Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Epitome of Beauty

Something I love about photography is the way it manages to capture solitary, magical moments in time. Moments that will never be repeated in exactly the same manner, but that help to define what life is about, and immortalize the incredible actions and elements of nature.

Follow this link to see some truly amazing shots by a talented man (mine :P).

http://illuzian.deviantart.com/

The Ropes of Our Pasts

"I have confidence, in confidence alone
Besides which you see I have confidence in me" - Julie Andrews, "The Sound of Music"

Confidence... probably the biggest obstacle between each of us and our dreams.

Whether we like or believe it or not, what we have experienced in the past does have an impact on how we feel in the present. However big or small our past trials and triumphs have been, they have an influence on how we perceive situations in the present, how we react to them, and how we feel we can deal with them.

That by no means goes to say that the level of confidence we feel in ourselves dictates what we can achieve; absolutely not. It is simply fears we have that cause us to doubt ourselves and our potential.

I think there is a lot of truth to the saying that we are each our own worst critic. Many of us find it difficult to accept compliments, but will readily admit our faults. This is, to me, why bullying is especially terrible, particularly in primary school where we are learning about ourselves and might not quite understand truth from lie, or teasing.

I'm currently watching Stranger than Fiction, and find the whole concept quite fascinating; Harold's life is being narrated... the voice either tells him everything he is doing, or tells him what is going to happen. Perhaps if we each had a voice like this tracking our thoughts, we would feel a lot more confident; and a lot less alone; in doing things. This voice transforms Harold's life as he realises he is capable of more. He finds love and passion. There is a lot to be said for moral support and understanding.

Confidence is clearly not simply about achieving things externally to ourselves; our internal thoughts can be very difficult to control, given the mind is such a powerful tool; our thoughts can be overbearing enough to totally distort what we see as truth and reality.

As a finishing thought, there is much to be said for smiling and greeting strangers on the pathway, and random, spontaneous, uplifting acts... break the routine, break from the crowd... cliche as it may sound, it is individuality that makes the world a more interesting and exciting place.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Power of Words

I talked a while ago about the origins of language, and how it fascinates me. In this post, I'm going to focus more on the power of language.

Here are some quotes I got from an iPhone app (:P) that I love:

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." - Elbert Hubbard

"The degree of responsibility you take for your life determines how much change you can create in it." - Unknown

"What the mind can conceive, it can achieve." - Napoleon Hill (this is one of my personal favourites)

"When you move beyond your fear, you feel free." - Spencer Johnson

"If you're not willing to risk, you cannot grow. If you cannot grow, you cannot be your best. If you cannot be your best, you cannot be happy. If you cannot be happy, what else is there?" - Les Brown

"Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open." - Sir James Dewar

What is it that draws people to quotes? Or, as I'm speaking for myself here, what is it that draws me to quotes? Technically, quotes are simply random words drawn together to convey a certain meaning or message, or many. The beauty of quotes, of strings of words, is in their effect.. words stimulate the mind, force us to think about ideas possibly beyond our current knowledge. These quotes inspire me; when I read them, I don't see words but what they represent. The bigger image. That's the beauty of words; they are not meant to be entirely considered and appreciated in their literal / written / physical form; they create an avenue for people to see extraordinary new images.

Words enable us to communicate. Words create change. All in all, words are a powerful weapon or tool; possibly the most powerful tool any person can have.

"I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following." Yes, I do love Ghandi.. so, so many wonderful words :)

However, this one I believe carries an important point - 'I am concerned with taking care of the present'. My mind soars straight to climate change and conservation, predictions and debates. My simple question is - we know there are problems with pollution now, we know we are losing wildlife from human destruction of the environment now, so, instead of arguing over what's true and not, why not just deal with the issues that might be causing it? It would be healthier for everyone and everything, including the economy.

Anyway... back on topic

The most meaningful and powerful quote I have read is Ghandi's "You must be the change you want to see in the world." These twelve words combine to convey an idea that attempts to encourage and inspire people to study the bigger picture; they are words that one will read and immediately be drawn to consider. This is the power of the mind - when we read something, we automatically, involuntarily think about its meaning because that's what each word is to us.

"A Small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." - Ghandi

With that I leave you with another quote of Ghandi's to ponder;

"In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place."

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Video everyone should see and learn from



Are her words not true? Why is it that governments and people with the power and ability discuss and debate to no end without acting, or at the most with minimal action? Is it based on convenience and keeping the people happy, thereby keeping their power? What is the point of having the power if it isn't going to be applied to anything?

Some questions to consider..

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A quote that requires no discussion...

“All our lauded technological progress—our very civilization—is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal.”

~Albert Einstein

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Dedicated to Caged Victims

The following video (and I warn you, I've cried both times watching this..) is the reason I started my search for a neglected, abused budgie to adopt. Our little girl, Chloe, is currently snuggled asleep in her flight-allowing, entertainment and yumminess equipped cage. When she is more settled and less anxious, we'll begin letting her out to fly around the room.

Please take a few minutes to watch this video and learn from it; the immense reward and joy you can get from an abused or impounded animal you choose to adopt instead of purchasing from a pet shop. For information on how you can help ease the plight of the caged, email binkys_cause@hotmail.co.uk



The video below is an example of the immense joy that can be gained from rescuing an animal; PLEASE consider adoption.

Mental Stuffs

It's been a while since I've updated this. I have no excuse aside from uni and sheer laziness. Perhaps also somewhat lack of inspiration.. which is rather silly since every day I see and experience things that cause me to question the world, and people in it. A lot.

I've been happy recently getting back into some animal 'stuff'. I've taken an interest lately (or should I say, refuelled my somewhat neglected interest) in mistreated / abused / neglected animals, and the mental states of the people who commit such atrocities. Watching a few cases on RSPCA Animal Rescue, I am truly horrified to know that some people could actually have the capability to do such things; to realise they are inflicting harm on a living creature. My question is: what leads people to such states? I realise not all these people realise what they are doing; but then there are some people so apparently sadistic that they really do see their actions, and the consequences, amusing.

Only days ago a woman was caught on camera putting a cat into a bin. Thankfully the general public's reaction to this showed that we are, in general, a society that loves animals; whether many of our actions prove that or not, at least the presence of that compassion is positive.. especially as this woman was later reported to say 'it's just a cat'. Indeed, that struck a sore cord in me.

Something a little happier, or at least less saddening, I've been contemplating as a result of this and something someone said to me (or something along these lines); Are we who we say we are, or are we how other people see us? I believe this relates to mental states and some potentially resulting problems, might they be inflicting cruelty on humans or non-human animals. Is it our actions that dictate our true state of mind, or might our actions be a more complex facade or outlet for expressing a complicated web of thoughts and emotions we have trouble understanding? It's all very well telling someone to think differently, or do something they may have mental barriers about (i.e. fears), but without knowing the exact build up of emotions and thoughts an individual experiences, it is nearly impossible to decipher their reasons for doing something. Even the most in-depth experiment cannot obtain absolutely conclusive answers as any one individual may have a slightly different reaction that would render a result at least partially invalid.

It feels strange that I'm trying to see the other side of the mind; from the abuser's perspective. Just to clarify; I am in NO way defending anyone's actions; I believe any harm inflicted on human or animal is inexcusable, unjustifiable.. I am simply contemplating, in a very general way, what drives people to act in any way, and what it is that makes up one's 'person', 'identity'.. who they are.

I maintain that the mind is an extremely powerful tool.