tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23192042620672168402024-03-12T18:58:06.093-07:00The Flying Cow and the White RavenAnoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-74286475273354292342020-09-10T02:54:00.035-07:002021-12-06T11:42:50.282-08:00A Child With Rose-Colored Glasses<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxspbpQ68W8NkzNEc5kltT-3dUnFGT-c5_e6NY0_za1CwEThnCg41uu9DeAeREfQBVvrfiMJBoVjmxMcWO2JswDqZjJXnHCQUvVKWwDdQYJmdUN4a58_ZgwsB_9ivF3DeIODtkMEUZ_L3r/s501/e04f8481f7d4cf07968c6a2c114d2226+%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="501" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxspbpQ68W8NkzNEc5kltT-3dUnFGT-c5_e6NY0_za1CwEThnCg41uu9DeAeREfQBVvrfiMJBoVjmxMcWO2JswDqZjJXnHCQUvVKWwDdQYJmdUN4a58_ZgwsB_9ivF3DeIODtkMEUZ_L3r/s320/e04f8481f7d4cf07968c6a2c114d2226+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">According to the dictionary, rose-colored
glasses are: <i>a happy or positive attitude
that fails to notice negative things, leading to a view of life that is not
realistic.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">Hmm… what is “<i>realistic</i>”, anyway? But about this </span><span><span style="font-family: times;">–</span><span style="font-family: times;"> in a minute.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />In my youth, people repeatedly told me that
looking at life through rose-tinted glasses, like I did, is irresponsible,
childish and will lead to disappointment, mistakes, blunders, blah-blah-blah,
etc., etc. According to them life was a battlefield, dog-eat-dog world; so I
had to forget all “that nonsense”, you know, “grow up and take life more
seriously” (although, why the assumption that I was not serious? I can be
serious and chipper at the same time), learn to calculate, manipulate, force
the matters, control events, grab life by its horns... What horns?! (sigh) What
is worse – at some point I believed them. Yup. I betrayed myself, took off my
rose-colored glasses and started getting ready for the battle. (Fanfares!)<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Ah! It was exhausting, simply exhausting.
And, of course, none of it worked. It was a good lesson, however, and maybe if
I did not take off my pink-tinted glasses and did not try to grab life by its
horns (which is where?!!) – I would have never appreciated them fully. But then
again – who knows.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />After many beatings I took from life,
after I became weary of not being myself, I realized that not wearing the
pink-tinted glasses and seeing the world “</span><i style="font-family: times;">realistically</i><span style="font-family: times;">”
does not make one any happier, even if they do reach “success”, fame, riches... – they still make the same mistakes, they still
stumble, they still fall, get up, fall, get up… The only difference is that it
is a lot more fun with the glasses on, when the world is more beautiful, colorful
and friendly.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />OK, so what is reality? What does it mean –
</span><i style="font-family: times;">leading to a view of life that is not
realistic</i><span style="font-family: times;">? According to one of the definitions in the dictionary, </span><span style="font-family: times;">reality</span><span style="font-family: times;">
is: </span><i style="font-family: times;">the state of things as they are,
rather than as they are imagined to be. </i><span style="font-family: times;">Ambiguous much? <br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Fine, let’s do this, let's play their game: picture a rainy day…<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Scenario 1: A man, who is in love, is
walking under the rain, he is happy, the rain is his friend, the man literally
dances in the rain.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;">Scenario 2: A homeless person’s cardboard roof
collapses because of the same rain, he feels forlorn, he curses his fate.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Which of these two scenarios is the
reality and which is imagined?<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />No, I’m sorry, but don't even try convincing me that reality is objective. It is absolutely subjective. Having </span><i style="font-family: times;">a happy or positive attitude that fails to
notice negative things</i><span style="font-family: times;"> is crucial to me. Seeing the world through pink-colored
glasses may not change the events and the bad things are still there (although,
this is a </span><i style="font-family: times;">very</i><span style="font-family: times;">! arguable point), but
why would I pay attention to anything negative, when there is so much positive
around?<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />It is an “Every cloud has a silver lining”
kind of deal, or “One door closes, another opens” or “Nothing is bad without
being good for something” or </span><span><span style="font-family: times;">“Չկա չարիք առանց բարիք</span><span style="font-family: times;">“ or </span><span style="font-family: times;">“</span><span lang="RU" style="font-family: times;">Нет</span><span lang="RU" style="font-family: times;">
</span><span lang="RU" style="font-family: times;">худа</span><span lang="RU" style="font-family: times;"> </span><span lang="RU" style="font-family: times;">без</span><span lang="RU" style="font-family: times;"> </span><span lang="RU" style="font-family: times;">добра</span><span style="font-family: times;">”.
Take your pick.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Anyway… There came a day when I put my
rose-tinted glasses back on, and the world around me started breathing
again. What a relief! I was always mature, but I plan not to “grow up” again, after all being
child</span><i style="font-family: times;">like</i><span style="font-family: times;"> is totally different from being
child</span><i style="font-family: times;">ish</i><span style="font-family: times;">.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />The thing is when kids play – they do so very seriously. They don’t think playing
is unimportant or meaningless. No, no, no. They consider having fun utterly
serious business indeed. My niece once said to me “I would like to read more,
but I am so busy playing, I just don’t have the time.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I hear ‘serious’
people saying, “it’s all very good, but life is not a game.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Says who? Where do you get this
information? Is there a textbook about life you aren’t telling us about and are
reading alone, under your bed covers? (eye roll)<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Hindus call life Lila – play. Jesus said “[…]
unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven”.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />So, I say </span><span style="font-family: times;">– </span><span style="font-family: times;">let’s put on our rose-colored
glasses and have some serious fun.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></p></div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0Yerevan, Armenia40.1872023 44.515209-12.309961185705625 -96.109791 90 -174.85979099999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-71853447049886140162020-08-25T03:37:00.041-07:002022-06-07T02:50:58.611-07:00Time, not no time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_Bv0f0FjrLI_yG5C_tbohNs1_v_PPRyy1eUUb3Nw-5udGVNDvndc-k-cTamBognj0K0RyOUWoHKvNlTmruQfTgBC93hzdE7M24G8KciorvpENDI7ZLHivte4WeFb_fAz0CuuRppYgZsy/s1600/Clock.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_Bv0f0FjrLI_yG5C_tbohNs1_v_PPRyy1eUUb3Nw-5udGVNDvndc-k-cTamBognj0K0RyOUWoHKvNlTmruQfTgBC93hzdE7M24G8KciorvpENDI7ZLHivte4WeFb_fAz0CuuRppYgZsy/w317-h320/Clock.png" width="317" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">So…
time. Yeah. Okay. So… <br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Time…<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Definition
and concept of time is baffling, perplexing, enigmatic, and scientists and
philosophers have spent a lot of time (pun intended) trying to explain it. It’s
been defined as measure, period, chronology, one-directional flow of events,
dimension, scalar quantity, emergent property, space-time,
time-space, entropy, clock...<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />But
I do not want to touch on those ideas, because a) I am not very competent in
the confusing scientific approach, and b) I have not made up my mind about
whether or not I even believe time exists, except as a formality we adopted to
make life more convenient. (Cycles </span><span><span style="font-family: times;">–</span><span style="font-family: times;"> yes, time </span><span style="font-family: times;">– not so sure.)</span><span style="font-family: times;"> In a documentary I saw a long time ago, someone said
“When people say it’s Thursday, I have no idea what they mean”. Hahaha… And
indeed, no tree needs a calendar to know when to bloom, no teenager needs to
know his age to get his world turned upside down, no bird needs a clock to know
when to wake up.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />I
would like to invoke your imagination. Picture space-time and us in that
space-time, now mark year 2020 A.D. with a red dot and year 3586 B.C. with a
yellow dot. Envision how far apart they are. Now move back and look at those
dots again, they would be much closer to each other. Now move back farther, farther, farther… At some
point the space between them vanishes and we are left with one orange dot. So!
From the point of view of eternity and infinity – time is the same at all
times, just like space is the same everywhere. <br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Another
thing that interests me is the relativity of time. Again, not the scientific
relativity – clocks running slower or faster, but the relativity we feel
individually, through experiences. Time is not like a ruler, where a meter is
always one hundred centimeters, its length changes according to our moods and the state of
being: it can be long, short, heavy and light, it can become viscous or diluted. When
we are working, when we do something we enjoy – time runs fast. This happens to me when I am writing – it's as if I enter another dimension, </span><span style="font-family: times;">– at one point I look at the clock
and… What?! Is that the time? Or when we are waiting, when we are anxious –
time stretches like taffee and half an hour seems like a lifetime.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />There
was a time when I was surrounded by people who waited for Fridays, which according to them
was the best day of the week. To me it’s like saying “w” is my favorite letter,
or “La” is my favorite musical note, or green is my favorite color. It all
depends on when, where, how, how much, for what and with whom. <br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />So,
yeah, waiting for Fridays… People waited for Fridays to enjoy their lives, they
counted down to Fridays, they killed their Wednesdays, in the hopes that
Friday would come a little sooner, thus completely dismissing the rest of the
weekdays, thus utterly </span><i style="font-family: times;">losing </i><span style="font-family: times;">the rest of the weekdays. Putting so
much pressure on one little day and on yourself (because you have to make the
best of it, you waited an entire week for it!) makes your Friday fly so fast,
that pretty soon you realize it’s already Sunday and tomorrow you have to start
counting down again.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />This
disrespect towards time seemed awful to me, so, I made a conscious decision not
to fall into that trap and enjoy each and every day. And something
miraculous happened, my time stretched. The years became longer, months fuller,
days more productive. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this decision made
me “here and now”. Because what does it mean to be here and now? It means that
we notice each second that passes by; we notice it, we remember it, we are glad
to see it, we are not waiting for it to pass, we don’t think about any place
else, any time else, we are enjoying what we are doing and what we are surrounded by.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />I think we should stop insulting time with phrases</span><span style="font-family: times;"> such as "time flies", "a race against time", "killing time", "passing time", "losing time", "wasting time", "out of time", "no time to lose", "on borrowed time", "time hangs heavy", "pressed for time", "run out of time" and my least favorite "life is short". <br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />“It
is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life
is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us […] Life is long if you know how to use it.” ~
Lucius Annaeus Seneca<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Here is where, I think, our misconception about time in general comes from: our
clocks and calendars are based on the planetary movements </span><span style="font-family: times;">–</span><span style="font-family: times;"> Earth rotates on its
axis in 86,400 seconds, it moves around the Sun in 365 days and 6 hours, but
that’s Earth’s movement, not mine. I happen to be on Earth, sure, but I am not
Earth. It affects me, yes, but so does the butterfly flapping its wing.
Counting my time using Earth’s movement seems irrational to me.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />To me time is the collection of
images I gather as I walk through life: a conversation I had, a thought I thought, </span><span style="font-family: times;">a book I read, a mountain I gazed at… I washed my
hands, I played a piano, I cooked a meal, I walked, I saw a house</span><span style="font-family: times;">, a mouse, a
moose... And if I pay attention to every detail around me and am constantly
conscious of where I am and what I am doing – then the amount of images in my head multiplies, making time longer and smoother. <br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />So... time... Yeah...<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />I'll leave you with an excerpt from </span><span style="font-family: times;">Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by C.S. Lewis.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br />“If
you knew Time as well as I do,” said the Hatter, “you wouldn’t talk about
wasting IT. It’s HIM.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I
don’t know what you mean,” said Alice.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Of
course you don’t!” the Hatter said, tossing his head contemptuously. “I dare
say you never even spoke to Time!”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Perhaps
not,” Alice cautiously replied: “but I know I have to beat time when I learn
music.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Ah!
that accounts for it,” said the Hatter. “He won’t stand beating. Now, if you
only kept on good terms with him, he’d do almost anything you liked with the
clock. […]”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-20512141482883278312020-08-05T11:08:00.012-07:002020-08-25T04:19:22.065-07:00Притча о Человеке, Который Просто Стоял<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3O6DcVHrJIH8LDlELgiosuHDN2O1V6gG1MHWYXAsMRjhuPTrFC8iYFJz2eVWKrAvbZkgS5ocO_boITCkNxnz6yWd8y9Bb2XUx6CHldi-EYd9CeRSm_D97ogHmm0TpHhzsJ3_8y1rNcAU/s752/mountains-man-standing-peak.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="752" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3O6DcVHrJIH8LDlELgiosuHDN2O1V6gG1MHWYXAsMRjhuPTrFC8iYFJz2eVWKrAvbZkgS5ocO_boITCkNxnz6yWd8y9Bb2XUx6CHldi-EYd9CeRSm_D97ogHmm0TpHhzsJ3_8y1rNcAU/w500-h281/mountains-man-standing-peak.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span face="" style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Однажды по пути из одного города в другой, трое друзей, сделав
привал на обочине дороги, завидели человека, стоявшего на холме. За всё время
их привала, этот человек не сдвинулся с места, что заинтересовало друзей.</span></div><span><div style="text-align: left;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: times;">- Наверное он пасёт овец, вот и стоит на холме, за отарой
присматривает, - говорит один из друзей.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span face="" lang="RU" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">- Нет, - отвечает другой, - рядом же ни души. Он наверное ждёт
кого-то.</span><span face="" lang="RU" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span face="" lang="RU" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">- Да, нет, - отвечает третий, - если бы он ждал кого-то, то был бы
неспокоен и смотрел бы вдаль. Он просто восхищается природой, смотрите какой
выдался день.</span><span face="" lang="RU" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span face="" lang="RU" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Поспорив ещё немного, друзья решили пойти и спросить самого
человека, что же он там делает. Подходят они к нему и говорят, что мол - так и
так, увидели мы тебя издали и поспорили о том, что ты тут делаешь; один сказал,
что ты ждёшь кого-то, другой - что ты пасёшь овец, третий - что ты восхищаешься
природой. Так кто же из нас прав?</span><span face="" lang="RU" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="RU" style="color: black; font-family: times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">- Никто, - ответил человек. - Я просто стою.</span></p><p></p></div></span></span>Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-38581048856033964722018-11-03T02:23:00.000-07:002018-11-07T00:22:07.085-08:00Armenian Velvet Evolution! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTLaVT0cNyowP1ggzX4INpJ-nxPm_PTgknSnNq0jj1idNDMC8fZOEI4d7P45UUsJV7IQl7tPwfBvybUifNnQEX_3tuPATCtUSHUyGDxMvk2vi48FGbf0Qmgz6UNg5vE7Cv_7VmlOAcjJC/s1600/31913601_10155016733396362_8760277354351165440_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTLaVT0cNyowP1ggzX4INpJ-nxPm_PTgknSnNq0jj1idNDMC8fZOEI4d7P45UUsJV7IQl7tPwfBvybUifNnQEX_3tuPATCtUSHUyGDxMvk2vi48FGbf0Qmgz6UNg5vE7Cv_7VmlOAcjJC/s320/31913601_10155016733396362_8760277354351165440_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "sylfaen" , serif;">Written for an interview for "</span></i></b><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "sylfaen" , serif;"><b><i>Azad Magazine" on </i></b></span></span><b><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "sylfaen" , serif;">May 4, 2018</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">My ancestry is
from Kars and Sebastia, which at the time were part of Armenia. Because of the
Armenian genocide, my families had to flee: my father’s side of family came to
Yerevan; my mother’s side of family first fled to Russia, then Georgia, then
finally in the 60’s – to Yerevan. I have lived in Moscow for 5 years and in Los
Angeles for 17. And every time we (both my family and I) came back to
Armenia – we absolutely loved that decision. Armenia has a Call. “</span><span lang="HY" style="background: white;">Հայաստանը Կանչ ունի</span><span style="background: white;">”: And if you have at least one drop of Armenian blood in
your veins – you will hear that Call, and you can do nothing but oblige it. I
do not know of any other country, where the population is almost 100% natives,
and I don’t know of any other nation, where people who have lived abroad for
centuries, or didn’t even know they were Armenians for a long time - call Armenia
“Homeland”. That was one of the many reasons why the Velvet Revolution worked.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1. Through your
look, your testimony, what explanation for this crisis?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -0.25in;">The crisis was a long
time coming. As with everything, it wasn’t just one big issue, but a
compilation of many smaller disappointments (there is a Russian phrase “devil
is in the details”). The most prominent being: the rise to power and money of
people with no moral, human or spiritual values, of those who betrayed the
human in them; blatant lies by the government and their cronies; nepotism; their
impudent abuse of our country and human resources; injustice followed by impunity
for those select few; the hatred towards their own people. The chilling thing
was that these non-humans were in fashion for a long time; it was </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">en vogue</i><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -0.25in;"> to not care, to be aggressive,
to use, abuse and disregard; and recently, seeing how difficult it was to live
if you were out of this “fashion” – even spiritually advanced people started
questioning their own values, thinking that God abandoned them, and they should
start behaving like criminals. Armenia and its Diaspora are very small, we all
know each other, we know in which casino our budget money was spent and how
much, we know who killed who, who said and did what and with whom… It incensed people
to know that they were governed by fiends, who do not even care enough to hide
their atrocities. I have been noticing a trend for the past 2 years: people are
tired of being lied to and, more importantly, <i>people are tired of telling lies</i>. They
were shown the “fashion of being a beast”, they tried it on and finally came to
a conclusion that they don’t like it. They want to be Human. Simple as that. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2. Is this a
political and/or social crisis?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">I believe, at the
core, regular folk only care about social stability and a beautiful, peaceful
country, where they can raise generations of content people, who would dance,
sing, learn, create, eat, enjoy each other’s company, tell jokes and have deep,
profound conversations. But since that was impossible, what with Armenia being ripped
apart by gluttons most of whom occupied government seats, the crisis became
political. Armenians like justice. We have been denied justice for centuries. But
when the justice is denied from within – that is unacceptable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">3. What is your
point of view on Nikol Pachinyan, Leader of the Opposition?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">Mr. Pashinyan is a
today’s man: it is an important thing to walk in step with time. From his
speeches and strategies I recognize him as a very talented, smart, well-read, educated,
caring, gentle and reflective leader. And he is a leader, no doubt about it! He
showed our people that we were right to stay faithful to ourselves, to care
like we care, to think like we think, to want what we want. He is, simply put,
a good person. There is talk as to Mr. Pashinyan’s qualifications as a prime
minister; these accusations seem feeble, petty and comical to me. What do they
expect? Perfection? Can they show me one perfect individual? No, they cannot.
As I see it, Mr. Pashinyan has been publically fighting for justice since the
80’s and cares about making this country just and fair. As for the doubts, I
will say it with Maya Angelou’s words: “I did then what I knew best, when I
knew better, I did better.” Mr. Pashinyan, like we Armenians say, is my kind of
person. During the entire Revolution, there was not a single thing on which I
disagreed with him or a moment I doubted his motives. He does what he says, he
says what he thinks and he, definitely, thinks what he says.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">4. Seen from here (France),
there is still a concern about Russia's reaction. Do you think Moscow will
react? If yes, how?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; text-indent: -0.25in;">It is very
important to listen to our senses and not rely too much on the opinions of
political players or those journalists, who get paid to scare and confuse the
public. In my opinion - Russia has already reacted as much as it would. The age
of the money-men has ended; this is the era of spiritual (</span><span lang="HY" style="background: white; text-indent: -0.25in;">հոգևոր</span><span style="background: white; text-indent: -0.25in;">)</span><span style="background: white; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="background: white; text-indent: -0.25in;">beings. And Russia,
being spiritual (contrary to what other countries may be lead to believe), is also
growing; it is already learning from Armenia’s example, and I do not mean the
revolution, but the moral lessons. Not one normal human being can watch our
Love and Peace Revolution and not be affected by its light. So, I say it again
– Russia has already reacted as much as it would.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">5. How do you see
the end of the crisis? What new day for Armenian youth?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">Good! I see the
end and the beginning - good! There is a lot of work to do: clean out the trash
left by the previous “tenants”, decide, make, create, change, protect… Mr.
Pashinyan is on the right path – he knows that changes must come gradually; he
doesn’t rush things that will take time and doesn’t postpone what needs to be
done immediately. And he has the young minds to help him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The amusing thing in all of this was that few people knew
that we had such smart, advanced, fearless, loving and kind youth. That is why in the beginning, the ruling “elite” was
at their ease, they did not anticipate the demonstrations would go in such new,
unexpected, inventive, funny and merry key, or that these “children” would not
be afraid of them, like the older generations used to be. These bandits do not
know the language of love, tolerance, compassion – they heard about it
somewhere once, but thought it was a joke; they don’t believe in its existence
- they only know the language of thugs. And that is what they were anticipating:
offensive language, negotiations, accusations, blame, rage, fights, threats…
They thought, “we will scare them (their “own” people - doesn’t that sound preposterous?)
with police, with fictitious threats from the border, we will take away their
leader and all will return to the distorted, twisted world we enjoyed...” But the youth
were like “Why are you sawing off the branch on which you are sitting? Oh,
well, do what you do, that’s your choice. But you will not take us with you.
Nope. We don’t even want to listen to what you have to say – just leave and be
forgotten”. And when the parents saw that their children are on the streets demanding
a change for their future – they rose up and followed their kids, feeling proud
of the citizens they raised. And when the grandparents saw their families and
friends on the streets of Armenia, which they thought was lost, – <i>they</i> awoke and recognized the chance
cannot be missed, and they, in turn, followed their families to advise and
protect them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">So, how come all went peacefully? Many-many reasons, but I
will list a few. One: because we are one nation, one language, one religion,
and every Armenian across the world joined this Velvet </span><i>Evolution</i><span style="background-color: white;">, as I call it. Two: this is the 21</span><sup>st</sup><span style="background-color: white;"> century,
the era of a conscious human being (no matter an activist or a policeman). Plus
many participants of the movement were born or raised in the 21st century – they
have different mindset, values, beliefs, ethics, and unlimited access to the
internet, which recorded every single action on both sides, and made the event
as public as possible. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When you speak from your soul – you have nothing to hide,
even if you are wrong; and on the contrary – you have everything to hide if you
sold your soul to the “devil”. It is very interesting to me that even when one
has betrayed every human aspect in them – they still KNOW they are wrong
(although, they hide it even from themselves); indeed, that tiny and vast spark
of God inside us knows right from wrong.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Three: most of the police (I’m not talking about the
criminals in their midst, whom you can recognize by the unhealthy shine in their eyes)
were with the protesters at heart, plus, they knew - this is Armenia, it’s
small, the crowd is comprised of their neighbors, friends, coworkers, their wife’s
cousin’s father-in-law’s sister-in-law. So, if you want to live a decent life, have
a good family (one of the most important things for an Armenian) and be able to
look people in the eyes – you must be wholly conscious of your actions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is a true spiritual awakening for Armenia, and already
for the entire world.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I am grateful. </span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-40872780538686327092018-09-11T01:25:00.002-07:002020-08-25T04:20:41.558-07:00Притча про двух монахов<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcbyofLVro7dQqHovVuA2xn731BZWuBq4PScrEtcqOajepC1uCYX-025Qvmg_fT9Hz7Oj_UUn0zBZ5Jvqu5wcBpDYgL8YmJaVdV9Jwc3JPOKNgUtS_hUZmv3bWdd6bu2JuNTw5kEhepEe/s1600/elizabethgadd1.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="721" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcbyofLVro7dQqHovVuA2xn731BZWuBq4PScrEtcqOajepC1uCYX-025Qvmg_fT9Hz7Oj_UUn0zBZ5Jvqu5wcBpDYgL8YmJaVdV9Jwc3JPOKNgUtS_hUZmv3bWdd6bu2JuNTw5kEhepEe/w500-h331/elizabethgadd1.png" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Однажды старый и молодой монах возвращались в свою обитель.
Путь их пересекала река, которая из-за дождей сильно разлилась. На берегу
стояла молодая женщина, которой также нужно было перебраться на противоположный
берег, но она не могла обойтись без посторонней помощи.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face="" style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Обет строго-настрого запрещал монахам прикасаться к
женщинам, и молодой монах демонстративно отвернулся от нее. Старый же монах
подошел к женщине, взял ее на руки и перенес через реку.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face="" style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Весь оставшийся путь монахи хранили молчание, но у самой
обители молодой монах не выдержал и сказал: "Как ты мог прикоснуться к
женщине!? Ты же давал обет!"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: times;"><span face="" style="font-size: large;">На что старый монах спокойно ответил: " Да, это так. Но</span><span face="" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #343e47; text-align: start;"> обрати к себе свой взор. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #343e47; text-align: start;">Я её давно у ручья оставил, ты же несешь с собою до сих пор!»</span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-49176586111879863062018-08-25T03:40:00.013-07:002023-03-03T01:19:37.331-08:00Cheer up, this is a new age<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBgeOvNarFMhCsI3tMqE81ITtKZQy4dGzmTumTAgkUKdY28YiGxD7OChWYfZQk21UgEDKbqWaR5D7KLQhG4IJe4CkcCYf_Tk23fRjKJBdOFFN4exylPE1e8xPFkB3pegaSrrfdcxPwLji/s1600/desktop+image++%252830%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1000" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBgeOvNarFMhCsI3tMqE81ITtKZQy4dGzmTumTAgkUKdY28YiGxD7OChWYfZQk21UgEDKbqWaR5D7KLQhG4IJe4CkcCYf_Tk23fRjKJBdOFFN4exylPE1e8xPFkB3pegaSrrfdcxPwLji/w311-h239/desktop+image++%252830%2529.jpg" width="311" /></a><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div>Since the start of the new cosmic era, which began in 2012 (look up </span><span lang="RU"><a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/541/earths-orbital-precession"><span lang="">Earth’s precession</span></a></span><span>; if you’re
interested), everyone, be it a scientist, a janitor, an electrician, an artist,
a housewife… are trying to find alternative ways of feeling better, that is to
say - being better. I say alternative, because for millennia the accepted,
expected and coveted ways for being respected, “successful” and envied were
money, power, possession, dominance. And if you didn’t have “power”, money
or connections, then you struggled, lived in poverty or worse – subjugation. But
that "successful way" only worked for some and only for a short
period of time, after which, usually, came hell: legal problems, loss of power,
nasty illnesses, hatred, “untimely” death and deaths of the family, murder,
oblivion... Fortunately, that fashion has ended; the new fashion is for a human
being, who has all the qualities to warrant the name “Human Being”.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: justify;">14 years ago I was taking short-form
Improv classes, and one day, during the game of Pantomime, our teacher, Chris,
said that if you draw the same circle over and over and your partner cannot
guess what it is – you need to stop and come up with a different way of
explaining. There is also the famous quote “Insanity: doing the same thing over
and over again and expecting different results.” My point is: people tried
the "conventional" way, it didn't work and so, they started changing.
Changing their way of thinking and behaving, their values are of a different
value now (no pun intended). People are tired of being bad. Simple as that. And
they are looking for alternative ways to be, which leads them to look </span><i style="text-align: justify;">in</i><span style="text-align: justify;">,
which in turn leads to growth, compassion, and so on. Each person according to
their capability. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Throughout the known history, there were
countless writers, scientists, messiahs, missionaries, leaders, artists, who
saw the right Path and tried convincing others to come with them <i>up</i> that
Path. But they all failed. And not because their ideology was flawed or
imperfect, but due to disadvantageous position of Earth’s axis. I know, I know…
many will raise their eyebrows and smirk at this statement and say that this is
childish nonsense. But let’s think about this: our Moon’s gravity moves oceans;
humans are 80% water. What does it mean? That Moon affects us. Besides being
logical, this is also a proven scientific fact. So, if a small, tiny moon can
affect us, our mood, our behavior, what can be done by a mass of gigantic,
enormous stars, black holes and nebulas, which we now begin facing due to
Earth's precession changes? Imagine the waves now entering Earth's axis-antenna.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span>For ages, this ubiquitous change was
anticipated and described in detail as part of perpetual series of cycles – or
rather continuous journey up a spiral: Vedas, the Bible, the Mayan calendar,
just to name the most famous sources. Armenian epos "Daredevils of Sassoun".</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span>
Again, I can hear the skeptics say: “Myths, old wives’ tales”. And I say:
“Double standards much? You’d believe something written in a science magazine,
which of course you can’t check or prove (it reminds me of the quote from The
Lego Movie “You don't know me, but I'm on TV, so you can trust me”), but you
won’t believe something written as a fairy tale only because it speaks in
symbols? You'd dismiss the old texts as "metaphors", simply because
they don't seem plausible to <i>you</i>? You’d believe one thing those </span><span lang="RU"><a href="https://aleteia.org/2014/06/26/25-famous-scientists-on-god/"><span lang="">scientists</span></a></span><span> say, but not
the </span><span lang="RU"><a href="https://www.pravmir.ru/velikie-fiziki-o-vere-i-boge/"><span lang="">other</span></a></span><span>?” </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span>I like the quote by Werner Heisenberg, a German scientist: "The first gulp
from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the
bottom of the glass - God is waiting for you." But I am not here to
convince anyone. The evidence of a change is apparent, who wants to see it –
will.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span>The change is even more apparent to me,
because <i>I</i> changed. Years ago, in one of my blogs I wrote
“honest, fair and good people are a disappearing breed”. I am happy to say – I
was wrong! The good people, the individuals that are now in fashion are
multiplying with an astounding speed, as if the process itself has become a
race. The best proof to me was an event we witnessed in April-May of this year
– </span><span lang="RU"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Armenian_Velvet_Revolution"><span lang="">the Armenian Velvet Revolution</span></a></span><span>, which not only
changed the regime, but the mentality, the ideas, the beliefs. The entire
nation, not only in Armenia but across the globe, has become more considerate,
polite; we smile even more than before, because now we know – humans can change
the world.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">So how come not all can see the change?
We, as a society, have a habit of looking the wrong way. If to our right is a
beautiful flower and to our left is a pile of doo-doo, we have a habit of
looking at the doo-doo. We discuss it, condemn it, write lengthy statuses about
it, revel in the hate of it. We think a beautiful flower is a given. Maybe it
is, maybe it isn’t, but to disregard it for a pile of smelly excrement is….
unwise. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">One of the important things to understand
is that not only humans are affected by the Earth’s precession: plants and
animals who “don’t have” the consciousness we are so proud of, caught on to
this “metamorphosis” much sooner. All the instances of different species of
animals rescuing each other; lions, bears and wolves hugging humans, octopuses
saying thanks… This indicates to me that everyone, correction: everything is
striving to become better. You might say: “What about all those natural
disasters?” Well, who is to say that it isn’t Earth rebelling against the
violence we have done? Who is to say that water, which holds vast amounts of
information (note for the skeptics: proven by science) isn’t shaking off all
the accumulated nasty information and pollution? And this time the position of
Earth’s axis, which is rotating toward the center of Milky Way, is aiding us.
All of Us. In Russian this age is called Svarog’s Morning (</span><span lang="RU" style="font-family: times;">Утро</span><span style="font-family: times;"> </span><span lang="RU" style="font-family: times;">Сварога</span><span style="font-family: times;">) and we are at the beginning of it - the
Dawn. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">I’ve always liked the time, in which I was
born - a cusp of two eras. I thought myself lucky to experience both the
hand-written letter sent by snail mail and the internet where petabytes are
traveling to and fro within seconds; however XXI century proved to me that I am
lucky in a larger sense. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Lots of hard work awaits those who strive to move up, but I view it as a fun,
albeit difficult game, at which I know I will succeed with the help of
everything that surrounds me. To the pessimists I will say that the “judgment
day” is upon us, those who are not willing to change will be flushed down the
toilet, so to speak. To the optimists I will say "Don’t worry about them,
stop looking at the doo-doo and focus on those who are walking alongside you
with the flower in their hair."</span></div></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-41213474339155132412018-01-30T01:35:00.002-08:002020-08-25T04:23:54.588-07:00Притча о Совести и Истине<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRcvlHha17IGLHqudWJp6dZkV8W5ZVCfKdJhne-5sgUgWwcbZQ3Ij638R5zwP_fS_E9ikHWVKEGoc-aj1x3sgfhqy_8gVwBA0AK8HEmfyMoB1f3AHmy1NOlyZ46cCDRJxQGz8wdZTMgIF/s1600/338963_more_poverxnost_kasanie_rukoj_devushka_kostyum_4208x2708_%2528www.GetBg.net%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1600" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRcvlHha17IGLHqudWJp6dZkV8W5ZVCfKdJhne-5sgUgWwcbZQ3Ij638R5zwP_fS_E9ikHWVKEGoc-aj1x3sgfhqy_8gVwBA0AK8HEmfyMoB1f3AHmy1NOlyZ46cCDRJxQGz8wdZTMgIF/w500-h323/338963_more_poverxnost_kasanie_rukoj_devushka_kostyum_4208x2708_%2528www.GetBg.net%2529.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="RU" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Однажды, пришёл один
человек к мудрецу и спросил его:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: large;">- Скажи мне мудрец, как
мне правильно жить.</span></div>
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<span lang="RU" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">На что мудрец
ответил: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="RU" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">- Да живи ты по Совести. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="RU" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">- И всё? - удивился
человек. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="RU" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">- И всё, - ответил
мудрец. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="RU" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Удивился человек, и
решил тогда он поскитаться по миру, поискать истинный смысл жизни, который бы удовлетворил
его. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="RU" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Много лет скитался
человек, повидал он многое, научился многому, повстречал и скитов и мудрецов и
простых людей, и семьёю обзавелся... И, наконец, под старость вернулся он в
родное селение. Навстречу ему высыпали обрадованные люди и всем хотелось знать
нашёл ли он истину. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="RU" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">- Ты проскитался
столько лет, узнал ли ты как правильно жить, о мудрец?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="RU" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: times; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">- Да, живите вы по
Совести, - был его ответ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span lang="RU" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Истина на
поверхности, но смотреть на неё надо из глубины. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> </span></span></div>
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Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-38650190757472282602017-10-20T02:10:00.002-07:002020-08-25T03:44:48.653-07:00“I did then what I knew best, when I knew better, I did better”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd1DL4vsu9r52pidzF4zN3rv_XYssxNX1gnxwylLuv_YBKVY-IuK_cmYYF0LPivtju_B7w23sYxeZMafCfjh_b6s0lqVInUyRSBChSHOack1MwstfvHIgnIgrfWZdfOVQQXb-UbvvDrA5/s1600/Perspective.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="604" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd1DL4vsu9r52pidzF4zN3rv_XYssxNX1gnxwylLuv_YBKVY-IuK_cmYYF0LPivtju_B7w23sYxeZMafCfjh_b6s0lqVInUyRSBChSHOack1MwstfvHIgnIgrfWZdfOVQQXb-UbvvDrA5/s320/Perspective.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span face="" lang="" style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">That's a famous quote by Maya Angelou, and one of my favorites. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span face="" lang="" style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">There are many simple, yet profound, concepts and sayings we have heard and
know to be accurate, but which we do not comprehend fully and do not actively
practice. We throw these aphorisms and sayings right and left and fail to understand
what they actually mean. No, not the words – the Meaning. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span face="" lang="" style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">I cannot tell you how many times I have had this dialogue: me - “This needs
to be done”, other person - “I know”, me – “I don’t need you to know, I need
you to do”. It’s as if we are asleep and the understanding happens only on the
surface, after which we forget about the profound thought, or, worse, find ways
of discrediting it. Many say it’s because we are lazy, we don’t want the change,
we are afraid of it, but I think the problem is deeper. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span face="" lang="" style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">The problem is that our thinking is primitive. I have brought up this example before: if we hold a pen with its
pointed end facing us – we only see the pointed end; as soon as we turn the pen
sideways – we see a larger picture. At first, it was three millimeters of…
something we can’t recognize, only assume; and now we see it was an end of a
pen, the pen is long, it has a color, texture, etc, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span face="" lang="" style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Sure, it is so easy to understand what Maya Angelou meant with these words “I
did then what I knew best, when I knew better, I did better”. It means people
make mistakes and learn as they go, and they should not feel guilty about their
inexperience, only to strive to be better persons. Sure. But this quote can be viewed from so many different sides. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
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<span face="" lang="" style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Here is one of them (I will let you ponder on the rest). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span face="" lang="" style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">When someone is rude, or insulting, or abusive, or childish,
or does any number of foolish things… if we understand that they are simply
incapable of being nicer, because they are ignorant and don’t know any better,
because they have no inner strength, wisdom and kindness to act any other way, because they are afraid –
our lives become easier. Now the mystery of the “why” is solved. Now we
know why the rudeness. And we learn to be more compassionate. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span face="" lang="" style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">However…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><span face="" lang="" style="color: #181818;">This doesn’t mean that we should let them do it to us. No way. The saying “If
someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also</span>” has
continuation - “but don’t allow them to strike”. This is the crucial part
of the saying. Yes, we should be understanding, loving, kind and wise, but we
should not allow "evil" to be done to us simply because the person doing it is ignorant
and we are not. If this happens long enough – only evil will stand in the end,
all the good guys would have been slapped to death. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="" lang="" style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">So, yeah… “I did then what I knew best, when I knew better, I did better”. </span></span></div>
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Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-55988712496553559942013-11-29T12:12:00.000-08:002018-11-07T00:29:08.460-08:00It's a Myth... We Can't Love Everyone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvKvEbbIcKLtslECZldzlWp-QxrwfkWzOKHSmfV_qE1n4e6PbD6nYPvsGSF1m2qtZnarJLF78VkYrf9sAwrCLB6mGY5heWdDVUuIXkMyT2cExEupGSs8Hp_xASW9O3jarIjIOL4yJZlB5/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-11-29+at+12.16.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvKvEbbIcKLtslECZldzlWp-QxrwfkWzOKHSmfV_qE1n4e6PbD6nYPvsGSF1m2qtZnarJLF78VkYrf9sAwrCLB6mGY5heWdDVUuIXkMyT2cExEupGSs8Hp_xASW9O3jarIjIOL4yJZlB5/s320/Screen+shot+2013-11-29+at+12.16.00+PM.png" width="157" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There is a new trend among people today: "loving everyone". It stemmed from a genuine, good place, but without understanding human limitations it turned sour, a must, an obsession, a burden. People go above and beyond in forcing themselves to achieve this impossible feat. Some have been brainwashed into following the trend and believing that it's doable. It's not. (Unless they've reached enlightenment, which, judging by their confused behavior, they haven't.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But why would anyone <i>want</i> to love <i>everyone</i>? Everyone means sick people like Charles Manson as well. I don't think he "deserves" love like the trend suggests he does. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The trend suggests a lot of things and all of it in a very indirect, hidden and passive aggressive manner. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It suggests that we are perfect. One might miss this subtle trend within a trend, but demanding us to overcome regular human emotions such as jealousy, envy, grief, anger - all in the name of loving <i>everyone</i> - does mean expecting us to be superhuman. This trend also advocates that anger, grief, sorrow, jealousy are emotions below us <i>superhumans </i>and need to be overcome and eradicated, like a decease. (But on this some other time.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What I wanted to say is that we don't <i>have</i> to love everyone, we can't love everyone and a lot of people are mean and don't deserve being loved. Some of you may point out the Buddhist way of looking at life and tell me I'm wrong, that we must love everyone in order to become better us. I don't deny I could be wrong for those who truly strive for enlightenment, who meditate and actively practice the "Buddhist" loving. Those who dedicate their lives to achieving the "all loving", who have reached a level of calm and balance<i> within themselves</i> before tackling the hardest thing of all, being gods. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But people with everyday stress, rejection, work, chores, ups, downs, traffic, money, busy minds, dealing with others and <i>their</i> equally busy minds can't expect themselves to achieve the zen. And without zen one can't overcome jealousy and love the person who stole his wife, or who rejected his dream project, who told him lies, who hurt him, or killed someone he loved. It's almost impossible to love someone who means the mean things he says, who revels in feeling superior, belittling others to feel higher himself. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We must not blame ourselves for not loving everyone. It's better to accept early on that humans have human emotions and limitation and unless those have been overcome, we cannot and should not love everyone and that's how it is. </span></div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-31971040496867947642012-11-02T14:00:00.002-07:002020-08-25T04:24:29.751-07:00Go ahead, look up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg1FAG1YbLTiInOi3-E2KurT85oxSWHOHh1LTG5l82rFQ6BP5IXWWN2qKklRLrYTTd34W0G8R-IiHceK3c6fGOz385xRPai6YOl1JADvLO0PAAPPz9arFRosHQZfT_AeVI-kGHxxOBeIE/s1600/Look+up.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg1FAG1YbLTiInOi3-E2KurT85oxSWHOHh1LTG5l82rFQ6BP5IXWWN2qKklRLrYTTd34W0G8R-IiHceK3c6fGOz385xRPai6YOl1JADvLO0PAAPPz9arFRosHQZfT_AeVI-kGHxxOBeIE/s320/Look+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">When was the last time you looked UP? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">I have been noticing more and more that people don't look up higher than their eye level. But existence below eye level makes people petty, small, shallow, and forces them to forget the scale of it all. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Some of them look at me as if I'm crazy when I look at the clouds, or the birds flying (around 6 p.m., hundreds of crows make huge rounds above Yerevan; it's bewitching), or the mountains, or the new Moon... I'm used to those stares, they don't bother me in the least. But it boggles my mind why anyone would limit themselves to just one plane or level of existence. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">According to a scientific research, knowing and, most importantly, picturing where you are geographically - not only North, East, West, South, but also the relationship of one's location to others (say: west of Black Sea, north of Turkey, south of Russia, in the middle of the country, 600 meter above ocean, as well as the relationship of our planet to other bodies in the Universe) - makes a person calmer, more balanced, less irritable, better at communications, better at navigating through life, and rids one of the feeling of being lost. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span>But even if that isn't true and even if our geographic location doesn't matter for our health, I still say go ahead and look up. Lift your face from the stresses and grime of everyday life, put everything in a different perspective. See what's up there. Let it make you feel lighter.</span><br />
<span>Look up. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-61442418518046954412012-10-24T10:11:00.002-07:002020-08-25T04:24:55.486-07:00Channel your moods into your passion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMFaTPvAfRnOWz2vkFaaAyLCAW1kSqf2xIuUAIl610lKpUn_Hb6fXhfybEazuTTTvnAI45kfibSkfSDm0SbNqtgJx9x_4L6Zl8jHbBI1ugwWEFWgSpl4E2KHutTOx9MCJgbHfQ9hA6KVQ/s1600/Participant-180x180-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMFaTPvAfRnOWz2vkFaaAyLCAW1kSqf2xIuUAIl610lKpUn_Hb6fXhfybEazuTTTvnAI45kfibSkfSDm0SbNqtgJx9x_4L6Zl8jHbBI1ugwWEFWgSpl4E2KHutTOx9MCJgbHfQ9hA6KVQ/s1600/Participant-180x180-2.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span>All writers periodically suffer from writer's block, plus all of our muses are a bit fickle, only making the path we chose so much more arduous. But along with being inspired, imaginative, having good language, vocabulary and skill we also have to have the writing muscle developed, trained, practiced and exercised. "Everyday", as we are told by more productive writers.</span></span><br />
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">To be frank, I have relied on my muse more than I would like to admit, making excuses of why I can't write, of what's keeping me from telling the stories that I dream about every night, and which have been brewing in my head for years. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Last year through one of those productive writers' blogs I heard about NaNoWriMo (National November Writing Month) <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">http://www.nanowrimo.org/</a>, which is a virtual writers camp. You sign up with them, and during the month of November write 50,000 words of the first draft of your novel ("draft" being the operative word). This year they asked each participant to share information about them, hence this blog. Thanks for that, NaNoWriMo, you gave me something to think and write about.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Last year I didn't last for more than 16,000 words. (I had an excuse. Yup, one of those again.) But seeing how many people are successful with this program and are published writers now... Yeah, that gives you a good kick on your behind and says "if this is what you really want to be then stop wasting your precious time and be it".</span></div>
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span>I'm not the first or only one to drop out from this program. There are many things that stand between us and our dreams: work, people, being tired, society telling us "why bother?", not being in the mood...</span><br />
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">But I decided to start channeling my moods and anger into writing. Good luck.</span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-89336254128178611672012-10-03T08:47:00.000-07:002017-12-18T00:42:36.174-08:00The Foundation of the Little Blue Planet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</style><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoSZXwMOdF3DfYIqmYc1UKvxO0x3l73EkbFsDg-Q-AHL7s78bbc_Whl3XCLw0uGyadIql1mEyoALn5RtSpqChakFkN-oOj2tO3SlpS20KBKZCCf4c08Og7OaoGrUbxzfxnyVobzVb_mBF/s1600/namibia_rainstorm_photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoSZXwMOdF3DfYIqmYc1UKvxO0x3l73EkbFsDg-Q-AHL7s78bbc_Whl3XCLw0uGyadIql1mEyoALn5RtSpqChakFkN-oOj2tO3SlpS20KBKZCCf4c08Og7OaoGrUbxzfxnyVobzVb_mBF/s320/namibia_rainstorm_photo.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: times; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today I realized something, which
many people may have realized a long time ago. But that's life - you learn
things according to your readiness and general circumstance.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
reason Earth is still standing (or rotating) is people who are honest, fair,
open, clear, straight forward, who take pride in what they do, take
responsibility for their work and their own mistakes, who know how to communicate
with one another and whose souls always smile. Unfortunately, it is a
disappearing breed. Our world is filled with the exact opposite type of
creatures, and, regrettably, they are running it (and look what they've
done to it). </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Fortunately,
we are the foundation of society. If not for us - these mongrels would have
eaten each other alive and blown up this rock a loooong time ago. We are the
reason why businesses still run, the buildings don't crumble, why these losers haven't massacred everything in their wake yet... While they are the reason why
laws get more and more complicated, why trust is no longer in the cards and why
the whole planet is warring. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">For us, this is a difficult society to live in. We are not well equipped for survival in the community they've created. Them and us - we speak in different languages. Our values are absolutely foreign to them. Explaining anything to these half-humans is like telling a carnivorous flower that butterflies it's eating also want to live. It's like reasoning with a violent truck coming at you. It's like fighting with a chainsaw.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We are what prevents these brutes from total destruction. Somehow we are able to tie and restrain this mass of filth. It's an arduous task, but I am glad we <i>are. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"Мир строится на таких как Я."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">edit: (according to Zophorian, who left a comment below, honor is primary and should be the origin of honesty, and I completely and totally agree. Honor.)</span><cite></cite></span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><cite class="user"> </cite></span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-83585217592932981842012-02-18T05:34:00.001-08:002020-09-26T08:48:13.098-07:00Duality-shmuality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidwYxOj_mwW7D67st2Yhh1Brmj02e6guKbB3x3Ba1RULnaxirBOVRPesf2-61lv8MHqq7tl6O0HSNbkHZZfclLKubZya-GfROFoMegcWmE7YLi59o8OmHQ_WtpEmuOs-CHOiAas4PstdE/s1600/double.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidwYxOj_mwW7D67st2Yhh1Brmj02e6guKbB3x3Ba1RULnaxirBOVRPesf2-61lv8MHqq7tl6O0HSNbkHZZfclLKubZya-GfROFoMegcWmE7YLi59o8OmHQ_WtpEmuOs-CHOiAas4PstdE/s320/double.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" - William Shakespeare</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Not many people know this fact, but there are no such things as black or white colors in our world. By true scientific definitions: black is the absence of color; white is the blending of all colors. While we, humans, consider them to be colors, they do not exist in nature. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Of course if we go a little deeper, then we'd see that nothing <i>is</i> as we perceive it. But it's not as if our perception is wrong either.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Take a pen and turn it so that you can only see its tip - that would be how most people perceive life, universe, existence. As we turn the pen sideways, we see how much we aren't taking into consideration, how much we are missing. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But I went a little off track here. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">There is no 'this' or 'that'. It's not like the 'black' and 'white' we perceive, but like 'white' - all encompassing, or like 'black' - non-existent. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As I see it, this duality we seem to have adopted thousands of years ago and are still practicing, <i>is </i>the primordial sin spiritual teachings talk about. (I view the Bible as a book of metaphors and not true stories.) The apple of knowledge Adam and Eve consumed, thus getting banished from Eden... Knowledge of WHAT? This has baffled me for years. Knowledge of WHAT? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And then I realized: dualism. Creating these polarities. Taking a whole and splitting it. Separating that which cannot, may not and shall not be separate. And for that they were "banished" from Eden to a world of humans' own devising - the dual one. Unless we learn to perceive the world as a whole - we will not return to Eden. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Maureen Murdock says: "We live in a dualist culture which values, creates and sustains polarities - an either/or mentality which locates ideas and people on opposite ends of a spectrum. [...] We separate spirit from matter, mind from body, science from art, good from evil, life from death, women from men, fat from thin, young from old..."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But when does young end and old begin? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We cannot separate our physical body from spirit, because they are one. Is it bad? No. Is it good? No. It just is. </span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-40540294972061743162012-02-07T10:47:00.001-08:002020-09-26T08:48:22.610-07:00Dear mom and dad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTARc3MkuLoPpZMyquVKr-_J3fmfSgpwFyC0VI2UIEsAwqv6szZ90Ps0G4JVNOfzbIHTspEGzVci_iUqSuov4QX1mzUW4XfhiyET_vsr47KWvHLmGtbHXwDgO-m5CgCqnbk727knQQ5bu/s1600/Picture+5.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="60" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTARc3MkuLoPpZMyquVKr-_J3fmfSgpwFyC0VI2UIEsAwqv6szZ90Ps0G4JVNOfzbIHTspEGzVci_iUqSuov4QX1mzUW4XfhiyET_vsr47KWvHLmGtbHXwDgO-m5CgCqnbk727knQQ5bu/s320/Picture+5.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">I guess, it's one of the most ancient stories: parents vs. children.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I've
thought about this for a long time and came to a conclusion that a good
connections between the two parties is possible (I've seen it
happen); all they need is - no, not only love, mere love isn't enough,
I'm afraid - communication, understanding and respect & trust. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Most
of the families have the love part of the equation down. Then on the
list is communication, then we have understanding with lesser
percentage, and the last comes respect, which in many families is almost
lacking. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Everyone knows the definition of the word 'respect', undoubtedly, but so many don't fully comprehend what it <i>entails</i> to have respect, especially when it concerns their children. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">While
we're small we need our folks to tells us what's good and bad, to
help us differentiate right from wrong, to tell us that fire burns, to
forbid us hanging out with dangerous crowds, to show & teach us
how the world operates. As we grow older this sort of parenting needs to
be slowly replaced with support, understanding, acceptance, trust and
respect. Of course, I don't think there is a specific date or age for this: it's gradual and individual.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I
know the scariest part of parenting is realizing that your children no
longer need you. But this isn't true, we always need them, just not in
the same way, not for the same things. True - we don't need them to tell us
fire burns, but we want their support, when we <i>do</i> decide to
stick our hand in that fire. There is always a need for them to give us
advice and to think and care about us, but we no longer need them to
choose and think <i>for</i> us. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Parents forget that when they were the age of their grown children - they already had
families and kids. They considered themselves adults, which
according to Merriam-Webster dictionary means <span class="ssens">fully
developed and mature. So how does it happen that they were "fully
mature" at our age, yet we're not? Why do they think we are incapable of making our own decisions, our own choices? Why do they think they know what's good for us? Why don't they trust us to choose the right path for ourselves? After all, this is <i>our</i> life not theirs; it's us who'd have to live with those choices for the rest of our lives. </span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" style="font-size: large;">Well,
it's many things, really: a little fear of being unneeded, a habit,
maybe control issues, but mostly I think it's because they <i>expected </i>us to be someone else. Someone who would, with their help, fulfill the perfect life they pictured for themselves. </span><br />
<span class="ssens" style="font-size: large;">But this is not how things are meant to work. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="ssens" style="font-size: large;">I've
heard the same story many a times: "I wanted to be a <i>'blank'</i>, but my parents wouldn't approve, so I had to
sneak around doing what I loved, now I'm successful at the <i>'blank'</i>." And if not successful, then content. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ssens">Yes</span><span class="ssens"> - we all make mistakes, yes - they've had more experience then us,
however that doesn't mean they know how life would turn out in our case.
They can't know what future holds. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ssens">By not understanding our choices, by not trusting us that they are right <i>for us</i>, our parents undermine their own parenting job. By not trusting us, they in turn don't trust themselves. </span><span class="ssens">After all, the fact that we aren't drug addicts or serial killers, started with them. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, <span class="ssens">I don't think they behave like this out of malice, and </span>many
people would tell me that it's all because they love us... To which I'd
reply - Duh! Of course they love us. Why else do we forgive them? If
someone other said the
things we hear from our folks - we'd wage war on them.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">They
love us, that's why we care what they say. We love them, that's why it
matters how they view us. Just a little more understanding, a pinch of
respect, a spoonful of trust and then we can eat it. </span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-79568640028086384732011-10-30T06:41:00.006-07:002020-09-26T08:48:32.003-07:00The new me is the old me is the same me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9OpvwjDDh30VmS7WVSiZ840D-0L1IrGIcbdLDAsOFANamekBC2wA4nRilkM9sgoZ0I7XQvxuUZQd6UxxNkuyOpVriiSezYt0H-UDzoQChNrd3Wk5RYUFPvU8QkPZqpi8oGYiWYpVuKw4/s1600/cotton-candy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9OpvwjDDh30VmS7WVSiZ840D-0L1IrGIcbdLDAsOFANamekBC2wA4nRilkM9sgoZ0I7XQvxuUZQd6UxxNkuyOpVriiSezYt0H-UDzoQChNrd3Wk5RYUFPvU8QkPZqpi8oGYiWYpVuKw4/s320/cotton-candy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like
cotton-candy: our lives come back to the same place we started, except, it's
one layer over every time. </span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 13.5pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="" style="font-size: large;">If you've ever kept a diary, go back to it, and see
that the way you thought, the way you dealt with things then (be it problems or
happy moments) is almost exactly the same as is now. You get bothered the same way, you get excited the same way, our feelings are the same; if we were emotional - we still
are, if we were introverted - we still are, if we were funny - we still are, if
we liked nature - we still do, party animals – are still party animals... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="" style="font-size: large;">Sometimes, we reach an understanding in our 20's, and
all of the sudden remember that we had the same understanding when we were 13,
but from a different point of view; now it's a little deeper, a little more defined.
And it has a different effect on us. I don't doubt that the same understandings
creep their way in at various times throughout our lives, bearing newer meaning
each time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="" style="font-size: large;">Yes, we do grow, we do change parts of us, we do learn
a lot, but the core, the hardware is the same. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="" style="font-size: large;">How many of us have said "that's it, from now
on I'm changing this or that, I'm going to be different; no
more..." followed by whatever it is we dislike about our lives? And then
what happens? Habits go away, likes and dislikes switch places, some people in
our lives disappear, new ones move in, we change our lifestyles, clothes,
bodies, faces, hairstyles, work, family, sex, name... We might now like the
detective stories we despised previously, we might move to a country which we hated
before, we might start loving something unexpected…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="" style="font-size: large;">That’s all external stuff that can and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>does</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>change (if you are alive, that is).
But the way we<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>express</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>love or friendship, the way we show
our fear, the way we laugh, the way we convey any and all our feelings, the way we crinkle our nose when we smell a flower – that stays the same.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="">There is a great
Armenian saying which goes "կարմիր կովը կաշին չի փոխի" - "the red cow can't change its
skin". For my non-Armenian speaking readers - it means: no matter how much
you try you cannot change the color of your skin, which in essence means</span></span><span lang=""> that being
anything but oneself is simply impossible. </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-53996682370420568492011-07-19T12:47:00.000-07:002017-12-18T00:50:58.836-08:00Be specific or don't say anything<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqBT1IwHqAnz_f0MPYJfdhpz63LAOnu5OgS_XDxTEXxsFBqTkYf6kwt4vYFZqQfg7mXj38lePgI3paTfB9ghVwQfXOmRP8JX3RgUlU69gnKH8HWJqayDJjJ1st1v5Vqh-33Su3u3nPquR/s1600/communicating.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqBT1IwHqAnz_f0MPYJfdhpz63LAOnu5OgS_XDxTEXxsFBqTkYf6kwt4vYFZqQfg7mXj38lePgI3paTfB9ghVwQfXOmRP8JX3RgUlU69gnKH8HWJqayDJjJ1st1v5Vqh-33Su3u3nPquR/s320/communicating.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: justify;">As I have established in one of my previous blogs - I like languages: I like to speak pretty and I like to "hear" pretty. Yet, when it comes to communicating a thought, beauty relinquishes its first place to being specific. Some forget just how important it </span><i style="text-align: justify;">is</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> to be precise. I mean, why else do we have synonyms and ever-expanding vocabulary if we're not going to use them to better express ourselves?</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Quite a number of people don't realize the impact words make on others or don’t pay attention to whether the correct word or verb was used to convey that particular thought or feeling. And so, the sentences are often incomplete, inaccurate, generalized; words are substituted for their more primitive “brothers”, while the content is lost… no, rather, drowned on the way. Not only does it make the speaker sound like an imbecile, but his/her words need deciphering, interpretation (which never leads to anything good), and in most cases what is said becomes simply hurtful. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">*Side note: being coy while expressing a feeling is never the way to go. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">*Second side note: never say “never”… or “always”. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">When we say “I’m angry”, do we really mean “angry”, or could we mean “annoyed”, “frustrated”, “nervous”? When we say “you’re weird”, could we mean “different”, “unlike others”, “opposite of me”? Could “you’re weak” really mean “you’re too calm for my liking”? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I don’t say that we need to weigh every word we utter to make sure it doesn’t hurt others, because that would drive us “insane"; and I do mean "crazy", "cuckoo", "mad", "disturbed". However, if a thought, a feeling, a state of being or an idea is to be communicated to another being it has to be as accurate as possible within the confines of a language. Otherwise… </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">How many of us have heard the phrase “you don’t understand me”? Well… did you explain yourself fully? Maybe, the more accurate phrase is “was I able to make myself understood?”</span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-37247945083271839002011-06-04T03:45:00.000-07:002017-12-18T01:01:18.546-08:00To judge or not to judge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KtQmvQh4G38KVsyUmcFnpIR942DF0GgxY0gcm7-6ONtIZzGSBoY0wFBFwB61ik8d3sujyBm26JpZT2FnEzNbOiz0is-FhoOVKHrKMUlCW97EMmrU0IUlr_2EF-5_1zXEEYFhW7HnRejo/s1600/judge_hammer-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KtQmvQh4G38KVsyUmcFnpIR942DF0GgxY0gcm7-6ONtIZzGSBoY0wFBFwB61ik8d3sujyBm26JpZT2FnEzNbOiz0is-FhoOVKHrKMUlCW97EMmrU0IUlr_2EF-5_1zXEEYFhW7HnRejo/s320/judge_hammer-300x225.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Here is the definition of the word "judge" as described by Merriam-Webster dictionary:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">*A judge - one who gives an <b>authoritative</b> opinion </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">*To judge - to form an opinion about <b>through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I purposefully highlighted the aforementioned details, because I've been noticing a growing tendency of ruling without having those qualifications or knowing all the facts before the judgment is passed. (I trust my reader understands that I'm not talking about having an opinion.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And so I asked myself: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Firstly, if one isn't a "judge" by profession, then why is there a need to judge others at all? If their behavior doesn't have any impact on our lives, then why do we care how people construct theirs? How does that make <i>our</i> lives any better? Is it the need to prove that <i>we</i> are better? smarter? more "evolved"? Or is it that we want to improve the world we live in? In the latter's case: how do we know that the world pictured in our head is nicer, anyway? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Most of the time, people like the way they dress, what they read, whom they love, how they conduct their lives. Recently, at a party, I saw a girl who was dressed, <i>in my opinion</i>, quite ugly. But I’m positive that she wouldn't have worn it if she thought she didn't look her best. Who is to say that the person whose dress we condemned to death - isn't giving the same order to ours?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Secondly, we’ve all been on both sides of judgment. And I’m sure no one likes to be on the other side. No one likes to be talked badly about. Then why do it to others? One – it doesn’t show us in a good light, two - anything we do comes back to us like a boomerang. Plus, there is always a reason why people do one thing or another, it might not be to our liking, but it’s there. We can’t know why one listens to this piece of music or drives that “horrible” car. It could be anything… Maybe, that song reminds them of a passed love, or they don’t have the means to afford a new car… Or maybe THEY SIMPLY LIKE IT. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I always say “if you’re not hurting yourself and/or others – do whatever you like, what do I care?”</span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-79320028857553627312011-02-12T11:51:00.001-08:002020-09-26T08:48:43.523-07:00Why do we read?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIL69buOvq5IaVHALz-_rqa2TBUrQt7B16q0Voz666nNF2Og-9G2R4KUtHI5txmdAlWck3yizybEEeU4X7Svu2rPtIaZa2Um2GaQenv2mKVnlUMe-lSfr0JVJM9oRDjFTrwh5oMHBEswc/s1600/IMG_7599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIL69buOvq5IaVHALz-_rqa2TBUrQt7B16q0Voz666nNF2Og-9G2R4KUtHI5txmdAlWck3yizybEEeU4X7Svu2rPtIaZa2Um2GaQenv2mKVnlUMe-lSfr0JVJM9oRDjFTrwh5oMHBEswc/s320/IMG_7599.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have you noticed that most people who read are somehow more connected with their surroundings, than those who don't? I am not referring to people who gobble up information as if they were Emile from Ratatouille (you know... the brother?), without knowledge or sincere appreciation for what it is they are reading; like big grinders.</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And I'm not talking about the ones who abuse received information to gain power and then abuse the latter in turn. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">No. I'm talking about the other readers. The people who gain seemingly unnecessary knowledge from books. People who cannot <i>not</i> read, but wouldn't be able to tell you <i>why</i> it is they read in the first place . </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I had asked myself that question for years - "Why do I read? What's the point?" This was a puzzle I failed to solve. But what are friends for if not for this kinda thing, huh?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And so, I asked the one person, who I knew would give me an answer I liked (I never like answers I don't like), my friend S.P. His reply came promptly: "Perspective", he said. "We see the situation from a different perspective". And like an avalanche, triggered by his answer, the sub-answers to all my sub-questions tumbled onto me. "Perspective". </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The characters in the books are not us. They seldom do what we would have done in their situation. They don't see the intricacies we do, yet see others hidden from <i>us</i>. The writers show different shadows to us, the character's point of view. There are adventurers and lovers, villains and regular folk, mothers, superheros, toys, animals, inanimate objects... There is no list to list all the creatures the reader gets to connect with and sympathize with through the books. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And then life happens. And you notice that you no longer evaluate people as you might have done before. Things don't seem as obscure or as puzzling as they did before. Connection level changes. Lots of things come into focus. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And then there was one last question. "Why is it so important to change my perspective, to heighten the connection level?" </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Ummm... It feels good", I answered.</span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-2906613520969526022011-02-03T14:39:00.002-08:002020-09-26T08:48:51.000-07:00Memory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5d34RwzffNaqetAnAnIofivBjjaSoRH0iEwIUzSgc3U0H_T22iTeoKoxcu9sBRDvdihyphenhyphen1EVrBU7MBKQ8Su56jsoO0wHSlvVITFXLjzzGCimY0x8VP7hCTTc9_O0cXF1nEUc9QZndisdi/s1600/computer_brain_white.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5d34RwzffNaqetAnAnIofivBjjaSoRH0iEwIUzSgc3U0H_T22iTeoKoxcu9sBRDvdihyphenhyphen1EVrBU7MBKQ8Su56jsoO0wHSlvVITFXLjzzGCimY0x8VP7hCTTc9_O0cXF1nEUc9QZndisdi/w290-h320/computer_brain_white.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some of my friends have been worrying for years that their memory is slipping. Especially women with children - they aren’t able to remember the simplest things, like bringing cookies to school, even though they made the promise only yesterday.</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">My friends can attest to the fact that I myself can't remember events, conversations, even people. I had to meet some of my friends more than once, because I couldn’t remember meeting them the first time around. Now I simply let people know when I meet them: 'I’m sorry, but I might need to meet you again. I have bad face memory.' </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">While I'm not happy about this, I don’t worry about it at all. Contrary to my friends, I don't think this has anything to do with age. Besides, I think I have very good memory. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">First of all: I believe remembering things is a talent. And like any talent there are different qualities to it, degrees, sizes, colors, shades. I know someone who is able to glance at a person for a second, then describe them in nauseating detail. But they might not be able to remember what that movie was called that they loved so much. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">My memory talent lies elsewhere. In 6th grade two people exchanged phone numbers in my presence. I needed one of the numbers 4 years later. Need I say more? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I can quote books and movies, while I can’t remember the actors’ names. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Second: I believe our memory is similar to a hard drive. With years that hard drive gets full. Some of the older data is stored deeper in our brains, whilst new data gets bounced off as “unable to save, not enough space on disk”. Even more so for mothers: they have to remember their childrens’s “stuff” as well as their own. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If your hard drive is full, nothing new will get saved on it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Third: When we try not to forget something – we keep reminding ourselves about it over and over lest we forget it, thus using our RAM & overloading our hard drive: 'don’t-forget-not-to-forget-to-not-forget-to-forget-not…' leaving very little "juice" for anything else. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As I said, “not remembering” doesn’t bother me. I put reminders on my phone – it alerts me when the tasks are due. I make “to do” lists for everything - that buys me a lot of time, and... hey, I meet same people again and again. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">That's pretty exciting.</span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-16808093046900209672010-12-07T16:40:00.000-08:002020-05-23T23:04:30.075-07:00Friend - Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwnvp7LjdySdH5Lbqg3JLI4ehrpWc28Eb0LBr7yeusaubFYlQxcke4N_AJN5F34nkwKwSTtiJ5YdFf-p8Th8EUAe5K8Xv9vcdAA2FMt13xfHXajOyHf14ssGYgePWgmi5if3u67fDHwsE/s1600/20.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554426745437090034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwnvp7LjdySdH5Lbqg3JLI4ehrpWc28Eb0LBr7yeusaubFYlQxcke4N_AJN5F34nkwKwSTtiJ5YdFf-p8Th8EUAe5K8Xv9vcdAA2FMt13xfHXajOyHf14ssGYgePWgmi5if3u67fDHwsE/s320/20.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 254px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">To me language is very important. And sometimes the language, the vocabulary just isn't enough. I have two examples.</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Acquaintance vs. Friend</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Like vs. Love</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1. We all have people in our lives, who are more than an acquaintance, but less than a friend. What do we call them? Friends? No. Acquaintances? No. We need a word for that. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">2. There are things I really, strongly like; I like them so much that they necessitate a word, which is more than 'like', but that isn't 'love'. To this there are more levels than one. There are things I like much more or much less than others. There are degrees of 'like'. I believe eight words in the interim of 'like' and 'love' should suffice. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I've been trying to come up with words for the aforementioned matters for years, with no avail. I am humbly asking my reader for help. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">With love on Western Christmas Eve, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Anoush</span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-67443732057867120132010-09-21T11:07:00.001-07:002017-12-18T01:05:42.376-08:00Be your own best friend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0NMw37DxmvMoVUKsI-1nvv8hamqpwED2m_29ozeiGd9j2PYZ8gGkx3Q4hYcXtoGhSCtFl710jtmF1pBRJtmlm9OLBEUeMIoJqQ-mRh-Xiur9RF_eDlCHIrVzuoULwIlJWswVgxgtgGE7/s1600/girls-holding-hands-bw.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519470355638543570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0NMw37DxmvMoVUKsI-1nvv8hamqpwED2m_29ozeiGd9j2PYZ8gGkx3Q4hYcXtoGhSCtFl710jtmF1pBRJtmlm9OLBEUeMIoJqQ-mRh-Xiur9RF_eDlCHIrVzuoULwIlJWswVgxgtgGE7/s320/girls-holding-hands-bw.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 208px;" /></a><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Sounds easy enough, or so I thought. “Be-your-own-best-friend” is a muscle, which unfortunately very few people exercise. Most of us don't even know this muscle exists at all. I didn't, until a few years back. And I have to admit it's a difficult one to get to, and most of all it's a difficult one to put to work.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So what does "be-your-own-best-friend" mean? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It means - treat yourself as you would your best friend. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is one thing some of us don't realize: we treat others MUCH better than we treat ourselves. We are much more forgiving, loving and understanding, when it comes to others. But when it's about ourselves: we put ourselves on a trial, we become our judges, we are strict, unyielding, cold, mean…. And we sentence ourselves to death EVERY DAY. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday, I went out with some of my girlfriends. My friend X. (who just met the others) was acting... umm.... "peculiar". We all noticed it, of course. I asked her about her behavior, not to shame her, not to embarrass her, but to find out if she is OK. On the way home she felt bad, stupid, unwanted, strange, weird, crazy... She told me several times how embarrassed she is of the way she was acting. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was genuinely supportive, loving, caring. I told her that it's OK, that who cares if anyone noticed it? That the other girls will not judge her; after all, how many times have we all been "different"?. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">X. is not my best friend; in fact, I hadn't seen her for years. Then how come I treat her as I would my dearest person, but can’t behave that way towards myself? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I know that in her place, I would default to the same "inner-dialogue", during which my "inner-bully" would beat the s*** out of me. I, too, would be embarrassed, feel stupid, tell myself ‘I should have stayed home tonight'. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We have incredibly huge reserves of love and compassion, we are capable of loving many people and many things. And we do. It's a looong list of "things". </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I do think it’s time to put our own names on that long list. Time to exercise be-your-own-best-friend muscle. Time to hold our own hand. Time to become kind, just and loving towards our own persona. Time to treat ourselves as we would a dear, close, BEST friend.</span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-23712421622855180432010-08-19T08:00:00.001-07:002020-09-26T08:49:00.309-07:00Buttons, not buttons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaulEvjCktr7kAdxMiObHrVSk8H6mlxRfBBtl7UiDg6EEU5EqRieRHCTZZRwlXGxFkiPINMirOK5UwAhg7A7AJegyNs0etVf3a5BTFr5rwo3ONdNL5TvUpNyxn8PjcmXrpKKnfSQML6W8d/s1600/Picture+2.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507133691205587570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaulEvjCktr7kAdxMiObHrVSk8H6mlxRfBBtl7UiDg6EEU5EqRieRHCTZZRwlXGxFkiPINMirOK5UwAhg7A7AJegyNs0etVf3a5BTFr5rwo3ONdNL5TvUpNyxn8PjcmXrpKKnfSQML6W8d/s320/Picture+2.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 252px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">We all love to label one another: "She's crazy", "He's weird", "He's so stupid", "You're sick"... And we (the addressee) we believe those labels. We believe we are selfish, when our siblings say that; we believe that we are mean, we are rude, we are cheap, we are lazy, we are this, we are that. We believe it too much, and for a very long time. (This goes for "good" labels as well, but that is a much more complex matter. Those - some other time.)</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Part one of my thoughts: I am a very good driver, but sometimes even I drive recklessly. Most of the time it happens when some one cuts in front of me, or tailgates me, or when I can't trust the next driver; in other words, I drive "badly" when the outside world "provokes" me to it, when my buttons are pushed. One might say "she is a horrible driver", but it's not true. It doesn't determine whether or not I'm a good driver, it is just how I REACTED. It's my reactive state. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It's the same with everything. The label that you are selfish was given to you at one moment in time, when you didn't want to do something (and you had a very strong, <span style="font-style: italic;">private</span> reason for that), and your friend labeled you selfish. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is the thing: I realized that I don't HAVE to believe those labels. I can choose to see it as merely my friend's point of view, at a certain point in time, under certain circumstances. Everything is a perspective. Every label is valid for that moment only and only for the person saying it. Unless of course we choose to believe it. Which brings me to...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Part two of my thoughts: not every person deserves and/or is credible to be believed. Not every person's opinion is valid or has a basis to support it. When labeling, most of the people say things out of malice, out of fear, jealousy, envy, spite. Most of them are not qualified to "diagnose" us with 'kind' or 'unkind'. What do they know about your kindness? A week after they labeled you, they forget all about it. (Don't <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> forget when you label?) But you are stuck to that label and you fiercely believe it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Relax. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">They don't know what the hell they are talking about. They are lost, too; they, too, don't know what the hell is going on. They are scared and they "react". Some of the people labeling you - haven't accomplished anything. I want to say it again - A-NY-THING. Look into their credentials, make sure they know who THEY are, before telling you who you are. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Recently I was given an unkind label. Very unkind and very unjust. And without even thinking or pausing to think, I said "You are lying. That's not true". That was probably my intuition helping me out. Why would I believe someone who is unkind to me and unjust? Why would I allow someone to tell me who I am? Why would I believe that someone? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I realized, I did believe them. Before. But I don't anymore. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I know the truth.</span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-75230550657049836662010-06-16T23:34:00.001-07:002020-09-26T08:49:08.608-07:00Ladies and gentlemen, it's always about love!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5V2LMC8NBB_k-l-WqkG4KUYeiY5tyvsVqHOekLVtOZrUrtZLlOGImBtUiYZA_VD3cmxMgIw2vEsjuyF_Av_uHI7zaVOitnt47VBQWrSbpFAMAjrHLpno6ce5waxebT2IPylYfxGyZ7JRc/s1600/Picture+1.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496164562100529330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5V2LMC8NBB_k-l-WqkG4KUYeiY5tyvsVqHOekLVtOZrUrtZLlOGImBtUiYZA_VD3cmxMgIw2vEsjuyF_Av_uHI7zaVOitnt47VBQWrSbpFAMAjrHLpno6ce5waxebT2IPylYfxGyZ7JRc/s320/Picture+1.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 268px;" /></a><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">No matter how much we pretend, or try to convince ourselves that we are independent and/or self reliant. No matter how much we try to run away from the truth, pretend that we are "above" it, no matter how much we have forgotten about it - we all know somewhere deep down (or for more honest people not so deep down at all) that EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS ABOUT LOVE!</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Seriously, though, it is. The whole purpose of being is to love. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This life, everything we do, everything we want is always, unmistakably about love. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">No man would want power if he didn't want to have people love him for his strength.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">No woman would want to look pretty if there wasn't a man or men to impress. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">No flower would look pretty, or smell amazing, if it wasn't to impress the onlookers, thus spreading itself around the world. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">No child would strive to become better if it wasn't to make an impression on his/her parents. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">No musician would create music if it wasn't to have an audience applaud him. John Sykes ones said to me that the reason he started playing a guitar was to get laid. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">When we love - we evoke and pull towards us positive things. Have you ever noticed that when you're single no one wants you, but as soon as you "obtain" a partner - many, many people want you? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">My friends attribute that to the fact that the world isn't fair. I attribute that to the fact that when we're in love we start exuding it into the atmosphere from every pore of our being. And people are drawn to that. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I have noticed that a lot of people treat love as a guilty pleasure or who pretend that they are above love, that they are tougher, smarter, better, more experienced in order to fall to such silly things as love. When will people stop treating it as an illness? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">There is another extreme, which I also dislike: we all know the "Sex & the City" fanatics, who ONLY talk about love (in their case aka sex), and only talk about man+woman love. Those talks make me want to puke. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The thing is this: all this "rivalry" between man and woman, all this war about 'men don't put the seat down' and 'women are crazy while on their periods' is sickening and it's (drum roll, please) ALL A HUGE BIG DISGUSTING FABRICATION! Women, just put your seats down, it's not that hard. Really! And men, you try having different hormones rise and fall every second day of your life. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We LOVE each other. That's a fact! Underneath all society-injected layers of low-self-esteem-creating junk... underneath all the piles of society-taught evil doctrines - WE ALL KNOW IT:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Ladies and gentlemen, it's ALWAYS ALL ABOUT LOVE!</span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-71599152253600716982010-04-20T21:55:00.001-07:002020-09-26T08:49:30.746-07:00Rains<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztJoqZkRBOw9oP5phNAP9zwzSDZzOYgBQtF1ReHQjCAWRJhleV63zsxROrh6B9V9RIuT5KOyW27Y1Dgb6CgR599DqkWzo16Z29s70MnXS7vteGd2WwcLDhTpBnn4x6m2UPcxqFxXh9VuX/s1600/Picture+5.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462450040493806258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztJoqZkRBOw9oP5phNAP9zwzSDZzOYgBQtF1ReHQjCAWRJhleV63zsxROrh6B9V9RIuT5KOyW27Y1Dgb6CgR599DqkWzo16Z29s70MnXS7vteGd2WwcLDhTpBnn4x6m2UPcxqFxXh9VuX/s320/Picture+5.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 221px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whenever it rains in LA - a lot of people start complaining about it: "Oh, I hate rains... Ah, the rains, how annoying... When is sun going to come out?" blah-Blah-BLAH "I can't wear my sandals. My clothes got wet".</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">WOW! Can you be a little more shallow, please? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Imagine living in England or Costa Rica where it rains almost every day. Oh, no, of course they wouldn't even set foot there. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I always want to SHAKE these people awake. Are you F*** serious? Are you really complaining about this?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And I tell these people:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1. If it doesn't rain - LA will become dry, desolate and bleak. But you probably don't care about that. I mean you might, but not on a deep level... not really. Otherwise you wouldn't be saying such B***S***. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">2. If it doesn't rain - the reservoirs from which we get out water will go dry and the water outage is going to be even more "annoying" than the rain itself. Thank God, the nature doesn't hear their plea. Picture this: it's 117F in July and you want to shower... Oh, no! It hasn't rained in years, just like they wanted. Well... Yeah, good luck. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Really?! Really?! So 350 days of "perfect" weather isn't enough, you want to make it 365? How rude! So it's all about you? Who cares about the plants, the animals, the soil, the rivers, the oceans, the climate. As long as you're happy... and you can wear your sandals. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Dolly Parton said "The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain". Nicely put, Dolly. Thank you!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Whenever I say these things to people I get the same answer "Yeah, I know, but...." followed by another series of "blah-blah-blah". </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Enough bitching. Look at life from a less self-centered point of view. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">People here are so used to the fact that bitching is OK, that they have learned many different ways of bitching about anything and everything. It's because they are spoiled. I would like to see these people live for one month, no more, in a third world country, where people have to endure all kinds of hardship, where they have to wait for days to get a glass of water, where getting rain is a matter of survival. (Check out what the goings on in Africa). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The bookstores, the internet, the media is littered now with all kind of media teaching us how to become more centered, more accepting, more grounded. But we pick and choose which parts of life we're going to accept. Apparently, rain isn't one of them.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rain is part of life. It is as much a part of life as say... going to the bathroom. Imagine if every time we went to the bathroom we'd bitch about the fact that we have to go. Eghhh... How ANNOYING would THAT be? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I myself LOVE LOVE LOVE the rains. They are purifying, they feed the soil, they are food for plants, which are in turn MY food (thank you, Earth), they clean the air that we pollute every day, they inspire, their sound is intoxicating, they smell fantastic and they bring this semi-desert city to life. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I, personally, welcome rains to Los Angeles.</span></div>
</div>
Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319204262067216840.post-24181743391257750782010-03-13T23:08:00.002-08:002020-09-26T08:49:44.994-07:00My commandments<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVySa0y69gorKPLVTHmwJNBhVO9Nl4xNY_wVP3a2OM3CQ1n0qxp-HibV5oheCVsnMLCeacLxpTo8En-_UL0Tw08o3CW-ODi-xMahIZCAx8vhcImVkoBKgBLlsW0TRNVygaSuSPChd484Vr/s1600/Picture_1.png"><img border="0" height="213" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538052980139952642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVySa0y69gorKPLVTHmwJNBhVO9Nl4xNY_wVP3a2OM3CQ1n0qxp-HibV5oheCVsnMLCeacLxpTo8En-_UL0Tw08o3CW-ODi-xMahIZCAx8vhcImVkoBKgBLlsW0TRNVygaSuSPChd484Vr/w320-h213/Picture_1.png" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 174px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 261px;" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, my friend S. sent me a <a href="http://hiroboga.com/blog/qualities-of-soul/be-a-source-of-strength-in-difficult-times">blog</a> by this lady called Hiro Boga, who I hadn't heard of before. It is a very empowering blog. It might seem a bit new age-y, but it really isn't. It's great.</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In one place she says: "Confusion is almost always a sign that you're dealing with energies - or emotions, or pictures or beliefs - that aren't yours. Clear out anything that doesn't belong to you, and then see how you feel". </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Funny, because a couple of days ago I was telling my doctor that sometimes I don't know who I am, I don't know if I am acting, saying, behaving, living as my true self, or if everything I do has been simply "injected" into me by society, school, family. Do I act the way I - my core - would have, or is it the society that tells me "this is how it's done"? If I had an amnesia would I still be the same person as today, would I like the same things I like now? And this is what he told me: "When in doubt - look inside. If you are going against your own grain - then... don't". Ok, vague enough. But then he proceeded to give me the best advice anyone has given me in a long time: "Create your own commandments, write them down and never sway from them. If you do - then you are not being yourself". </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Wow!!!! Really awesome!!!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">OK. Excited, I started writing them down and... </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So far, I have come up with only two of my own (the rest are from any and every religion's handbook - don't kill, don't hurt, etc). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The thing is: this whole commandments thing made me truly evaluate myself. Now, before I write my own commandments, I need to fully understand who I am, what I accept, what feeling/thought belongs to me; which one is an intruder? What do I like, dislike? At this time in my life, that is. I believe in evaluating my "soul" every so often to make sure everything is in top shape. Just like getting a physical every year to make sure I'm healthy. One might say 'inner spring cleaning'</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I started thinking about lots of values, opinions, thoughts that I have, or maybe I <i>don't</i> have.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Every little and big thing was evaluated under the “new management”. For example:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do I like lots of light in my place or do I like it dark? Minor thing, yes, but minor has a tendency of becoming major. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few years ago I discovered with a shock that I don’t like light-colored furniture as I thought I did. I like it dark. It was such an unexpected discovery that years later I still feel incredulous: how did I have such a wrong idea about my own taste? And for so long? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If I was so mistaken about the little things, what other more significant things have I missed?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I started thinking about those, and it became harder and harder still. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do I believe in marriage or what is my take on professional sports? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Are these my own thoughts? Or have they been passed down to me through ages, conditioned by society, got me convinced by someone's reasoning? ... ??? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well... I better get to work to find out then, don't I?</span></div>
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Anoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09327524937313561180noreply@blogger.com0