Posts Tagged ‘human beings’

Am I?

Posted: June 23, 2012 in free, inspiration, philosophy, poetry, quote, Quotes, writing
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Am I an anomaly?

Standing up for what I believe.

Accepting that everything is a part of me

 –

Am I an aberration?

Living in my imagination.

Hoping for a free global nation

Reading a book series in which these words are used frequently, this sprung out of no where while I was reading a chapter yesterday. Thought I would share. I think I would rather be both an anomaly and an aberration than someone who goes along with the norm just to fit in and be safe. I’m an out-of-the-box kind of girl 🙂

(The series is Matched/Crossed/Reached by Ally Condie)

The Rambling Continues from The Non-Knower of Things

Posted: May 24, 2012 in philosophy, thought, writing
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Whenever I bring up (in conversation) population size/growth I always get the “Lindsay’s at it again, that girl is crazy!” side glances.

Am I the only one who thinks that over population of our planet is one of our biggest worries?

In the short 24 years I’ve been on this planet we have put over a billion people on it! Is this not completely absurd? I can only imagine how many people we will create in the next 24, 50, 100 years.

I have given up on the thought of having my own children simply because of these figures. I cannot knowingly put more beings on this planet, while there are millions of children, teens and adults alike starving for a better life (I hope to adopt one day). This does not mean that I am in any way against people having children of their own. My sister gave birth to twins a little under a month ago and I have begun to worry about their future. Will they have enough food to eat, water to drink, air to breathe when they are my age or older? Will their children or their children’s, children be starved of these necessities? What kind of life will they live on this depleting planet?

I thought the reason for procreation was about the survival of the species? To create a new generation of species hopefully stronger and more resilient than the last. Now reproduction seems more of a recreation, than a survival mechanism. We are taught (at least in western society) that the measure of a good life is getting and education, entering a career, finding a mate and having children. This is a good life…or is it? We seem to be breeding at excessively high rates and the offspring, I find aren’t stronger or more adaptable than the last. In fact, they are in many ways weaker(this generation is expected to be the first generation that will not outlive their parents). I agree that every generation opens their mind a bit more which is promising but the fact that we are still teaching our children to rely so heavily on non-renewable resources and technology, frightens me. These things will too run out, these things will too come to an end and then what?

I was born in the late eighties, both my grandparents and parents grew up without television, without running water, my dad(along with his brothers) even hunted pheasants and rabbits to put food on the table. I grew up hearing “When I was a kid we didn’t have blah, blah, blah.” I was always highly aware that the conveniences of today were just that, conveniences. I worry that the kids born in the new millennia will never care to learn about how life was before the industrialized revolution. When I was young the past was still very close, only 40-50 years earlier were things much different. However, today it is closer to a century, we are living in the science fiction novels of the late 1800 and early 1900’s. It is hard even for me sometimes to see how far we have come in such a short period of time, hard mainly because it is worrisome. We move so fast in todays society, barely able to wait for the next big thing, already working on the next big thing before the last big thing even came out. Only the big thing is not saving us, it’s killing us.

Here is a few concepts for thought. We spend all this time and money on finding a cure for cancer, surgeries for obesity, pills for mental illness, but we spend little to no time on figuring out why these have become so common in our society. I think it is something like 1-4 people will have some type of cancer in their life, 42% of Americans are over-weight and it seems that almost everyone knows someone who has or had some form of metal illness (I myself have family members currently fighting with all three of these diseases). Why can we not put some effort into figuring out what is causing this cancer, this obesity, this mental illness?(these are only a few of the problems we face daily).

I for one believe much of it is coming from the food we put into our bodies that is laced with chemicals and jam packed with ridiculous amounts of salt and sugar. The air we breathe everyday, all day is becoming more and more contaminated. We are demolishing the very things this planet needs to support our livelihood. We are not even close to as active as we were just 50 years ago, we also live in a high stress, face paced global society, which leaves us with little to no time for meditation and reflection. People rarely take the time to be grateful for what they have because they always think they need more, that they have the right for more.

I am not suggesting I have the answers to these problems. I am not a scholar, but I am a human, a human that is hoping for a better future for all life on this planet. I still have hope for mankind (even with all it’s issues) I feel we can make a change if we start talking about the things that we are ignoring everyday, and start putting action to our words.

This seems to be another one of those blogs where I start somewhere and end up somewhere completely different. I don’t want to these words to be preachy. I am not the knower of all things, I only write what I feel, and today and many days this is how I feel. Why I worry about these things, I do not know, all I know is I do, I worry for you and me, for the trees and the bees! (always good to end a serious blog with a rhyme!)

Peace and Love

Lindsay, The Non-Knower of things 🙂

Seems Odd…Doesn’t it?…

Posted: May 23, 2012 in inspiration, open, philosophy, think about it, writing
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wordsofhonestunwisdom

I have read a few articles within the past year stating that Legalizing Gay Marriage would be America’s downfall and that accepting the gay rights movement could corrupt the world’s youth. Strewing morals of who people are supposed to love. This astonishes me!

Let me ask you this, was the Women’s Rights movement a downfall for humanity? Was the African-American Civil Rights movement a downfall to society? Of course not, these were not hindrances to the world these improved it. How can acceptance and recognition and equality hurt humanity?

What hurts us as a Global population are things like bombing/killing/blowing up other people and countries thinking that this is the only way to get a point across; Or letting whole countries and continents starve as others exceedingly prosper; Genocide, Xenophobia, Judgement, Stereotypes, Greed, Power. These are the things that cause hate, suffering and despair in the world.

I find…

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Posted: May 5, 2012 in Books, open, philosophy, Quotes, writing
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I recently began reading 1984 by George Orwell and was struck by this line “It’s a beautiful thing , the destruction of words.”
For those of you who are not familiar with the novel it is about a Dystopian society in which the entire population is under surveillance 24/7 and the language is continually broken down to the bare minimum needed to communicate (newspeak). By destroying words the government (Big Brother) is able to control how people think, understand and interact with each other.
After reading that line I instantly remembered writing this blog (watch your language) and I was slightly shocked at myself! There IS a reason we have synonyms they are not useless (what was I thinking?!). I think sometimes I am frustrated with people using words improperly and in inappropriate ways which can lead to miscommunication. I still however do believe that silence is a virtue, and that when we are truly silent we can hear what is most important!
Peace and Love
Lindsay

wordsofhonestunwisdom

The older I get the more I have noticed that Language is in many ways a hinderance to humanity. I remember being a kid and saying a word over and over until it didn’t even sound like a real word. This exercise made me question Who decides words? Who said that one is one not two? Who said up was up an not down? I then started to wonder what if everything I knew as language was backwards. What if what we know as red was actually called green? This intrigued me.

As I reached what some would call Adulthood I noticed another thing about Language, Tone. I had long heard the phase It’s not what you say but how you say it. As an adolescent I hated the phrase. To me I delivered words of rebellion in the same way I delivered words in usual conversation. Being…

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When You’re Maditude Think of Gratitude

Posted: April 26, 2012 in inspiration, philosophy, Quotes
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Sometimes when we are struggling and suffering in our lives we tend to become angry at the situation we are in. Often times asking The Universe “Why me? Can it get any worse? How did this happen?” As I have gotten older (even though I still consider myself a kid, even though I’m not) I have realized that becoming angry at any situation does not make it better. Being grateful however, can make your mood about the situation change. Next time you are facing adversity stop and take a moment to be grateful for all the things you do have and the things that bring you joy and happiness. I know it can be extremely hard to follow this advice and I too am one who can be known to fight gratefulness. Sometimes when your down you don’t want to focus on the good because everything around you appears bad. So next time you’re having a difficult time in life, struggling or just being unhappy think about these few words below. Think about all that you do have and not what you are losing or fighting. Just being grateful for breathing can have a powerful affect on your psyche.

“Change your Attitude to Gratitude.” (These words just popped into my head this morning, I love it when that happens!)

Love me some Einstein, What a Smart Guy!

Posted: April 25, 2012 in inspiration, open, Quotes
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Zen Einstein…..

White

Posted: April 22, 2012 in story, writing
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This is the beginning of a story I started to write. The story ended up morphing/growing into something else and this no longer fit with the idea, but I really loved this opening and even though it’s not finished and slightly abrupt I still had the urge to share it with you all.

White. White. White. White walls, white ceiling, white floor. If a color could make a person go crazy, white, would be that color.

White clock, white pen, white file. White.

Sitting surrounded by all the blankness that is the color white made her anxiety grow stronger.

Tick.

Tick, tick, tick.

If an object could make a person go crazy, a clock would be that object. As if people didn’t notice the passing of time enough, they had to add an insidious ticking sound to keep you informed of every second lapsing.

The combination of the whiteness and ticking was pushing her over the edge. She closed her eyes to avoid the horrid glare and lifted her hands to hers ears. She tried to relax but that was a lost cause she hadn’t felt relaxed since she was five. After years of emotional distress she had virtually lost the entire concept of what it meant to relax. Her hands began to sweat and she could feel her heart pounding in her ears. She couldn’t sit there much longer, she began to bounce her knees, nausea crept up into her stomach like a familiar stranger lurking in the shadows. She wouldn’t be able to last any longer, she needed to get out of there before she hurled all over the ugly white walls. Just as she was about to get up a muffled voice saved her and pulled her back into reality.

“Ms. Brooks?” A hand reached out and touched her shoulder, she flinched and opened her eyes, she stared at the woman stunned by her contact.

“Ms. Brooks, are you okay? Do you need a glass of water?”

She couldn’t put together any words just a simple vertical nod. The woman, a short redhead, with far too much make-up for her age, scurried across the white floor with her white sneakers; they squeaked as the rubber collided with the linoleum. She reached the water cooler, filled a cup and shuffled her way back, squeak, squeak, squeak. Tick, tick, white.

“Here you go Ms. Brooks,” she held the cup in front of her face.

White. A white cup.

How did she expect her to drink water out of a white cup? White is what go her into this position. She took one look at the cup and without thinking swatted it out of the redhead’s hand. Oxygen was simultaneously extracted from the air and pulled into everyone’s lungs, a gasp was heard from all mouths.

“I’m sorry, I just– I just don’t like the color white,” she stammered, sounding slightly confused by her confession.

“No need to explain Ms. Brooks, I don’t like it either. Dr. Willows will see you now.”

She rose from the chair, but she couldn’t move forward. She was stuck in this white box, that ticked, that squeaked, that blinded. The box held her, consumed her and deprived her of rational thought.

Tick. Tick. White.

Am I an Adult Yet?!

Posted: April 15, 2012 in inspiration, philosophy, think about it, writing
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I found this note as I was perusing my Facebook and I had to laugh. I wrote this Blog right before my 19th Birthday about becoming an adult and what that means. Surprisingly I still agree with much of the things I wrote, all except one. I don’t think at 18/19 you’re an adult. Hell I’m almost 24 and I still struggle with the possibility that I am becoming an adult. These days I try to hang onto anything that can be considered youthful (i.e. my imagination and love for colouring books lol). I thought I would share this blog with you all in hopes that maybe you would get a laugh out of it or maybe even some support or inspiration. It’s fun/nostalgic to look back on your former, younger self. I almost feel like a completely different person (I guess I kind of am!) Hope you enjoy and please if you have anything to contribute to the concepts of adulthood please do!

Things I learned after I turned 18, and moved out: (August 2, 2007)

Now that I am fast approaching my 19th birthday I think it is fitting to look back on this year, and the many things I have learned that come with becoming an adult and moving out. So, when you turn 18 you don’t really feel any different. I mean of course there is the obvious excitement of graduating and becoming what you so longed to be an “adult”. But not till now did I realise what it really means to be an adult. Adulthood is not something that can fully be described, because you cannot fully understand it until you are there. Here are some of the interesting, funny, and stressful things I learned in the past year of becoming an adult.

1. Family is always there for you, no matter how much they anger you, no matter if you hate them and are frustrated with them, they will always be there. You have to learn to swallow your pride, and go back to them when there’s no one else. And yes I know it’s hard, but it has to happen and it will happen.

2. You don’t know everything. Contrary to what you may think now, it’s true. And once you take the time to realise that you don’t know everything, you actually learn more. You become more open to new ideas, and see that sometimes your wrong and sometimes you need help.

3. Responsibility sucks, yeah that’s right I said it. Seriously being in charge of your own life is not as peachy as it sounds. Simple decisions become stressful and you need to make choices that used to be made for you. For example, going to school or doing your homework. You need to decide and make choices that can make or break your life, and that’s stressful and hard, and ongoing…but don’t worry it does get easier the more choices you make.

4. Grocery shopping is harder than it looks. You soon learn why your mom never bought the food you wanted, why because it’s expensive, and honestly not that good for you. I know it sucks to hear, but eating healthy is important and you have a new respect for it once you get over puking from all the junk you eat when you first leave.

5.Your parents were right when they told you to go to bed early. I mean not that I obey this rule now because I don’t, but you do realise that once a week you should go to bed at a reasonable hour. Trust me you will feel refreshed and be ready for another late night on the town.

6. Friends will be lost. Yes, people your best friend from elementary school will grow up to, and in turn you may grow apart. I experienced much of this in the past year. When you become and adult so do your friends and your like and dislikes become different and in turn you may grow apart. Not to say that this happens in every situation but just know to be prepared to lose some friends.

7. New friends will be gained. You will meet new people and maybe even meet people who will change your life. You may even find your best friends in this stage. During stressful, awkward, and tough times you are forced to bond will people who are going through the same situation. In my case this was my roommate and a girl I met in my first semester English class. I know it’s hard to think of the positive in this crazy year, but I have two of the best friends ever thanks to it.

8. Budgeting money is important. Again your parents were right when they told you to save up. Okay I know this is starting to become a “parents are always right” article, but surprisingly they are right about lots of things. Budgeting money is hard but it has to be done, and soon wants get put on the back burner and needs are what you focus on.

9. Good Times are to be had. So most of these things may seem negative or depressing, but seriously this past year, even with all the stress has been one of the best of my life. You learn to laugh at the situation you are in and make light of it, and you learn how to change it for the better. Like I say you have to dig through all the crap to get to all the good times.

So to all the youngins out there fast approaching adulthood, don’t be worried, don’t be sad just be prepared. Soon you will be experiencing some of the best memories you’ll ever have. Just remember this little tid bit, digging for gold never came without cost but the payoff is worth it. And I encourage you all to no matter what keep on digging, and pushing, and fighting, life it gets easier, trust me I went through it.

I love how I suggested that I went through life, I had barely lived at all yet, oh the naivety of youth! 

Racing, Running, Pacing, Gunning (in honour of poetry month)

Posted: April 8, 2012 in open, poetry, writing
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Racing in the sun, searching desperately for my gun.

Running as far from the pain, how much can my heart contain?

Pacing away anxiety, if only I believed in a deity.

Gunning for a place that’s free, wishing only to believe.

Sometimes I Ramble, This is One of Those Times

Posted: March 31, 2012 in free, inspiration, open, philosophy, think about it, writing
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I am constantly surprised by how people I know and love think about the world and the people in it. I recently had a discussion with a friend about how much people generalize humans into specific groups, whether it be gender, sexual orientation, race, culture or career. Where I am from there is many misconceptions about First Nations/Native/Indian/Aboriginal people. Many people describe this race as being alcoholics/lazy/addicts/bums/dirty/homeless people. There is a terrible history between what you may classify settlers of Canada and the original people from the continent, the First Nations. I do not wish to get into the specifics but there was many wars and disagreements and conflicts that eventually ended in the signing of the Treaties. Sadly this did not end the hate and bigotry towards the race, in some ways it made the judgments and generalizations worse.

This brings me to a conversation I recently had with a friend. I was fighting my point that you just cannot generalize any group of people (on this day we were specifically talking about aboriginals) because not all people are the same not matter what “group” you may personally assign them to. This friend then gave me the example of two apple trees:

On one side you have an apple tree that produces mainly bright red, perfect apples, that appear to be the best apples out there however, this  tree produces a few apples that are misshapen, brown and mushy. On the other side you have the same kind of apple tree that appears to produce predominantly bad apples that aren’t as appealing as the others. But again on that same tree there is also bright red, crisp, perfect apples that look the same as the other attractive apples on the opposite tree. The friend then asked Which tree do you pick apples from, which tree to you water and keep alive? The tree with the abundance of “good” apples or the tree with mostly “bad” apples?

I answered honestly, in the fact that innately if it was for survival I would probably pick from the “good” apple tree and support its life. However, if I was being logical I would simply pick the “good” apples from both trees and support growth of both trees since neither tree was completely without flaw. I also implied that it was not realistic to use a metaphor about a plants and apply it to human behaviour.

This friend was not enthused by my answer and suggested that I, as well as everyone would choose the good tree because we live in a survival of the fittest world. I began to explain that I don’t believe we live in that kind of reality anymore (at least in the western world) I believe we don’t have to leave the sick/weak/suffering/struggling to die or rot in their own life just so we can keep on living. I believe (in this day) we have the power overcome what some may call our innate sense of selfishness, our ability to pick out peoples differences and avoid things that make us uncomfortable. I told this friend that I believed this because I live it. I work on breaking through my judgments and stereotypes because I meet people who break the ideals I or society have imposed upon them. This friend still believed that it was not possible for me to do what I am doing, and we ended the discussion at that.

The funny thing is if it wasn’t possible for me to break through my own misconceptions then I wouldn’t have been able to keep this person as a friend. Just because he/she had these stereotypes about these people I didn’t judge him/her. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, that is my opinion. There is a reason that I did not use a name in this blog, because this blog is not about attacking someone for their beliefs its about understanding that not all people have or rather choose to have an open mind. Sometimes people find that living inside the box is safer, easier and more fruitful. Being on the outside I can only reach my hand in and offer a possible way out.

I enjoy to having these kinds of discussions with people. I like to talk about things that may cause them discomfort or anxiety in an attempt to make them think or see things differently. I don’t know if this friend ever thought of our discussion again, but I know I think about it often. It just makes me wonder what other things people believe, what other things people think they know about the world. It also worries me that still in this day people are so consumed in their own ideas and opinions. When will we stop thinking of the world as billions of individuals with certain characteristics trying to survive and start thinking of it as one solid system of life, love and happiness?

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