Watch.

Calderon said: “All life is a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams.” Ever since man has existed, he has sought life’s meaning. Who are we? Why do we live? What is our goal? Has man been made in the image of God or God in the image of man? Each concept has its opposite: life/death, yes/no, light/shadow.

Life’s meaning rests in the eye of the beholder and in our constant desire to approach perfection. Life is so immense and complex that there is no one truth, only the rule of destiny. Regardless, here are attempts at answers.

We do not choose life; life chooses us. Yet we try to follow our destiny, our passion, our drive. We must live every minute as if it is our first and our last. Never give to receive in return. Never be calculating. Give more than you receive.

Let your judgment, above all, be guided by compassion. The meaning of life lies in our desire to help others. Let us show compassion for those weakened by compromise while honoring those who are exceptionally enlightened and humane.

Earthly life is an eternal miracle. In a moment of grace, we can grasp eternity in the palm of our hand. This is the gift given to creative individuals who can identify with the mysteries of life through art. It is a divine gift, this spirit of humanity. It is the fight for light over shadow.

-Marcel Marceau (France’s maestro of mime)

Holden

"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it."


The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 3
By J. D. Salinger
Published 1951

Curiouser and curiouser!

The moon looked an awful lot like the Cheshire cat’s smile tonight. Some say that it is a bad omen though like the famous cat’s enigmatic grin, perhaps it just means that there is a little sense of mischief in the air. That's not always a bad thing, by the way.

One day, Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Which road do I take?” she asked. “Where do you want to go?” was his response. “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, it doesn’t matter.” − Lewis Carroll

Lost the way

People inflict pain on others in their selfish pursuit of happiness and satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a sense of universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share. -Dalai Lama

"If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be." -- Joe Campbell

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”
— Vincent van Gogh

Adventure is worthwhile

"I'm still a kid inside, and adventure is adventure wherever you find it."
-- Jim Dale

The American Idea

“What is ‘the American idea’? It is the fractious, maddening approach to the conduct of human affairs that values equality despite its elusiveness, that values democracy despite its debasement, that values pluralism despite its messiness, that values the institutions of civic culture despite their flaws, and that values public life as something higher and greater than the sum of all our private lives. The founders of the magazine valued these things—and they valued the immense amount of effort it takes to preserve them from generation to generation.”

--The Editors of The Atlantic Monthly, 2006


Anyone interested in reading a great collection that vividly illustrates a fascinating portrait of not just American history but also an indication of where America is headed in the future should pick up Robert Vare’s anthology aptly titled, The American Idea: The Best of the Atlantic Monthly. It won’t disappoint. Trust me.

Dreams

"The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is reality, and it really happened." ---Oprah Winfrey

These dream-like double exposures can easily fool the eye. It might look like photography, but these pieces are actually paintings.

Wistful, mysterious, surreal, and oh-so AH-mazing. Le sigh.

Oh, my life
Is changing every day
In every possible way

And oh, my dreams
It's never quite as it seems
Never quite as it seems

I know I've felt like this before
But now I'm feeling it even more
Because it came from you

And then I open up and see
The person falling here is me
A different way to be

I want more
(Impossible to ignore, impossible to ignore)
And they'll come true
(Impossible not to do, impossible not to do)

And now I'll tell you openly
You have my heart so don't hurt me
You're what I couldn't find

A totally amazing mind
So understanding and so kind
You're everything to me


Lyrics: Dreams, by The Cranberries

Images: Pakayla Biehn

Limitless

"Our problem is that inside us, there's a mind going, 'Impossible, impossible, impossible. I can't, I can't, I can't.' We have to totally banish that mind from this solar system. Anything is possible; everything is possible. Sometimes you feel that your dreams are impossible but they're not. Human beings have great potential; they can do anything. The power of the mind is incredible, limitless."~~ Lama Yeshe ~~

The ride

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Pelagia's Song

When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots are become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the desire to mate every second of the day. It is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every part of your body. No... don't blush. I am telling you some truths. For that is just being in love; which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over, when being in love has burned away. Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? But it is! --- Iannis (Captain Corelli's Mandolin)

meow

Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you?
Smelly cat, smelly cat, it's not your fault.
They won't take you to the vet.
You're obviously not their favorite pet.
It may not be a bed of roses.
And you're no friend to those with noses.
-Phoebe

Like Steve McQueen

When I believe in something, I fight like hell for it.

Ah, life.

So much for the plan to post at least one entry a month!

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."

--John Lennon

"It's all make believe, isn't it?"

Many might dismiss Marilyn Monroe as nothing but a dumb blonde but I’ve got to say, I’d rather engage in an interesting, dinner conversation with her than hear a bunch of pseudo-intellectuals yap about the most boring shit imaginable. The girl has something multidimensional about her that most major stars have. One does not get that big just by being blonde and having large breasts (though it may have helped just a bit, with some positive and negative results, I’m sure). Some of the things she has said showed some insight and has made me laugh, smile, and yes, even tear up a little.

Below is a list of my favorite quotes from her. The list was meant to be short, but I ended up adding more instead. See, told ya she had a lot to say. Now, stop staring at her undeniable beauty and actually listen to what she’s saying. You might just learn something. It’s a new year after all.

"I am not interested in money. I just want to be wonderful."

"No one ever told me I was pretty when I was a little girl. All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren't."

"I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot."

"I don't mind living in a man's world as long as I can be a woman in it."

"It's not true that I had nothing on. I had the radio on."

"Sex is part of nature. I go along with nature."

"It's woman's spirit and mood a man has to stimulate in order to make sex interesting. The real lover is the man who can thrill you by touching your head or smiling into your eyes or just staring into space."

"Wouldn't it be nice to be like men, just getting notches in your belt, having affairs with the most attractive men . . . and not getting emotionally involved."

"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul."

"It stirs up envy, fame does. People...feel fame gives them some kind of privilege to walk up to you and say anything to you--and it won't hurt your feelings--like it's happening to your clothing."

"Fame is fickle and I know it. It has its compensations, but it also has its drawbacks and I've experienced them both."

"I've often stood silent at a party for hours listening to my movie idols turn into dull and little people."

"With fame, you know, you can read about yourself, somebody else's ideas about you, but what's important is how you feel about yourself--for survival and living day to day with what comes up."

"I restore myself when I'm alone. A career is born in public, talent in privacy."

"I'm for the individual as opposed to the corporation. The way it is the individual is the underdog, and with all the things a corporation has going for them the individual comes out banged on her head. The artist is nothing. It's really tragic."

"I want to grow old without facelifts. I want to have the courage to be loyal to the face I have made."

"I've never dropped anyone I believed in."

"It's often just enough to be with someone. I don't need to touch them. Not even talk. A feeling passes between you both. You're not alone."

"It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone - so far."

"I'm trying to find myself as a person, sometimes that's not easy to do. Millions of people live their entire lives without finding themselves. But it is something I must do. The best way for me to find myself as a person is to prove to myself that I am an actress."

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."

"Remember now, cheers, no tears..."