Buddha on the self

"He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye."

When you see yourself as part of the fabric of life instead of seperate from it, you realize that we all share something in common, that we all play an important role in what we call life and you begin to view things in equilibrium. The "unity of life" is just an expression to describe the way things work in unison.

Winston

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

I agree completely with Winston, a pessimist looks for the bad in things and an optimist looks for the good. I always try to be more optimistic because unfortunately i tend to naturally lean towards pessimism.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iWvZAYKusivLhEk9rcGO6Boh0a3A

Today the european union pledged 10.6 billion dollars towards helping poor countrys battle our global warming problem. I think its really great that they are putting that much money into a much needed effort, global warming is real and is effecting everyone equally. We need to try to reverse the harm weve done to our planet.

Dali Lama

"When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighbouring communities, and so on." - Dali Lama

What a great quote by the Dali Lama. What he is saying is that peace has to come from within yourself

Wilco- I am trying to break your heart

Its as if he cant make up his mind about a girl. He keeps saying things that would show he has affection but will contradict himself the next chance he gets. He seems to have found himself at a discord between emotions of desire and distraught, love and hate; which is something we can all relate to.

MLK. Jr. and silence

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter" - MLK Jr.

I belive what he is saying is that, when we begin to let go of the things we stand for, we lose our purpose in life and without purpose life loses its value. All we are, is composed of what we stand for,what we say and what we do about it.

"escaped Conviction"

all the pretty colors
twisted in the vine of decay
sprayed upon the walls of despair

the grinning mouth
of a thousand desires grips me
its easy
to drain the entinty

Persuasion

If you could persuade anyone of anything, who would you persuade and what would you persuade them of?

I would persuade my dad to accept me and my brothers musicianship as more than a meaningless hobbie that has no possibility of going anywhere.

Relativism and what matters

I am in fact a relativist, i believe everything is subjective and there is no true right or wrong. The fact that we percieve certain things as right and wrong is simply a reflection of our own prideful ignorance.

Ben Franklin

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security." ----- BEN FRANKLIN

In a way i think he is saying that we need to value our liberties over our security. We must choose freedom over security sometimes because without freedom we are merely 1's and 0's and if you are willing to give up your freedom, you dont deserve it.

Dave Mcean

twisting contortions of infinite complexity
found harmony in unsuspecting spiteful delusions
clenching this determined careless motion

slow and deliberate
bewildered decay

chomsky on terrorism

"Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it." - Noam Chomsky

What he means is that we need to stop using terrorism on other countrys before terrorism will stop. The nuclear bomb detonated in japan was an act of terror in my opinion, by using a nuke on japan we terrified them into surrender.

"Man at the crossroads"

The perplexing beauties that lie unforeseen
by one too many but not by me
push at the seems of my mind
discretely synthesizing my every thought

the vision overlays the simple
the simple supress the vision
the vision is radiant
I am radiant

The Beatles "All you need is love"

Great song by a great band. Its too bad the world didnt jump on the bandwagon for peace when the beatles did or times might be a little brighter now. The message in this song is clear and in m y opinion doesnt stray too far from perfect

NASA Plans Elevators to Space

According to NASA, a space elevator would essentially be a long cable with one end attached to a point on the Earth's equator while the other end remains held by its own outward centripetal force around 22000 miles up. Magnetically powered vehicles would climb the cable, acting as a transport vehicle between earth and space. For a cable strong enough to withstand the forces NASA is plannng on using a newly developed material called "carbon nanotube" which in tests is shown to be 100 times stronger than steel. Currently it costs around $264 million dollars to place an 26,450-pound object into orbit using the space shuttle, the same payload could be put into orbit for around $18,000 dollars with the space elevator.

Justice

“Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian” - Dennis Wholey

I really like this quote actually. He hits the nail on the head in my opinion. Basically he is saying that the world is full of injustices and no matter whether your intents are good in life or bad, there will always be someone who wouldnt mind to see you hanging at the local gallow.

Happy tentacle

To me it seems as if the man being represented in the drawing could possibly be an interpretation of the artist himself. The tentacles represent something that is eating him from the inside out, metaphorically speaking. In the writing behind the man there is a line that says "I think about her.." and "no wonder why i cannot sleep" and several other dark sentences that lead me to interpret this as a very depressing painting.

Eleanor Roosevelt (again)

"No one can make you feel small without your consent" - Eleanor Roosevelt

What she is saying is so true. When people try to belittle you, it is up to you whether they actually make an impact on you. When you let people get to you, your "letting" them get to you.

Pablo Neruda

Is 4 always 4 for everybody?Are all 7's equal?When prisoners think of the lightis it the same that lights up your world?Have you wondered what colorApril is to the ailing?" -----Neruda, Book of Questions

I really love the idea of "is 4 always 4?" ive actually delved into this question amongst my intellectual friends. One might think well of course it is always the same, its just a number, but how can we be so sure? we cant. This question is really just to make us think, and i believe not to think about the number 4,but about anything in general. The point is to realize nothing is viewed the same and that there is no right or wrong, just opinions.

"We're so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget that the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it's all about." - Joseph Campbell

I Really like this quote, it really aids in an ideaology ive been focusing on lately. To see everything as an experience and cherish it whether it is painful or enjoyable. We must strive to find purpose within ourselves, not within our society.

Current event "Nibiru"

Apparently there is a new 2012 conspiracy going around the web and it revolves around an extra-terrestrial planet called Nibiru which is inhabited by Annunaki. Supposedly the planet comes very close to earth every 3600 years and when it does the Annunaki's will invade earth and either a.) Killl almost everyone or b.) spread light upon new technological advancements that we can adapt as our own.

I found this blog rather interesting due to how far out there it is. I find pretty much all the 2012 conspiracys rather fascinating, simply because there awesome.

Personnally im in no position to say whether this prediction is the rambling of psychotic apocolypse freaks or something to be taken seriously. There is no way to prove it isnt going to happen and there is yet any proof it will. So in the mean time im just gonna chill on the sidelines.

art

Art is anything that involves design and has a creator. It is a form of expression, whether it is visual or audible.

Obamas Muslim outreach

We deffinitely do need unity between the equally ill informed americans and Muslim's. I hope more people believe we do too. We need to put an end to the mindless ignorant hate of each other. We need to embrace each others differences and accept them as just something that makes our lives a bit more interesting. There needs to be an end to the propaganda on both sides. Groups in America found a way to convince themselves we need to hate the muslims and that they are all out to get us, that is just insane. If it wasnt for these people spreading rumors and hate then we could be so much closer to a total peace between the 2 sides. The same goes for the muslims, they dont all hate us, there is just groups within the muslim society that give them a bad name. Both sides need to understand that we are all humans, and that we are much more alike then some might think.

Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

Really? I thougth noble peace prizes were awarded to people who actually accomplished something. They say it was given to him for giving people of the world hope for a better future and in my opinion that is just ridiculous. Had he of actually made us a better future then i would understand. Martin luther king also recieved a noble prize, now who in there right mind would even consider Obama up to par for this award?

George Bernard Shaw

"The problem with communication ... is the illusion that it has been accomplished." -George Bernard Shaw

This is a very pessimistic quote but i think he means to say that we fail to communicate fully all the time. There are so many times we feel we are done communicating with somebody when we have really just scratched the surface.

Leonard Cohen "A Singer Must Die"

"a singer must die for the lie in his voice"

This line really stands out to me. It reminds me of all the activists that have died for there cause. It isnt a quote i stand for by any means, i dont believe anybody deserves to die for what they believe in.the quote seems to be from the standpoint of the assasins of activists.

Anthony Robins

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” Anthony Robbins

I dont think there is any questioning whether or not the world is viewed differently from person to person, every single mind has slightly, vastly different views on the world. Simply due to the way our perspective is formed. By the many experiences we have in our society, our institutions, our religous groups etc.. for example, i believe nobody in the world has ever viewed even such a simple object as the pencil, in the exact same way. Unfortunately, whether this is true or not the majority of people wouldnt take the extra step to have some empathy for others. We should treat each other not judgementaly but acceptingly. There is no right or wrong, just ideas and philosophys.

When the man comes around

This song leads me to assume Johnny Cash was a rather religous man towards the end of his life. In this song he speaks of Armageddon and basically tells the story of it. "there'll be a golden ladder reaching down. When the man comes around." I find that line to be very good, it really conveys the image of Jesus's second coming well.

Abraham Lincoln

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - Abe

As unfortunate as it may sound, Abraham's prediction is probably not far from the truth. I think it is deffinitely possible we could be destroyed by other countries but in the end our own stupididity is most likely going to be our downfall. If another country brings us down, im sure we will bring them with us.

Excavation

This painting is extremely bizzare. The use of coloring in the painting makes it seem much older than it probably is. At first glance someone could easily put this painting off as a disgusting looking scribble. The truth is that it is actually alot deeper than it appears, if you focus and examine it then you begin to realize the level of detail and creativity involved in creating this work of art.

Pascal

"Nothing is so intolerable to man as being fully at rest, without a passion, without business, without entertainment, without care" -Blaise Pascal

This could be true, although this seems like something alot of people might strive for. Without any of the things listed life could become boring and unrewarding. Often times it seems we as humans enjoy the struggle to the top often times more than actually being on top. On the other hand Blaise is possibly wrong, maybe the lack of all those things would be wonderful; to be freed from all of societys chains holding us down. To be freed from all our pathetic wants and worries. The problem is i dont think anyone has ever achieved a truly care free state of mind and therefore Blaise really has no right to claim that it would be intolerable.

Bob Dylan

This song is a bit too far out there for me. The lyrics are just so unpredictable and random; if someone was to just start saying these things to you in a conversation you would think that person is insane. the only thing that really makes sense in the song is how he talks about johanna after each verse, if you read each line its like a rise and fall of a relationship with Johanna. Bob Dylan can hardly be considered a musician , in my opinion he is a really just a poet who thought it would sound better to put some simple guitar behind his poems.

Oldest memory

The oldest memory i can recall is one in which i was 6 years old in North Carolina. I was sliding down the railing on my stairs and sliped off and fell about 5-6 feet onto the stairs below. I think i remember it becuase it was one of the scariest things that had happened to me up until that point in my life.

the matisse thing

THis picture is completely uninteresting in my opinion. I see no significance to anything painted. It would be ridiculous to try and find some deep meaning or philosophy in it. Its simply a picture of a maid putting vegtables on a table.

Einsteins Imagination

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."

I believe Imagination is more important than knowledge but i believe knowledge can aid and influence imagination. Imagination leads to knowledge and knowledge leads to imagination, they go hand in hand. I disagree with the statement "knowledge is limited", I believe knowledge is as endless as time and space, there are infinite things to be discovered and understood. There is no limit to knowledge or imagination.

Johann Wolfgang

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of being." - Goethe

He means to treat people based on there potential as a human, just because somebody is struggling to pay the bills or something doesnt mean that they deserve to be treated worse than someone who is well-off

beowulf

well its kinda babyish, Dragons and what not. It is kinda interesting though, it is deffinitely a bit more graphic in content than other medieval dragon type storys. Ive seen the movie and it was decent, i know the poem is a bit different than the movie but im just hoping it isnt worse.. or that would suck.

Lao Tzu

"An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox." -- Lao Tzu

I think Lao Tzu is saying that no matter how big you are, how smart you are or how powerful you are; you are only as important as the actions you make.Its what we do and not what we are; that truly matters. A very powerful statement on Lao Tzu's part, and i agree completely.

bear day!

From start to finish this song has the ability to keep your attention, something all bands need to be succesful; so they at least suceeded in that. The lyrics are rather random and im pretty sure they were written after the music was produced, but they do stay in a genre of relationships, communications and such. Musically it is pretty much divided into 3 parts and is seperated in the middle by a bridge and a resolution. Instrumentally the song is not breaking very many boundarys and is a bit too repetitive for its own good, itconsists of rpetitive acoustic guitar and simple 4/4 time signatures, the drums could be played by a 5 year old and the bass isnt much better. Theyput to much attention on the idea that there is beauty in simplicity; dont get me wrong i think there is, but from a muscicians standpoint i can only ask why not showcase a bit more skill than what is presented in the song?

Eleanor Roosevelt

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot."

I wish i could say how many different ways this message has been portrayed, the idea of overcoming ones fear and suceeding has been used so much that it really loses its meaning. Its a shame how many people dont stop to think about it. Its all true; ive learned from my own personal encounters that doing things i fear and suceeding can truly help one grow. You begin to realize your own potential as a human being when you overcome the odds that are aginst you.

what is the endless house?

The endless house to me could be the human mind. The mind, in a sense is "the last refuge for man as a man". Our minds are our last refuge and the one thing that will always be our own. There are many possibilities of what the endless house could mean, it is a somewhat vague term and is very hard to put a finger on exactly what it means.

swans reflecting Elephants

I think it is a very creative painting. The artist used his understanding of the human minds ability to percieve things and search for familiar patterns to portray the swans reflection as an elephant.

Lennon

"a dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."
-John Lennon

I think what John is saying is that when people dream together it can be real, because in the end what really seperates a dream from reality? I believe a dream can be considered just as real as experiences you have while awake. Everything we do or see is just an experience, a perception of the mind. Therefore it is difficult to determine what is real and what isnt.