A Firefly By Moonlight

A firefly by moonlight does but flicker brightly

Its will a flame of red passion burning nightly

When I woke at twilight, it was in my ire

That I saw posts screaming neon – not fire

For the flame is as much the match that strikes

And a firefly is as embers and night are alike

Through smouldering, the heart it does consume

To replace your sun in a grave yet not exhumed

Shine on, fair firefly and fade into the bleak

Night’s cloak like a torn canvas of red leaks

Do not hurry, for time has never been a race

For even warmth can come from night’s embrace

Of Love and Stars

You feel like your heart is split in two

Like they’re trying to keep it from you

There’s a part that shines as bright as stars

And a part that still wishes it was yours

I don’t ever want to make you feel uneasy

Like love wouldn’t be enough to please me

But I’ll shoot for the moon and make you mine

Because our star light glows brighter than sunshine

Connect the dots in the sky and our hearts

We’ll paint a pretty Picasso or some better art

We’ll sew it up and throw it back in your chest

But your heart on your sleeve did suit you best

It's okay to go against the flow sometimes

I've had a rough week. I realized very quickly and almost shockingly that I am wholly incapable of simultaneously satisfying the needs and wants of a large group of people. Specifically, it's a large group of people with wildly different sets of wants. In business terms, I have failed to satisfy demand.

Let me preface the following by explaining that I've gotten "butchered" on a few reports and the like this week and I'm feeling extremely bitter. I've gotten a few marks back that I completely disagree with on every single fundamental level I have. And it all boils down to one thing: ego.

Not my ego (though that's pretty big too), but the ego of those whom I'm trying to satisfy. Self-absorbed people who think that their way is best and that no one else knows better. You know the kind of people I'm talking about: "It has to be this way. That's just the way that things work."

Here's a newsflash for you: that's not the way the world works.

The main concept here, above marks, above ego, above everything, is the fact that other people LOVE to give unsolicited advice.

It could be anything. For instance, "I think you should take this course." "I don't like the way you write." "You need to go to the gym."

It could be anything but it's all bullshit in the end. Let me explain why.

Most criticisms people have of you stems from some inner insecurity that they're not consciously aware of. Maybe the person telling you to go to the gym does think you're fat, but maybe they were made fun of as a kid and thus have issues with anyone that they perceive to be obese. They've jumped the line. They don't just want to see improvement, they see problems with those that disagree with their points of view. And that's a scary trend that I'm seeing more and more of as my rose-colored glasses are slowly being lifted.

People have their opinions and if you don't conform with the group, you must be wrong. That's what these thought processes have evolved into. Those who disagree are churned by society. Let me give an example of one person with different opinions and who acted differently. Everyone thought he was messed up. It's Albert Einstein.

Einstein was at odds with traditional school systems of his era. He expressed his thoughts that rote learning, a process based upon repetition in order to rapidly recall the meaning of words and phrases had eroded the learning process. In short, he thought one way and everyone else around him thought another way. Conventional society dictates that Einstein must be wrong. Whatever you think of relativity, you'll probably agree that he turned out to be a pretty smart guy though he had a fundamental gripe with the way that things were being taught.

Which brings me to my next point: just because many people do it or think it's right, I don't think that justifies following the pack. Applying this to what I've written above, just because the norm is to think one way, it doesn't mean that you should blindly agree like cattle.

They want things a certain way. They always will. If you're in school, give them what they want. Yes, they're on so much crack, but let them be because it's what makes them happy. Sooner or later they're gonna offer you crack too: "You have to take this. It's the right thing to do and everyone is doing it." But you know what? You don't have to do anything you don't want to and you sure as fuck shouldn't listen to people you think are wrong. Don't always go against the majority, just stick to your guns on things you're passionate about. Tell people giving unsolicited advice of any kind to fuck the hell off and don't take crack even though everyone around you is on it. Vote for freedom of mind.

How much is enough?

For this post, I would like to hone in on a specific question: how much is enough?

How much money do we need before we can be happy?

I learned something today. I learned that most economists have shifted from a view wherein the purpose of money was to have enough to enjoy life to a view which expresses the constant need for money, irrespective of how much is actually obtained. As an individual, I question this new philosophy.

Some people will hate me for even asking this question. They're investment bankers, kids with trust funds, the greedier ones in our society. I wouldn't mind making a ton of money. In fact, I would thoroughly enjoy it. But not if it compromises my life in some way.

I often wonder if we've got it wrong in North America. There's a clear dichotomy between North America and Europe where most of North America is focused on working longer and longer hours to get as much money as humanly possible while Europe seems to express family and leisure time as a prominent part of their society with monetary collection being something necessary for many of the things life has to offer, but not the primary focus.

Could you imagine what our society would be like here if we were to adopt the same ideals? Well I'm one person and I am adopting these ideals. I want to make enough money to get all the things I need and want and could care less if I make more than what I deem necessary for full enjoyment of my life. I will not work ridiculous hours for dollars I might never spend with the opportunity cost of missing out on social connections with friends and family.

Having explored that a little bit I will again ask the question, "How much money do we need before we can be happy?" I'd like to insert my own two cents at the end of this discussion as well: if we need to ask that question, are we truly on the road to happiness to begin with?

Stone Strewn Halos

Everywhere around you there are hard people

Living their lives trapped in the dark halo

You’re full of sunshine but it’s an evil

Even sun cased in by the dark can seem low

It’s like everyone around is feeling hard as stone

They’re clumping and crying but they cannot know

It’s hard for them to feel a sun that’s never shone

But cracks in the rock can let the sun seep below

Angel Fall Steal

I’ll pull you up from that gravity well

Watered with blood and sweat and tears

‘Cause I want to sew your broken wings

Ever wary of your chameleon’s sting

What’s more ironic than knowing of

A chameleon who’s afraid of change?

I’ll pull you down with me I swear

And I’ve got the scars to prove it all

I’ll make you wary of the lightning

Caring only for the flash and the din

When it’s over we will sit and tremble

Knowing that the angels did indeed fall

Some thoughts on positivity

I've had my fair share of life-altering decisions and whatnot. My absolute favorite among them all was to embrace everything positive and to rid myself of as many negative things as possible.

I mean, think about it. Everyone has their stresses, their worries, their deadlines, their obligations. Most people go ahead and let those consume them until they stop being themselves but are defined by how much they have going on in their lives. I say that's not the way to be. You should want to be defined by who you are. This is a lengthy way of putting it, but most people (unless they're psychotic or something) want to be happy in life. Guess what the secret to achieving that is? There is none. Just let yourself be happy.

When you embrace the notion that things don't keep you from being happy, only you can, then everything is instantly easier.

I should know. I've had moments of loss where I've hung on to those negative feelings. It starts to affect your behavior and eventually your disposition. One day you kind of snap out of it all and realize what you were doing. You finally see yourself the way you would have wanted to. You have to keep that perspective and stop things from making you sad.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't cry when someone dies or if you hate your boss and co-workers. All I'm saying is that stuff is negative and you don't need to base your life around it. Rather, basing your life around negative stuff will only foster negative emotions.

So be nice to people unless they give you good cause to be mean. Speak your mind but be tactful. Try to do something to improve the quality of life of yourself and others. And if anything's dragging you down below the depths, maybe it's time to cut it loose.