Over the last few weeks I've felt surrounded by talk about Thanksgivukkah and Black Friday. While this isn't a bad thing, it's left me thinking constantly about what we're supposed to be celebrating as opposed to what we're actually celebrating.
While there are obvious issues with Thanksgiving (i.e. the terrible treatment of the Native Americans), I can appreciate that the modern holiday is supposedly focused around being thankful for everything that we have. It's a chance for everyone to slow down and spend time with loved ones.
Then there's Hanukkah, a holiday that I think has meaningful lessons revolving around overcoming against the odds (the Maccabees' success) and making the best of what we have because sometimes it turns out to be enough (the miracle of the oil).
I can get behind these values - but sadly it seems most of this is forgotten or glossed over. Thanksgivukkah has become as commercialized as each separate holiday and we've become so obsessed with the "coolness" factor of this occurrence that we've missed many opportunities for great conversations about what it means for these holidays to coincide.
And of course, Black Friday is an overshadowing cloud. At a time when we talk about being grateful for what we have, many people will be forced to leave their families early to go work so that the rest of us can storm the malls after mapping out everything we need during dinner. I've never been a fan of Black Friday because I generally dislike our consumerist society but in recent years I've become more disgusted by corporations and the lengths they will go to make money. Side note: This is not a holier-than-thou rant, I acknowledge my consumerism and do desire materialistic things but I am not driven by my want of things and I definitely don't view them as needs.
Surprisingly however, it was a random Facebook post that actually led me to decide to go on a Facebook hiatus until 2014. A friend of mine was traveling and visited a national park that I'm sure is filled with natural beauty. The Facebook post said something about enjoying the view and how oddly there was cell service. Look, I understand most people use their phones as cameras now but why why why did noticing cell service mean that a Facebook status had to comment on that? Just because it was there? Who cares? Why not just enjoy the view and not feel like you have to get your online persona to share it with the world?
We, myself included, are behind screens just too damn much. I sit at a computer almost all day just to go home and do the same except this time it's for "pleasure". Now in some regards I don't have a choice. I'm in grad school and by nature that means I'm on my computer reading, researching, writing, etc. But even when I'm not doing those things I feel like I'm constantly tied to a device. I know that not going on Facebook isn't going to necessarily change anything but I expect that it will change me.
I want to live in the moment. I want to be thankful for what I have. I want to remember that sometimes the underdog can come out on top. I want to be happy with what I have and make the most of it. And I want to have and do all of these things without feeling the need to "tell" people about it, without feeling like I've been "heard" because of a red notification flag.
So maybe it's silly but I've been hyper aware of my usage of social media since I became "that person" in both of my jobs. Not only will I start spending more time doing things that serve an actual purpose but it'll get me to think more about what really matters. And at the very least it'll be an experiment in self-discipline.
Happy Thanksgiving! Hanukkah Sameach! Wishing you a happy, healthy, enjoyable holiday. Let's spend it being thankful.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Experiment
Being in graduate school has been fulfilling in ways I can't describe and yet I have felt like I'm missing something. I went from simply working full-time to attending school part-time and working two part-time jobs. Needless to say, I essentially feel like I don't have a life because I'm being pulled in so many different directions and yet I wouldn't have it any other way right now. That being said, I have had to put a limit on activities I previously had time for due to the demands of these many responsibilities I've taken on. And while I occasionally try to make time for other things, I have missed a project I was part of last year.
For a while I was part of a movement called More Love Letters (check it out here). While I enjoyed it for the most part there were certain things I wasn't a huge fan of, and after they made a few changes - combined with how busy I got with grad school and two jobs - I stopped actively participating. Recently I've been feeling that mid-end of semester stress coming on and I've been looking for outlets. I continue to use my typically outlets on and off there is still something missing. I was looking through all the mail that's accumulated at my parents house since the last time I was there yesterday and there is just so much junk. For every piece of personal mail there was at least 10-15 pieces of mail that would've been better off remaining part of a tree. And that's about when I realized what I wanted to do for when I need to break up the endless grind that is grad school: I want to write to people.
Most of my family and friends know that I was born into the wrong generation. I rehabilitated an old turntable and have been slowly accumulating records. I have a phone that is only good for calling and texting (and even mass texting doesn't really work on it). I just bought a women's pocket watch. I like reading and knitting. And I really like handwritten letters. So I'm asking for help with this project because unlike MLL where I would be writing to strangers, I want to write to people that I care about. And while I do think that sometimes we need strangers to help us along our path, I also think that knowing someone and being able to write something for him/her specifically is special in its own way.
Here's how it'll work: If you want some snail mail, I will send you something before my next birthday but I'm not going to tell you when I'm sending it so it'll be somewhat of a surprise. To get a letter, e-mail me with your mailing address using the subject "Letter Experiment". If you don't know my personal e-mail address, be resourceful and find a way to get it from me. You can include if there's anything in particular you think I should know prior to my writing to you but you don't have to. Also since I'm giving myself a deadline, I'm taking requests through Thanksgiving Day, November 28th. I don't expect to have to cap it but should I get more than 20 responses, I'm gonna have to cut it off at that. Actually no, I'll cap it at 26.
I don't know what to expect from this experiment but if I can make even just one person's day between now and my birthday it'll make me really happy.
For a while I was part of a movement called More Love Letters (check it out here). While I enjoyed it for the most part there were certain things I wasn't a huge fan of, and after they made a few changes - combined with how busy I got with grad school and two jobs - I stopped actively participating. Recently I've been feeling that mid-end of semester stress coming on and I've been looking for outlets. I continue to use my typically outlets on and off there is still something missing. I was looking through all the mail that's accumulated at my parents house since the last time I was there yesterday and there is just so much junk. For every piece of personal mail there was at least 10-15 pieces of mail that would've been better off remaining part of a tree. And that's about when I realized what I wanted to do for when I need to break up the endless grind that is grad school: I want to write to people.
Most of my family and friends know that I was born into the wrong generation. I rehabilitated an old turntable and have been slowly accumulating records. I have a phone that is only good for calling and texting (and even mass texting doesn't really work on it). I just bought a women's pocket watch. I like reading and knitting. And I really like handwritten letters. So I'm asking for help with this project because unlike MLL where I would be writing to strangers, I want to write to people that I care about. And while I do think that sometimes we need strangers to help us along our path, I also think that knowing someone and being able to write something for him/her specifically is special in its own way.
Here's how it'll work: If you want some snail mail, I will send you something before my next birthday but I'm not going to tell you when I'm sending it so it'll be somewhat of a surprise. To get a letter, e-mail me with your mailing address using the subject "Letter Experiment". If you don't know my personal e-mail address, be resourceful and find a way to get it from me. You can include if there's anything in particular you think I should know prior to my writing to you but you don't have to. Also since I'm giving myself a deadline, I'm taking requests through Thanksgiving Day, November 28th. I don't expect to have to cap it but should I get more than 20 responses, I'm gonna have to cut it off at that. Actually no, I'll cap it at 26.
I don't know what to expect from this experiment but if I can make even just one person's day between now and my birthday it'll make me really happy.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Judging
I recently said to someone "don't judge me" after I'd sent them something to read. And now that a few days have passed, I've been thinking about why I chose to say that. And it comes down to vulnerability. I was nervous to share it and that's why I reacted with fear of judgment. No one likes to feel like they're being judged, but as that thought crossed my mind another one contradicted it. People who are not confident, people who are unsure of what they're sharing, people who are trying to impress someone, people who are afraid of being vulnerable - these are the people who don't like being judged.
I was comfortable with these thoughts I'd had but sharing them made me vulnerable. And that fear was why I reacted with that phrase. What I meant was, I'm afraid that sharing this with you will permanently alter how you view me and will change our relationship.
The thing is - when it comes to people I care about, I should be comfortable enough with myself and with our friendship not to say that. And if it's someone I don't care about or if it negatively impacts that friendship - well then who cares? I respect my friends and that needs to go both ways which means that my real friends won't judge me. At least they won't judge me in a negative way like what is implied from requesting judgement be withheld.
The world can judge me all it likes. The best people for me will love me because of who I am regardless. While it is hard to be vulnerable and even harder to see friendships change or go, the right people will be a part of my life. The rest I don't need.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
7 minutes
It takes me 7 minutes to walk from my office back to my apartment. It's a nice walk. I pass a reservoir and now that the leaves are changing, it's beautiful to look at along with the reflection of the trees and blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds. Usually I spend these 7 minutes thinking. Sometimes it's just about what a nice day it is or about how miserable the walk will be when there's a ton of snow of the ground and it's below freezing. Sometimes it's about what I'm going to have for dinner or about how much I'd love to just curl up in bed and sleep until morning. Sometimes it's about family and friends I haven't spoken to lately or about people (guys) I've seen or would like to see. But for reasons I can't explain, today was different. And for 7 minutes, I came to realizations that I've struggled with my entire life.
As I began my walk, I thought about a conversation I had earlier today about juju. I don't tend to use this word since my introduction to it was from "Grey's Anatomy" so I have no idea why I chose it but the fact was that it fit what I was trying to say. While debating what other words/phrases I could've used - fate, karma, destiny, meant to be, luck, chance - I had the most intense realization I think I've ever had. It hit me spontaneously and unexpectedly; similarly to what I experienced when I first realized I was "in love" and not just that I loved my then-boyfriend. But this realization had even more of an impact on me because this has been a dilemma I've had for years and something I firmly thought I knew the answer to.
I actually do believe in God.
And writing that, like thinking it, is more surreal than I can begin to explain. It wasn't even like, "I think I might", the thought came to me with clarity and finality. But it's not even this singular thought of realizing that I do believe in God, it's everything that goes along with it that consumed me for 7 minutes. Because up until that thought actually crossed my mind, ever since I became aware of my ability to process my relationship with my religion, I had maintained that I don't know if I believe in God. Or G-D which I think isn't quite the same thing. And by that I meant that I didn't believe we are SIMS and God holds the mouse. And yet I suddenly realized that I do believe in God, a thought that contradicts everything I thought I knew believed.
An elaboration.
I wouldn't say I'm a person of faith. I associate that label with people who can spout verse at the drop of a hat or who blindly follow because it's what they think they're supposed to do. I am neither. I frequently have to Google things that go above my basic Sunday School education and I have tried to learn the reasons behind holidays, traditions, etc. If I don't agree with them, I don't celebrate/follow them. And since my opinion often changes, my relationship with religion has continued to evolve over the last 7 years.
My senior year of college I took an assessment called StrengthsQuest. It essentially tells you things you already know about yourself but in a new kind of language. When I received my top 5 I wasn't surprised per se but hadn't thought those would be my top. I bring up SQ because my second word only after "Input" was "Connectedness". Here's how SQ describes people with this strength: "People who are especially talented in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason." And though I hadn't expected it to be in my top 5, I am that person. But still I maintained that I didn't believe in God because to me, this was describing spirituality not religion or God.
And now I return to my initial thought about juju and all of those other words I would've used. Why I chose to use it is less important to me compared to what I concluded in those 7 minutes. If I believe that things somehow happen for a reason, if I believe that we are all connected in some way, isn't that what God is? I had fallen into the trap of so many before me, I was thinking of God like a person because my mind is limited in its understanding of what I've personally experienced. I use all of these words regularly as a substitute without truly thinking about how they are actually one in the same. So why, I asked myself, did it take me so long to figure this out? It's not the first time I've thought about God or religion and yet suddenly I've done a 180 with what I claim to believe. Nothing about me as a person has changed. Where did this realization come from?
I believe that things happen for a reason. I believe that I have experienced struggles because I needed to go in a different and better direction than the one I thought I was heading toward. I believe these things not because of any kind of religion but because while living through these experiences, if I didn't continuously remind myself that there was a purpose, I would've lost hope and allowed myself to be consumed by the darkness. I have seen the worst of humanity and the best of humanity, and if there was no point to either of those then why go through it at all? Would I be better off burying my head in the sand just waiting for something to change?
That's when it hit me. My second epiphany of a 7 minute walk. I believe in God but I don't believe in Prayer. I believe that we're connected and that there is a point and purpose to every life on this big blue marble. I believe that we are here to learn from one another and that we are impacted and have an impact on people we've known all our lives and those we shared only a passing glance with. Now this became a second dilemma because if there was any aspect of my religion that I truly felt connected to, it is prayer. When I do attend services, though less frequently than I'd like, I always leave feeling like I'm walking on air. The music fills me in a way that I can't begin to describe. The connection I feel with my surroundings, both human and natural, is beyond words.
But to me, Prayer is an excuse. Some people will choose simply to pray, to ask for something, to plead with a God that they believe will provide them with what they need. I believe we will receive what we need, but I also believe that we receive what we strive for. Without action, Prayer is useless. Yet so many will turn to Prayer when they believe action is not giving them what they so want. But since when do we actually know what we want, what is actually best for us? The best thing about Prayer is that it forces you to consider what it is that you want - so that you may act on it. For years, whenever something happened in my life, it didn't feel real until I told it to my family and friends. That act of saying out loud what had happened made me aware of the realness of the moment. It forced me to reconcile when things were difficult, and it allowed me to celebrate when things were joyous. But the conventional attitude towards Prayer is not appealing to me. It is unattractive because it has continued to make me view God as a person who controls me. I still love the traditions that go along with praying but I do not believe Prayer changes anything.
So if I reject the concept of Prayer, what is it about the act of praying that is so fulfilling? It can be spiritual sure, which is the only way I've identified with religion up to this point. It provides me with a community when I seek out a place to engage in Prayer. But most importantly to me, it brings me to people who I have commonalities with, people I feel a connection to. And that connection brings me back to SQ and the fact that while I have felt disengaged from the idea of God for decades, the spirituality that I feel when in a community that is praying together, that is what God means to me. It bring us together and whether you call that fate, destiny, chance, karma, luck, or something that's meant to be, I believe in that. And so I must believe in God.
It's been 6 minutes now and I'm turning a corner where I can see the sky. I have a special affinity for the sky, especially since I actively made the choice to make sure I'm always looking up (physically and metaphorically). And this brings me to my final minute of thought, this time about the soul. When I was a kid, I heard a song/story about the soul and it has stuck with me. It essentially says that our souls all come from the same place and when we pass on, it returns to this pool eventually becoming a part of someone else's soul. It also describes the soul as a kind of light that is in all of us, a divine spark that is what makes us unique. When I imagined the soul as light, that made sense to me. It was more than the haunting beauty of this song that I enjoyed, I now realize just how much my love of this song is related to the connectedness I feel and believe in.
Now it's been 7 minutes and I'm at my door but I need one more thought before I walk over the threshold and that the significance of the number of minutes I spent thinking, realizing, reconciling, and connecting. While I'm sure there are other religious numbers that are significant and though I'm sure I don't know all of them, I know that 7 is an important number for many reasons. And doesn't that make this realization even more lovely?
As I began my walk, I thought about a conversation I had earlier today about juju. I don't tend to use this word since my introduction to it was from "Grey's Anatomy" so I have no idea why I chose it but the fact was that it fit what I was trying to say. While debating what other words/phrases I could've used - fate, karma, destiny, meant to be, luck, chance - I had the most intense realization I think I've ever had. It hit me spontaneously and unexpectedly; similarly to what I experienced when I first realized I was "in love" and not just that I loved my then-boyfriend. But this realization had even more of an impact on me because this has been a dilemma I've had for years and something I firmly thought I knew the answer to.
I actually do believe in God.
And writing that, like thinking it, is more surreal than I can begin to explain. It wasn't even like, "I think I might", the thought came to me with clarity and finality. But it's not even this singular thought of realizing that I do believe in God, it's everything that goes along with it that consumed me for 7 minutes. Because up until that thought actually crossed my mind, ever since I became aware of my ability to process my relationship with my religion, I had maintained that I don't know if I believe in God. Or G-D which I think isn't quite the same thing. And by that I meant that I didn't believe we are SIMS and God holds the mouse. And yet I suddenly realized that I do believe in God, a thought that contradicts everything I thought I knew believed.
An elaboration.
I wouldn't say I'm a person of faith. I associate that label with people who can spout verse at the drop of a hat or who blindly follow because it's what they think they're supposed to do. I am neither. I frequently have to Google things that go above my basic Sunday School education and I have tried to learn the reasons behind holidays, traditions, etc. If I don't agree with them, I don't celebrate/follow them. And since my opinion often changes, my relationship with religion has continued to evolve over the last 7 years.
My senior year of college I took an assessment called StrengthsQuest. It essentially tells you things you already know about yourself but in a new kind of language. When I received my top 5 I wasn't surprised per se but hadn't thought those would be my top. I bring up SQ because my second word only after "Input" was "Connectedness". Here's how SQ describes people with this strength: "People who are especially talented in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason." And though I hadn't expected it to be in my top 5, I am that person. But still I maintained that I didn't believe in God because to me, this was describing spirituality not religion or God.
And now I return to my initial thought about juju and all of those other words I would've used. Why I chose to use it is less important to me compared to what I concluded in those 7 minutes. If I believe that things somehow happen for a reason, if I believe that we are all connected in some way, isn't that what God is? I had fallen into the trap of so many before me, I was thinking of God like a person because my mind is limited in its understanding of what I've personally experienced. I use all of these words regularly as a substitute without truly thinking about how they are actually one in the same. So why, I asked myself, did it take me so long to figure this out? It's not the first time I've thought about God or religion and yet suddenly I've done a 180 with what I claim to believe. Nothing about me as a person has changed. Where did this realization come from?
I believe that things happen for a reason. I believe that I have experienced struggles because I needed to go in a different and better direction than the one I thought I was heading toward. I believe these things not because of any kind of religion but because while living through these experiences, if I didn't continuously remind myself that there was a purpose, I would've lost hope and allowed myself to be consumed by the darkness. I have seen the worst of humanity and the best of humanity, and if there was no point to either of those then why go through it at all? Would I be better off burying my head in the sand just waiting for something to change?
That's when it hit me. My second epiphany of a 7 minute walk. I believe in God but I don't believe in Prayer. I believe that we're connected and that there is a point and purpose to every life on this big blue marble. I believe that we are here to learn from one another and that we are impacted and have an impact on people we've known all our lives and those we shared only a passing glance with. Now this became a second dilemma because if there was any aspect of my religion that I truly felt connected to, it is prayer. When I do attend services, though less frequently than I'd like, I always leave feeling like I'm walking on air. The music fills me in a way that I can't begin to describe. The connection I feel with my surroundings, both human and natural, is beyond words.
But to me, Prayer is an excuse. Some people will choose simply to pray, to ask for something, to plead with a God that they believe will provide them with what they need. I believe we will receive what we need, but I also believe that we receive what we strive for. Without action, Prayer is useless. Yet so many will turn to Prayer when they believe action is not giving them what they so want. But since when do we actually know what we want, what is actually best for us? The best thing about Prayer is that it forces you to consider what it is that you want - so that you may act on it. For years, whenever something happened in my life, it didn't feel real until I told it to my family and friends. That act of saying out loud what had happened made me aware of the realness of the moment. It forced me to reconcile when things were difficult, and it allowed me to celebrate when things were joyous. But the conventional attitude towards Prayer is not appealing to me. It is unattractive because it has continued to make me view God as a person who controls me. I still love the traditions that go along with praying but I do not believe Prayer changes anything.
So if I reject the concept of Prayer, what is it about the act of praying that is so fulfilling? It can be spiritual sure, which is the only way I've identified with religion up to this point. It provides me with a community when I seek out a place to engage in Prayer. But most importantly to me, it brings me to people who I have commonalities with, people I feel a connection to. And that connection brings me back to SQ and the fact that while I have felt disengaged from the idea of God for decades, the spirituality that I feel when in a community that is praying together, that is what God means to me. It bring us together and whether you call that fate, destiny, chance, karma, luck, or something that's meant to be, I believe in that. And so I must believe in God.
It's been 6 minutes now and I'm turning a corner where I can see the sky. I have a special affinity for the sky, especially since I actively made the choice to make sure I'm always looking up (physically and metaphorically). And this brings me to my final minute of thought, this time about the soul. When I was a kid, I heard a song/story about the soul and it has stuck with me. It essentially says that our souls all come from the same place and when we pass on, it returns to this pool eventually becoming a part of someone else's soul. It also describes the soul as a kind of light that is in all of us, a divine spark that is what makes us unique. When I imagined the soul as light, that made sense to me. It was more than the haunting beauty of this song that I enjoyed, I now realize just how much my love of this song is related to the connectedness I feel and believe in.
Now it's been 7 minutes and I'm at my door but I need one more thought before I walk over the threshold and that the significance of the number of minutes I spent thinking, realizing, reconciling, and connecting. While I'm sure there are other religious numbers that are significant and though I'm sure I don't know all of them, I know that 7 is an important number for many reasons. And doesn't that make this realization even more lovely?
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Self-Validation
I read an article recently about judging yourself and doing what you think will make others like you. This is not by any means a new idea but it liked how it was written and got me thinking. Since humans have found ways of communicating we have sought out validation. This typically comes from those around us: family, friends, coworkers, peers, acquaintances, etc. And that validation is important to us as social animals because we want to know that we have a purpose. Our actions and words are meaning beyond the realm of our personal internal bubble. Being a part of a group and identifying oneself is a sociological phenomenon that I could go into way more detail with but won't. Not because I don't find it fascinating - in fact I originally wanted to study sociology as an undergrad - but because there is almost too much that can be said. I could write an entire thesis let alone a blog post about this subject so for the sake of brevity I'm going to move on.
What I eventually majored in (Media and Communication) was well suited, particularly because of my interest in sociology. I could never imagine myself actually pursuing a professional career in media but the social science of it was perfect for me. And so going back to what I was saying about identifying oneself and being part of a group, this act of validation from others has historically been very important to people. Our census didn't always include so many boxes but as our society has grown and evolved we have added boxes to incorporate those communities that didn't fit into existing definitions. Adding these boxes allowed us to continue to validate how we identify ourselves by feeling like that identity was acknowledged, even by complete strangers.
But the steps we've taken in how we're validating ourselves has changed with the introduction of the internet, new technology, and especially social media. We work on creating a public profile or identity based on how we want people to view us. Only the best of us gets posted online in order to maintain a certain persona. Likes and RTs have become new forms of how we validate ourselves. That's why we share way more than necessary, that's why people are calling our generation the "me" generation. We narcissistic-ly want more little red notifications, little alert notifications pushed to our electronic devices that tells us we are connected. Even though these connections do little to actually connect us to people because until we can validate ourselves, we are just filling the space where our "self-love" should be with surface level connections.
So my challenge to myself and to whoever stumbles across this blog is to figure out what you personally need to self-validate. I do realize the irony of posting a blog about this but the fact is that I'm not writing this for anyone or for anyone to praise me for what I've said. I'm writing this for myself (and if anyone can benefit from it that's just a bonus) because that's part of how I validate myself. Writing my thoughts out helps me figure out what's going on in my brain and this is the easiest place for me to always have access to my thoughts. And I actually don't know why I said that because I feel no need to justify my usage of blogger to keep track of the random thoughts that I have. At the end of the day I know how to validate myself and it doesn't come from a tri-tone, red flag, or anything like that.
What I eventually majored in (Media and Communication) was well suited, particularly because of my interest in sociology. I could never imagine myself actually pursuing a professional career in media but the social science of it was perfect for me. And so going back to what I was saying about identifying oneself and being part of a group, this act of validation from others has historically been very important to people. Our census didn't always include so many boxes but as our society has grown and evolved we have added boxes to incorporate those communities that didn't fit into existing definitions. Adding these boxes allowed us to continue to validate how we identify ourselves by feeling like that identity was acknowledged, even by complete strangers.
But the steps we've taken in how we're validating ourselves has changed with the introduction of the internet, new technology, and especially social media. We work on creating a public profile or identity based on how we want people to view us. Only the best of us gets posted online in order to maintain a certain persona. Likes and RTs have become new forms of how we validate ourselves. That's why we share way more than necessary, that's why people are calling our generation the "me" generation. We narcissistic-ly want more little red notifications, little alert notifications pushed to our electronic devices that tells us we are connected. Even though these connections do little to actually connect us to people because until we can validate ourselves, we are just filling the space where our "self-love" should be with surface level connections.
So my challenge to myself and to whoever stumbles across this blog is to figure out what you personally need to self-validate. I do realize the irony of posting a blog about this but the fact is that I'm not writing this for anyone or for anyone to praise me for what I've said. I'm writing this for myself (and if anyone can benefit from it that's just a bonus) because that's part of how I validate myself. Writing my thoughts out helps me figure out what's going on in my brain and this is the easiest place for me to always have access to my thoughts. And I actually don't know why I said that because I feel no need to justify my usage of blogger to keep track of the random thoughts that I have. At the end of the day I know how to validate myself and it doesn't come from a tri-tone, red flag, or anything like that.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
The Lost Art of the Mixtape
I grew up on the edge of the technology generation. I don't really know what to call us. Are we generation X or generation Y? Or were we whatever generation came before that?
A few weeks ago, I finally fixed my parents old turntable and listened to my first vinyl record in, probably about 15 years. I remember playing with the records when I was a kid so when my sister, who is only 3 years younger than me, asked how I knew where to put the needle so I could play the exact song I wanted, I was shocked.
I remember the sound of dial-up internet and what a big deal it was when my parents got a second line so they could use the phone while we surfed AOL and sent IMs to our friends and robots like SmarterChild. I remember not knowing that there were more than 10ish channels that you could watch on tv because we didn't have cable until I was in my late teens. I remember sitting next to the huge radio system my parents had just waiting until my favorite new song came on so I could hit the record button at the right second, adding to my precious library of songs. Except this library was on a cassette tape. And if side A filled up at the exact moment a song ended, that was worthy of a celebration because who wants to lose half the song while waiting for it to flip to side B?
And so maybe it's because music fills up a huge portion of my memories and maybe it's because I have more memories of what it was like before CDs and iPods, but I used to think that there was nothing more romantic than a mixtape. My friends and I used to make tons of mix CDs before it wasn't standard to include MP3 player hook-ups in cars. And I understand the technicalities of making someone a mixtape now (besides me, does anyone have a stereo that can play cassettes anymore?) but there is something about the art of compiling songs together that went out of style with the advancements of technology.
Everyone now has playlists with an infinite number of songs on them and the "shuffle" option has made it oh so easy for us to not think about what we're listening to. Maybe it's because on vinyl there's no shuffle and only a few songs can fit on one side but there used to be a time, in the era when mixtapes were still common, where we had to put a lot of thought into the order and number of songs we could have. People even bought full albums and discovered that, even if it wasn't a radio hit, there could be some great hidden gems.
A few weeks ago, I finally fixed my parents old turntable and listened to my first vinyl record in, probably about 15 years. I remember playing with the records when I was a kid so when my sister, who is only 3 years younger than me, asked how I knew where to put the needle so I could play the exact song I wanted, I was shocked.
I remember the sound of dial-up internet and what a big deal it was when my parents got a second line so they could use the phone while we surfed AOL and sent IMs to our friends and robots like SmarterChild. I remember not knowing that there were more than 10ish channels that you could watch on tv because we didn't have cable until I was in my late teens. I remember sitting next to the huge radio system my parents had just waiting until my favorite new song came on so I could hit the record button at the right second, adding to my precious library of songs. Except this library was on a cassette tape. And if side A filled up at the exact moment a song ended, that was worthy of a celebration because who wants to lose half the song while waiting for it to flip to side B?
And so maybe it's because music fills up a huge portion of my memories and maybe it's because I have more memories of what it was like before CDs and iPods, but I used to think that there was nothing more romantic than a mixtape. My friends and I used to make tons of mix CDs before it wasn't standard to include MP3 player hook-ups in cars. And I understand the technicalities of making someone a mixtape now (besides me, does anyone have a stereo that can play cassettes anymore?) but there is something about the art of compiling songs together that went out of style with the advancements of technology.
Everyone now has playlists with an infinite number of songs on them and the "shuffle" option has made it oh so easy for us to not think about what we're listening to. Maybe it's because on vinyl there's no shuffle and only a few songs can fit on one side but there used to be a time, in the era when mixtapes were still common, where we had to put a lot of thought into the order and number of songs we could have. People even bought full albums and discovered that, even if it wasn't a radio hit, there could be some great hidden gems.
This is not intended to make it seem like a holier-than-thou speech. I have so many synced Spotify playlists that I go through faster than Apple goes through new products. I'm constantly making new mixes to tailor to my current mood. Heartbroken? Cheerful? Excited? Rockin' out? There's a playlist for that. What I meant when I say down to write this is that we have gotten lazy. We send YouTube links to each other with random songs that may relate to the moment but we have lost the art of creating a collection of songs that ebb and flow while conveying a story. There's a reason why we sing the same songs in a row in religious services and broadway shows - because the music is a journey. But now it's so much more about convenience and having everything at the tips of our fingers. We've gotten lazy and we stopped putting thought into how we express ourselves through music. Even some of what's out there now I can't even understand how people could define that as music.
I wonder if we will ever completely lose the art of mixtapes. Even when they aren't tapes; as it is those have already fallen by the wayside. But for some reason, I am still convinced that mixtapes are a romantic and intimate expression that can't be replicated in playlists or YouTube links. If someone puts thought into creating something like that for you where each song carries purpose and significance, where there is a story being told, I think that person is truly special. In a world that keeps pushing us away from those forms of expression, those who can stand out from the crowd are those who truly affect our lives.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Semantics
I was always that person who corrected people on their grammar or word choice. It's not something I'm necessarily proud of, it was a compulsion. Half the time, I didn't even realize I was doing it until I started listening to myself more, and by that point it was too late and I'd committed to being "that person" again. If you don't believe me, here's an anecdote: I told my ex-boyfriend - while he was trying to break up with me, no less - that irregardless wasn't a word after he said it as we argued. That definitely couldn't have helped the situation but I promise you, he'll probably never forget that the word is "regardless".
Although most people would say that it's just semantics, from my experiences I've come to the conclusion that semantics are more meaningful than people realize. How many times have we all been misunderstood because we fumbled with semantics while communicating or used a word that actually wasn't the right word for what we were trying to say? It probably comes across as appropriate and perhaps a bit ironic that I was a media and communication major during my undergraduate career, but I chose it for many reasons none of which had to do with how I can be technical about communicating. It is mostly makes sense in hindsight. But one of many reasons why I am particular about semantics is because of the power of words. I don't think humans are so much better than other living creatures but I have an appreciation for what we have been given, namely the ability to communicate with words. An ability that creates such a plethora of emotions that I don't believe there are even words to describe everything that a person can feel.
During college, a friend of mine was going through something and she kept using the word "should". I turned to her and said: "There's a reason why "should" doesn't have an equivalent in most languages; why it's in the past tense. Should is a world of regret. Figure out what you want to do and do it." Now I realize that's not completely accurate, but it stemmed from something my high school french teacher had said, that there was no proper translation for the word "should", and it stuck with me. Although I didn't think much of her comment at the time, it inspired what I told my friend a few years later when we were in college.
"Should" is a funny word. It it most commonly read as "ought to" or "must". It doesn't follow standard grammatical rules. Officially I think the word "shall" is the present tense of the word, but personally I don't think that quite works. Shall is just a present tense verb which can result in action or non-action. My issue with "should" is that there is an implication in the use of the word depending on what action or non-action occurred. If I "should" have done something and didn't, that implies failure on my part. While I could have chosen not to act or I could have tried something different, it carried an implication of being incorrect because I didn't do what I "should" have. I have found that it can be a truly hurtful word due to this connotation of implied negativity. To not do what you "should", is to be wrong. Granted, there are many other words that carry an expectation of acting on something, however I've found that "should" is most often used in a "I should've done this" or "I should've said that" way (Side note: "should of" is not a thing, please for the love of all things holy, stop it). And this is problematic to me because our world isn't black and white, therefore there is no one right thing that "should" be. So when people say that something or someone "should"/"shouldn't", I reject that view. We need to keep moving forward and do what we can with what we have or we will find that we're stuck in the same place.
This parallels with a phrase that my college friends and I have stopped using in the last few years. "It is what it is." I can't say for sure whether I despise this phrase or "should" more, but I think they are both problematic for similar reasons. They take what currently is and negate its significance. If you "should" or "should have" done something, then to do otherwise is not right. If you say "it is what it is" you are accepting something that you are unsatisfied with, you empower that which is not right by allowing it to be. Back in September, I heard a sermon about why we need to stop saying "it is what it is" by replacing it with "it can become what it ought to be". This is something that I can appreciate because it requires both an acceptance of what is while making a conscientious decision to act.
The question I'm left with is how do you take action when your hands are tied and yet you're unwilling to accept that "it is what it is"? I've watched my friends struggle with so many experiences that were completely outside of their ability to enact change (multiple people with visa issues jump to mind here), so if your hands are tied, what can you do? Whatever the opportunity may be, the worst thing we could possibly do is become complacent and say that "it is what it is" or that we "should" or "shouldn't" have done or felt something different. This kind of thinking is so prevalent among our age group and it's one of the many reasons why we've been dubbed lazy and unmotivated. While things may not go the way we expected or hoped, that is generally becoming more of a life trend. Now that we're past the part of our lives that come with a somewhat organized map with a course of action dependent upon our past actions, the "real world" has opened its doors and the openness terrifies us. There are almost too many options that we freeze up and go for the safe option or the easy choice. But that kind of thinking won't get us to where we want to go and neither will "should".
So I return to the end of the phrase I told my friend in college, "Figure out what you want to do and do it." That's not to say it'll be easy. But if we "should" through life, we won't truly be living in the present, we'll continue to experience regret as we keep living in a theoretically parallel universe. It doesn't have to be what it is. It is never too late to change. And no one is going to do it for us, nothing is going to be handed to us. We have to choose to act. Even if we don't end up quite where we expected initially, as long as we look ahead to the destination we desire, in time we will get to where we're supposed to be.
Although most people would say that it's just semantics, from my experiences I've come to the conclusion that semantics are more meaningful than people realize. How many times have we all been misunderstood because we fumbled with semantics while communicating or used a word that actually wasn't the right word for what we were trying to say? It probably comes across as appropriate and perhaps a bit ironic that I was a media and communication major during my undergraduate career, but I chose it for many reasons none of which had to do with how I can be technical about communicating. It is mostly makes sense in hindsight. But one of many reasons why I am particular about semantics is because of the power of words. I don't think humans are so much better than other living creatures but I have an appreciation for what we have been given, namely the ability to communicate with words. An ability that creates such a plethora of emotions that I don't believe there are even words to describe everything that a person can feel.
During college, a friend of mine was going through something and she kept using the word "should". I turned to her and said: "There's a reason why "should" doesn't have an equivalent in most languages; why it's in the past tense. Should is a world of regret. Figure out what you want to do and do it." Now I realize that's not completely accurate, but it stemmed from something my high school french teacher had said, that there was no proper translation for the word "should", and it stuck with me. Although I didn't think much of her comment at the time, it inspired what I told my friend a few years later when we were in college.
"Should" is a funny word. It it most commonly read as "ought to" or "must". It doesn't follow standard grammatical rules. Officially I think the word "shall" is the present tense of the word, but personally I don't think that quite works. Shall is just a present tense verb which can result in action or non-action. My issue with "should" is that there is an implication in the use of the word depending on what action or non-action occurred. If I "should" have done something and didn't, that implies failure on my part. While I could have chosen not to act or I could have tried something different, it carried an implication of being incorrect because I didn't do what I "should" have. I have found that it can be a truly hurtful word due to this connotation of implied negativity. To not do what you "should", is to be wrong. Granted, there are many other words that carry an expectation of acting on something, however I've found that "should" is most often used in a "I should've done this" or "I should've said that" way (Side note: "should of" is not a thing, please for the love of all things holy, stop it). And this is problematic to me because our world isn't black and white, therefore there is no one right thing that "should" be. So when people say that something or someone "should"/"shouldn't", I reject that view. We need to keep moving forward and do what we can with what we have or we will find that we're stuck in the same place.
This parallels with a phrase that my college friends and I have stopped using in the last few years. "It is what it is." I can't say for sure whether I despise this phrase or "should" more, but I think they are both problematic for similar reasons. They take what currently is and negate its significance. If you "should" or "should have" done something, then to do otherwise is not right. If you say "it is what it is" you are accepting something that you are unsatisfied with, you empower that which is not right by allowing it to be. Back in September, I heard a sermon about why we need to stop saying "it is what it is" by replacing it with "it can become what it ought to be". This is something that I can appreciate because it requires both an acceptance of what is while making a conscientious decision to act.
The question I'm left with is how do you take action when your hands are tied and yet you're unwilling to accept that "it is what it is"? I've watched my friends struggle with so many experiences that were completely outside of their ability to enact change (multiple people with visa issues jump to mind here), so if your hands are tied, what can you do? Whatever the opportunity may be, the worst thing we could possibly do is become complacent and say that "it is what it is" or that we "should" or "shouldn't" have done or felt something different. This kind of thinking is so prevalent among our age group and it's one of the many reasons why we've been dubbed lazy and unmotivated. While things may not go the way we expected or hoped, that is generally becoming more of a life trend. Now that we're past the part of our lives that come with a somewhat organized map with a course of action dependent upon our past actions, the "real world" has opened its doors and the openness terrifies us. There are almost too many options that we freeze up and go for the safe option or the easy choice. But that kind of thinking won't get us to where we want to go and neither will "should".
So I return to the end of the phrase I told my friend in college, "Figure out what you want to do and do it." That's not to say it'll be easy. But if we "should" through life, we won't truly be living in the present, we'll continue to experience regret as we keep living in a theoretically parallel universe. It doesn't have to be what it is. It is never too late to change. And no one is going to do it for us, nothing is going to be handed to us. We have to choose to act. Even if we don't end up quite where we expected initially, as long as we look ahead to the destination we desire, in time we will get to where we're supposed to be.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Theme: Freedom and Being Free
We are currently in the midst of Pesach, or Passover, a holiday that has become the 8 day (or for some people only 7 or even 2 day) Thanksgiving equivalent for Jews. There are certainly parallels between these two occasions - families coming together at a huge dinner table where we succumb to eating hefty amounts of culturally significant food. But there's another similarity that - in our increasingly secular world - it seems many are forgetting or worse, bypassing as an opportunity to have a conversation. At the root of both holidays is a word that is highly complex and often used yet not appreciated or considered by those who believe they have it already: Freedom.
It seems to be generally accepted that people have the ability to choose, that free will is a given. I could argue both sides to whether or not we have free will but that's not the point of what I'm trying to say so let's approach this under the guise of free will and choice existing. With this in mind, I ask what kinds of Freedom with a capital F we have. For Americans (which is what I am and therefore the lens I use here), there are five freedoms that we're "guaranteed" under the constitution. Can you name them all? In case you don't, they're freedom of assembly, petition, press, religion, and speech. The thing is, do we really have all of those things? I have read so many stories recently where people are denied these supposed "basic" freedoms, and this is of course not the first time in the history of humanity that freedom has been an issue. We are currently waiting for the decisions on DOMA and Prop 8 some time before the end of June, legislation that has denied many freedoms that their neighbors have.
On a smaller scale, there are other kinds of freedom that I've been considering but they're not the kind of freedom that people generally think about. I think that freedom is more of that overarching, legislatively influenced, societally accepted/expected kind of free, but there's another kind of freedom that we take for ourselves. Because those freedoms I was talking about, those don't give people as much choice. Sometimes our hands are tied and we are unable to just make a choice. We need to act and take that freedom back for ourselves. But I'm referring to when we do have the choice, the option to be free. We can choose to be free rather than slaves. When I finally ended a toxic relationship, I chose to be free of my ex and free of commitment. When I decided that the job I was in was only holding me back and making me miserable, I left it. I realized that I'd become a slave to my relationship, a slave to an unfulfilling job, a slave to myself. And obviously in a way we're all slaves to something or someone at some point in our lives. It is only when we realize what is holding us back, what we are slaves to, that we can then claim our freedom and get from where we are to where we're supposed to be.
So we can keep attending the Passover Seder and the Thanksgiving Feast, but let's not forget these themes of freedom and being free. Let's take these opportunities to be introspective and enlightening. We may be retelling the same story, but our lives have changed, altered, grown since the last time we were together. Rather than just going through the motions, I encourage us all to see these holidays as more than a chance to engage in familial drama before simply returning to our regular day-in, day-out. By continuing to give meaning to these experiences, we will continue to grow and learn, and isn't that the most freeing thing of all?
It seems to be generally accepted that people have the ability to choose, that free will is a given. I could argue both sides to whether or not we have free will but that's not the point of what I'm trying to say so let's approach this under the guise of free will and choice existing. With this in mind, I ask what kinds of Freedom with a capital F we have. For Americans (which is what I am and therefore the lens I use here), there are five freedoms that we're "guaranteed" under the constitution. Can you name them all? In case you don't, they're freedom of assembly, petition, press, religion, and speech. The thing is, do we really have all of those things? I have read so many stories recently where people are denied these supposed "basic" freedoms, and this is of course not the first time in the history of humanity that freedom has been an issue. We are currently waiting for the decisions on DOMA and Prop 8 some time before the end of June, legislation that has denied many freedoms that their neighbors have.
On a smaller scale, there are other kinds of freedom that I've been considering but they're not the kind of freedom that people generally think about. I think that freedom is more of that overarching, legislatively influenced, societally accepted/expected kind of free, but there's another kind of freedom that we take for ourselves. Because those freedoms I was talking about, those don't give people as much choice. Sometimes our hands are tied and we are unable to just make a choice. We need to act and take that freedom back for ourselves. But I'm referring to when we do have the choice, the option to be free. We can choose to be free rather than slaves. When I finally ended a toxic relationship, I chose to be free of my ex and free of commitment. When I decided that the job I was in was only holding me back and making me miserable, I left it. I realized that I'd become a slave to my relationship, a slave to an unfulfilling job, a slave to myself. And obviously in a way we're all slaves to something or someone at some point in our lives. It is only when we realize what is holding us back, what we are slaves to, that we can then claim our freedom and get from where we are to where we're supposed to be.
So we can keep attending the Passover Seder and the Thanksgiving Feast, but let's not forget these themes of freedom and being free. Let's take these opportunities to be introspective and enlightening. We may be retelling the same story, but our lives have changed, altered, grown since the last time we were together. Rather than just going through the motions, I encourage us all to see these holidays as more than a chance to engage in familial drama before simply returning to our regular day-in, day-out. By continuing to give meaning to these experiences, we will continue to grow and learn, and isn't that the most freeing thing of all?
Saturday, May 11, 2013
One of my issues with Halacha
It started with all the issues about women praying at the wall in Israel. Regardless of my own personal opinions I think that many of the arguments against it has come from tradition. But my main issue is that the laws of Judaism were not written to be understood in our modern language.
So when it comes down to it, rabbinic tradition came from who interpreted it and they did so within the context of the world they lived in. Whether they were saints or ordinary men, they defined what they believed to be what was written to mean the only things they could understand and foresee, they were not fortune tellers, just teachers.
That being said, the world that contextualized how they defined Halacha no longer exists. And that does not mean that the Halacha is not longer applicable, it simply means that it needs to be adapted as we humans have adapted over time.
So when it comes down to it, rabbinic tradition came from who interpreted it and they did so within the context of the world they lived in. Whether they were saints or ordinary men, they defined what they believed to be what was written to mean the only things they could understand and foresee, they were not fortune tellers, just teachers.
That being said, the world that contextualized how they defined Halacha no longer exists. And that does not mean that the Halacha is not longer applicable, it simply means that it needs to be adapted as we humans have adapted over time.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
A Rant about Homosexuality
Apparently, a few weeks ago, an anchor on the news came out as a lesbian and announced that she and her partner were expecting. I was exposed to a conversation recently where two people were discussing this woman and the news. Their obviously shock as they were talking about how they didn't know that she was gay was unsettling but the worst was when one of them said, "from the way she reported the news, I always thought she was straight".
Here's the thing. The reason you assumed anything about her sexuality at all is because heterosexuality is the norm and it never crossed your mind that she would be anything else. In fact, the truth is that you never thought anything about her sexuality until you found out that it wasn't what the majority of people are. Consider now just how often you assume things about people. If I said, "He walked down the street", you probably imagined a heterosexual white man of average height. It is only if I give you a detail of who "he" is that you imagine something else based solely on the stereotypes you typically associate with that label. Her sexuality only became significant when you found out she wasn't like you.
Since you had never given her sexuality a thought until you found out it wasn't the norm, society dictates that for those in the public eye, this can be conceived of as "news". So when that basketball player publicly came out, everyone was buzzing about it. Talking about how powerful it is and the strength that it takes to accomplish such a thing. It changed nothing about his playing abilities, it is irrelevant in anyone life but his, and yet because we are hyper-aware of sexuality right now, we need to talk about it. If someone were to announce their religion, it's also still considered significant although not to the point of sexuality.
Race is something we can see (or so we are led to believe), correct? So by this standard, because we can compartmentalize people without even speaking with them, this is why announcing your "racial background" is not news worthy. And yet, because there are "qualities" that society has fixated on, announcing something that is not of the norm and that can't be observed visually, is held to a different standard. My confusion is why in the 21st century, we are still obsessing over the need to assign labels to people. These labels are constructed by society to mean something, they are not inherently known or understood, they need to be explained and taught. Until we stop placing so much emphasis on what a person is versus who are person is, we will continue to hold public figures coming out to a standard that continues showcases the differentness of those identities. And until we stop this focus on differentness, it is forgotten how similar we all are. Until it doesn't matter where you come from, what you believe, or who you love, these labels will define our lives. And how sad it that?
Here's the thing. The reason you assumed anything about her sexuality at all is because heterosexuality is the norm and it never crossed your mind that she would be anything else. In fact, the truth is that you never thought anything about her sexuality until you found out that it wasn't what the majority of people are. Consider now just how often you assume things about people. If I said, "He walked down the street", you probably imagined a heterosexual white man of average height. It is only if I give you a detail of who "he" is that you imagine something else based solely on the stereotypes you typically associate with that label. Her sexuality only became significant when you found out she wasn't like you.
Since you had never given her sexuality a thought until you found out it wasn't the norm, society dictates that for those in the public eye, this can be conceived of as "news". So when that basketball player publicly came out, everyone was buzzing about it. Talking about how powerful it is and the strength that it takes to accomplish such a thing. It changed nothing about his playing abilities, it is irrelevant in anyone life but his, and yet because we are hyper-aware of sexuality right now, we need to talk about it. If someone were to announce their religion, it's also still considered significant although not to the point of sexuality.
Race is something we can see (or so we are led to believe), correct? So by this standard, because we can compartmentalize people without even speaking with them, this is why announcing your "racial background" is not news worthy. And yet, because there are "qualities" that society has fixated on, announcing something that is not of the norm and that can't be observed visually, is held to a different standard. My confusion is why in the 21st century, we are still obsessing over the need to assign labels to people. These labels are constructed by society to mean something, they are not inherently known or understood, they need to be explained and taught. Until we stop placing so much emphasis on what a person is versus who are person is, we will continue to hold public figures coming out to a standard that continues showcases the differentness of those identities. And until we stop this focus on differentness, it is forgotten how similar we all are. Until it doesn't matter where you come from, what you believe, or who you love, these labels will define our lives. And how sad it that?
Thursday, March 28, 2013
When I was the most observant
As a kid, we spent both Passover seders at my grandparents. My cousins were always there for one of the seders because they spent the other one with the other side of their family. When we got older, we started going to my aunt's for the first seder and then the second one would be spent with any combination of friends and family. At the same time, I was teaching myself a lot about Judaism and had begun to observe traditions that I hadn't grown up with. So while my extended family has future rabbis, in my immediate family I would probably be considered the most observant.
This year, our second seder was held at our house and for the first time, my parents had invited friends who are Jewish AND friends who are not. Being at this seder, especially after my mom asked me to pull some readings to add to the seder as a way of making sure everyone was learning something new, I realized a few things about myself in relation to my religion.
There is still so much that I don't know. And this is both an exciting blessing/adventure and also a daunting undertaking. I love learning and philosophizing and puzzles. This explains a lot to me because it is what drew me to experimenting with Judaism. I am practical and believe in only what can be proved. This has proven to be a dilemma for me due to how conflicting and outdated religious traditions can be. Yet I enjoy tradition and community; I find that I thrive best in that kind of environment. How/when does something become a tradition? How/when do those traditions change and when /why is it ok for some traditions to change and others stay the same? What motivates people to follow traditions and are there better reasons than others? And though I enjoy tradition (or more so, what tradition creates - a community), I'm troubled that tradition doesn't stem from what is written in the Torah, it comes from the interpretation of the rabbis. And who is to say that there aren't other possible ways of interpreting what is written? When it comes down to it, if there is a higher power (again, an issue I have because I over-intellectualize and need proof to believe in something) would it really matter if I didn't follow some of the more cultural traditions? Does it really matter if I eat a cheeseburger (though I haven't had one in almost 7 years) or use my cell phone on Saturday (which I still do without a second thought)? Wouldn't it be more important that I live my life in a morally and ethically sound way?
While both the Jews and goyim (non-Jews) all learned from what I shared at the seder, without sounding pretentious, I think that I was the one who learned the most.
This year, our second seder was held at our house and for the first time, my parents had invited friends who are Jewish AND friends who are not. Being at this seder, especially after my mom asked me to pull some readings to add to the seder as a way of making sure everyone was learning something new, I realized a few things about myself in relation to my religion.
There is still so much that I don't know. And this is both an exciting blessing/adventure and also a daunting undertaking. I love learning and philosophizing and puzzles. This explains a lot to me because it is what drew me to experimenting with Judaism. I am practical and believe in only what can be proved. This has proven to be a dilemma for me due to how conflicting and outdated religious traditions can be. Yet I enjoy tradition and community; I find that I thrive best in that kind of environment. How/when does something become a tradition? How/when do those traditions change and when /why is it ok for some traditions to change and others stay the same? What motivates people to follow traditions and are there better reasons than others? And though I enjoy tradition (or more so, what tradition creates - a community), I'm troubled that tradition doesn't stem from what is written in the Torah, it comes from the interpretation of the rabbis. And who is to say that there aren't other possible ways of interpreting what is written? When it comes down to it, if there is a higher power (again, an issue I have because I over-intellectualize and need proof to believe in something) would it really matter if I didn't follow some of the more cultural traditions? Does it really matter if I eat a cheeseburger (though I haven't had one in almost 7 years) or use my cell phone on Saturday (which I still do without a second thought)? Wouldn't it be more important that I live my life in a morally and ethically sound way?
While both the Jews and goyim (non-Jews) all learned from what I shared at the seder, without sounding pretentious, I think that I was the one who learned the most.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Cycles
Every time I have a conversation with a few select friends, all connected to me via different aspects of my life because none of them overlap, I've noticed a few of the same topics cycle through. While I don't think we intentionally bring these things up, they make their way into discussions that a majority of the world would likely think we were crazy for considering. And it makes me wonder about the people I'm friends with compared to the small group of people I have these absurd one-on-one conversations with. It's difficult to put into words how we get onto these topics and how easily it just seems to flow with those select people but I'm curious what other people think because I'm so limited in the scope of who I've conversed with in this way.
Time
Does time only progress in a straight-foward, linear way or is there something more to time that we are incapable of understanding? Just like historically we've created deities to try to compartmentalize what we as humans are able to experience, have we done the same with time? What is time were experienced in the same way that a tree grows. All at once and then branching off into all the potential choices that we make? But what if time is cyclical, does that mean we have the ability to make choices at all? We are all confined by time on this planet, but if we only see what is directly in front of us and refuse to see into the past and the future, considering how they both shape the now, we're just hurting everyone.
Fear
This might be the only emotion that can be as equally freeing as it can be paralyzing. Generally it is only viewed as preventative, it stops you from doing things that could bring harm to you or others. It is not a bad emotion, it is necessary and has contributed to the survival of humankind. Yet it is also an emotion and by that nature, it does not always come from rational thought but is reactionary. This is when fear is crippling and holds us back from real progress. It is only upon acknowledging the fear, having awareness for how it is stopping us, and then purposefully overcoming it or doing something in spite of it, that fear can be freeing and beautiful. Yet we often accept this emotion and allow it to be debilitating rather than confronting it. To what extent is fear empowering and destroying us?
That's all I've got for now. Thoughts?
Time
Does time only progress in a straight-foward, linear way or is there something more to time that we are incapable of understanding? Just like historically we've created deities to try to compartmentalize what we as humans are able to experience, have we done the same with time? What is time were experienced in the same way that a tree grows. All at once and then branching off into all the potential choices that we make? But what if time is cyclical, does that mean we have the ability to make choices at all? We are all confined by time on this planet, but if we only see what is directly in front of us and refuse to see into the past and the future, considering how they both shape the now, we're just hurting everyone.
Fear
This might be the only emotion that can be as equally freeing as it can be paralyzing. Generally it is only viewed as preventative, it stops you from doing things that could bring harm to you or others. It is not a bad emotion, it is necessary and has contributed to the survival of humankind. Yet it is also an emotion and by that nature, it does not always come from rational thought but is reactionary. This is when fear is crippling and holds us back from real progress. It is only upon acknowledging the fear, having awareness for how it is stopping us, and then purposefully overcoming it or doing something in spite of it, that fear can be freeing and beautiful. Yet we often accept this emotion and allow it to be debilitating rather than confronting it. To what extent is fear empowering and destroying us?
That's all I've got for now. Thoughts?
Monday, February 11, 2013
Being Happy
I think we complicate being happy. There is a certain simplicity in choosing to be happy and yet it seems that we frequently allow ourselves to choose other options. Happiness is a goal that we set for ourselves but don't allow ourselves to realistically obtain. It's something to strive for, to work toward, to try to be. And when we aren't, we justify it as a temporary state of being that will eventually turn into happiness.
I believe that we all do want to be happy. But want in and of itself is desire, need, wishing, hoping. It isn't fulfillment. Because there is always more to want, more to get. Our satisfaction is brief before we find something else to want. Something else to need. Every day is chock full of actions we take toward reaching that ultimate goal of being happy. Whether in our romantic lives, our jobs, our friendships, our academics, our families, we constantly work on improving these things because that will result in being happy. So when we experience it, we are only encouraged to work on these things more in order to continue feeling the emotion of happiness.
But there's a difference between happiness and simply being happy. While I do not constantly experience happiness, I still choose to be happy. Regardless of what may occur on a daily basis, cultivating the mentality of being happy takes an enormous pressure off. For then we can act without fear because even when sadness strikes, we are happy or rather, content. Though a word that seems to often carry the implication that we are no longer trying as it can be perceived as passive, used in this context, it becomes alive. To be alive, we must be content, we must be happy. We must choose these things because to do otherwise results in spending each day only striving for something. There will always be more to want and more to get. But by actively choosing to be happy, we are able to reach a sense of inner tranquility and peace. A state of mind that in turn allows us to simply be happy.
I believe that we all do want to be happy. But want in and of itself is desire, need, wishing, hoping. It isn't fulfillment. Because there is always more to want, more to get. Our satisfaction is brief before we find something else to want. Something else to need. Every day is chock full of actions we take toward reaching that ultimate goal of being happy. Whether in our romantic lives, our jobs, our friendships, our academics, our families, we constantly work on improving these things because that will result in being happy. So when we experience it, we are only encouraged to work on these things more in order to continue feeling the emotion of happiness.
But there's a difference between happiness and simply being happy. While I do not constantly experience happiness, I still choose to be happy. Regardless of what may occur on a daily basis, cultivating the mentality of being happy takes an enormous pressure off. For then we can act without fear because even when sadness strikes, we are happy or rather, content. Though a word that seems to often carry the implication that we are no longer trying as it can be perceived as passive, used in this context, it becomes alive. To be alive, we must be content, we must be happy. We must choose these things because to do otherwise results in spending each day only striving for something. There will always be more to want and more to get. But by actively choosing to be happy, we are able to reach a sense of inner tranquility and peace. A state of mind that in turn allows us to simply be happy.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
If we knew the Future in the Past
How would our lives be different if we knew things before they happened?
If we knew that a particular moment was the last time we would see or talk to someone, would that change the way we spent that moment? Or rather, because it would mean that because we always knew when something was going to be a last time, how would we change the things we do? Would we not bother getting to know someone because we know the friendship is destined to end? Would we not pull that all-nighter because we know we will graduate summa cum laude? Would we decide not to leave, knowing that we'd never see someone again?
Or, would we be forced to be their friend, pull the all-night, and leave simply because we know that if we don't, we're actually changing the future? Does knowing the future eliminate the existence of free will because we have no choice but to do what the future is telling us must happen?
We approach time as being chronological but in a world where we know when something will happen before it does, time would be cyclical. There would be no changing the future simply because that future is dependent upon what happens in the past, which for us, is the current moment.
While I don't think I would want to know when something will happen before it does, I don't think it could hurt to know when something will be the last. Actually, I take it back. We wouldn't hug each other as tight if we knew exactly when we'd see each other again. We wouldn't tell people how much they mean to us if we knew that we would be able to say it for another 30 years. Not knowing is what keeps us sharing, but at the same time, we don't always appreciate those moments because we often assume they will not be the last. We don't look at each other and say how much we care with real feeling every time because we believe that in a few hours, a few days, a few weeks from now, we will have the opportunity to say it again. We don't watch another car drive away. We don't see each other beyond just looking. We don't listen beyond just hearing.
What if we did those things without knowing when it would be our last? Because when we don't get that chance again, it affects us all differently but it's often what hurts the most. The one thing we didn't get to say or do. Because often, while we did it, while we cared and said so, we took those moments for granted and didn't make sure that that last time was treated like the last time. We didn't get the end, the goodbye we'd wanted. If we could know when we needed to have that moment, would we have it? Would we fight it? Would we look it in the eye and take it in? Would we avoid it?
How would we view every moment differently if we knew what we would see when we looked back at it as a past moment once the future is the present?
If we knew that a particular moment was the last time we would see or talk to someone, would that change the way we spent that moment? Or rather, because it would mean that because we always knew when something was going to be a last time, how would we change the things we do? Would we not bother getting to know someone because we know the friendship is destined to end? Would we not pull that all-nighter because we know we will graduate summa cum laude? Would we decide not to leave, knowing that we'd never see someone again?
Or, would we be forced to be their friend, pull the all-night, and leave simply because we know that if we don't, we're actually changing the future? Does knowing the future eliminate the existence of free will because we have no choice but to do what the future is telling us must happen?
We approach time as being chronological but in a world where we know when something will happen before it does, time would be cyclical. There would be no changing the future simply because that future is dependent upon what happens in the past, which for us, is the current moment.
While I don't think I would want to know when something will happen before it does, I don't think it could hurt to know when something will be the last. Actually, I take it back. We wouldn't hug each other as tight if we knew exactly when we'd see each other again. We wouldn't tell people how much they mean to us if we knew that we would be able to say it for another 30 years. Not knowing is what keeps us sharing, but at the same time, we don't always appreciate those moments because we often assume they will not be the last. We don't look at each other and say how much we care with real feeling every time because we believe that in a few hours, a few days, a few weeks from now, we will have the opportunity to say it again. We don't watch another car drive away. We don't see each other beyond just looking. We don't listen beyond just hearing.
What if we did those things without knowing when it would be our last? Because when we don't get that chance again, it affects us all differently but it's often what hurts the most. The one thing we didn't get to say or do. Because often, while we did it, while we cared and said so, we took those moments for granted and didn't make sure that that last time was treated like the last time. We didn't get the end, the goodbye we'd wanted. If we could know when we needed to have that moment, would we have it? Would we fight it? Would we look it in the eye and take it in? Would we avoid it?
How would we view every moment differently if we knew what we would see when we looked back at it as a past moment once the future is the present?
Sunday, January 27, 2013
25 things I’ve learned in 25 years
(in no particular order)
1. Laugh often.
2. Being happy begins with inner peace.
3. Music is what feelings sound like.
4. The best place to get lost is in a book.
5. Life isn’t easy but it can be simple.
6. Friends are the family you get to choose.
7. Nothing is more valuable than a strong, loving family. Remember your roots and appreciate them.
8. People > things
9. There’s no such thing as giving to someone who can give nothing back. Selfless acts feed your soul.
10. Keep looking up. Always.
11. Take chances. Make mistakes. Learn.
12. Forgive yourself the way you forgive others.
13. Make lists.
14. Find a hobby that doesn’t require electricity. Bonus points if it involves real human interactions.
15. Stay active.
16. You can grow older and still not grow up.
17. Dream. Wish. Believe. Hope.
18. Change is good. The harder it is, the better you will be for it.
19. There is beauty everywhere. Notice it.
20. Be passionate.
21. There is a light within us all. Only you can decide to keep it lit or put it out.
22. This life is a gift. This world is a gift. Treat it with care. It’s the only one we get.
23. You don’t have to settle. It doesn’t have to be what it is.
24. Every person you meet has something to teach you.
25. Love yourself.
and because it wouldn't be a birthday post without the extra bonus one...
26. If nobody thought wishfully, nothing cool would ever happen.
1. Laugh often.
2. Being happy begins with inner peace.
3. Music is what feelings sound like.
4. The best place to get lost is in a book.
5. Life isn’t easy but it can be simple.
6. Friends are the family you get to choose.
7. Nothing is more valuable than a strong, loving family. Remember your roots and appreciate them.
8. People > things
9. There’s no such thing as giving to someone who can give nothing back. Selfless acts feed your soul.
10. Keep looking up. Always.
11. Take chances. Make mistakes. Learn.
12. Forgive yourself the way you forgive others.
13. Make lists.
14. Find a hobby that doesn’t require electricity. Bonus points if it involves real human interactions.
15. Stay active.
16. You can grow older and still not grow up.
17. Dream. Wish. Believe. Hope.
18. Change is good. The harder it is, the better you will be for it.
19. There is beauty everywhere. Notice it.
20. Be passionate.
21. There is a light within us all. Only you can decide to keep it lit or put it out.
22. This life is a gift. This world is a gift. Treat it with care. It’s the only one we get.
23. You don’t have to settle. It doesn’t have to be what it is.
24. Every person you meet has something to teach you.
25. Love yourself.
and because it wouldn't be a birthday post without the extra bonus one...
26. If nobody thought wishfully, nothing cool would ever happen.
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