seriously muck up that whole Zen thing you’ve got going on. Unless, that is, you take some time to seriously consider your own philosophy as it pertains to, “homo-erects interconnectedness”.

Hence; People and Politics.

The real, "Angry Birds". (Sorry Rovio.)

See, jack-ass back there, told you I was going somewhere with all this — now go sit in the corner.

Now, and don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to discredit quotes, or internal philosophy in general with what I’m saying here, quite the contrary actually. It is very important to work on the self, as, to others, you too are people, and while interacting your engaging with them in politics whether you like it or not. Thus, you first must be whole from within to properly function in society. However, that alone is simply not enough. You must consider more!

“When will the thinking stop!?”

Alright, , that’s it, enough interruptions out of you — to the principles office with ya!

No, no, leave the dunce cap on!

You go now!

You go now, you been here for hour!

Phew…

Sorry about that… It’s just SO distracting. Now, where was I?

Crap.

Great. Now I forget…

Well that’s just wonderful! Oh well, I’ve got to get off to work anyway. Just imagine I wrapped this all up beautifully and had some brilliant segway into the reason I’m regaling you all with quotes about People and Politics today. I trust you cool, creative peeps got the gist of all this by now anyway.

(Oh, and just a heads up, the blog will return to normal after this weekend, as I’m finally done (for now), with my recent, ‘Crazy-busy’ job. So, soon enough, I’ll be back on topic, and off this string of quotes. Just one more set to go after this.)

And now, without further ado (what the hell is an “Ado” anyway… crap, this is more ‘ado’. I lied! NOOO!!!), I give to you, (That rhymed. Huh…) People and Politics!!!

People/Politics:

Always be grateful for those in your life who know you best, yet still — somehow — manage to love you. — Dec 23rd, 2011

Changing yourself for others, so long as you’re aware of it, is not necessarily indicative of a weak individual – rather, an empathetic one. — Dec 31st, 2012

When you care about someone, in part, it’s because you see a bit of yourself in them. This is precisely why when things go awry you feel so very mad, it’s as if you’ve let yourself down… However, accepting the truth in this alleviates all pains — as rather than causing dissonance, it should highlight the beautiful dividing line between you and another unique individual. — Jan 14th, 2012

Much like making love, life has its ups and its downs — and if you medicate your way through you’ll never finish happy. — Jan 5th, 2012

“Power” is having leverage over others and using that leverage as you see fit.
“True Power” is having that same leverage over others but only using it when it is right. — Jan 23rd, 2012

Ah blanket assumptions, how warm your embrace. Yet, one would be wise to prepare for the shocking cold that is sure to come once the veil is lifted. — Jan 7th, 2012

When someone’s done something wrong, and you call BS, they will generally fight twice as hard to convince you that the lie is true. When this happens, take pity — as their need to maintain the illusion is all that remains of their reality. — Jan 7th, 2012

True wisdom is hard-earned; it begins with study, the acquisition of voluminous knowledge based in fact, and manifests over time, with empathy — this is the only mark of a worthy leader. This is why talking down to others as a means of asserting dominance will always be nothing but laughable. You would like us to believe that you are better than us, that you should have the right to rule us, to lead us, and your means of expressing this is by belittling us? A true leader, despite the fact that they are likely more knowledgeable than their subjects, inspires — for they are worthy of their ranking, and they know it. The only motivating factor for using fear in rule is the desire to keep someone in their place. In truth, it is a fear of competition and a fear of toppling from a precarious throne.
Only someone uncertain of their power would wish to publicly reinforce it. — Feb 20th, 2012

When you step back and look at the big picture, everyone’s there — It’s just all a little bit fuzzy. It’s then your job to ensure that you come into focus. — Jan 20th, 2012

Learn to identify and love the similarities between yourself and your fellow-man, rather than striving to seek out and loathe the differences. We are only as alike as you are willing to see: exactly. — Jan 9th, 2012

Empathy is all that binds us as a people. Without it you may become rich, powerful, and quite successful indeed, but when you do you tear apart society at it’s very seems. — Jan 12th, 2012

Who do white-lies said for comfort, comfort?
If the liar knows what’s true, and the one being lied to does as well, isn’t this all just a whole lot of wasted effort? — Jan 19th, 2012

Not wanting to feel depressed is not an acceptable reason to stick your head in the sand — it’s selfishness in its purest form. — Dec 31st, 2011

Because we have created an ‘industry’, for all intents and purposes, where an individual has to work their entire life toward the goal of ruling over the masses, which also necessitates that they be fully convinced, all the while, that they are the best prepared in the world to do so, we should expect, than, that the type of person this system attracts to possess an unhealthy tendency towards narcissism and delusion; as these are the only traits which could possibly convince someone of something so far from the truth. Therefore, individuals who seek out and actively desire this type of power, are, quite literally, the last people in the world who should ever obtain it. — Dec 11th, 2011

Before people fight — with words, wars, or fists — they should be forced to break not bread, but dark chocolate. Let’s see you swing with your eyes lolling into the back of your head like that! (Ritter Sport Marzipan is recommended!!) — Dec 20th, 2011

~J

Hit play, and try to read along with the music’s timing.

We’ve paid our dues — time after time. We’ve done our sentence, but committed no crime. And bad mistakes, well, we’ve all made a few. We’ve had our fair share of sand kicked in our faces — but we’ve all come through!

Still we must go on! And on! And on!! And on!!!

We, are the champions, my friend. Cause we, we reached success, in the end. We are successful. WE are successful! We are true winners, cause we knew what success was — from the start…..

We’ve done the hard work. And we tried without end. Sure we failed time and time, and time again, but it’s not stopped us yet. True, it’s been no bed of roses. No pleasure cruise. Cause we put ourselves to task against the whole of the human race, and were determined not to lose!!

Still we must go on! And ON! And ON!! And ON!!!

That’s what success is, in the end. Never, ever, giving up on your dream… That’s what success is, THAT’S WHAT SUCCESS IS. Following your passions and knowing you’ll be successful, all along!

~~~ End ~~~

Apropos, I thought.

We are the champions, my friends. We are the fighters. The warriors. The steadfast few who reach for the stars, despite their height in the impossibly dark nights sky. That’s what true success is, my friends. Picking out what you want from life, and going after it. That’s all it is, really. Truly, it’s quite simple. Know yourself. Figure out what you like, and then — go get it.

And Enjoy every step of the way.

I’m not perfect. I wouldn’t claim to be. None of us are. I expect to fail. I have before, (hard), and I surly will again. This I know. But, when success is found in the pursuit, and not only in the goal, than we are always there.  We are ALWAYS on top. We are ALWAYS SUCCEEDING!

You must just be honest.

And try.

That’s it.

You got this.

(trust me.)

Anywho, enough music and merriment. Here’s my list of quotes for this day. I sure hope that all you successful types aren’t to busy to take a gander. And if you are, no offense taken. You drive the world – and I thank you.

Success:

To view yourself only through the prism of past successes and failures is to forget that you are still alive. — Jan 9th, 2012

To be the best that you can be, at whatever it is that you love yo do, is the only real pursuit in life — other than aiding others with the same quest. — Dec 16th, 2011

Every days a fresh start, every moment a new chance. You can improve who you are, who you were, who you thought you had to be — just take that chance! — Dec 18th, 2011

Life is funny, and unpredictable, and the more you try to control it the more it laughs in your face — might as well just slap on a smile then, and enjoy the ride. Weeeeeeeeeee! — Dec 15th, 2011

Your potential is limited only by the depth of your imagination and dedication. Dream big and work hard — reach for the stars. — Jan 2nd, 2012

Everyone’s a genius in their own way. Everyone’s beautiful to someone. So leave your fears at the doorway. Become a person YOU love. — Dec 25th, 2011

Don’t take a risk and hope you’ll get there, work hard, have faith, and know you will. — Jan 6th 2012

It is a good fact to know that in Japan the streets have no names. So if you were to ask someone for directions there, they could elucidate to perfection and you would still have no idea where you were headed if you thought only in terms of yourself and what you know.
In life too, there will be those who will attempt to direct you. If you listen, not just for what YOU are looking for, like street names, but really listen to it all, wholeheartedly, remembering what was said, you then might someday realize that, even though you still lost your way, what you had once been told was right all along. — Jan 12th, 2012

Passion is the fuel which lights the fire of desire. Without it, the fire can never roar, and will never cure the log into creation. — Jan 23rd, 2012

It’s about more than just being true to your vision, it’s about having a vision to be true to in the first place. –  Jan 27th, 2012

The first step in getting anything done is believing it can be done. — Feb 29th, 2012

Words are merely concepts symbols; something good to remember when facing the impossible. — Feb 25th, 2012

Always step your best foot forward, even if you have to step one back to be able to do so. — Feb 15th, 2012

If inspiration is 90% perspiration… Than is contemplation 90% constipation? If so, it explains why I do all my best thinking on the can… — Dec 26th, 2011

(Don’t know how that last one got in there )

~J

Other than your Mom... Obviously

Well… Nothing.

Which, by and large, is ‘true’… technically; objectively. Though, and then again — what is ‘Truth‘?

It’s heavy, that’s what it is. Can’t you feel it’s weight as you read it, let alone daily, as it ever so casually rolls off your tongue? Hell, I think we all do. It’s sinful, in its way. There’s pressure orbiting it. Weight. Girth. Heft. We feel the need to get IT right, but we’re never, (not a one of us), really sure what IT is… not exactly. As a matter of fact there’s so much pressure surrounding it, I submit to you, gentle readers, that ‘Truth‘, itself, weighs more than the giant flushing toilet (with its ‘stinking’ Hawking radiation), that lies betwixt our universe!

But all this conjecture is subjective… This I know…

But, again, what is Truth? It seems important, no? And, and furthermore, how do we go about finding it? Is it objective, quantifiable, measurable, as so many seem to insist — like the determinable mass of a black hole by the size of its event horizon? Or is truth subjective, and true to each of us individually?

The answer?

It’s unsolvable

For the love of God, WHY!?

And here’s the ‘Truth‘ about why…

If I go ahead and postulate that ‘Truth’ is wholly subjective, well… would somebody please cue, The Dude, “Yea? Well, that’s just like, your opinion, Man.” There we are. And If I attempt to claim that it is objective, well than how can I possibly prove anything? Particularly something existential, like this, that lies outside the realm of science (which, in and of itself, is constantly wrong, and seeking truth for itself)!?

Perhaps, then, ‘Truth’ is merely a Mirage…

… a contrived system of nicety so that I wont kill you for a piece of your ‘Kit-Kat bar’ (seriously, why does nobody share those things? Who raised you people!?) Perhaps there really is no, genuine, “Truth”, or at least ‘Truth’ in the sense that society has labeled/defined it… Looks like now we’ll never figure out if your Mom really is heavier than a Black Hole. But, and in either case, (It’s your Mom) due to its philosophical and lofty nature, the search for “Truth” alone has inspired more than a few of my own, home-style (and chunky), Quotes — and it is these that I would like to share with you all today.

How about you read some and decide for yourselves?

Let me know what you come up with.

Truth:

The only truth I'm certain of

Just cause you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. — Dec 11th, 2011

The one and only, UNIVERSAL TRUTH is….. There is no truth that is universal.
For if there were: the world would be a grey, lifeless thing, where you would always be right, and everyone else would be just like you. — Jan 5th, 2012

No longer taught in your local school; philosophy: the one and only thing preventing us from living in a perfect world. — Jan 1st, 2012

The path to happiness and truth is paved with many a harsh reality, possibly the most severe of which is that you are often wrong and can greatly improve upon who you are. Never blame the world — instead, look within. — Dec 21st, 2011

There are good stories, there’s truth, and then there’s a place of magic and inspiration which lives between the two. Never settle — Strive for both. — Jan 17th, 2012

At the end of the day, if you’re true to yourself, all you ever really need is a dollar more in your pocket than you ABSOLUTELY MUST have to pay your bills. From that point forward you are immensely fortunate and would do well to remember it! — Dec 27th, 2011

Knowing what we know now, about what we didn’t know then — we’d all be quite smart in accepting our part of the world growing dim. Always Demand Truth. — Dec 27th, 2011

Buzzwords are wanton, lacking of solid information and anemic. Reject them as truth but let them titillate your curiosity, and then — go learn for yourself. — Jan 3rd, 2012

Knowing how to Cook might just be the secret to Life — Think about it:
You have to prepare your ingredients — and they better be fresh — you sweat and temper for just the right amount of time, and then, even if you’d done everything else right, the final judgement lies with someone else, as they are the judges of palatability and widespread appeal. — Jan 14th, 2012

Judgment isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so long as your thoughts endure. Let judgment be the beginning, and compassion, the end. — Jan 6th, 2012

You’ll always be unhappy where you are if you’ve never really tried to be where you want to be. Try, and fear not — for failure is far preferable to having never made the attempt. — March 13th, 2012

He who knowingly fears the unknown is a walking paradox. — March 1st, 2012

The development of an innate devotion to the growth of the self, through any and all circumstance, is the first step in any positive spiritual change. — Jan 30th, 2012

If I must choose to either be crazy or normal — strap me in! Rather that than to be just the same as everyone else. — Dec 20th, 2011

~J

That's one way to get your cardio in...

However, finding the right motivation is key.

Proper motivation is arguably as important, and if not, more-so, than the subsequent product it will produce…

It will color it.

Shape it.

Taint it…

Choose something temporal as a motivator and you’ll soon find yourself with temporal satisfaction. You’ll forever after and always be chasing that next high. Though, choose something ethereal as a motivator — a lofty ideal, the wish for worldwide embetterment, a simple hope to inspire — and you’ll quickly discover a new plane of creation, ability, and overall zen at your fingertips.

I’m talking about happiness here, people!

It might seem convoluted, but just take the road.

And how you find your way to it!

Look, happiness if not some abstract thing, granted temporarily and only by medication, nor is it hard to come by, it’s abundant, accessible, and stems from doing what you love! You just need to have a little faith, the right atmosphere, and the proper motivation.

Now all this takes a careful eye…

…And it might take some changes. You might have to rethink your long-held friends, you might have to switch jobs and take a cut in pay, you might even have to avoid certain members of your own family — as we can’t help what inspires us, we can only change what we expose ourselves to…

Try to aim for support and positivity, though ensure that it’s not simply blind.

Appreciate critique, let it be your guide. Remember; we must fail, to learn, to learn not to fail.

Though, despite all this, motivation for any attempt is key — so here are some of my own thoughts on the matter…

I hope you enjoy!

Motivation

“Give yourself permission daily to be awesome.” — Feb 1st, 2012

“Overanalyzation was a MAJOR factor in the Titanic sinking. The lesson: waffling too long over a decision is often worse than making a mistake. Plot your course, steer the wheel, hope for the best — and if you fail, pray the water’s warm.” — Jan 1st, 2012

“Stuck? Fed up? Stop. Breathe. Forgive. Appreciate. Now… continue.” — Dec 17th, 2011

“Only when you empty a vessel entirely do you then have the opportunity to fill it again with something completely new. Leave one miniscule mite from the past behind though, and the new state of the thing is wholly tainted by the old. Sometimes it’s OK to lose everything, as true reinvention always must start from scratch.” — Feb 6th, 2012

“Think about all the excitement and adventure that’s manifest due to technology and innovation.
Now, look up at the stars…
There are other worlds out there, and other individuals, innovating. What we have crafted thus far on our tiny blue speck, will someday soon be added to a universal commerce, and the adventure will grow exponentially, and for all of time… Given the inevitability of all this, what are you waiting for — go, innovate, and prepare to share your unique and important perspective with the Universe.” — Jan 15th, 2012

“Never let the fear of failure deter your efforts, for failure gives the gift of a lesson. Success yields nothing toward internal growth.” — Dec 12th, 2011

“Sure… It’s swell to have a plan for life, or, heck, even a strategy. Shoot, in a perfect world they might just play out as you’d hoped too. However, there’s a problem; we don’t live in a perfect world. Thus, merely have Goals: they are far less rigid than a plan in their ways, and permit for the occasional, and necessary, tap-dancing of life — a requisite to achieve.” — Feb 1st, 2012

“A wasted mind is not only one that doesn’t study, but also one that studies imprudently. What do you spend your time learning?” — Jan 10th, 2012

“To hold ones deepest desires close to the heart is essential in achieving them. However, trying to hold each step of the process in mind at once makes the feat simply insurmountable. Thus — Live in the moment, aim for the future.” — Jan 4th, 2012

“Awesomeness starts within, and then, eventually, finds its way out to shine onto the world. It can’t be faked tho — you’ll call your own ‘BS’.” — Dec 14th, 2011

“I never put much significance on a day — its still got just 24 hours. If you’re the resolute type, remember this; It’s not the day that brings the change, the day will fade and pass. It must then, be you — just like it’s been all along. Yup… I never put much significance on a day…” — Jan 1st, 2012

“The only difference between the world we want and the world we have is our faith in the possibility. Help us live up to our collective potential: do something great.” — Jan 12th, 2012

“Think about all the species of wondrous life which the Earth is host to — and yet us humans are the sole creatures here with the capacity to change our place and role in this world. Knowing now that choice is such a rare opportunity when it comes to life — why would we ever give it up? Or, worse yet, not express it?” — Jan 17th, 2012

~J

P.S.

There is also one other thing I would like to share here, in this category, though I felt it was simply too long to lump into the previous section of quotes. This was merely an excerpt from a heated online discussion I’d engaged in about money — which quickly got out of hand, (but was quite fun). The comment was well received, and so I saved it. I’d love to hear all of your thoughts

“Q- What is the goal of humanity?

A- At its basics: To survive, and evolve. Our evolution IS invention. Thus, our greatest goal should be to A) provide for survival (which is easy to do if we focus on it), and B) Invent — now that’s the tricky one. See, to be good, you need to train, and to train, you need time. You need to work at a craft every day. We are staring down the barrel of a new world. One that provides the basics. If that were to happen, and again — it could if we made it the focus — then what would people do with their time? Either invent, or consume. EACH AS IMPORTANT AS THE OTHER, as this will be the NEW currency. I, as a creator (Writer/actor) will still compete with others, but only those whose passion it is to be in competition. And others, the consumers, will be the judges of the world by what they “tune into”. This will make people HAPPY, as they will be only in fields where they WANT to be. Not IHOP, or scraping barnacles off the hulls of boats, but where they can best help man INVENT, and GROW as a culture.

I invite you — look up at the stars. There are other worlds out there, other cultures — inventing. One day we will be among them. When this happens, let’s ensure that humanity has something worthwhile to contribute. As, I submit to you, that is our DESTINY. That is our great ADVENTURE. That is the endless wellspring of AMAZING that we, as humanity, will have. It won’t be us, though. It won’t be in our lifetimes. We are the sacrifice. We are the architects. We are the transition. But, that’s OK. We will also be the ones who were smart enough to see it coming, and who facilitated its occurrence — if, and only if, we make it our goal.” — Jan 18th

…And the same can be said for quotes.

Take it from me,

As I am a man whose spent a good deal of his life on his own. An only child, surrounded throughout my younger years by naught but hostility, a natural weirdo throughout and an abstract thinker to boot: these are not the traits that grant you companionship — though I was never alone.

Whether it was the tales spun in my beloved comics, the epic narratives which engaged me in my games, or the titanic span of an author’s mind I’d found within their writings, truly, I’d always had someone by my side. The advice I’d gleaned from these sources, far too voluminous to mention, quite possibly kept me sane for a great number of years (Or pushed me over the edge of insanity, the jury’s still out on that case…), and helped shape my outlook for the rest of my life.

Surely, than, I would be remiss to not attempt to do the same.

And so, the series of my own Quotations that I would like to share with you all today would be just that;

Advice

I kid... I use it to line the litter-box

“Let it go. Whatever it is — It’s not worth it.
Focus on your goal. Whatever it is — It IS worth it.
Your mind can only process either one or the other — now, you tell me, which one’s worthy?” — Jan 28th, 2012

“If reality is shaped by your perception, and your perception is shaped by your temperament, than, unequivocally, you manifest your own reality. I’d watch that…” — Feb 16th, 2012

“Never open your mouth to speak freely at a table of strangers — as you’ve got no idea if someone there is in possession of knowledge which trumps your own.” — Jan 8th, 2012

“Looking strong and being strong are two very different things — one only has to hit a diamond with a hammer to know this is true.
Thus, be strong and useful when your time comes, not beautiful and frail.” — Jan 2nd, 2012

“With life, it’s all too easy to get caught up in living the way you were taught you should, and forget altogether that there was once a way that you’d wanted to live it.” — Feb 27th, 2012

“While growing a garden, as in life, one must prune back whatever is holding back the health of the plant.” — March 15th, 2012

“Modesty should only be applied honestly. Never be ashamed to express who you really are, nor your adventures with others, it might just inspire.” — Jan 21st, 2012

“Never lament something before you do it, you’ll skew your whole experience. Besides… that’s what after-words are for.” — Jan 14th, 2012

“Be careful how you talk to yourself, as it’s likely you’ll believe what you have to say. For, if you can’t trust yourself, who can you?” — Dec 13th, 2011

“Remember, everyone has their own internal lexicon with definitions and impressions unique to them, and them alone. Thus, never judge, for any action another takes is always just as justified as your own.” — Dec 30th, 2011

“Learn your instincts — or become slaves to them. Only when you are aware of their influence can you truly chose how to be.” — Dec 14th, 2011

“Mental endeavors are taxing, you will eventually find it hard to work. When you do, switch to physical tasks — as the body supports the mind, and the mind relies on the bodies strength.” — Dec 17th, 2011

“Constantly reinvent yourself. Never be afraid. Do it whenever you can and imbue your aims with every failures lesson, no matter how small. This is the only way to seek truth.” — Nov 7th, 2011

“The way I see it, the inherent problem in giving someone advice lies in the fact that the reason they probably need it in the first place is because they don’t listen.” – Jan 3rd, 2012

~J

(This Gandhi quote changed mine.)

They’re magical in that way; transformative.

Quotes have a way of getting through to us — better than any well worded argument, and certainly more efficiently than some protracted article. They’re compact, succinct, and speak right to the soul.

Rather than disseminating a convoluted thought outright, which can tend to be unsettling, belittling, and quite wordy, (leaving us with our guards up, rather than, the intended, down), a good quote will culminate as the reduction of a complicated idea into a neat little tidy package, though still well worded and true its nature, that, instead, helps the listener to figure out the concept for themselves.

I owe a lot to quotes…

…And it’s likely that you do too. For me, when I look back across my life, every milestone I’d ever hit had an apt quote waiting there to accompany it.

Whether it was the golden rule as a young boy, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Luke 6:31), which came about at a time when I was considering violence as an answer to my young frustrations, or the famous Fitzgerald quote as an adolescent, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function”, arriving just in time to help me deal with the contradictory philosophical implications I’d been encountering in literature, or even, “The only measurable difference between Genius and Insanity can be found in their degrees of success”, that, as an adult, guided me in founding my Blog: Quotes were always there to help me find my way.

Creative Inspiration

It’s what this blog is supposed to be about.

It’s tough out there… for all of us — and especially for those of us who dare to create. You might be a chef, or an artist, maybe a scientist, or possibly a fighter — heck, you might even be an actor/writer struggling to make it in the big city — but, from time to time, you’re likely going to feel exhausted. Depleted of what you’d once been full of, and once ready to share with the world.

When I drew up the concept for this Blog, it was for you; the creators.

I’d wanted to make sure that there existed a place in the (virtual) world where you could go to re-charge your batteries. To feel better, fuller: confident to forever produce. But, I see now, that it’s not just for us, “Current Creators” alone — it’s for everybody!

I’d like to inspire the world to create!

I’d truly like everyone to know that they all have something awesome within them, brimming up behind their eyes and poised to burst forth from their ears, ready to explode out and change the world — and all they need to do is believe in its existence for it to manifest. There’s another quote of Einstein’s which had, in part, inspired this revelation — “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”. And it’s true, and we all know it to be — EVERYBODY’S A GENIUS.

So… Why not me?

That’s the question I began to ask myself. With all this motivation I’ve been consuming over the years in order to create, put in place and inspired by people all throughout the world and across its history, shouldn’t I want to give something back? Shouldn’t I try, regardless of the potential outcome, to inspire others with my own words?

And, possibly more importantly, do I even have anything worthy of sharing?

So, it was with this thought in my head…

…that, back in January, I began to try. I allowed the world’s customary daily lessons to inspire me, (rather than beat me down), and began attempting to not only identify, but understand and condense these lessons into unique quotes of my own, jotting them down as I went along throughout my day. I then began putting them onto a public forum, I.E. Facebook and Twitter, because I knew that they couldn’t possibly do anybody any good if I just let them lie fallow on my smartphone.

Are they any good?

Well, good readers, that’s for you all to decide — as I’m going to share them with you starting today. There are quite a few for you to read too… I have amassed over a hundred novel quotes (if they could so be called ), of my own by now, and, throughout the next couple weeks, I plan on posting most of them here for you to read.

I’ll try to stick to the better ones.

I’d love your feedback on these, and possibly, If I inspire you somehow, your story — but I’ll settle for just a click of the, “Like” button.

Ahhhh, WordPress…

In any case, for me, this series couldn’t have come at a better time, for I’ve got these brain appetizers on hand, and I’m going to be quite busy for the next few weeks, so they will free me up to focus on my book edits. For simplicity’s sake I’ve broken the quotes into categories — “Motivation”, “People/Politics”, “Endurance”, “Advice”, “Success”, “Truth”, and, “The Self” — though they don’t have to pertain to the named subject alone.

Again, I sincerely hope that you enjoy, are inspired, or perhaps just get a chuckle, for my pervasive humor has found its way into these as well; my genuine takes at being sincere and helpful. You really can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

And now,

without further ado,

I give to you my first category,

Endurance;

(please enjoy)

“First comes the realization that you can be more; better, full. Then you walk the path; it’s long, arduous and more trying than you could imagine. It takes years. Finally, if you’re lucky, you make it through. At the end of it all, it wouldn’t have been the gall it took to decide, nor the will it took to walk, but the fortitude it required, and the faith, to believe that the end existed at all as you went along your way.” — Jan 27th, 2012

“Perseverance, not innate talent, nor connections, nor financing, always has been, and always will be, the defining factor of greatness. Keep going. Yes, you can.” — March 9th, 2012

“Love your scars, for they prove that you have lived.” — Feb 10th, 2012

“Recycling failed life strategies will yield nothing but failure in life. We cannot look back and long for what was or what might have been, we must instead look ahead with optimism, actively crafting what still can be.” — Jan 26th, 2012

“Enjoy the cold, embrace it, go with its vibe. For life is about living, and nature’s part of life; let it remind you your still alive.” (First really cold day of the year) — Jan 4th, 2012

“Worth is a fickle beast, as the more deserved of it you are the less aware of it you must be.” — March 5th, 2012

“To make a “Bucket list” when you’re older is a great idea, but why wait!? Make one today, start tomorrow, and when you’re ready to kick the bucket you wont notice — you’ll be too busy kicking ass.” — Jan 20th, 2012

“The best way to deal with negativity? Positively ignore it.” — Feb 19th, 2012

“If all you give is effort, and all have is hope – than all you can possibly want you already have.” — Jan 16th, 2012

“Sometimes you play all the right notes, perfectly and with all of your heart — only to the wrong audience. Never give up.” — Jan 6th, 2012

“Success and failure are interchangeable as a result of an ambition. Learn to love both, as they are the Yin and Yang of your inevitable success.” — Dec 28th, 2011

“If every day you lived was perfect, you’d have no reason to get up from bed. What would you look forward to? The same old crap — that’s what. It’s all about perspective.” — Jan 5th, 2012

“It’s rare that things will happen in, “your time”. Thus, expect the really great ones to come around when you’re wholly preoccupied — aren’t you glad the universe has a sense of humor?” — Dec 19th, 2011

“People say waiting is torture — but meditation is akin to waiting, if only your mind is right. It’s all in how you look at it.” — Dec 27th, 2012

~J