I just watched this video and feel more Alive than ever before

Time to wake up

Waking up is tough every morning, sleep is so comfortable, it's so good to stay in bed, especially when what you're contemplating from your bed, is going to work for a corporate greedy monster, surrounded in public transportation with drone just like you with the same state of mind.

Well, one thing I'm quite happy about being unemployed is that now I'm free to wake-up whenever I want, ... I said that earlier in a post. That's one huge benefit.

Not having a sleep cycle interrupted violently by a monstrous electronic device pouring music in your hears without asking permission.

More than a year, without that "ceremony" is a blessing.

Now I wake up, because I want to get up and do something. The difference is so huge!

But what do you do when you "Wake up" naturally again ? you're start to rethink the whole process that you used to have before ... and you suddenly realized how inhuman it is. And then you remember when you were a kid, you also had to wake up for school, and when you asked why ? the answer was usually ... because you have to

Well, screw that! (pardon my French) I won't wake up unless I WANT TO!

And that's exactly what I'm doing right now! and I feel like I'm a Human again.

Alignment

Another dimension of the characters played in Role playing (Advanced Dungeon and Dragons AD&D) after his 6 attributes, was his "alignment" ... another puzzle for us (geek) back in the 80s. We had there a moral code associated with the character we played (Paladin being as I remember Lawful Good).

But intrinsically we would mostly play a Neutral character the same way - we would play a Good one, or a bad one, since as a kid we wouldn't really understand those concepts. Except maybe from the movies on TV that were really basic. Anyway, most of the scenarios or campaign we played at the time were about meeting in a tavern, find a quest, found a cave, a castle or a dungeons and enter then fight goblins, vampires and whatever we meet there. There was little or no place for moral dilemma.

So basically good guy looking-good (the paladin had to score 17 for Charisma) unselfish and brave and the ugly bad guy only interested by money, greed or revenge but was a coward  and usually scary.

Later I wondered why Evil existed in the first place, and I received this answer from another player "because otherwise we wouldn't have any adventures to play, you silly!"

And that's when life was simple, you now like back in the old days of Lawrence Harley.

Titanic

Modern world is full of contradictions,

But there so many contradictions in the modern world, it's like we're are going bipolar.

I mean it's all about doing things because we have to and being blame for it.

• you've got to get a car, but then you feel bad because you know you're polluting.
• you've got to get a job, but then you feel guilty because other people are still unemployed.
• you're told that being a christian is all about helping each other, and what you see is selfish people
• you're told to trust that the government is protecting the citizen, while people are getting arrested because they used their freedom to protest against injustices.
• you've got to buy cheap, but then you hear than the cheap product you buy are  made in Country that are exploiting their workers blatantly.
• you've got to refrain your urge for instant satisfaction, but you know easy temptations is just a click away from what you're currently doing.

Yeah, there's sooooo many temptations (TV, youtube, facebook, games, tweaking your system, having pointless conversation with friends, reading endless RSS feeds to be informed...) but then you feel empty after a while because you just felt like you've wasting your time.

What are we taught in Sunday school or by our parents ? to help people around, that war is evil, that we should love each other, to respect people, and then when we watch TV or go to the movies Hollywood is giving us a display of violent crimes, exploitation of women, ... basically exactly the opposite, because sex and gore is an assured profit and in today financial crisis everyone is looking for a good sell.

The censors are in a difficult position because usually when censorship strikes a polemic is created and it actually attracts more audience than before.


I feel the modern world is giving me a false sense of control over my life, while in fact the bottom line is simple : modern society is raising a generation of robots - You go to school to get a job, you manage to get a few job (that you usually don't like, but it's okay because nobody like his job), and after a while when you got tired of doing stupid job and obeying a boss, you want to taste a bit of freedom and then you realize your former friend colleagues are distant, and look at you like you're an outsider, an outcast.

So what's the most important thing in the World ?

Intelligence and Wisdom

Role playing was fun, and as I recall parties - I always regret the focus on fighting and conflicts in those games. There was 6 attributes as I recall for a character (Strenght, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution and Charisma).

But after a few campaign, any player would see that the most important of attributes was Strength and hit points, basically, making your character a Tank.

The main reason I think, was that since many players were teenager geeks, there was a fascination for being a strong barbarian, playing actually the bully that the player would fear in real life in school.

Playing a magic-user wasn't really fun, since there was a little chance to survive any fight - with only a few hit-points (a d4?!) and one spell, when level 1 - playing a cleric was a nice alternative, curing wounds, and playing the ambulance for the group was a good supporting job - but the fun, was to play the barbarian.

Maybe that's because of the Frazetta's portrayal of Conan, the idea of a brute entering a rage and a live berserk fury... Heck yeah, it was epic.

Now when a relatively smart person would play a barbarian, the berserker would be relatively smart and even if the "intelligent attribute" score was low ; he would behave smartly, the only disadvantage was that his number of spoken language would be lower ; which was completely ignore in many situation since we assumed in the heat of a party that everybody would speak "common".

Same for wisdom, if the player wasn't a complete tool, he would act wisely even if his score in Wisdom was low, the only penalty was for the saving-throw ... meaning little consequences as well.

The spiritual development of a character was negligible - only pure strength  was of importance, paradoxically ...

Now there would have been a lot of fun, developing system of healing, spiritual conflicts, psychological challenges, and  emotional rescue. Imagine that for a moment.

Hucha Mikhuy: "Theory: What is energy? What is energy healing?

What energy is worked with? Hucha and sami. Kawsay pacha is “the cosmos of living energy… it is comprised of only two basic energies: sami, which is light or refined energy, and hucha, which is heavy or dense energy.” (Wilcox, 30) “Sami suffuses the natural world, animating all living beings and imparting ‘power’ to natural objects and places where it accumulates. The more sami we incorporate into our energy body, the more effortlessly and fully we live in harmony and well-being with others and the natural world. Hucha, in contrast, is heavy energy, and it is created by human beings. Hucha manifests because we do not live in perfect ayni – reciprocity – with the kawsay pacha.” (Wilcox, 30-1)"

Criticism

I used to play Advanced Dungeon and Dragon (AD&D), rarely as a player but very often as DM (Dungeon Master) and I always found fascinating the mechanism of the game - having a quest, and a party listening to a made-up story and interacting in that invented place.

There were warriors, lost cities, thieves and magic ... and somehow we found a way to have fun, but this had a price, the DM had to learn and be fluent with the game's rules -- and that took times. I remember the first party when I had to flip several pages of the DM manual, and check a few tables during a particularly challenging situation with a lot of suspense ... it killed the buzz.

But overall, the more you played the better you became at enjoying the game, what pissed me off though, was some people trying to enforce the games rules, and cheat, the point of the game was to have fun -- and the buzz was killed by those players who had to be reminded of the rules, inevitably discussions ensued, and sometime bad players were banned... and it was a pain.

Or some parties were boring, sometime because the DM took too much time preparing his campaign and wanted to have the players follow a certain path.

Anyway it was a good game (probably still is .. I don't know never played the later editions), and has many benefits for teenagers, we learned to speak to a group, to entertain peers, and we developed our imagination sky high.

And the place for criticism in that ? it was a good thing, taking feedback along the way by interacting with the players -- for a DM it was the best.

It was like writing a short notes, and with the help of the players transforming it into a full book. And the DM had fun too, since even if he had prepared (as he thought) every eventuality - he would always be surprised by the (crazy) players and their strange ideas.


Forbidden visions...: You Get What You Give: How To Deal With Criticism: "After all you ll always have to do with people not just numbers, screen-names or machines, and people live by rules, right?"

Who is in control?

Are You an Addict? How to know if you are addicted to any particular "thing" is by answering the following nine questions about it... honestly:

1. Can you stop doing "the thing" you suspect/others have told you that you are addicted to for a day, a week, a month, a year, or forever?
   
2. Does the thought of your stopping doing "the thing" for a short time cause you any physical discomfort, mental anguish, or emotional anxiety?
   
3. Would your stopping doing "the thing" cause you to be "less yourself"?
   
4. Have you tried and failed to stop doing "the thing" in the past?
   
5. Do you know that doing "the thing" does not serve you and/or is causing problems in your life (at home, at work, in the community)?
   
6. Have you lost friends or alienated family members or irritated coworkers because you keep on doing "the thing" no matter what?
   
7. Have you or are you putting your life at risk by doing "the thing"?
   
8. Deep down inside, do you really want to keep on doing "the thing"?
   
9. Does "the thing" control you or do you control "the thing"?
   

And the Answer is: When you cannot stop doing "the thing". When the thought of what would happen by not doing "the thing" scares you. When "the thing" becomes who you are. When you keep failing at breaking free from "the thing". When "the thing" starts ruining your life. When "the thing" is more important to you than family or friends. When you consistently put your life at risk to do "the thing". When deep down you hate "the thing" but cannot let it go.
...Then, my friend, "the thing" is in control of you and you are an addict.

(from link) 
And I thought about Ted Williams known as the Golden Voice, his story is beautiful ; proving once more that people can get a second chance, and no matter what life is throwing at them - they can always re-bounce, keep faith and hope for a better life, because ... miracle still happens.
The problem is if you read the 9 points below and put "Alcohol" instead of the "thing" - then you think rehab will be "THE" solution.
Now try to replace it with "being a celebrity" and you've got another challenge, and replace it with "dealing with a lot of money and attention" you've got another problem.


Addictions are like matryoshka doll (Russian Doll), they stack up.

Unachievable Goals

The current society is setting unachievable goals for women, for men ...
What could possibly be the benefits of putting everyone into a permanent position of failure and frustration ... Just be yourself!



  
The supermodel Cindy Crawford once said "I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford!"

YouTube - Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women [Trailer] - Available on DVD

Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D. is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and for her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. In the late 1960s she began her exploration of the connection between advertising and several public health issues, including violence against women, eating disorders, and addiction, and launched a movement to promote media literacy as a way to prevent these problems.

This!

How 2011 Made me a Cynic!

2011 so far ... 

• Jan 2011

100 tons of dead fish wash up on Brazil's shores-(Jan. 4)
At Least 8 Die in Australian Flooding (Jan. 10)
Bombing in Moscow Airport Kills at Least 35, Wounds 168 (Jan. 24)

• Feb 2011

Thousands of marine animals found dead in Mato Grosso do Sul/Amazon Region- (Feb. 4)
Arab Spring: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigns (Feb. 11)
Earthquake Strikes New Zealand's Second Largest City (Feb. 22)

• Mar 2011

Massive 9.1 Magnitude Earthquake and Tsunami Devastate Japan (March 11)
Arab Spring: Libyan civil war (March 17)

• Apr 2011

Nuclear Incident in Fukushima (East Japan)(April 12)

• May 2011

Floods Force Evacuations Along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers (May 5)
The European Union agree to €78 billion rescue deal for Portugal (May 16)

• Jun 2011

Flooding in Iowa Forces Hundreds to Flee (June 6)

• July 2011

New Mexico Wildfire Rages On (July 1)
76 people are killed in twin terrorist attacks in Norway (July 22)
Amy Winehouse dies

• Aug 2011

Hurricane Irene Hits the East Coast (August 27

• September 2011

Texas Experiences Record Breaking Wildfires (September 9)
Approximately 100 Kenyans are dead after a petrol pipeline explosion in Nairobi, Kenya. (Sept. 12)
Series of ongoing series of demonstrations in New York City (OWS)

• Oct 2011

Steve Jobs dies

source :

http://www.infoplease.com/news/2011/current-events/

http://baleta.blogspot.com/2011/03/natural-disasters-2011.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011

Warning: Use These 5 Headline Formulas at Your Own Risk | Copyblogger: "There’s no doubt that my previous two posts on headline formulas have been extremely popular. But they’ve also caused me to take a lot of flack."

Fundamental change of the life

Not long ago everyone was waiting for "the Rapture" ; of course nothing happen, but it has an echo in our souls - our world is desperate for change!

If there's changes it only means things are going worse, unemployment, economic pressure, wars, injustices, sacrifices with have to do, and the daily stress of living a life of a soulless person.

Because our current society of plundering and absurd consumption - is  realizing that the "constant growth" paradigm is just not working anymore.

But how to make the machine stop ?

We are the zombies working in and for this imminent collapse, while everyone should stop what he's doing right now and stay put for a day or two, just to breath the air, and listen while he still can to the agony of a dying Era.

There are many alarms, many milestones that have been

There is not going to be any recovery. | The Zeitgeist Movement: "I’m just afraid that we might get to the point of no return and that bothers me to no end. We do all we can to avoid that condition. It’s clear that we’re on the verge of a great transition in human life. That what we face now is this fundamental change of the life we’ve known over the last century. There has to be a link between the economy and the resources of this planet - the resources being of course, all animal and plant life, the health of the oceans and everything else."

This is not some long depression that we’re some day going to pull out of. I think the next phase that we are going to see after the next round of economic collapses is massive civil unrest. When unemployment checks stop being paid because the states have no money left. And when things get so bad that people lose confidence in their elected leaders, they will demand change if we don’t kill each other in the process or destroy the environment.
I’m just afraid that we might get to the point of no return and that bothers me to no end. We do all we can to avoid that condition. It’s clear that we’re on the verge of a great transition in human life. That what we face now is this fundamental change of the life we’ve known over the last century. There has to be a link between the economy and the resources of this planet - the resources being of course, all animal and plant life, the health of the oceans and everything else.
This is a monetary paradigm that will not let go until it’s killed the last human being. The “in” group will do all it can to stay in power and that’s what you’ve got to keep in mind. They’ll use the army and navy and lies or whatever they have to use to keep in power. They’re not about to give it up because they don’t know of any other system that will perpetuate their kind.
 

A definite feeling

October has just started, 2011 is nearly over ... Leaves are already starting to fall, and I just discovered Alan Watts on Youtube.

This is better, than anything I've ever listened to, so far.