"Do you ever think of yourself as actually dead lying in a box with a lid on it? Nor do I really. It's silly to be depressed by it. I mean, one thinks of it like being alive in a box, and one keeps forgetting to take into account the fact that one is dead... which should make all the difference... shouldn't it? I mean, you'd never know you were in a box, would you? It would be just like you were asleep in a box. Not that I'd like to sleep in a box, mind you, not without any air, you'd wake up dead for a start, and then where would you be? In a box. That's the bit I don't like frankly. That's why don't think of it. Because you'd be helpless! Stuffed in a box like that, I mean, you'd be in there forever. Even taking into account the fact that you're dead, it isn't a pleasant thought. Especially if you're dead really... ask yourself, if I asked you straight off... I'm going to stuff you in this box now, would you rather be alive or dead. Naturally, you prefer to be alive. Life in a box is better than no life at all. I expect. You'd have a chance at least. You could lie there thinking well, at least I'm not dead! In a minute somebody is going to bang on the lid and tell me to come out. Hey, you! What's yer name!Come out of there!"
Oh man.... I love this quote. Wish I could take credit for it. Can't though. Have to give credit where credit is due. The monologue on death and dying above was written by Tom Stoppard. An extremely talented playwright and screenwriter. The quote itself is from his brilliant play entitled, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Truly, in my opinion, one of the most amazing modern plays written. Original, hilarious, innovative and surreal this play follows two characters from Shakespeare's classic tragedy Hamlet as they are summoned by the king to find out what is wrong with Hamlet. The men named in the title are actual characters from the original Hamlet albeit very small and rather insignificant but Tom Stoppard decided to make something of them. There was a movie made starring Gary Oldman and Tim Roth as the title characters. Great movie! Very hard to find. If you come across it, watch it. I know what you are saying right.... "Okay, fat man (although you would be incorrect in giving me that moniker as I am rapidly losing weight so perhaps "fluffy man" would be more appropriate... just a suggestion...), this is a nice review and advertisement for a 40 year old play and a 17 year old movie that we may never see but what does is have to do with anything? You usually write insightful, flowing, moving blogs that inspire, touch and motivate us to a goal... This is just informative.... What gives?" I know that is what at least 60-70% of you were thinking... C'mon.... Admit it.... I will tell you what it's about. I always do, don't I? Go back up and re-read the quote. I have done it in color, mimicking the style of my dear friend Connie and her penchant for having colorful blogs with quotes clearly separated by striking colors, so that you can easily focus on reading just the quote. Done it? Read the quote again? Okay, now, who does that sound like? Think hard. Of all of the people you may know, who among them would come up with something like this? If you guessed me, you are just as brilliant as I am. Every time I have heard, read or thought about this quote, I have said to myself, "This sounds like me... It sounds like my brain.... Confused, concerned, logical with a great deal of illogical sprinkled throughout..." This quote is the sum total of how my mind operates on a daily basis. Point/Counterpoint. Sensible/Non-Sensible. Real/Surreal. These attributes found in all streams of consciousness. Whether I am pondering my breakfast choice or the meaning of life. I am a walking accident when it comes to thought. I feel as though I should be walking around with a sign on my chest that reads.."Please Do Not Feed The Bear... (...anything that might make him think) At least with a sign like this, I can avoid the headaches that are not uncommon on any given day due to the inconsiderate moron who asks me what I think about the Presidential elections. Still confused as to what in the Hell I am talking about? Don't hurt yourself. So am I.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Shut Up, Head!!! My heart has something to say....
This blog is one of the thousands that I have running through my head at any given time. Most of them are fragmented thoughts that, were I to print them, may just get me arrested. Some of them are floating around in wiener world just waiting for that right thought to make them whole and printable. Then there are those like today's that are there. Up front. Whole and complete. Merely waiting for the right moment in time to emerge. This topic has been ready for a while. I have been quite busy lately and unable to sit long enough to type it so here it goes...
It is often said that we humans "think" with several parts of our body depending on the situation. We all know that our parts can't REALLY think for us but I am quite sure you know what I mean. You have been walking all day and you are tired. Someone says to you, "Wanna go further?" and your reply is , " I want to but my feet don't think I should..." You have just finished a big meal at your favorite restaurant. You are stuffed. The server comes by and says, " Dessert?" to which you might reply, "No thanks. My tummy doesn't think that would be a good idea." You are sitting out in front of your parent's house late one night with the girl/guy of your dreams and the conversation goes from mild to wild and the next thing you know hands are wandering and she whispers, "Don't you want me?" at which time you say three things "One certain part of me, which I will not mention, says yes, my head (brain, you perverts) says an emphatic no, and my heart says wait. I am going with my heart." All of these situations may seem quite familiar to many of you and you may find yourselves saying that you know exactly what I mean. Do you? Do you really? I hope so because I really want you to agree with what I am about to say. Out of all the responses above, the only one that a body part made that I feel is the right one, is the one made by the heart. Yep. The heart. The one body part that is so often accused of being irrational. Making decisions based solely on emotion. It's the body part that has been hailed as the strongest muscle in the body yet it so easily broken. It can beat loud and proud in a person one day.... and then just quit the next. Even with all of these contradictions and opinions, I have found in my life that when I have let my heart be the deciding vote, in the long run, I have been much happier. Let's look at the scenarios.... Walking all day and you need to go further..... If you let your feet decide, then you will stop. What if you are only at mile 55 of a 60 mile walk that you committed to and raised money for and are doing for the loved ones in your life that have or may someday suffer from Breast Cancer? How would you feel if you stopped there? Your heart tells you to keep going. So you do. You are at the restaurant and you are faced with a decision of whether or not to indulge.... Let's just say that for this one, I just have to think about the old saying "Life's short, eat dessert first." I know it's not good for you. I know it may add a pound or two. I also know I never want to regret anything. I do not want to be on my death bed saying...."I shoulda had the apple pie..." Some of you may say I am justifying my poor eating habits. I'll have you know, I have dropped 20+ lbs recently and have never felt better... and I still have the apple pie now and again... guilt free... regret free... I listened to my heart... Dammit! The last scenario is the most profound because it involves so many body parts. When things escalate to a level with members of the opposite sex where some sort of racy involvement seems inevitable, there are many factors that must be considered. These factors are often considered by three very (VERY) powerful body parts. The first being the naughty bits... At this point, these bad boys/girls are considering these factors with the reckless abandon of a 5 year old at Chuck E Cheese. Oh man.... These parts have made their mind up as to what needs to happen before she/he gets the whole question out. How much rational thinking can one do in that much time. The second part is the brain. Often regarded as the strongest and most rational of the body parts. It is where all of the grey matter is. All of the nerves, all of the feelings, all of the senses report to the brain. Does this make it the best decision maker? Just because it's the boss? Let's ask the poor boys forced into becoming SS soldiers in WWII if they think the boss is always the best way to go. Let's ask the men, women and children of Jonestown who gave their lives to a leader who said he knew what was best for them as he fed them cyanide laced Kool-Aid and watched them die. Think they believe now that just because you are "the boss" that you know what is best. I know, these seem extreme. They are. They prove the point though. The brain is just as fallible as the rest of the body. Prone to persuasion. Easily manipulated. I truly believe that the heart is the only one in the last scenario that was thinking clearly. It always does. Think about it. Go through all of the big decisions in your mind that have taken place through the years. How many times that you TRULY LISTENED to your heart, did it ever steer you wrong. I know for a fact in the above scenario, when faced by this very writer, the heart was soooooo very right. By going with the heart that night, all that time ago, I was able to see the possibilities that are still there. Had I listened to either of the other parts, or any other part for that matter, I may not be as happy as I am this very day. Things WOULD be different. I believe this with all of my heart...
It is often said that we humans "think" with several parts of our body depending on the situation. We all know that our parts can't REALLY think for us but I am quite sure you know what I mean. You have been walking all day and you are tired. Someone says to you, "Wanna go further?" and your reply is , " I want to but my feet don't think I should..." You have just finished a big meal at your favorite restaurant. You are stuffed. The server comes by and says, " Dessert?" to which you might reply, "No thanks. My tummy doesn't think that would be a good idea." You are sitting out in front of your parent's house late one night with the girl/guy of your dreams and the conversation goes from mild to wild and the next thing you know hands are wandering and she whispers, "Don't you want me?" at which time you say three things "One certain part of me, which I will not mention, says yes, my head (brain, you perverts) says an emphatic no, and my heart says wait. I am going with my heart." All of these situations may seem quite familiar to many of you and you may find yourselves saying that you know exactly what I mean. Do you? Do you really? I hope so because I really want you to agree with what I am about to say. Out of all the responses above, the only one that a body part made that I feel is the right one, is the one made by the heart. Yep. The heart. The one body part that is so often accused of being irrational. Making decisions based solely on emotion. It's the body part that has been hailed as the strongest muscle in the body yet it so easily broken. It can beat loud and proud in a person one day.... and then just quit the next. Even with all of these contradictions and opinions, I have found in my life that when I have let my heart be the deciding vote, in the long run, I have been much happier. Let's look at the scenarios.... Walking all day and you need to go further..... If you let your feet decide, then you will stop. What if you are only at mile 55 of a 60 mile walk that you committed to and raised money for and are doing for the loved ones in your life that have or may someday suffer from Breast Cancer? How would you feel if you stopped there? Your heart tells you to keep going. So you do. You are at the restaurant and you are faced with a decision of whether or not to indulge.... Let's just say that for this one, I just have to think about the old saying "Life's short, eat dessert first." I know it's not good for you. I know it may add a pound or two. I also know I never want to regret anything. I do not want to be on my death bed saying...."I shoulda had the apple pie..." Some of you may say I am justifying my poor eating habits. I'll have you know, I have dropped 20+ lbs recently and have never felt better... and I still have the apple pie now and again... guilt free... regret free... I listened to my heart... Dammit! The last scenario is the most profound because it involves so many body parts. When things escalate to a level with members of the opposite sex where some sort of racy involvement seems inevitable, there are many factors that must be considered. These factors are often considered by three very (VERY) powerful body parts. The first being the naughty bits... At this point, these bad boys/girls are considering these factors with the reckless abandon of a 5 year old at Chuck E Cheese. Oh man.... These parts have made their mind up as to what needs to happen before she/he gets the whole question out. How much rational thinking can one do in that much time. The second part is the brain. Often regarded as the strongest and most rational of the body parts. It is where all of the grey matter is. All of the nerves, all of the feelings, all of the senses report to the brain. Does this make it the best decision maker? Just because it's the boss? Let's ask the poor boys forced into becoming SS soldiers in WWII if they think the boss is always the best way to go. Let's ask the men, women and children of Jonestown who gave their lives to a leader who said he knew what was best for them as he fed them cyanide laced Kool-Aid and watched them die. Think they believe now that just because you are "the boss" that you know what is best. I know, these seem extreme. They are. They prove the point though. The brain is just as fallible as the rest of the body. Prone to persuasion. Easily manipulated. I truly believe that the heart is the only one in the last scenario that was thinking clearly. It always does. Think about it. Go through all of the big decisions in your mind that have taken place through the years. How many times that you TRULY LISTENED to your heart, did it ever steer you wrong. I know for a fact in the above scenario, when faced by this very writer, the heart was soooooo very right. By going with the heart that night, all that time ago, I was able to see the possibilities that are still there. Had I listened to either of the other parts, or any other part for that matter, I may not be as happy as I am this very day. Things WOULD be different. I believe this with all of my heart...
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