Does it feel this way for everyone? This darkness, this temptation, to look away, to step away, from a silent fire. I have been burned. I am vulnerable. I am afraid of speaking out. I hold these heavy thoughts back from others (don’t they have their own concerns). What do I keep away from myself? Does it matter? Couldn’t I simply amuse myself with lighter thoughts, or gentle distractions – wouldn’t golf become a more useful game – where the object, intent, and goal is so simple? Who am I to think my purpose or intention is more important, or I am simply missing the point? I am hurting. Am I ignoring the hurt? My eyelids are heavy; is it from seeing too much, or is it from trying to keep them shut?
Midnight arrives. No moon, new moon, clouds buffer the sky, shifting moods, stars align. Where did the day go? Time stands still without the presence of people, and a sense of substance.
Questions now. We carry into consciousness a dog-eared confusion never hoped for. The longer it goes, the less you know. You want little more to ignore the impendent humidity of a Van Gogh night.
Young hearts will find a way old souls still remain, but where would you go if you knew the difference?
Deep breath. Full stop, amidst the barren dreams, night tremors, and flashbacks casting dispersions on emotions and moments of repose. Unsteadied in the innocence, unmoved by a prophecy unknown.
Reach out. All, which you see, cannot always be felt. Confronted by constraints of an ever-changing sky, a complete spectrum of wonder. All told, there are less reasons to know than less reasons to be.
Young heart will find its way old soul knows the pain, now would you go there if you knew the difference?
It’s popular, and it’s alarming. Plagiarism has become a bigger problem than ever, and more apparent as social media further casts its spell across every platform and screen. Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are all full of bright shiny examples; you see it all the time. It’s out there. It is trending. A disturbing, disrespectful act, plagiarism is stealing, passing off the ideas or words of another person as one’s own. Examples lack credit or attribution. I’ve called out a couple of people over the past few months for blatant misuse of quotes belonging to someone else. One person, a couple of times on her social media feeds, matched lovely quotes (including one by T.S. Eliot) with beautiful black and white photographs of herself. The combination looked great, but nowhere was the poet credited with the original genius. Another influencer — in a stylized format featuring her name and image — used the words of a popular motivational speaker. An earlier post, in the same branded format, featured a paraphrased quote by Toni Morrison. The Instagram post was made to look like influencer was the one offering up such compelling advice. It was so wrong. I sent a comment to the owner of the post (but not the words), informing her the quote belonged to someone else. “It’s great to be inspired, but share the credit,” I said. She quickly responded: “I had no clue it was him as it’s just a widely shared quote without his name.” See, that’s the problem; nobody does the research. Nobody takes the time to find the source of their inspiration. Nobody bothers. It’s sad because the same device used to create the post has the capability to trace the source of the statement. A Google search is so easy. Attribution is important. Behind every quotable quote is a writer, an artist or musician, politician or fortune cookie philosopher who laboured over the correct phrasing or came to them in a flash of brilliance. They deserve the credit for the deep thought or clever observation. But, these days, they don’t get it. Now, I’m not saying that the people I called out are not capable of such profound thought, but it seems they don’t even try. One of them, by simply taking a phrase that has already made its rounds on the Internet, shows how little she was trying to come up with eye-catching content. It’s really too bad. Plagiarism is a despicable, duplicitous act. It is ethically wrong, morally reprehensible, spiritually bankrupt, and grounds for dismissal in the halls of academia. It should be a source of shame to anyone who seriously commits such a tasteless endeavor. Plagiarism is fraudulent, leaves little to the imagination, and corrupts the concept of free thought. No matter how brave and bold the original work was, it becomes empty of its meaning when it is bastardized. I’m not saying that every time you plagiarize a kitten dies, or another COVID-19 variant is released unto the world, for it is more serious than that. Each time you claim the words of others as your own; you dilute the original message of a fellow human being. At the same time, you weaken your own content. Be creative. If there is a point you are trying to make, or you are attempting to inspire or provide insight, use your own words (or give credit where credit is due). If you chose to pass along an inspiring quote, be inspired yes, but provide attribution (and don’t just hide it deep down in your content). Show you know who said it. Show you know what you are talking about. Show that creativity is more than a pretty picture and a few happy words. Show the true worth of the words. You’ll feel better about it. Believe in yourself, and others will believe it too. Be authentic. Be you.
Today we celebrate the glorious camera and all it does to document life as we know it. Some of us chose to celebrate this fabulous invention every day. At one time a complicated instrument involving a complex blend of science and the technical application of such, the camera is now as common as a feature on your mobile phone. The camera, in and of itself, is an object or tool, a conduit for images and imagination; an extension of both the eye and the mind. A camera gives us art. Utilizing a delicate balance of light and time, there is no other art form as immediate as photography. In a fraction of a second, we are capable of capturing our landscape and loved ones, creating photographs and memories that can last forever.
Undetermined hesitancy, well past procrastination, yet far less than wasting time. Waiting is less a function and more of a state. It is not stillness; for that to occur the mind must settle, not impervious, but free to allow thoughts in. And out. Then become silence. We, then, are waiting, knowing time will tick on anyway. If we can stop even for a moment, to simply breathe, we can find perspective. It is searching for something meaningful from something meaningless. We seek further meaning, knowing our lives are deeper than our pockets. We understand there is greater nutrition in a shared meal, that Friday will arrive each week, and a bicycle and a car each have a purpose. We wait; believing home has nothing to do with boundaries. For our past to catch up with our ever-present worry, for today to be the gift we were told it would be, the future must unfold as it should. In searching for this equilibrium, have we become stuck in the balance? Our mind is occupied. Waiting. We know there are people, who miss us as we miss them, and we wait in one space thinking that one person may find us. Waiting may be a reminder they are not coming. As we wait, we attempt to determine if our response is an action, or a reaction. We know inaction.
