The Finder's Way

The Finder's Way

A woman and a man walking in a straight line meet. 

They lock eyes, and then clasp their hands together.

They eat fruit, and farm vegetables for themselves to eat. 

They build a house of wood, to shelter each other from bad weather.

They have children whom which they raise, and spend time.

 They collect animals and minerals, and berries of all kind. 

Eventually they are, a FULL FAMILY of 9. 

And even sing songs in the evenings, if they have time.

One day they decide to see the ocean. 

They pack up and ready themselves for a trip. 

While walking they meet a family, also full of kin. 

Under a campfire's light they laugh and they sit. 

Upon reaching the shore they see people galore. 

Men and women with their children, they fit right in.

They asked the people if they could fit any more.

They all were belated and greeted them with a grin.

Everyone was happy, and productive and gay. 

Sometimes they would fish and sometimes they would play. 

Sometimes families would fight and some children would cry. 

Some people got old and some of them died.

But others were born that stuck by there side.

Living harmoniously with those, in whom they confide.

They shared in their toil; their work and their play.

They shared fighting dangers, like bears side by side.

Not a soul would go hungry that for sure one could say. 

Until someone found a block of golden clay.

The finder picked up this item he saw.

He held it up high sending his peers in awe.

Not a mouth was closed shut, every retina in sparkle.

Every man, woman and child stood and looked at the marvel.

The finder put the block on display for the people to see.

Until the finder decided, "It is only for me."

So only in the house could the gold clay be found.

A price people paid to witness it from all around.

They paid in fish, and in wood, and in services 2.

They bent to his will every week for a few.

For safety of the gold object, he built up a mound.

With a gate built around, he was high up off the ground.

The GOLD, it was molded into a crown.

The people below visited with gifts, to this finder they were bound.

The finder dictated what people did, and when.

If they listened resources, would be shared with some men.

Children praised the crown and prayed for its graces.

Women kissed the hand of the finder with teary faces.

One night 3 young boys went up to the mound.

And awoke the finder trying to take the crown.

In the morning the the crimes of these boys were expelled.

And those boys for there charges were roughly exiled.

The people lived in fear, but still loved the finder.

Because he would punish those who spoke against him as a reminder.

The power the crown held made them bow under its spell.

The finder fed and clothed, them and then told them of HELL.

Hell was a place were all people would go, if they didn't obey, and paid what they owe.

Mothers told children, "Never forget to see the crown!"

In drones, on command the people came to know.

What they had to do to stay away from HELL's HOUND.

Men, Women, and children lived by the Finders Way:

"Let the crown be your guide, and you may have a golden day."

The Finders words... The Law- as in rules to be followed.

They were transcribed onto paper, and selected people lived as models.

As the finder grew older it was known his time was near.

What had to be done was evidently clear.

A sitting son of the crown, took a whisper into his ear.

He was urged to listen carefully, for these thoughts were held dear.

"The trick to the crown is not what I found. It is clay with paint that is not even profound. The trick behind people is to play at their emotions. After catching their attention just stay high above their ocean. When they wonder, and ponder, and think and contemplate tomorrow. CRUSH them with FEAR, GIVE them gifts, and WARN them of hell's sorrow."

True Love and a Yellow Sponge

True Love and a Yellow Sponge

Love. True Love. Endless/Eternal. Butterflies in your stomach and dopamine to your brain. In The Midsummers night dream Shakespeare wrote, "Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind. And therefore is winged cupid painted blind." These were the words of Helena. The woman was dismayed to find her love Demetrius had fallen for another woman. He had found the other woman Hermia to be more attractive and this tears Helena apart. Throughout the play, which I urge anyone to see, loves essence is questioned in a very prosaic way.3 The relation between the eyes and mind, and aesthetic beauty are as much initiators of trouble in the play as they are in the real world. Love and the debate on were it comes from, what it is exactly, if it is real have been the topic of many conversations, letters, books, and sad soliloquies of teens everywhere.

Love has been narrowed to feelings, or a state of being that a person has towards someone or something. Different completely from love we separate the "sexual" from the romantic. Loves involves directly how we feel, so there really is no action in the accepted definition. Love has been claimed by many fields as a work of "their systems". Biologist and other scientists point to the primal brain functions, as love being another urge connected to the necessity to reproduce . To them love is hormones and firing synapses.

 

Science of Love

The scientific view is comprised of mostly of thoughts of psychologists and biologists. Extensive studies have gone into understanding how love works and what is happening when we "love". Psychological studies have shown that it only takes a person 1 1/2 to 4 minutes for person to decide whether or not they love someone. They equate what a person looks like or how they move to equate to over half of this decision; the voice equates to about 40 % and the actual words that are said equate to less than ten percent (so much for intelligence). Then the scientist break love down into three stages. Initially there is lust. They say that your strictly physical attraction is the foot in the door for love.

Then there is the stage of intimacy or attachment. This is the old "honeymoon" stage were your neurons are flooded with adrenaline, Dopamine and Serotonin. Adrenaline results in those fun symptoms you get when your crush says hello. Sweating, cotton mouth, heart beating out of your chest. Yes, blame adrenaline for why you spoke Aramaic to the hottest girl in your grade. Then there is dopamine. It's similar to cocaine, that's all nothing special. Those new couples walking around "high" as hell calling each other pet names and whatever else. Yup...they are all doped up. :) Dopamine results in excess energy, a lack of sleep and food, and extreme happiness. Last but not least there is serotonin. This neurotransmitter causes your lovers face to be the only thing on your mind. In this stage your partner can do no wrong. They are perfect no ,matter what your mom thinks about them. Then comes the third stage; attachment. The hormones of this stage are Oxytocin and vasopressin. Oxytocin is released during an orgasm. So this is the scientific way to connect sex with love. As Oxytocin deepens feelings of attachment. Oxytocin is also the hormone that makes a mother care for its young. This is that unconditional "love" hormone. Vasopressin , aka the "anti diuretic hormone" used by the body to control thirst. This hormone is also released after sex, and is directly correlated to long term relationships. So if you question the devotion your spouse, slip them a little ADH intravenously.
For the scientist this is love. Super romantic...I know. They have found you can pretty much find love by following 3 steps:
                        1) Find a stranger
                        2) Talk about the details of your life for half an hour
                        3) Stare into each others eyes for 4 mins.1
And "Expecto Patronum" you've got love!

Philosophy of Love

Renown philosophers have touched the subject as well. Bertrand Russell extensively talked about love, revereing its importance. He called it extra rational but not anti-rational. Bertrand equated love to a person in a state of "absolute value". This is interesting and confusing as most things that involve love are.2 Relative value means to look at everything, kind of a cost benefit analysis and seeing what something will mean to you. In other words what will you gain. Absolute value in terms of love must pose that a person in love is without the end goal of finding the best deal for him possible but instead finding the absolute best deal. But how could this be possible. As people we only have our perspective as a tool to judge. This sounds a lot like Helena's speech, "cupid painted blind." So Love, lets take it in the instance of person A and person B. Person A loves person B. Therefore Person A is in the best state of affection for existence. It may not be in his best interest. Person B's dad may kill him, she may leave him at the alter, they may both be persecuted for their love. But he does not have his personal "relative" well-being to worry about because love doesn't care about the person. In a way this definition says that love is beyond us completely. A religious person could say that love is gods plan, maybe. That love is a tool of god to exert his will. This could work for absolute value. Or maybe the universal harmony is relies on love to keep things even; yin and yang, good and evil.

True Love

 

I enjoy Bertrand's explanation of love, because sometimes sex, eye contact and a face cannot explain the feeling that is true love. And I believe the word love deserves more than a few hormones, or just a means to ensure the survival of our offspring. Real love to me must be unwavering. From start to finish, love should be alone in its steadfast stubbornness. Sex, lust or other things that all are only necessary to you as they bring pleasure are not love. In its truest form the only real love is that of SpongeBob Squarepants.

SpongeBob has been through it all. Hurt, and battered, duped and beaten Sponge Bob still returns only love. He works in a space were with the best of his ability he acts to bring pleasure to those around him. Now you may say, Iziah, Sponge Bob is annoying he brings unhappiness to Squidward all the time. But look not at the reality, look at the intention. His acts are often self depreciating. Love is that of Sponge Bob, Love = complete selflessness. Love gives without receiving. Love does not involve the word "want". Love only allows giving. Giving your all to bring your brand of happiness, and when you fail, which eventually you will... feed your snail, go to sleep and wake for the next days episode and try all over again. True love is more than butterflies, true love is the ride. It is the time you spend searching and giving all of you to the world. Most of us will never see true love I believe, but it is not to late to impart it. It is not to late to release true love to those who you interact with everyday. The only question is are you ready, because I'm ready!

1 http://www.youramazingbrain.org/lovesex/sciencelove.htm
2 Russell on Ethics: Selections from the Writings of Bertrand Russell
3 http://www.william-shakespeare.info/script-text-midsummer-nights-dream.htm

How To Be A Hero in 2014

  How To Be A Hero in 2014

 

 

 

     

      Pie...I like Pie...I mean who doesn't. Baring no run-ins with anaphylaxis, or un-patriotism no soul can rebut the restorative, healing powers of crust & filling on a plate with a fork. Don't get lost or misunderstand that I am strictly talking about the delectable desert. This not a metaphor and not convoluted in any way. I just think about pie often. This is something I like. Which is why I'm talking about it. We often talk about things we like, because we want people to know we like them, and we want to know what other people like and want people to like what we like. We want people to like us at the root of it. Sometimes we want people to like us so bad that we are willing to allow this urge to extensively effect how we look at ourselves, and how we identify ourselves.

 

My favorite author and playwright Oscar Wilde said, "be yourself, because everyone else is taken." This is a comment on identity, (well put if you ask me). This is a proposition that within each and every person, there is an identity. Indeed it poses that each of us have our own analytical, cognition that results in an entity that is. We are what we identify ourselves as and exist represented by our identity which is absorbed by the senses of those around us. A unique "face" that we can be, one that is under our control. There may be debate, weighing the old "nature vs. nurture", but I'd like to bypass that because it is irrelevant to this topic. That is identity, who you are presently, will be tomorrow, and for as long as you live; and why.

As the year comes to an end we all get older, some happily, some regrettably. We reflect on a year of growth, recession, gains and losses. Love, lovers, hate, and haters. Its no lie that we are in unprecedented times. Our ever changing societal, political, communal and social structures and connections make internal and external reflection more crucial, and more difficult at the same time. Not to mention this problem is exacerbated by technology, social media, and communication that is instant, and restricted by nothing. This world is one that our planet has never seen (I think). Even as I sit here typing there is an inefficient government watching, an economy scaring me, and I still have to worry about who I am. 30 years ago "20 somethings" had all the time in the world to figure out who they were. Now we are just lucky to find a decent paying job from a corporation who we pay more taxes than, and rent an apartment, borrowing money from a bank whose interest rates our lower than our undergrad loan rates.

So our brain power may be appropriated to other matters, while our identity takes the backseat, and we end up fitting cookie cutter molds and having love hate relationships with our favorite bountifully "booty-licious" bodacious bodied beautician and living vicariously through her husband.(I miss Jesus) Were will identity go in 2014? (if there is any left).

I want to put the emphasis on the word Hero. A hero is a role, the Paladin. To be known as a hero requires the bearer to exhibit certain characteristics; bravery, courage, splenduor. It is not too vain to say that most of us want to be seen as Heroic. I will go out on a limb and say that there is a Hero in every one of us. In 2014 it is time to bring it out. Being a hero in 2014 is all about YOU. Its all about being YOU.

Step 1: Do You

 Its time to forget what Sally, Suzy, Tim, Tyrell, and Tina want you to do, and what they want you to be. Do what makes you happy. And if you don't know yet, find what makes you happy. Rule of thumb; certain people, things and actions have an effect on you. Look deep inside, it may take a moment of just siting and making a "Things I like vs. Things I don't like" List, or just thinking alone, out loud, with your roommate. Try a close friend, a shrink or a mailman. They might know a little about what you like, because they've seen your smiles. You might find out that you enjoy talking to the T-Mobile costumer service girl for hours, do that!

 

Step 2: Lend a Helping Hand

 

 

 After you do what you like. Do for someone else. This means taking one damn second away from your busy Netflix filled life, and trying to help a fellow woman or man. Any way will do. It is not a secret that making others feel good by your actions may just may make you feel good. No you will not receive money for helping that old Lady across the street or helping her take her bags in, but it can't hurt. I'm sure smiling at the person who hands you your Doritos Locos Taco at the mall won't end in you getting bitten. And if it does do the American thing and sue, (help a Lawyer out). This step means simply make a conscious effort to make someone's day better, and you are on your way to glory. Try volunteering, try "FREE HUGS" signs, Walk up to a random person and give them a dollar, write nice letters or on greeting cards to important people in your 2013 life. Get your significant other some flowers or a massage if your frugal like me. Go do it now, you can come back later and read the rest.

 

Step3: Question

 The last and final step is to question. ASK A QUESTION. Every day we sit and like robots accept, and blabber. We breathe and stuff food in that same breathing hole using claws with thumbs attached to the sides. In the new year ask why, or how, about something that either doesn't add up, or about something you've always been so sure of. At a time were Rupert Murdock and 6 families pull the strings of journalism, and people are so fashioned to take whatever an authority says as factual, we must make a habit of inquisitiveness.  Leonardo DaVinci said, "nothing strengthens authority more than silence".

I'm going to guess that you have some beef with someone or something. Whether its Obama, or Congress, your teacher, or Mephistopheles, don't let your issue go unaddressed. If its with your partner or just a friend ask questions. Now I warn you don't get into the habit of just saying you don't like something. Find out what you don't like, why, and what you can do to help fix this. Activate yourself! Start your own revolution! You may just want to ask questions to yourself. Maybe there is something you want to have a better understanding of, but you fear the implications it may bring. Don't allow this, a question asked and not answered is better than eating pie you are allergic to.

So my friend...In 2014 will you have what it takes to be a Hero. All you have to do is be yourself. It may sound cliché, but that's because I'm being myself, I am a bunch of clichés. So remember, do what you love no matter what others think. [Disclaimer: This is not a post inciting any person to break the law. The advise only means to entice actions that are within the limits of the law, and enjoyable.] Do something for another human. Make a promise to yourself that you will help better one person's day other than yourself in 2014. And last but not least, ask a question. Ask a question you've never asked. Then go find the answer, or just reflect on what the question means. Don't be naïve in 2014.

 If you follow these steps, you have made an effort to be yourself. You have become a hero. We all cannot be the idol of a nation like George Washington, or change a world like Nelson Mandela. We cannot all be Ghandi, or Susan B. Anthony, Jackie Robinson,  or Harriet Tubman. But that's because we are better off being who we are. These people were being who they were, and their identities were good enough to bend structures, systems, and the wills of people around them. I bet your identity is just as good. If you take a chance and embrace it... If you like pie, just like pie. I know I do.