Friday, May 27, 2011

A Little Wisdom to Share...

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it.

A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you
.Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

2012

2012. We all know the story (?)...the ancient Myan, best known for the classical civilizations of Mesoamerica as well as the infamous "calendar" they created - beginning in what would be August of 3114 BC (fathom that for a second) and inexplicably ending December 21 of 2012, in what many believe to be a doomsday or cosmio-shift event.

Pardon my breif emphasis on self-education before panic...December 21, 2012 is actually a "mile-marker" in the way ancient Mayans counted their days. Essentially, it is the 14th " b'ak'tun ", which is similar to how we measure decades, centuries, etc...the only difference being theirs primarily measured in base-20 compared to our Western Civilization measurements of base-10 (decade = 10 yrs, century = 100 yrs, and so on).

With that in mind, this actually seemed like a genuine stopping point, no? If I was in charge of the calendar, which accurately predicted eclipses and other natural phenomona of that nature, I'd say by the time I got to ol' #14, I'd say to fuck with a 15th b'ak'tun. I don't have the energy. My soaps are about to come on anyways, I'd say.

And the counter-argument...

Global warming. Birds falling dead from the sky in thousands at once. Oil spills. Fish dying for no apparent reason. Justin Beiber.

Some serious arguments...(I promise I'll make this entertaining by the end, just you stay put and let me learn you something!)

1) Changes in the sun's magnetic field
 - This is indeed "scheduled" for 2012-2013. And many scientists predict up to a 50% strength increase since its last peak. But this will still be FAR from the strongest peak ever recorded...we'll still be here.

2) An asteriod will smash into Earth
- The only asteriod at the moment worth watching that could cause damage by impact is not scheduled to get here until 2029, and is, at the moment, considered a 1 in 250,000 chance of colliding.

Other than that, most of the other arguments either make no scientific sense! Let's leave this "Y2K" clone alone for just a moment and stop falling for the money-making scare tatics!

Do you really trust this guy knows the fate of the world and mankind as we know it (see top right)? And, what, is this guy supposed to save us (see bottom right)?

How will the world end? Really, there's only one realistic answer in my eyes...and that's either tragic natural phenomona (asteriods, I'm looking at you here...somebody needs to cryogenically freeze Bruce Willis until its time...) or general lack of care for our planet and atmosphere. I'm not saying Al Gore is a prophet, but I am saying that not fucking up the world for profit should be a concern at this point. It seems to me that the way we treat the Earth is like a 85 year old smoking Marbolos. They know its not good for them, but fuck it, they're going to die anyways, right?

But, believe it or not, life goes on after us...

So while I do agree that there are signs of the apocolypse (See Mariah Carey, "Glitter") and things seem a bit unsual (see Cruise, Tom), this is just the sign of the times and nothing more. Fireworks scared those birds! (OK, I know...the idea of these birds being in a cult and drinking the same punch seems a bit more accurate than fireworks giving 2000 birds simultaneous heartattacks...)

But maybe, in 2012, people will actually start living...by every sense of the definition. But why start then? Do we know what's going to happen tonight? Tomorrow? The end of the world could be January 8th, 2011 or January 8th, 4011...is the thing we are supposed to learn from this to, in a cliche' way, "live like you are dying"? Do the things you dream about doing. Take your 10 year goals and condense them to 1 year. Take those 1 year goals and condense them to 1 month. Why not?

If life is anything like poker chips...and I think it is...shouldn't life be about not leaving anything on the table??

Be good.

-Dave