Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Serenity
Grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change
The courage to change the things that I can
The wisdom to know the difference
Give me the courage to love with an open heart,
An open heart, an open heart, I wanna love with an open heart
With an open heart
The courage to change the things that I can
The wisdom to know the difference
Give me the courage to love with an open heart,
An open heart, an open heart, I wanna love with an open heart
With an open heart
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Test the Faith
I'm not very religious. I was born and raised Buddhist, but I never adhered myself to a religion. Lately, it feels like the issue of Gods and deities has thrust itself to my attention, calling for me, asking for a response. Often, when something confronts me in such a sudden and unexpected manner, I don't know how to respond. I fold up, consider it in the depths of my mind, and formulate a response...which often comes too late.
In my theater group, whenever someone needs a cold read of a priest, I am often called to read the lines. Why? Is it because of my conviction? My commanding voice? My 'Holier than Thou' demeanor? I really don't know. I guess I've just fallen into the role and went on with it without much thought.
But now I find myself wondering, "What do I believe in?" I've always been afraid of religion because I never truly understood it; I didn't understand why people would put all their faith into a higher being. Truthfully, I saw it as a sign of weakness, an easy way to answer difficult questions.
Then I realized something that was true to me. I, of all people, have so much faith. I have absolute faith in people and I put my trust in them. That people are inherently good and will eventually do the right thing. I think it was Evan Shulman, many years ago, who once told me, "I'm a humanist...I believe in humanity." And I began to take that to heart.
Whatever you believe in, believe in it. Wholeheartedly. Believe in God and let yourself be that vessel where you sacrifice yourself for the greater good. Blessed with the ability to help others, whatever allows you to do so, believe in it. Because faith is always there. What form it takes doesn't matter because it's faith, in its purest and most genuine form, that keeps you strong.
In my theater group, whenever someone needs a cold read of a priest, I am often called to read the lines. Why? Is it because of my conviction? My commanding voice? My 'Holier than Thou' demeanor? I really don't know. I guess I've just fallen into the role and went on with it without much thought.
But now I find myself wondering, "What do I believe in?" I've always been afraid of religion because I never truly understood it; I didn't understand why people would put all their faith into a higher being. Truthfully, I saw it as a sign of weakness, an easy way to answer difficult questions.
Then I realized something that was true to me. I, of all people, have so much faith. I have absolute faith in people and I put my trust in them. That people are inherently good and will eventually do the right thing. I think it was Evan Shulman, many years ago, who once told me, "I'm a humanist...I believe in humanity." And I began to take that to heart.
Whatever you believe in, believe in it. Wholeheartedly. Believe in God and let yourself be that vessel where you sacrifice yourself for the greater good. Blessed with the ability to help others, whatever allows you to do so, believe in it. Because faith is always there. What form it takes doesn't matter because it's faith, in its purest and most genuine form, that keeps you strong.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Ready, Steady, Stop!
"Ready, Steady, Stop!" To quote Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction, " I just thought it was some cold-blooded [stuff] to say".
"Ready, Steady, Stop!" I actually started this blog way back in September of 2009 and didn't touch it until maybe mid-February. So when I came back to it, realizing I had already set myself up with an account, I thought the name was awesome. *Taps self on back* That it was just some cool...stuff to say. It actually reminded me of a John Mayer song; whether that is good or bad leaves me nervous.
This post probably should've been my first post, but I'm going to break down the name of this blog. Sometimes, the explanation comes long after the inspiration. It's going to be a little free and probably won't be very coherent, but let's start! Ready Steady!
READY: To be ready is to be aware. Of what came before you, what lies in front of you, and what is lurking for you in the far-distant future. Then, you move accordingly. You learn through instinct what to say, what to do. It's like you're the ultimate predator. You are capable of the raw, immense power necessary to take down anything in your way. And yet, your paw can still softly pit-pat the ground as you lay in waiting for the unsuspecting prey. To be ready is to be aware.
"Ready, Steady, Stop!" I actually started this blog way back in September of 2009 and didn't touch it until maybe mid-February. So when I came back to it, realizing I had already set myself up with an account, I thought the name was awesome. *Taps self on back* That it was just some cool...stuff to say. It actually reminded me of a John Mayer song; whether that is good or bad leaves me nervous.
This post probably should've been my first post, but I'm going to break down the name of this blog. Sometimes, the explanation comes long after the inspiration. It's going to be a little free and probably won't be very coherent, but let's start! Ready Steady!
READY: To be ready is to be aware. Of what came before you, what lies in front of you, and what is lurking for you in the far-distant future. Then, you move accordingly. You learn through instinct what to say, what to do. It's like you're the ultimate predator. You are capable of the raw, immense power necessary to take down anything in your way. And yet, your paw can still softly pit-pat the ground as you lay in waiting for the unsuspecting prey. To be ready is to be aware.
Ready.
Steady: Patience. It's all about patience. The patience to learn through your mistakes. The patience to allow others to learn through theirs. It is the unenviable task of waiting until the eleventh hour for an answer and by then, it might not even come. Or it is the patience of understanding that even though the answer didn't align with you today, tomorrow is an opportunity to do it all over again. These are moments of high anxiety where you feel like you have a million things to do but not enough time in the world to do it. The solution lies in patience. There is always a will, there is always a way. Stay steady, stay consistent, and appreciate the gift you've been blessed with - yourself and those around you. People who are monumentally different than you, but still stay and listen when you've lost your "Steady".
...Steady...
STOP: We all make blueprints for the future. It becomes our ideal, our ground plan. But the actual process itself is left up to chance and a host of other variables that we cannot or can no longer dictate. This is why we need to stop. Because we get ahead of ourselves. We think we're Ready. We think we're Steady. But we need to Stop. Because things cannot continue on in their present state. We need fluctuation. We need stakes. We need to Stop to realize that yes, we may be moving, but we're not going anywhere. And only when we Stop is when notice everything this still. And everything is decaying. So for the love of God, just Stop for a moment. And notice how beautiful you are. How quiet but melodic the music is. How much you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to hug. How amazing your friends and family are when they may not act like it. Because they forgot how amazing they are. Because other people may say they're not. But they are. Just like you. Just like me. And let that wash over you. Anew. So Stop. And just love. Love what you have. And let that be your blueprint.
...Stop. Just Stop.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Real You
The real you will be written in a corner of a room, hidden underneath a pile of clothes. It would be an adventure to find this place, to look for something that people don't really tend to think about or considering trying to find. But it's there. In all of us. We tend to confuse it as a movement. But it really doesn't move. We, through our actions (unknowingly or even knowingly), actually move away from it as it stays still. And when we look back, the corner's gone. We wonder where it went and we hope to find it again.
Like that hotel we visited years ago, but has somehow shrouded itself through the mist of time. Gone. Replaced by illusions that are beautiful but ultimately impermanent. Non-sustaining. A costly but ignoble monument, made of fortified brick and mortar - and yet, oddly exhausted of its spirit. It leaves your mind once it's beyond your sight.
Like that hotel we visited years ago, but has somehow shrouded itself through the mist of time. Gone. Replaced by illusions that are beautiful but ultimately impermanent. Non-sustaining. A costly but ignoble monument, made of fortified brick and mortar - and yet, oddly exhausted of its spirit. It leaves your mind once it's beyond your sight.
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