Category: commentary

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The Loss of Possibility

NeverEndingStory-LastOfFantasia
“Bastion, Fantasia is yours.”

“Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” – Gloria Steinem

Too many people these days disregard possibility. They spend so much time focusing on the now that they lose sight of the future. They forget that things we do now affect our future. It’s why regret comes in waves and knocks us down when we least expect it. I remember when I saw The Neverending Story for the first time, and I identified with the poor creatures and people in Fantasia who merely want to be acknowledged again by children and adults alike, by people who have lost their imaginations and their will to dream up things fantastic. I identify even more now with those creatures and people now than I did back then. The Nothing is taking over our world. Continue reading “The Loss of Possibility”

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Stay the Same?

0000755191_350“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” -Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

You know, I’ve heard this phrase nearly my whole life, and it seems like most people use it as a good excuse not to change, not to mix up their world and see what happens. Then they’re the same people who complain that nothing ever happens for them or to them, that their lives are boring and commonplace. If you want an extraordinary life, stop complaining and LIVE. Honestly, things stay the same because you don’t do what you need to do in order to change them. And I’m not denigrating others, just telling it like it is. While I’m at it, I do the same thing sometimes, and when I find myself complaining about the overwhelming sameness I stop in my tracks and ask myself what I’ve been doing to change things up. If the answer is a resounding “NOTHING,” then I go back to the drawing board and, to quote Michael Jackson, “make that change.” Continue reading “Stay the Same?”

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When It Rains…

When it rains I look out the window, just to see the droplets stick to the glass and slide down, expanding as they move, like a disappearing snail. When it rains I run outside in my t-shirt so I can get drenched to the skin, and I stand there shivering but laughing while the rain … Continue reading When It Rains…

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Call and Response

marching-band-black-on-white-mdHave you ever seen a marching band, where the leader carries a baton and goes, “Left. Left. Left. Right. Left.” and everyone in the band follows along in perfect rhythm, one foot after the other, completely in sync? I used to be a part of one of those marching bands, and I would often repeat the “Left. Right. Left.” in my head along with the leader. It kept me in line with everyone else, especially when I was also playing this huge bass drum pressed against my stomach at the same time. I liked the commands because they helped me to just go with it and not have to think. It’s the same reason people tend to gravitate toward songs that have specific dance moves attached to them, like the Macarena, the Hammer Dance, or even Gangnam Style. They like to let others do the work, and they sit back and enjoy the ride, but without those people who do the work, no marching, or dancing, would get done. It’s the glory of the call and response. Some are callers, and others are responders.

I’m usually a caller. I know, you’re probably shocked at that piece of news. I’m generally the person who starts most conversations, and if there is a lull I like to fill it with something. Some people would call me a leader, and I am that, but a caller is even more than that. A caller is the idea person, not just the one who barks out commands, the one who thinks ahead and knows that something will be needed and when. And it’s an innate sense, too. You can’t be taught to be a caller, and it’s not easy, but it’s fulfilling when a group you’re a part of needs to get something done efficiently and/or creatively. Responders also have a big job, too, though, to follow the instructions of the caller, to put those ideas into action, because without them whatever the grand task is doesn’t get done. With no dancers, there is no dance. Continue reading “Call and Response”

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Still

Dr_ Dre ft_ Snoop Dogg - Still D_R_E“Still rock my khakis with a cuff and a crease. Still got love for the streets, repping 213. Still the beat bangs. Still doing my thang. Since I left, ain’t too much changed. Still.” – Dr. Dre, Still D.R.E.

Still (adjective): remaining in place or at rest; motionless; stationary.

When was the last time you stood still, without moving, just stood there thinking whatever thoughts were in your head but not acting on them, just stood there listening to the silence, or the noise, or whatever else was going on around you? It feels good to do that every once in a while, but it gets harder and harder to do in this rapid-paced world in which we live every day of our lives. Even if you don’t live in a major city like Tokyo or Mexico City, it’s difficult to pause the world and its influence long enough to reflect.

And yet, reflection is the most important part of life, thinking about what we do before we do it, while we’re doing it, and after we do it, instead of flitting from one thing to the next with no chance to think about our reasoning or motivation for them. While I was studying possible questions for a job interview a few weeks ago it hit me: it’s tough to figure out, to define, and to verbalize my motivations. I know on a deep level why I do what I do, what my strengths and weaknesses are in a general sense, but how do I bring that up to the surface? Continue reading “Still”

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The F Word

GRADE_FI hear it everywhere, from on the streets, to at work, on television shows, and even from my own children. It’s pervasive in this culture, and I can’t stand it. Every single time I hear that word I want to scream because it’s probably the single most overused, and most incorrectly used, word in the language. When I was younger I used to use it to excess too, so I understand why it’s so widely used, but as I’ve gotten older it just grates on me and I want to say something every time I hear someone say it. The other day I was at work when a little kid was whining to her mom, and she said the F word. I wanted to say something to her, but her mother did it instead, explaining what that word really meant. I was proud of her; it’s not often that I hear anyone corrected for its use.

Then I told my seven-year old she couldn’t have her iPad this morning, and I heard it for the umpteenth time come out of her mouth.

“But Dad, it’s not FAIR!” she told me, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“It’s not fair that some people don’t have anything to eat while others waste food,” I said. “It’s not fair that other kids don’t have an iPad and you do. You want to give them yours?” Continue reading “The F Word”