The Philosophy of Sunsets

Sunsets everywhere are beautiful. Just the colours in all their natural beauty and the way they meld together like a symphony of colour in the sky. The natural world serving as a teacher of how colour should be used, how they should be mixed… and at the same time, making you feel so much with something as simple… as a sunset.

They are beautiful no matter where you see them and the billions of variations, what amazes me most is how they make you feel. After a long day, you can look at a sunset and see in all that immensity, the intense beauty which tells you “No matter what happened today, everything is going to be okay… I’m going to come back again tomorrow in similar fashion. Life goes on and Life is beautiful.”

You can see it in your imagination right now, can’t you? The Bright Orange which creates the pinks above melding with greys and blues, and the purplish blue beneath it like a bruise on the horizon. What I like most is at that moment when the sun disappears but the stratus clouds linger right overheard and capture all the pink against the last blue of the dying day and slowly the orange and pink disappear with the blues moving from light to intense dark blue to black. I love that.

My Rant on the Purpose of Life.

I don’t know why they can’t see it. You know, the fact that this life is so temporary. They make it their “everything” and it isn’t. They’re killing for it on TV, all over the place… for gold and wealth and land. None of it’s their’s to begin with, they don’t really own it, they don’t own anything because when they die they can’t even take their own bodies with them. Ownership is an illusion.

I’m wondering if these people have ever stopped to think “What’s the point of my life?” Because it can’t be to screw people out of their savings or cause wars so that my people can drive SUV’s. I just can’t see how they could have got their priorities so messed up. And to make matters worse, they sincerely believe that they will not be held accountable for their actions. I believe they will be. It can’t be any other way, I believe EVERYONE will be held to account for the good and the bad they do in this life… otherwise there just can’t be any point.

Just to live, because we got here by some fluke of nature and evolved from amoeba’s and there’s no real purpose to life except to live “as best we can” and then die and turn to dust and that’s that. What a crock of shit. Who decides what’s the best way to live then? I can do whatever I want… rape, kill, thieve…. Because there is no consequence if that’s the philosophy to live by. No wonder they find it okay to steal people’s livelihoods, destroy nations and sit there with straight faces or wipe it away with little laughs of “oh, my I’ve made a booboo, haven’t I … ha ha ha”.

There is a flaw in the basic philosophy which is making the society the way it is.

Your “Health and Safety” Craze… is because of your fear of death.
Your Financial Crisis is because you fear the loss of your wealth.
And be sure…both will come true, you will die and you will lose your wealth because that is the way life works and people are tried in different ways. Wake up. These things are there in order to wake us up and live our lives better. You’ve used them to create your own hell on earth, and the one to come is waiting for those who squander the trust of others.

Recognise.

What is Beauty?

It’s temporal and it’s not only image based. It depends more on the observing than the observed. It’s all perception.

If it depends on the eye of the beholder… then what is beauty dependent upon? Surely it would be the values and perceptions of the one observing the object of beauty… but then, what determines those values?

Media, cultural perceptions, little niggly perceptions we grew up with. But then… beauty can’t be that superficial, I mean… so-called “ugly” people, according to convention, fall in love all the time and surely that’s dependent on some type of beauty, right? Maybe it’s just not the image-based perception of beauty.

But let’s look at the facts… generally the beautiful have a few common characteristics… They’re fit, healthy, strong… mixed with the intellectual side of being intelligent, not very risk-averse and emotionally intelligent as well.

Note: All of the above don’t come easy… they take hard work. Hence, to be considered beautiful one would have to work at it. Expecting it to just fall into one’s lap is, well, improbable.

That’s what beauty will always be dependent upon – characteristics which are wholesome and need to be maintained. Except for the few culturally based values like that of some islands and countries where more ‘robust’ women are preferred or like in Cape Town where the loss of front teeth is seen as beautiful… you get the picture.

Quotidian Miracles

Do you realise how many things in everyday life hang by a thread? I’ve been reading a lot of things scientific around our physical existence and a common element strikes me, the spiritual connotations of which get my mind racing around like a freight train running on nitrous oxide.

Here’s a few thoughts…

1) The Three phases of Water… do you have any idea what factors need to be in play for it to be possible just to have water in the form of solid, liquid and gas?… and it just happens to be fundamental to our existence.

2) Tectonic plates… Water in three phases is not all. The movement of our tectonic plates, and with it volcanoes, earthquakes, etc. are essential to managing the Earth’s temperature… without which, human life on the planet would not exist.

3) Day and Night… Apart from the fact that we just happen to be the perfect distance from the earth to sustain life on the planet with the Sun’s energy as well as contribute to the maintenance of the Earth’s temperature… the mere fact that the system revolves around us having a period of rest and work, Light and Darkness makes the Earth work and rest just as we do.

Right… now forget all the Scientific stuff… the temperature, the rest and work, the fact that we just happen to have all these things in a perfect balance and I haven’t even mentioned all of them. They also have an effect on our social atmosphere, health, behaviour. Again, all of which affect our ability to adequately LIVE on this planet.

It seems to me a bit convenient for all these critical elements which keep us alive to be a coincidence. At just how many ‘coincidences’ will we draw the line before we acknowledge the design?

Review/Perspective: “Eat, Pray, Love”

Straight off, I was not totally impressed with the book. That is not to say I do not share an empathy with the subject matter. I see a lot of myself in the search Elizabeth goes through.

I am all for being open-minded, we will never know everything and there are many who know much more than we do. We do need to let go of all the petty things we cling to, what is really important? If you haven’t figured it out, what’s important to you right now? Nobody is ever fully right or fully wrong, there’s good and bad in everything and sometimes it’s only a matter of how you are looking at things.

I still can’t figure out why the book did not gel with me very well. I have read many self-help, zen, search/journey for the truth books and this one does not particularly stand out for me as one of the top ten. Maybe it’s only because of relevance, but I also feel there was something in the story which just does not click with me. I imagine it would with women, and especially women living in western societies, a whole lot. There may be oceans of relevance and mirrored reflections of thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Given all that, I love the journey itself. The intent behind it, the search for the truth, for something greater and the realisation that it starts with one’s self. Only one’s self, and it can not begin anywhere else. Outside holds no answers if the inside has not been reconciled. Elizabeth’s journey is just one of those journey’s and I can say it is one of many, by countless citizens of earth with varying resources who will suck up meaning from the greatness of mountains to the simplicity of children playing with marbles on a street corner.

The movie is coming out in the last third of this year , and it looks pretty good. I do think Julia Roberts is a great choice to play Elizabeth in the role and I suspect I will feel better about the movie than the book. Which would be the second time for me ( I always thought the Godfather movie trumped the book).

Above all, I love how the book left me with a feeling of confusion within myself, and that is ALWAYS a great place to start. Never doubt that. Go read the book for yourself, and when it comes out, watch the movie. There is a nugget of something great and personal in all of it.

The Idea of Disruption

You cannot outperform a marketplace if you adhere to it’s conventions. – Jean-Marie Dru, CEO TBWA\

Generally when you think disruption… you think destruction, a break that isn’t supposed to be there. I keep thinking of teacher reports saying that he/she’s ‘disruptive in class.’, etc.

So I’m at TBWA/LONDON.  For those who don’t know… they’re an advertising agency, and a pretty good one at that (They have the Apple account, so that says a lot already). Apple’s advertising is brilliant. Well these guys make it. Great, you get the picture.

 So how does Disruption tie into all this?

Disruption is TBWA’s raison d’être. A philosophy integrated into everything about them. So I learnt about this while I was there and I thought it was the best idea I’ve heard in ages.  It’s not a new idea, but I like the packaging, it makes it easier to understand and embrace… here we go…

The Model of Disruption

Disruption is the art of asking better questions, challenging conventional wisdom and overturning assumptions and prejudices that get in the way of imagining new possibilities and visionary ideas.

Disruption is a system for people who hate systems. Similar to the concept of open-source software development, Disruption has evolved and matured as communities around the network use, adapt and reinvent Disruption tools for specific market or client needs.

Thinking differently (There’s Apple again), outside-the-box (cliche), etc. Most of all I like that it’s a process… you have to understand what the prevailing conventions and status quo is before you can move BEYOND it, before you can CHALLENGE it, before you can CHANGE it.  Finding its borders and knocking down the walls. DISRUPTING the underlying patterns and CREATING something new.

So there we are…this is the idea I embraced as one which I will adhere to and act on in everything I do.

<To what end I will apply this process to is another question all together and another set of blog posts. We’ll get to that later.>

Tags: Disruption, TBWA, London, Great Idea, Change, Philosophy

Chasing Your Tail: A Parable on Happiness

There is this very interesting parable I heard recently about ‘Happiness’ and how to attain it.  I had to share it here is because it made so much sense in a very cool way.  So to all those seeking happiness… here goes…

An old cat in an alley comes across a little kitten chasing it’s tail and asks "What the hell are you doing?" The little kitten replies "Well… I’ve been studying Cat Philosophy and I’ve discovered that there are only two things that are important for a cat… one is that Happiness is the most important thing for a cat and two, Happiness is located in a cat’s tail. So what I figured out is that if I keep on chasing my tail when I finally get it I will have a LOT of Happiness.’

The old cat replied "Well I haven’t had the chance to go to Cat Philosophy School, I’ve just wandered around the alley’s most of my life and I’ve come to the same conclusion as you… Happiness is the most important thing for a cat and that happiness is indeed located in my tail. The only difference between you and I is that I’ve discovered that if you go about your business and do the things that are important to you, the things which need to be done… It will follow after you… wherever you go…"

:)

Ramadan in the UK

made the above picture wayyy past my bedtime after Taraweeh prayer

Ramadan in the UK is a bit… different.

After years of idiosyncratic Ramadaan and Eid behaviour being drummed into me with the ritual eventually melding into the deeper meaning of how what we do affects who we are and how it will make who we are even better. South Africa was great with the community around me, it gives one an awesome sense of belonging.

In the UK, specifically here in Epsom, there’s a community as well, albeit a younger, less developed one. So, in essence, it can be a little lonely. Not so many friends… some family is here, but with London’s Transport Network – specifically the Road Network – Traffic is 10 X worse than Johannesburg, just to give you an idea, it’s a bit hard. The Public Transport ROCKS! I mean really… trains, busses and the tube are brilliant… but there are costs involved (temporal and monetary), and it does take its toll… makes you think twice before thinking of going anywhere.

It is a very different experience. It takes Ramadaan and puts a magnifying glass on the experience and focuses it. Ramadaan generally makes you forget the outer world and focus on the inner world inside yourself. Being without the general comfort of the family and friends you’ve come to love and trust at a time like Ramadaan takes the whole inner world thing to another level. You start feeling and thinking things about yourself that wouldn’t happen in any other circumstance.

I believe nothing happens without a reason, and so I must be here for a reason. In this situation, in this place. Yet another journey of self-discovery, and from this experience I’m also beginning to realise the truth in the saying that the Final Frontier won’t be space (What’s out there) but it’s going to be Mind & Soul (What’s in here).

Maybe my answer isn’t out there, it’s in me… and now I’m wondering if I’m asking the right questions.

Technorati Tags: Ramadan, Ramadaan, UK, London, Islam, South Africa, Family, Friends

How to Live a Better Life.

Right.. now the list below is not something to look at say it’s really ‘cute’ and ‘true’ and forward it onto 30 other people. This is for you if you’re reading this. Do what you want to with it, but most importantly… JUST DO IT!

1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Sleep for 7 hours.

4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

5. Play more games.

6. Read more books than you did the previous year.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink plenty of water.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.

14. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

15. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

16. Realise that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

18. Smile and laugh more.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.

20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don’t compare your partner with others.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Forgive everyone for everything.

26. What other people think of you is none of your business.

27. GOD heals everything.

28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

29. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

30. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

32. The best is yet to come.

33. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

34. Do the right thing!

35. Call your family often.

36. Your inner most is always happy. So be happy.

37. Each day give something good to others.

38. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.

39. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

40. Don’t be more calculative in your life for all things.

Nothing Good Happens After Nightfall

I think vampires are a metaphor for our dark side. The darker side of humanity… and if you take into account their habits it all begins to make a little sense. Their thirst for blood mirrors our bad habit of always going after one another’s “blood”. Backbiting, Backstabbing, Violence, Abuse… everytime we put ourselves over others and go a little further with bad intent.. there we have it. We may as well have fangs.

Another aspect is that they only come out at night. I don’t think this is a coincidence. As far as I can see nothing good ever happens after the sun goes down. People end up drunk, spaced out, and most of the time up to no good. There must be a statistic which can prove this point because I have no doubt about it. Again, it makes sense. The dark provides anonymity… people can’t see us, so we let out who we truly are (just like the vampire). If bad intent drives us, that’s exactly what will come out. The anonymity of the dark makes us think that we can’t be held responsible for our actions (because no one knows its us) and we can hide very easily in the dark. Murders, Robberies and all other kinds of shit happens at night.

So there we have it. Vampires are our dark side.

Technorati Tags: Vampire, Philosophy, Life, Darkness

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