Sunday, April 27, 2008

Infection and Thoughts
This past week I've had a stomach infection. I don't know the source of the problem.
It's been many more years than I care to remember since I last had something of this magnitude.
Somethings turn in a weird fashion.
One would expect that with this sort of infection, one would layoff some foods and drinks that are usually considered unhealthy, while focusing on healthy things.
Instead, some of the most natural and healthy things I eat dropped right of the selection, while one of the most common things I drink, which is not healthy, and some junk food like things I often have, were actually recommended.
This serves more as a reminder that no matter what seems logical, or expected, someone out there will still do their best to surprise you.
Of course, not going to work or college, and even sacrificing social events, all to heal one's body, leads to a lot a excess time.
I did sleep my share. And tried to do somethings more productive. In the end, I mainly skipped through the week.
Saw some anime. Read some manga. Watched TV.
But my mind will not skip time, and nor will my heart sleep through the ages.
So I did spend some time thinking about many things.
I really want to post more often here, but this semester is going to be very hard, and it barely started.
But on one notice, I'll try to follow the steps of Mary Schmich on her publication in the Chicago Tribune, and try to put wisdom into words. Maybe I can find the words fo move in the same way.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

A Break Within the Storm
Rain fell heavily. Roads went wet, but not flooded, good for anyone passing through it.
The air got colder, maybe a good change from those hot days.
Clouds formed from everywhere, each one darker than the previous one. Flashes on lighting tore the sky into fragments of an already chaotic image.
Winds were strong. But not constant, they shifted from side to side, making the rain dance by it's will. Only lightning seemed to not care about wind. Even the sound of lightning got mixed up with the roaring wind.
Swirling figures in the sky, twisting and twirling with the nearly black clouds, brought only turmoil to the scene.
One could guess that a hurricane would join the symphony of chaos to help destroy the landscape. But no... not there... there couldn't be a hurricane there...
At least that's what everyone thought.
Only a small push away, the only thing needed was the right amount of energy in the right direction.
Everyone drew a long deep breath. They stared quite silently, not a single breathing to be heard, just waiting for the worse. We all expect the worse.
Then, it happened, like an ordinary event, of an seemingly ordinary day. Right on that damp road.
The storm broke.
Quickly... VERY quickly.
It was like all clouds burst away from a center.
And every heard the reason.
Where was once those roaring winds, thundering lightnings and splashing rain, now was the sound of one music.
All my friends.
At one moment, every little piece of the sky fell into place, just as if to hear this song.
Or maybe it was the power of the song.
No one knew.
But all of them listened.
And they felt it.
Not very often to see a music break through such a storm and bring peace with it.
But peace is as fleeting as the song that brings it, and the same way it came with the music, it also went away with the music's end.
And the storm continued from where it left, weaker from the break, happier for the pause.
Even nature will open way for a song in the right place, in the right time.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

The Value of a Dream
Among lots of thoughts, and inner discussions, I said to myself, in a special context which is not important, "at least that way I get to dream".
Not the most insightful sentence in the world.
But looking deeply, it is more meaningful than it looks.
Children are special, in many different ways. One very important one is that they dream about their future. So many untapped potential, just waiting to be molded by their desires and dreams.
Yet so many adults like us face a life without dreams. They may be happy, have a good job, a loving family. Even may look like everything is fulfilled. But one little variable wasn't taken into account.
Ever questioned why did we go to the moon when we should try to save our planet? Or why small groups of people try to fight against a system that could not care less about them? Why does the hero go far and beyond, face horrible dangers and traps, slay foul beasts just to save a (Not necessarily cute) princess?
Because they dream of accomplishing something far greater than reality. Because we dream to discover something special, because they dream of making a difference, and because he dreams of finding a fair and gentle princess who will love him.
We like to joke that women drive this world forward. We say men only build the things they did, or do stupid, unnecessary things for one reason. To impress females.
Of course we know it is a joke. (with some truth behind it)
But I honestly believe that everything that is more difficult is being done for the sole purpose of fulfilling dreams. We see so many scientists who work like slaves, countless hours, overtimes, with little or no perspective of discovering something significant in their fields, but they still do it with passion, just for the odd chance of making this simple, yet powerful, dream come true.
Probably, one of the saddest things I've seen in my life was a person without dreams. Someone who gave up on life in a way that they have no will to fight, reason to wake up. That is the lack of dream. Not that they don't have dreams, they dream of a day when things may be better, but that dream is so unreachable that they don't go for it, it is not that important.
Dreams are the only reason why we fight without taking odds into account. Why would a human fight a dragon, that is suicide, but yet, dream of greatness drives them forward into the lair of the beast.
That is what makes most children so special.
Dreams are something fragile and precious. Just be careful not to break anyone's dream. That is a most vile crime.