Reflections
Art
Art is the manifestation of how one sees the world in the form of a physical creation. It is a look into an individual’s perspective. It allows the viewer to glimpse into the mind of the artist. Great art triggers feelings whether good or bad within the observer. I prefer art that makes me feel comfort, wonder, and magic. Art is action led by a spark. Art is creation not consumption. Art is put in the world for the world. Nothing is created without a creator but once the creation is complete it is only a piece of the creator, it is off on its own to be interpreted and experienced. The creator cannot force their views on the viewer, they can only create with an intention and that intention can be distorted and manipulated but it is no longer ours, it is the worlds. Our plans might not go as planned but we don’t create to control, rather we create to express. All of life is art really; mountains, trees, creatures, and flowers, even human beings are glimpses into the mind of the creator. Art is important. Maybe all of life is just an expression of God. I am art, you are art, everything we do is art from the way we walk to the way we talk.
As Helena Bonham Carter said “I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk, What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. Life is art.”
We are a part of God’s masterpiece called life. Each human is designed with an intention but once created is on its own and interpreted by all. The details of a leaf give us a glimpse into the creator of the universe. The complexities of the human eye allow us to peer into the beauty of God. Art is created from love. Creativity is an overflow of love. Artists feel deeply and those who create from pain only do so because they feel intense love. When you decide to love you decide to allow all the other emotions in as well and that takes strength. Sylvia Plath said, “I don’t know what it’s like to not have deep emotions. Even when I feel nothing, I feel it completely”. Silvia Plath sadly took her life in 1963, she felt deeply and this drove her to tragedy. Van Gogh also felt deeply saying, “I would rather die of passion than boredom.” In 1890 he took his life. Art is created from deep emotions of love and pain and it takes strength to feel it, experience it, and create something beautiful from it. The song Vincent by Don McLean is a beautiful statement to Van Gogh’s life. The song evokes feelings of sorrow, compassion, empathy, and understanding within me. Those who create have vast souls that are tapped into the abundance of energy in this world and when wrongfully expressed can lead to devastation and suffering. I can relate to people who feel deeply, I too have fallen down the hole of wrongfully expressed creative energy that manifests in destructive ways. It is all about balance and discipline, nothing in life is exempt from this law.
Art is important. You are important. You are a piece of art, created by God who then gets to create art of your own. Human art is a still life of a moment, a feeling, an idea. God’s art is inter-dimensional, living, and ever-changing. The power of God is greater than anything I or you could ever create and we get to be a part of it. We are art!
Art can take you into another world you never expected to experience in this human life. It catches your imagination and brings you back to a childlike curiosity. Art can inspire you to jump into the unknown of colors, sounds, and ideas that make you feel alive. We have a choice to choose pain or love, joy or despair. Choose wisely, and give back to the world.
I always crave something deeper.
Real Love
The simple words, I love you mean so much.
Is there real love and fake love? I would consider a “love” that is classified by lust, infatuation, clouded vision, and its temporary nature is not real love.
What is real love? I believe it’s when two people cherish and support each other through life’s many ups and downs. When two people appreciate and respect each other even on their worst days. Real love is not fleeting and easily disturbed, it lasts forever. Real love is when two people commit to being their best selves not only for themselves but for each other. You know it’s real love when you see the goodness of God manifested right in front of you in human form and you thank him every night for the blessing. Real love is when they see you for who you are and you see them and despite your bad days, they are right by your side through it. Real love is when two people care to understand each other and grow together, it’s when two people selflessly put aside their own desires to serve each other not with a huff and a puff but with genuine surrender because you want what’s best for the other person. Real love is when you see the vastness in another and encourage them to tap into their greatest potential not because you don’t love them for who they are now but because you care enough to see what is best for them and challenge them to reach for it.
Real love isn’t characterized by the highs but rather the lows. It is the very act of never giving up on someone. It is what lights up the night sky at night and what comforts us in our sorrow. It is what makes the birds sing and the trees grow. Real love is not dispensable, it cannot be destroyed. When you find real love in yourself, it’s easy to find real love in others, but those souls who love as deep as the love that created the oceans are rare. The souls that feel the vibrant complexities of existence and can look into another and see them as a part of that incredible web are souls to keep around. Not everyone knows real love but the ones who do understand that no matter what happens in this life our love cannot disappear, it can only be repurposed. We can do nothing worthwhile without love, real love. Greed, envy, strife, none of it can exist in the presence of real love.
Is it in our nature to default to the embodiment of real love? Or is it in our nature to default to hate, violence, and fear? Real love is the current that makes the world spin, it’s what makes the sun rise and set every day. Everyone is capable of tapping into that current that flows all around and within us. Once we sever the separation between us and real love we become one with the force that makes the birds sing and trees grow. God is a lot more complex than a man in the clouds. God is love. God is that force all around and within. The challenge then is letting go of ourselves and our desires and surrendering to the ever-changing flow of nature. Let go of yourself and you will be found.
The greatest illness of mankind is the illusion of separation between man and nature, man and love, man and God.
Real Importance
What is important and what is not? Is there a general rule of importance or is it all subjective? Do we individually decide what is important to us or is there a greater force that determines our individual importance? Is it random or are we all a part of some greater plan? I believe in God but these are things we don’t fully understand and I’m not sure if we are ever meant to. Life goes on whether we do something that we deem important or not. Wasted time isn’t reversed and choice is never taken away from us, even in the most challenging of times. Most people around me are living according to what other humans deem as important. The culture and society in which I live are led by the chase of money, fame, power, and success. Importance is skewed and distorted to fit the desires of the flesh but not the soul. Henry David Thoreau said, “I make myself rich by making my wants few.” Real satisfaction comes from pursuing true importance.
Now, how do we find what is important in a world full of false importance? It is difficult to walk downstream when everyone else is walking up. It is difficult to not question whether or not you are doing the right thing, because if you were wouldn’t everyone else be doing it too? That’s the deception of false importance that has plagued our lives from an early age. We are trapped in a prison of our own creation and the only way out is to wake up and move a different way, the way we were supposed to move. Our souls understand what I am saying but our minds do not. Rumi said, “When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of stress and anxiety; if I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows from me, and without pain. From this, I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me. There is a great secret here for anyone who can grasp it”.
Our souls want to go home and flow the way they were designed, the way of least resistance. The only way is to let all the false manifestos go and surrender our lives to God, not the God that religions praise, where some don’t understand, but the force that carries the wind and beats our hearts. The truth is hidden in plain sight. Open your eyes and see. Religion is not the way but the teachings are great when you know these things, then and only then will you truly understand the nature of God.
Narcissism
Are we all narcissists? We all most certainly have egos that like to be louder than necessary at times. We all have an infatuation with our own experiences but isn’t that just life? Worrying about everyone else’s experiences all of the time can be exhausting and downright disturbing. There is a certain balance we need to have between our own experiences and others. There’s a certain level of awareness of ourselves and the world around us that is necessary for us to exist cohesively in this world. We must have a balance of selfishness and selflessness. We must feel empathy and compassion for ourselves and others. We must put on our own oxygen masks before we put on others. We must help ourselves before we can help others. That seems to be the law of life but there is a line that can be crossed in both directions that can throw the ship off course.
One can be too selfish and too intrigued by one’s own reflection and experiences, taking more from the world than giving back. This can bring more suffering, drifting us further from sanctification. One can also be too selfless, neglecting themselves and everything they need to become the best person they can be for the world around them. One can become so obsessed with pleasing others that they forget to please themselves and in turn dim their greatest potential. As you see, there must be a balance between the two, just like there must be balance in all things we do. It’s the law of life, yin and yang.
So no, I don’t think we are all narcissists. I think we can all stumble and fall out of balance. I think some people have been out of balance for most of their lives due to their experiences and they don’t know their way back. But I think we are all capable of returning to the place we are meant to be, where selfishness and selflessness work together to form a perfect whole.
Authenticity
It is hard to be someone you are not. It is suffocating to try and fit in with a group of people that aren’t like you. We are all wearing masks, whether we are aware of it or not. I prefer to be aware of my mask. We feel authentic around some and uncomfortable around others. We are all works of art, perfectly crafted to exist in this world with our unique personalities and characteristics, yet we are afraid of being judged so we try and force ourselves to be something we are not. Everything in this world must be judged, but that doesn’t mean the judgment is true or important. The judgment comes and goes and is ever-changing.
I find that when I resist my true self I become burdened with feelings of stagnation and agitation. When I resist my natural form I neglect who I can become. When I try and be like other people I am doing myself the greatest disservice. Oddly enough, my soul tends to gradually sink into a mournful depression. My soul mourns the loss of itself and craves rest until my true self returns. Sometimes It takes a long time sitting in that state before I wake up and realize who I really am again. It is an unpleasant yet necessary experience and it is best to surrender to it when it comes. It is a wake-up call, reminding me that it is okay to be me.
Sometimes authenticity scares people. Humans tend to roam in packs and we feel best about ourselves when connected to a circle of like-minded people. Sometimes people cast out those who think differently. Inevitably, the ones who are cast out try and change to fit in.
Loneliness doesn’t have to be so lonely. Being in a crowd full of people who don’t truly see you can be the most lonely feeling. I prefer to be alone among the trees in my rawest form than in a room full of people who pretend to know and understand me. It could be my fault though for not showing them my soul out of fear of rejection. What is so scary anyway? The ones who care to understand will. and the ones who won’t won’t. Nothing is that big of a deal. I tend to not care to get to know certain people out of prejudices too. Sometimes we need to open up our minds and hearts to those who are different from us, and let them in to see our souls so we can see theirs. They might not like what they see and you might not like what you see and that’s okay.