The Sphinx's Riddle

What goes on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? A man, who crawls as a baby in the "morning," or beginning of his life, walks on two legs at "noon," or during the middle of life, and finally walks on three legs at the end of his life in the "evening," with a cane. This is a metaphorical depiction of how we humans grow in the most basic sense, presented in the famous "Sphinx's Riddle." It's interesting to see that we do in fact go through these three stages, whereas not many other species do-possibly none. Recently, I've been going through some immediate family stresses (the typical rebel child's need to get what they want), and I've found that this riddle is ironic in that it shows that no matter what you wish things could be, man starts out as a child on all fours with most care coming from mom and dad, grows to stand on his own two feet and becomes self-sufficient (to a certain extent in this day and age) and matures a bit, figuring out the "way of man," and then eventually must rely on a crutch-not necessarily a physical object, but every single person will have a point in their life where they need to lean on someone, and that is the "evening" part of one's life. When it starts to get dark, they must have help to carry on. I rather enjoy the way life puts this specific chain of events together, even with man possibly unaware of its presence. The "morning" part of man's life revolves greatly around teenagers and the puberty-induced stresses that come with that, not to mention the I-know-everything-and-should-get-my-way-because-I-said-so attitude that is so prominent in these adolescents. No wonder later on they need a crutch-beating your stick over another person's head usually results in being swept off your feet, cold to the ground!

Be Happy With What'cha Got

Sometimes, it's hard not to want more in your life. Not everything can be perfect, after all, but many people seem to want something else, something better than what they have (I myself am a victim of this). Maybe it's because we live in a world where everything changes each day, and today's tomorrow is the yesterday of today, but we as humans fail to realize sometimes is that you can't always have your cake and eat it too. One may simply stop to smell the roses, and get lost in the thorns. But if only we were to take our time and pace ourselves, we wouldn't be in such a hurry to get to the next big thing. I know it may seem like trying to hold oneself back from something is slightly contradictory from the advertisements and media pressure of today, but isn't most of that condensed truth-straying material anyway? So, I wonder sometimes if we the people (but not only America) could someday find a way to stop wanting what everyone else has (jealousy and envy) and start to realize what we've got. It's hard to see the beauty of something when one is blinded by the ugliness, so I believe we simply need to "slip on the glasses of reality," and finally see what we've been missing; that which is right in front of our noses.

Life Is But the Persuasion

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It's funny that many advertisements persuade people to buy things that they most likely don't need, don't actually want, and wouldn't buy otherwise. It's been a marketing tool of businesses since the 1920s, and the advertisers know just what the average consumer wants to hear. Advertisements are comprised of flowery language, pictures that sell, and rhetoric. Good old fashioned, persuasive rhetoric. Rhetoric is that which we find in all arguments; in the words of my English teacher, "everything in life is an argument, and persuasion comes with argument." Every time I see an ad for a new machine that supposedly makes things easier tenfold, I find it rather funny that they all use the same rhetorical device: overexaggeration by showing the consumer the extreme limits of the product. This is ridiculous, because who is really going to experiment with things such as that? Consumers buy these things, and then get them in the mail, how do they know that the machine really isn't all that it's cracked up to be? I personally have been a victim of the persuasion, as much as I hate to admit, because when something looks interesting, fun, new, and advanced, the consumer (this situation being myself) swipes that card straightaway. Too bad there's not much truth in advertisements-condensing the information is just one of the many evils advertisers have. Mwahaha!

People, Just People

Just recently, I was invited to an event on Facebook called, "You're Beautiful." It was an event that called for women (and men) to see themselves and others as beautiful, and not to degrade themselves as they may from day to day. I don't mean to seem cliche when I say this, but I see people as just what they are: people. Race, religion, so-called "social status," or even personality type, people are just people to me. Shy is my dispostion, and therefore people in general intimidate me because I feel as though I may screw up my first impression, but yet they are all people to me. I believe in equality, despite the fact that this world may never know true equality among the human race. So my question for this week (for myself and few readers) is how do you view yourself and others? Do you seem them as below you, above you, or just merely equal? Have we not all come to this earth in the same way, for similar (if not the same) purposes, and shouldn't we all have the same opportunity as everyone else? Take some time to think about the phrase "you're beautiful." What exactly does that mean? It entails some hardy concepts; much to swallow if one really thinks about it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and is more than skin deep; it's everything we see in this world; it is a rose in full bloom, a rainbow in full brilliance, a smile at full power. Beautiful is not just a word, it is an abstract concept that take much thought and true devotion to truly understand.

Destraction with Abstract

I believe I identify best with abstract concepts sometimes better than tangible, palpable concepts. I understand what it means to love much better than what being a politician entails. Mundane concepts don't really resonate with me very well, but fantastical elements, such as love and emotion, and imagination are very much my strong suit. Being a writer, I suppose I'm considered one of the few that do understand this concept better than most, but I also consider children to be one of those few as well. When a child runs to his mother and doesn't care about another thing in the world, has only eyes for her, that is true love. When a child cries out for something they want, that is true devotion and sheer want, but a kind of unadulterated want, the underlying concept of who we really are as a people, deep down. So who should say that we aren't allowed to love, aren't allowed to imagine, aren't allowed to see things in a different way, just because we don't have a true definition for them? The abstract doesn't take a rocket scientist to wrap your head around, it just takes some imagination and faith, perseverance and trust. Oh, but wait, those aren't things I can identify for you...

Change is Everything

Adjusting to the new conditions that I am faced with once again, (a new family; again), and a new job, and many new prospects waving hello to me right now in life; I have been faced with change so often, I find it almost normal for some routine that I've become accustomed to, to change. Sometimes, I find people think that change is difficult to handle, because it brings about new challenges and new obstacles. But, I suppose I embrace challenges and hardships better than some, because I enjoy change, actually I look forward to it. That may very well change someday (how ironic), because everyday things change slightly; we move forward each and every minute of our lives, and therefore change may very well take over my very being, and no longer have that connotation of positive and enjoyable. I find it rather funny that many students nowadays, are either very much adaptable to change, and actually find it boring sans-change, or they are the exact opposite: they enjoy falling into a pattern and doing the same thing everyday, so that no new hardships come their way. Actually, just today, I was in church, and the pastor spoke about inmates not wanting to embrace the change of being let out of the prison. So here's my quick question: is change a prison, in which we fear something becoming different and accelerating pain and suffering (or even the possibility of joy and happiness), or is it a paradise of sorts to where we can depart from the norm, and come to a new way of living or being?

A World That's Tired of Waking Up

Listening to a song on the radio and waking up every morning to a dark bedroom and the sound of cars on the highway outside got me thinking: isn't it tiring have to wake up every morning at a prescribed time? I suppose I understand why we have a certain time-clock, although unlike during the late 19th century, we needed a timed schedule for trains, nowadays, the only reason I see we needing times is for school and work, and who says we absolutely need those times to be the way they are? I've always loved the romanticized idea of what my dad says they do (or at least used to) in Africa. When the village had a town meeting, they would all meet somewhere, and everyone would come from their little houses or huts (or whatever they are in Africa, I'm none the wiser), but here's the catch: say they wanted to start the meeting at mid-day (note here that there isn't an exact time), each person, depending on how far away he lived from the meeting place, would leave his hut/house and start walking. They would all start walking, until they all met in the same place. Doesn't this sound like a much better system of meeting people? Well, maybe in a perfect world, we'd all live ten minutes away and could meet a little earlier. But is that necessarily a perfect world? Wake up people! It's not! "I've been sleeping in for days, 'cause when I am awake, I will have to face my life..." That's a line from one of my favorite songs, and it describes exactly what I feel every time I wake up. What I wouldn't give to get up at 6am, not to go to school or some robotronic workplace, but just to see the sunrise and watch as the day unfolds. Too bad I live in a world that's too tired to wake up.

Story of My Life

Often times when I'm working hard on homework I have, my dad will ask "Homework? Story of your life, eh?" This is quite comical to me, because I see everything as a story, and enjoy stories immensely. When I listen to a song, I don't care so much about the beat as much as I do about the message, the lyrical content. The mystery and depth of words, happenings, and emotions intrigue me more than anything else. I love how things seem to come together somehow when I read a story, especially a mystery or suspense/thriller novel. It fascinates me that we are all living our own story; we each have our own destiny and legacy, and each thing we encounter, each person we meet, is another character or event in the great "story of our lives." I've always thought I was a little odd, a little different, because I see things this way, but I suppose I'm just observant in my own quirky way. But doesn't it seem monumental that we can write our own story by all the things we do? All the choices we make? I'm sure excited! So, start writing your story (well, continue doing it) today, and even though that sounds totally cliche, it is very much happening all around us, and we must be the author of our lives, even if we believe in a divine author.

Master's Craft

A day to remember, is a day of the master's craft, when finally the beauty is bestowed upon the image; the flourishing splendor of color or music or talent is burst out into the world. When finally the master and his artwork may be reunited, and the music or artistry is revealed, both master and instrument may be at ease. Such as is a violin's player, or a novel's writer; everything goes together just perfectly to begin the chain of art in that which we call music or literature, theater or sport, entertainment or leisure. I've found that the master who knows his craft may be impressive to others around him, and the knowledge that the master has obtained or obtains, whether massive or measly, makes their craft even more renowned and revered. Seeing the delight and determination of a musician on stage lights a certain fire in an enthusiast, such as myself, and the audience holds onto the animated face of the master. I have found myself marveling at the very tethers of music and art, and wish to know more, no matter how much information I may already have under my belt. My one question is, if a master has his craft, and knows that, what should he do to make it his own, and what exactly can a "craft" be described as?

All in a Line

I noticed just last night that the way certain people organize things is rather funny. Glasses in three straight lines like Terra-Cotta warriors ready for battle (or thirst-quenching); long lines of people, slightly zigzagged in formation, but nonetheless organized; and the organization of we, the people. It's funny to think that we live so much in lines, whether they be straight, curvy, dashed, or broken, but when you think about it, lines are everywhere. So what does a line really represent? A prescribed path that we must follow, or a way we may go, that we may choose? Sometimes it seems that the lines are blurry, and we must splay our hands in front of us to try to "see" through the fog. But no matter what kind of lines we face, we are parallel on one thing that is certain: they are everywhere, so get in line.

In the Quiet

As I sit here alone in my dining room, I start to realize just what is going on around me. Being an inherently quiet individual, I tend to notice sounds and objects sometimes better than most; such as in a hushed environment, with the sound of a clicked mouse reverberating around the walls, shattering the simple silence that once rent the air. I come to realize that each key that surrenders to the weight of my fingers causes a tension to be released in the heavy, silent atmosphere. Why do I notice this just now? Because, it is at times like these where I find myself wondering why all of my inner dialogue stays inside my head. What I have to say may not always be accepted, but many a person has come out and said something, was not accepted for it, and yet made history. Take Rosa Parks: she spoke up for her color, and was thrown off the bus for it. But what that bus driver failed to realize was that she was about to make history, by standing up to society's order. So, maybe that's just what I need to do. Stand up to the order of how things seem to be prescribed for us nowadays. Muddle it over in your brain, or toss it away, but the idea that we should take a stand for the things we believe in isn't just a one-time question on a test or a simple, trivial answer. It is who we are as a people and what we believe in. And thus, I will do my best to struggle to my feet and speak up, be heard. Will you?