I believe in God.
Now that that's out of the way...
This whole "making life simpler" thing has really been getting me to thinking about something...
I could see some people making the argument that life is simpler for animals. Flies. Puppies. Ants. Kitties. Insects. Whales.
That they all just act on impulse. Their natural, animal instinct. Billions of years of evolution being engrained into each animal to act the way it does to survive and to live. This I believe to be true. Animals don't "think" the same way we do. They don't "analyze" each situation the same way we do. They don't take into account all the different things we do when we act.
I've always believed that humans are interesting 'cause we can take the natural things (eating, breathing, sleeping, drinking, mating) and DECIDE to not do them. Decide to not eat when hungry. Decide to not breath. Not to sleep when tired. Not to drink when thirsty. Not to mate...when...wanting to mate...
We can just NOT do them. Animals don't do that. They feel a need, and go for it! Hungry? They try to eat. Sleepy? They will try to sleep. Want to mate? They will just go ahead and try to find a mate! Simple, right? What a simple life they have?
Things don't go well? They don't get sad about it...they don't talk it out with another puppy...they just keep trying and will eventually succeed. Or they die. But they don't fear death, at least not the same way we "worry" about death. They just do what is natural, what is instinct, and do it!
We think.
We analyze.
We over think.
We over analyze.
We hesitate.
So let's try to be more like those animals! Make life simple!
Doesn't work. Obviously. This works for the rest of the animal kingdom 'cause the rest of the animal kingdom works this way. A handful of humans trying to do this wouldn't work. But an entire human society acting like this, WOULD work (in theory).
But I would argue the way we over analyze...the way we think...the way our conscious works...IS our animal instinct. It's part of how humans are. But like I said earlier, as humans, we can also choose not to be that way. It's our choice.
Personally, I choose to be that way. 'Cause it's what is so great about us!
Okay, now that that is said...
A lot of people look at those insects and animals in an envious way. "Oh! To be a puppy...where you don't have to worry about bills!" or "Oh ants...look at you, just digging away, not a care in the world! Not looking for love...no heartbreak..."
But those animals aren't "aware" that we exist the same way we are aware that they do. They don't see us as humans, they see us as something else. I don't know what it is. But it's not like they can think "oh look! a human foot!" It's more like "ouch! Pain! Run away! Or be killed!"
So it makes me think of it one step beyond us...a higher being above us...which would be God. An existence we know exists (at least the ones who choose to believe) but can't fully comprehend or understand, but when looking for it, we can see it (at least I believe so).
So, in the same way we look at these "lower" beings (yes that sounds a bit arrogant...) and envy their simple mindedness...does God look at us and envy our simple mindedness compared to Him? We have things we can't comprehend. "Infinity" and "nothing" are up there for me at least. We can't see the future. We don't have all the knowledge in the world.
So I wonder is God like, "Oh, look at those humans! So much happier than I am...not understanding infinity! The pain that comes with knowing all things that will ever exist!" or like "How lucky they don't have to worry about blergubloping!" ...Sidenote: Blergubloping is a pain 10x worse than heartbreak and your best friend stabbing you in the back combined while the IRS audits you...it's from an emotion we don't even understand and could never called "Gublop." And "ing" doesn't make it an "action."
Is God envious of us? 'Cause we can't see the future? We don't know all? We don't understand infinity and nothing?
Just interesting to think about...
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Making Life Simple...
Okay so this has bothering me a lot lately...with so many friends posting things about "oh look, life is so simple, just do these simple things..." and how that doesn't work.
For example (I've seen too many friends post this and others like it):
1. Missing somebody?...Call...doesn't answer...leave message...don't hear back.
2. Wanna meet up? ...Invite...declined
3. Wanna be understood? ...Explain...either done poorly or people don't listen...continue to not be understood
4. Have questions? ...Ask...don't get answers
5. Don't like something? ...Say it...people don't agree/hurt someone's feelings/people take it personally...see #3
6. Like something?...State it. (I support this one)
7. Want something? ...Ask for it...still don't get it...
8. Love someone? ...Tell it...not returned...not mutual...hurt...
Simple, right?
Of course this is looking at each question at a worst case scenario/cynical way...so how to keep life simple when we just don't always get what we want?
That is just Step 1. That list of things to do is just Step 1. So it's not THAT simple to keep life simple. Actually this is a good recipe to be inconsiderate to other people/things if that's all it is. But this meme is about "simple" so it would defeat the purpose to add a Step 2 or a Step 3...
But I don't think life is simple, so I will go ahead and add them...
Step 2:
1. Don't expect an answer, be understanding when you don't.
2. Declined? Be understanding and supportive.
3. Not understood still? Don't expect people to, but be understanding of others (which in turn helps them with THEIR #3)
4. Don't expect answers, you won't always get them, be understanding and acceptance of not knowing
5. Understand people don't want to always hear you don't like something. This is very negative. Shouldn't deny it, but be gentle with it and understand that people wont agree....even after #3
6. I support this one. But understand people may not agree
7. Go after what you want. But don't expect it to always happen, understand that it may not. You may not get what you want.
8. Do it for the sake of letting someone know they are loved. Where it's not about the return. It's about showing love and understand that it's a big thing to say to someone "I love you."
...
So, you want life to be simple? Do this:
BE UNDERSTANDING
LISTEN
LAUGH
and above all
ACT WITH LOVE
(and do it for the sake of doing it, not for a return, not for a reward, but just for the sake of doing it)
Be understanding of people, that they are different and don't always agree.
Listen to them. Actually listen to what they are saying (this helps you understand).
Laugh. Be able to find humor and laughter in things...at yourself...and at situations...
And ACT with love. Don't just say it...you can say it too...but SHOW it. Show people you love. Have your actions come from a place of love. Love for yourself and love for them. Love for the world that we share.
But is it really even that simple? ...as of right now I say yes lol But I could be wrong...
Basically it can get even simpler and go to one word:
ACCEPTANCE
You want life to be as simple as it can be...live by that word. But I think that simplifies it too much. Too much to the extent that this wouldn't help progress the world if we all did this.
And as far as finding a successful life...I prefer my friend Steven's quote:
"Just find what you love to do...and just do it better than everyone else."
_____________________________________
Side note on the "acceptance" thing:
The stages to acceptance are (according to some people):
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
The key one here is depression and anger. If we go through these every time we "accept" something...and if the simplest way to make life simple is to act on acceptance...then being angry and being sad are a part of making life simple...which...to some people doesn't make life simple at all :P just interesting to think about...
For example (I've seen too many friends post this and others like it):
1. Missing somebody?...Call...doesn't answer...leave message...don't hear back.
2. Wanna meet up? ...Invite...declined
3. Wanna be understood? ...Explain...either done poorly or people don't listen...continue to not be understood
4. Have questions? ...Ask...don't get answers
5. Don't like something? ...Say it...people don't agree/hurt someone's feelings/people take it personally...see #3
6. Like something?...State it. (I support this one)
7. Want something? ...Ask for it...still don't get it...
8. Love someone? ...Tell it...not returned...not mutual...hurt...
Simple, right?
Of course this is looking at each question at a worst case scenario/cynical way...so how to keep life simple when we just don't always get what we want?
That is just Step 1. That list of things to do is just Step 1. So it's not THAT simple to keep life simple. Actually this is a good recipe to be inconsiderate to other people/things if that's all it is. But this meme is about "simple" so it would defeat the purpose to add a Step 2 or a Step 3...
But I don't think life is simple, so I will go ahead and add them...
Step 2:
1. Don't expect an answer, be understanding when you don't.
2. Declined? Be understanding and supportive.
3. Not understood still? Don't expect people to, but be understanding of others (which in turn helps them with THEIR #3)
4. Don't expect answers, you won't always get them, be understanding and acceptance of not knowing
5. Understand people don't want to always hear you don't like something. This is very negative. Shouldn't deny it, but be gentle with it and understand that people wont agree....even after #3
6. I support this one. But understand people may not agree
7. Go after what you want. But don't expect it to always happen, understand that it may not. You may not get what you want.
8. Do it for the sake of letting someone know they are loved. Where it's not about the return. It's about showing love and understand that it's a big thing to say to someone "I love you."
...
So, you want life to be simple? Do this:
BE UNDERSTANDING
LISTEN
LAUGH
and above all
ACT WITH LOVE
(and do it for the sake of doing it, not for a return, not for a reward, but just for the sake of doing it)
Be understanding of people, that they are different and don't always agree.
Listen to them. Actually listen to what they are saying (this helps you understand).
Laugh. Be able to find humor and laughter in things...at yourself...and at situations...
And ACT with love. Don't just say it...you can say it too...but SHOW it. Show people you love. Have your actions come from a place of love. Love for yourself and love for them. Love for the world that we share.
But is it really even that simple? ...as of right now I say yes lol But I could be wrong...
Basically it can get even simpler and go to one word:
ACCEPTANCE
You want life to be as simple as it can be...live by that word. But I think that simplifies it too much. Too much to the extent that this wouldn't help progress the world if we all did this.
And as far as finding a successful life...I prefer my friend Steven's quote:
"Just find what you love to do...and just do it better than everyone else."
_____________________________________
Side note on the "acceptance" thing:
The stages to acceptance are (according to some people):
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
The key one here is depression and anger. If we go through these every time we "accept" something...and if the simplest way to make life simple is to act on acceptance...then being angry and being sad are a part of making life simple...which...to some people doesn't make life simple at all :P just interesting to think about...
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Well! Have a new thing I want to experiment with!
This one involves music...
Music is an incredible thing. How there is so much that is said, experienced, and emoted in just a couple of seconds of music. A picture is worth 1000 words...a musical phrase is probably up around there as well...Music moves me more than anything else. It shapes us more than any could imagine. It's a language all understands 'cause it touches more than just the ears, but the heart and the soul.
I don't know anyone who just doesn't "like" music...
Basically...as I'm sure we all have experienced...we don't like EVERYTHING in every song we love. Back when I was a teen, I actually had to buy the entire "Backdraft" soundtrack to find that ONE track, with that 45 second section that is used in most movie trailers...this was before Napster...
Now there is Spotify, iTunes music store, Amazon.com etc...so we can finally just buy that one track we like and not have to worry about an entire album.
I want to take it one step further...
Like I said earlier, sometimes even in those songs, it's just a section we love...or there is a part we don't like or we "wish this wasn't in the song."
For the 5 of you who read this, who don't know me, I work in sound in film. I have the tools to remove basically whatever I want out of a song to make it what I want. So that's my plan!
I am going to take all my favorite songs and put them into Pro tools, and basically have JUST the parts I like! Edit them so it's just what I want. Just what I love. Just what moves me.
Things I'm curious about...will they have the same impact? Are the "low" parts of the music important to us to make the "high" moments even more meaningful? Or is there so much passion and emotion embedded in the high moments, we don't need the low? Can we just have straight awesome for hours and hours and hours and hours...with no break?
Also, I want to make a day...a day where I only listen to these tracks...and ONLY do awesome things. Things that make me happy...good things...joyful things...the "perfect" day...can there be a perfect day? More info on what I would consider a "perfect" day later...
Will this just be too much of a good thing?
Let's find out! :)
This one involves music...
Music is an incredible thing. How there is so much that is said, experienced, and emoted in just a couple of seconds of music. A picture is worth 1000 words...a musical phrase is probably up around there as well...Music moves me more than anything else. It shapes us more than any could imagine. It's a language all understands 'cause it touches more than just the ears, but the heart and the soul.
I don't know anyone who just doesn't "like" music...
Basically...as I'm sure we all have experienced...we don't like EVERYTHING in every song we love. Back when I was a teen, I actually had to buy the entire "Backdraft" soundtrack to find that ONE track, with that 45 second section that is used in most movie trailers...this was before Napster...
Now there is Spotify, iTunes music store, Amazon.com etc...so we can finally just buy that one track we like and not have to worry about an entire album.
I want to take it one step further...
Like I said earlier, sometimes even in those songs, it's just a section we love...or there is a part we don't like or we "wish this wasn't in the song."
For the 5 of you who read this, who don't know me, I work in sound in film. I have the tools to remove basically whatever I want out of a song to make it what I want. So that's my plan!
I am going to take all my favorite songs and put them into Pro tools, and basically have JUST the parts I like! Edit them so it's just what I want. Just what I love. Just what moves me.
Things I'm curious about...will they have the same impact? Are the "low" parts of the music important to us to make the "high" moments even more meaningful? Or is there so much passion and emotion embedded in the high moments, we don't need the low? Can we just have straight awesome for hours and hours and hours and hours...with no break?
Also, I want to make a day...a day where I only listen to these tracks...and ONLY do awesome things. Things that make me happy...good things...joyful things...the "perfect" day...can there be a perfect day? More info on what I would consider a "perfect" day later...
Will this just be too much of a good thing?
Let's find out! :)
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