Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Trusting, Humble, Caring Man: Daru
"The Guest" by Albert Camu was a short story about three men named Balducci, Daru, and The Arab. I believe that Daru(school master) was a very influential and notable character in this story because he was a true character. Daru is a school master who during a during a snow storm he makes sure that the farm animals are fed and that the children are able to take a ration of flour home to their families. Although Daru is far better of economically than the others, he still wants to help them. He doesn't boast about his finer things which shows how humble he is. More so, when Daru finds out that the Arab isn't against himself or Balducci, he offers the Arab food and tea. He makes a large meal for the Arab and sets the food on the table, un ties his hands and lets him eat in peace. He doesn't even eat himself until the Arab has finished. Also, Daru is a very trusting person because he takes his gun out of his holster and sticks it in a drawer in the same room as the Arab. He doesn't feel like he has to be on his guard as much as he was told. After the day has ended he lets the Arab sleep in the same room as him still un tied. In the morning, Daru packs the Arab food and water and walks outside with him. Daru had already told Balducci that he did not want to take him to the prison where he was expected to be at. When Daru let's the Arab free from his custody, the Arab starts heading towards the prison. Daru stands there, confused and shocked. Daru's character was easy to identify in the story, he was a gentle person with good morals and someone who was very trustworthy.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Life's Little Journey
As a child growing up, I always remember my Mom telling me to marry a man who can build me a house, not buy me one. What is meant by this, is that it is important to remember that money is not something that should be valued at the same level as love. Money, can be a monetary fix; a band aid that momentarily makes a cut stop bleeding; but after you take the band aid off, there is usually scarring or bruising. Money can only be skin deep. Love, on the other hand, is the ability to be intuitive to other peoples deepest feelings. Love is someone who is patient, dedicated, talented and driven enough to build a house. You cut the wood, prime it and nail it together to put something meaningful inside such as a family, friends and loved ones. It is not something that can be bought in stores that can be easily replaced, or be bought for value.
According to Fromm, love is a characteristic that will give us the patience to learn to love and to treat other’s in our lives as we do in our work. He says also, that by practicing humility and respect in our interpersonal lives, we will be able to learn to love everything we come into contact with.
It was recently that I had a conversation regarding love and money with my friend’s older sister, whom I have never spoken with prior to this. She was saying that she valued love and money the same way because she felt that you needed each one to be happy in life. She proceeded to say that now a days it’s realistic to say that most relationships would value money because money can in turn give you happiness. It can give you the ability to live in nice houses, go on trips and overall live the American dream. I was a little confused by this because I felt that money can often times put a cloudy mask on things in relationships. More so, it tends to be the first thing couples argue about when discussing their futures. She told me that if I really valued love over money that I was absolutely lying to myself. The conversation pretty much escalated into a heated discussion of why I was dumb to think that love would conquer all. I know I might be a little corny at times and maybe overly optimistic but I would rather love someone for all the right reasons than the wrong.
Later, I found out that the older sister had come from a broken family. Her real Dad abandoned her with her three younger sisters and left no money. Her Mom was forced to give one of the sisters up to child protective services because she wasn’t fit to care for three children. More so, after her Mother eventually remarried, the step dad had paid for all medical expenses, a house, food, etc. It was almost as if a prayer had been answered for the family.
After knowing this information I started to think about the bigger picture. I began connecting the dots and how she might view love and money. Money, to her, was something that resembled a stable, healthy, and happy family. Money, was what got them a house and a roof over their head. It became a large value in the family because it brought the family back together again. The love may have been absent in the family or at least not shown as an emotion that was valued because her real dad had left her mother and three sisters. She might have related love and abandonment as the same thing. In addition, love has the ability to fade in and out, grow and decline. Money, on the other hand is something that once it is spent you have something to show for it. Whether or not you decide to put a loving family inside the house, you have a house none the less. Her priorities in life where to make sure her Mother and three sisters had a place to sleep at night. It was the top of her hierarchy of needs. Love was something that could come later.
I am really glad that I briefly got to talk to her because I feel like I would have walked away from the situation thinking that she was a shallow person. I would have been ignorant towards the fact that she came from a different up bringing than me. My perception on her changed dramatically after hearing her story and what she learned from her experience. It made me wonder if all of the times I had judged or overlooked other people, that I was in the wrong. I think that this is connected to what Carl Sagan believes
the reason why we have relationships with others is because we are all connected in order to make a meaning of life for ourselves. We are just one of billions and billions of pieces on this earth that create the bigger picture. He also says that if we can find the ability to look past ourselves; our selfishness, ego-centrism, we can find meaning in other people, and life. I believe that both Fromm and Sagan have excellent theories, ideas about life and loving. Life is a constant challenge; we walk and deepen our paths on earth. We trace our steps back to people who we’ve met and loved and we continue to leave a trail.
When we become aware and tolerant of the diversity in the world we can build ourselves to new heights. Taking all of life’s experiences and turning them into lessons can help us grow and develop relationships. Also, when we step outside our shoes and let our selves feel vulnerable, we allow ourselves to feel pain, truth and the reality of life. Sometimes it takes a gentle reminder, a sad story or a dramatic experience to realize that there are billions of people out there just like us, and yet so different than us all at the same time. That’s the beauty of life. Different stories. Different backgrounds. You never know who’s shoes you will walk in next.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
My Little Voice Within
I felt like I had hit rock bottom in my life. I felt completely discouraged, defeated and powerless about the decisions and choices I was faced with and it felt like I was trying to make sense and organization out of a tornado that had just taken everything familiar and secure in my life and blew it away.
More so, I felt like there was a giant hole in the center of my invisible body; I walked around absent mindedly and came into contact with many important friends and family members. They couldn’t see me, nor hear me, but I could feel them. I felt all of their fears, stress, problems and dreams crash through me like white water rapids. Every inch of my entire being had been consumed with mental and physical pain.
It wasn’t until I heard Christina Aguilera’s song “The Voice Within.” that made me realize how much this song had a particular impact on my life and the way that I live. Personally, I’ve never been a big of her music but for some reason this seems to be the song I keep coming back to for any occasion whether it’s to cheer me up, calm me down or bring me back to re live certain memories. There are only a few instruments that I can identify which are the piano, and the symbols. The piano plays a soft, sweet and slow melody that almost resembles church music. The momentum of Christina’s voice gives the song power, meaning and strength. She makes the song come alive with her down to earth lyrics. She says “When there’s no one else, look inside yourself, like your oldest friend just trust the voice within then you’ll find the strength that will guide your way, you’ll learn to begin to trust the voice within.” Just as Watts, Christina expresses an idea about life through her lyrics.
I believe that this song is very important because it very relatable. It doesn’t matter your age, ethnicity, values, goals, beliefs etc. The song discusses how anyone who has ever felt stress, discouragement, fear or isolation in their life can find a “voice” within them that will provide strength and guidance in making decisions in their life. Metaphorically this represents our ability to believe in ourselves and to believe that we are capable of anything we set our minds to. Also, that we have to trust ourselves to have control over the decisions we make, whether they are right or wrong they map the road which we walk our journey on. We are all artists in life, how we express ourselves varies from each individual. Some may live life as dancers, painters, architects, scientists, mothers, farmers, teachers etc. but at the end of the day everyone has to make decisions regarding their life. Every decision that we make is responsible for an affect on who we are as a person and how we learn and behave.
In addition, I found that this video really helped me deal with the problems in my life. I was feeling overwhelmed by all of the stresses and concerns that I felt I needed to be responsible for other people. I had no feeling of stability or control and I was loosing hope in myself as well as the world. I really like the video because it has such a real simplistic feeling to it. There is something so human, vulnerable and personal about it that I find comforting. The video is inspiring, beautiful and freeing.
I live my life with security knowing that at the end of the day even if I’m alone I can rely on myself to make decisions. I live my life knowing that there isn’t anyone who can prepare me for how hard life is. It isn’t something can be described, taught or learned by anyone other than yourself. There’s no book or rules that can help prepare us for the types of decisions we will have to face but there is that little voice within us that can help us make those decisions confidently. Nobody should feel alone in life, we are all experiencing the same things in one way or another.
After hearing the song “Voices Within” for the first time I felt like I was watching movie of my own life playing in slow motion in my head. Every important person, event, and memory that had a significant meaning to me consumed my mind and body. It was as if I was experiencing an outer body experience. I was watching myself spinning in a chair and watching my entire twenty two years of life un fold in front of my eyes. The more the song played, the louder it seemed to get and the more uniform my thoughts became to be. In addition, I felt this overwhelming sense of freedom and confidence. It was like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I could literally fly off the ground at any moment.
More so, I felt like there was a giant hole in the center of my invisible body; I walked around absent mindedly and came into contact with many important friends and family members. They couldn’t see me, nor hear me, but I could feel them. I felt all of their fears, stress, problems and dreams crash through me like white water rapids. Every inch of my entire being had been consumed with mental and physical pain.
It wasn’t until I heard Christina Aguilera’s song “The Voice Within.” that made me realize how much this song had a particular impact on my life and the way that I live. Personally, I’ve never been a big of her music but for some reason this seems to be the song I keep coming back to for any occasion whether it’s to cheer me up, calm me down or bring me back to re live certain memories. There are only a few instruments that I can identify which are the piano, and the symbols. The piano plays a soft, sweet and slow melody that almost resembles church music. The momentum of Christina’s voice gives the song power, meaning and strength. She makes the song come alive with her down to earth lyrics. She says “When there’s no one else, look inside yourself, like your oldest friend just trust the voice within then you’ll find the strength that will guide your way, you’ll learn to begin to trust the voice within.” Just as Watts, Christina expresses an idea about life through her lyrics.
I believe that this song is very important because it very relatable. It doesn’t matter your age, ethnicity, values, goals, beliefs etc. The song discusses how anyone who has ever felt stress, discouragement, fear or isolation in their life can find a “voice” within them that will provide strength and guidance in making decisions in their life. Metaphorically this represents our ability to believe in ourselves and to believe that we are capable of anything we set our minds to. Also, that we have to trust ourselves to have control over the decisions we make, whether they are right or wrong they map the road which we walk our journey on. We are all artists in life, how we express ourselves varies from each individual. Some may live life as dancers, painters, architects, scientists, mothers, farmers, teachers etc. but at the end of the day everyone has to make decisions regarding their life. Every decision that we make is responsible for an affect on who we are as a person and how we learn and behave.
In addition, I found that this video really helped me deal with the problems in my life. I was feeling overwhelmed by all of the stresses and concerns that I felt I needed to be responsible for other people. I had no feeling of stability or control and I was loosing hope in myself as well as the world. I really like the video because it has such a real simplistic feeling to it. There is something so human, vulnerable and personal about it that I find comforting. The video is inspiring, beautiful and freeing.
I live my life with security knowing that at the end of the day even if I’m alone I can rely on myself to make decisions. I live my life knowing that there isn’t anyone who can prepare me for how hard life is. It isn’t something can be described, taught or learned by anyone other than yourself. There’s no book or rules that can help prepare us for the types of decisions we will have to face but there is that little voice within us that can help us make those decisions confidently. Nobody should feel alone in life, we are all experiencing the same things in one way or another.
After hearing the song “Voices Within” for the first time I felt like I was watching movie of my own life playing in slow motion in my head. Every important person, event, and memory that had a significant meaning to me consumed my mind and body. It was as if I was experiencing an outer body experience. I was watching myself spinning in a chair and watching my entire twenty two years of life un fold in front of my eyes. The more the song played, the louder it seemed to get and the more uniform my thoughts became to be. In addition, I felt this overwhelming sense of freedom and confidence. It was like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I could literally fly off the ground at any moment.
My Little Voice Within
I felt like I had hit rock bottom in my life. I felt completely discouraged, defeated and powerless about the decisions and choices I was faced with and it felt like I was trying to make sense and organization out of a tornado that had just taken everything familiar and secure in my life and blew it away.
More so, I felt like there was a giant hole in the center of my invisible body; I walked around absent mindedly and came into contact with many important friends and family members. They couldn’t see me, nor hear me, but I could feel them. I felt all of their fears, stress, problems and dreams crash through me like white water rapids. Every inch of my entire being had been consumed with mental and physical pain.
It wasn’t until I heard Christina Aguilera’s song “The Voice Within.” that made me realize how much this song had a particular impact on my life and the way that I live. Personally, I’ve never been a big of her music but for some reason this seems to be the song I keep coming back to for any occasion whether it’s to cheer me up, calm me down or bring me back to re live certain memories. There are only a few instruments that I can identify which are the piano, and the symbols. The piano plays a soft, sweet and slow melody that almost resembles church music. The momentum of Christina’s voice gives the song power, meaning and strength. She makes the song come alive with her down to earth lyrics. She says “When there’s no one else, look inside yourself, like your oldest friend just trust the voice within then you’ll find the strength that will guide your way, you’ll learn to begin to trust the voice within.” Just as Watts, Christina expresses an idea about life through her lyrics.
I believe that this song is very important because it very relatable. It doesn’t matter your age, ethnicity, values, goals, beliefs etc. The song discusses how anyone who has ever felt stress, discouragement, fear or isolation in their life can find a “voice” within them that will provide strength and guidance in making decisions in their life. Metaphorically this represents our ability to believe in ourselves and to believe that we are capable of anything we set our minds to. Also, that we have to trust ourselves to have control over the decisions we make, whether they are right or wrong they map the road which we walk our journey on. We are all artists in life, how we express ourselves varies from each individual. Some may live life as dancers, painters, architects, scientists, mothers, farmers, teachers etc. but at the end of the day everyone has to make decisions regarding their life. Every decision that we make is responsible for an affect on who we are as a person and how we learn and behave.
In addition, I found that this video really helped me deal with the problems in my life. I was feeling overwhelmed by all of the stresses and concerns that I felt I needed to be responsible for other people. I had no feeling of stability or control and I was loosing hope in myself as well as the world. I really like the video because it has such a real simplistic feeling to it. There is something so human, vulnerable and personal about it that I find comforting. The video is inspiring, beautiful and freeing.
I live my life with security knowing that at the end of the day even if I’m alone I can rely on myself to make decisions. I live my life knowing that there isn’t anyone who can prepare me for how hard life is. It isn’t something can be described, taught or learned by anyone other than yourself. There’s no book or rules that can help prepare us for the types of decisions we will have to face but there is that little voice within us that can help us make those decisions confidently. Nobody should feel alone in life, we are all experiencing the same things in one way or another.
After hearing the song “Voices Within” for the first time I felt like I was watching movie of my own life playing in slow motion in my head. Every important person, event, and memory that had a significant meaning to me consumed my mind and body. It was as if I was experiencing an outer body experience. I was watching myself spinning in a chair and watching my entire twenty two years of life un fold in front of my eyes. The more the song played, the louder it seemed to get and the more uniform my thoughts became to be. In addition, I felt this overwhelming sense of freedom and confidence. It was like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I could literally fly off the ground at any moment.
Christina Aguilera - The Voice Within
Uploaded by MyAngel_Xtina. - See the latest featured music videos.
More so, I felt like there was a giant hole in the center of my invisible body; I walked around absent mindedly and came into contact with many important friends and family members. They couldn’t see me, nor hear me, but I could feel them. I felt all of their fears, stress, problems and dreams crash through me like white water rapids. Every inch of my entire being had been consumed with mental and physical pain.
It wasn’t until I heard Christina Aguilera’s song “The Voice Within.” that made me realize how much this song had a particular impact on my life and the way that I live. Personally, I’ve never been a big of her music but for some reason this seems to be the song I keep coming back to for any occasion whether it’s to cheer me up, calm me down or bring me back to re live certain memories. There are only a few instruments that I can identify which are the piano, and the symbols. The piano plays a soft, sweet and slow melody that almost resembles church music. The momentum of Christina’s voice gives the song power, meaning and strength. She makes the song come alive with her down to earth lyrics. She says “When there’s no one else, look inside yourself, like your oldest friend just trust the voice within then you’ll find the strength that will guide your way, you’ll learn to begin to trust the voice within.” Just as Watts, Christina expresses an idea about life through her lyrics.
I believe that this song is very important because it very relatable. It doesn’t matter your age, ethnicity, values, goals, beliefs etc. The song discusses how anyone who has ever felt stress, discouragement, fear or isolation in their life can find a “voice” within them that will provide strength and guidance in making decisions in their life. Metaphorically this represents our ability to believe in ourselves and to believe that we are capable of anything we set our minds to. Also, that we have to trust ourselves to have control over the decisions we make, whether they are right or wrong they map the road which we walk our journey on. We are all artists in life, how we express ourselves varies from each individual. Some may live life as dancers, painters, architects, scientists, mothers, farmers, teachers etc. but at the end of the day everyone has to make decisions regarding their life. Every decision that we make is responsible for an affect on who we are as a person and how we learn and behave.
In addition, I found that this video really helped me deal with the problems in my life. I was feeling overwhelmed by all of the stresses and concerns that I felt I needed to be responsible for other people. I had no feeling of stability or control and I was loosing hope in myself as well as the world. I really like the video because it has such a real simplistic feeling to it. There is something so human, vulnerable and personal about it that I find comforting. The video is inspiring, beautiful and freeing.
I live my life with security knowing that at the end of the day even if I’m alone I can rely on myself to make decisions. I live my life knowing that there isn’t anyone who can prepare me for how hard life is. It isn’t something can be described, taught or learned by anyone other than yourself. There’s no book or rules that can help prepare us for the types of decisions we will have to face but there is that little voice within us that can help us make those decisions confidently. Nobody should feel alone in life, we are all experiencing the same things in one way or another.
After hearing the song “Voices Within” for the first time I felt like I was watching movie of my own life playing in slow motion in my head. Every important person, event, and memory that had a significant meaning to me consumed my mind and body. It was as if I was experiencing an outer body experience. I was watching myself spinning in a chair and watching my entire twenty two years of life un fold in front of my eyes. The more the song played, the louder it seemed to get and the more uniform my thoughts became to be. In addition, I felt this overwhelming sense of freedom and confidence. It was like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I could literally fly off the ground at any moment.
Christina Aguilera - The Voice Within
Uploaded by MyAngel_Xtina. - See the latest featured music videos.
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