The most unlikely companion

Ever watch the movie Meet Joe Black? A clever depiction of one man facing death...literally...then being asked to be a guide for death who has decided to learn about life.

Death describes himself and what he wants from the main character, William Parrish;
*Just think of millenniums multiplied by eons compounded by time without end. I've been around that long. But it's only recently your affairs here have piqued my interest. Call it boredom. The natural curiosity of me the most lasting and significant element in existence has come to see you.
*I want to have a look around before I take you.
*Show me around, be my guide. And in return you get...
*Time: minutes, days, weeks, lets not get encumbered by detail, what matters is that I stay interested.
Seeing death through this lens is certainly intriguing.  After all, what would you do if it was your time but you were given a reprieve to help death on its quest for knowledge? On the one hand it buys you time (?) On the other hand it reminds you that you have very little of it left. Meet Joe Black personifies death and in a strange way makes you almost like it.  The writers are brilliant in the way they have death engage with humans.  On one level death is ominous because it is, well, what it is. On the other hand, death is humbled by its experience in a human body and becomes relatable.

I'm  not quite sure what I would do if placed in such a precarious position.  Panic, cry, negotiate, demand a recheck are not out of the realm of reactions.  I do think however if I could honestly live each day as though death was my companion everything (and I mean everything) would have an even greater meaning and appreciation. Problem is that life as we know it keeps us from being aware of it (death that is) and so it quickly passes us by. 

William Parrish says it well when he is asked to let death join his family for dinner
*When I introduce you, and I tell them who you are, I don't think anyone will stay for dinner.

Yes that sums it up, the further away we get from it maybe it will forget us. Thing is, it doesn't forget. I'm not suggesting that we dwell on death. No, that would only consume and detract from living. Just think about it, make changes in your life, actions, reactions and just be, because as William Parrish and many others have come to realize
* ...years. Don't they go by in a blink?


*quotes from http://www.imdb.com 

So close yet so far away

How would you describe technology? Words like innovative, cutting edge, inspiring, eye opening come to mind.  Imagine what life was without it? Many of us have had the privilege of watching technology evolve. From rotary phones, typewriters with ribbons and telegrams to Internet, Smart Phones, IPads, Laptops, WI-FI and GPS. Countless ways to connect; Access to an abundance of knowledge. Truly the information highway. So what's wrong with it? Nothing. Technology boasts achievements and incredible discoveries in all realms.  We have so much available at our fingertips and look forward to even more innovation. For that we should embrace what it offers. I can't help though but notice that beneath the surface something has changed.  As connected as we all are globally, it seems we have become disconnected universally. See, it's not the tool, it's the user. We've adopted a behaviour that skews the essence of technology. Emails have replaced conversations, texts demand immediate attention, high speed has diminished our patience and all the social tools have created a hierarchy based on how many followers, friends, likes, views and klout we have. We mingle physically in places like work, school and stores but we aren't present.  Even when our phones are set to silence, the vibrator or red flashing light beckons us.  It's managed to infiltrate every nook and cranny of our lives and knows no boundary of time.  We are expected to be responsive, flexible and available, doling out precious moment after moment to 'quickly' resolve an issue or answer a question. As we continue to broaden our network those precious moments dwindle and without even noticing it, the din of technology has replaced the whispers of life.  Uninterrupted conversations, peaceful walks, lingering hugs, kisses, gazes, smiles...'aye there's the rub.' 

I'll hand it over to William Shakespeare whose words compel us to think.

To be or not to be (Hamlet)

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: aye, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.

---

Blurred Lines

For many years my perception of life was very much black and white. My peripherial vision was shadowed and things were manageable because they were easily compartmentalized. The space that I occupied in the world was minute and as long as I stayed on course everything would be fine. As I moved towards adulthood, my teenage mind was extremely persuasive. As long as I stuck to my morals and values, was true to my faith and followed all the elaborate dreams my little mind could concoct, what could go wrong? Everything yet nothing. With each challenge, heartbreak and disappointment I faced, I battled not so much with the problem but my perception of it and that person under the tangible shell. Little did I know that each circumstance was a test; sometimes repeated under a different guise, but nonetheless a test, that when the light bulb went on, became a milestone in my life. These awakenings did not happen overnight, no, no, they have taken years, decades in fact to accumulate. And so many, many years later, from a time that I thought I had it all figured out, a loving voice echoes in my head. That voice is of my grandmother. A woman who experienced the death of her mother at the tender age of six, lived through two world wars and the pain of poverty. In what was simplicity in her life, she was able to see things and craft words of wisdom that no scholar could. She knew well enough to pass those on to me. Although those words were spoken at a time that my young mind heard but could not process, there was definitley staying power. Those words have lingered, occassionally surfacing waiting to be validated. Now, at what I think may be the half way point of my life they finally make sense. All my convictions are now wavering (except my faith). I am humbled. Not regretful though, because that would negate all the valuable lessons I gained through each fall.
Everything is not black and white. You are probably expecting me to say it's all grey; sorry to disappoint but it's not grey either. It just is what it is. So I'll leave you with the most profound words my grandmother shared, "When I close my eyes that's when you will see." Translucent blurred lines.

Luck of the draw or is it?

Ever wonder about your 'lot in life?' I bet words like fate, destiny, chance and luck come to mind. I would also venture a guess that as far back as humans walked the earth, the question of how things are doled out has crossed everyone's mind. We have discussed it, compared experiences, studied it, written about it, over and over again, yet in the end does anyone really know? Some profess to know the 'secret' and the formula to achieving success and happiness.  In fact, we are bombarded with it everyday in some form or another. Yet in the end most of us continue to plug away, reaching for the dream and missing out on the most important part of life...living, embracing the beauty of everything and everyone around us and appreciating all the little successes we achieve every single day.  Yes, you read correctly, little successes every day.  So many gifts are overlooked from the simplicity of waking in the morning to the freedom to make a choice. Don't misunderstand me, I know that in our global village there are those that are suppressed, impoverished or battling an illness, which doesn't make for simplicity. Yet in that myriad of troubles are small yet significant achievements, like overcoming or forging through difficulties regardless of what is stacked up against them. Maybe we have it all wrong. We think we are given a talent so that we can become rich and famous, instead what if we are just meant to share it and leave an everlasting impression on another which in turn inspires them to do the same for someone else, and so on and so on and so on. Just a thought, nothing more.  I'm reminded of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican Friar, theologian and philosopher who spent his life teaching and writing theological and philosophical books, and was revered as a brilliant doctor of the church. Yet after a lifetime of being looked to for knowledge and wisdom he had a mystical experience and something changed. This led him to re-evaluate everything in his life and he said "All that I have written seems like straw compared to what has now been revealed to me." So let me ask you again, what do you think your lot in life is? Does it have anything to do with luck or chance? Something deep down inside tells me that it is much more than that. Everything and everyone has a purpose, and no matter how big or small that purpose is, if they don't fulfil it, we are all affected and it takes longer for us all to get to where we are going.

Everyone has a point

Still on the theme of fables, today I am reminded of one that has an incredible message.  The Point by Harry Nilsson is a story of a boy named Oblio who was the only round headed boy in Pointed Village where 'by law, everything and everyone had to have a point.' Oblio is forced to hide his pointless state by wearing a pointed hat so that he can be accepted in the community.  Eventually word gets around and people are willing to tolerate his 'nonconformity.' To Oblio's misfortune, an evil force who was dishonoured by Oblio in a game insists the King uphold the law of the pointless and banish Oblio and his dog Arrow. Off to the Pointless Forest they go only to find out that everyone there has a point. They meet and learn from all the creatures in the forest. One day they awaken to find a finger pointing to their destination. You probably know where this is going...yes, Oblio ends up at the Land of Point. He is welcomed back and shares what he learned; that everything has a point.  The evil Count refuses to allow Oblio to continue and rips off his hat only to discover that Oblio has a point on his head! With that revelation, the points on everyone and everything disappears.  Everyone is round except Oblio. Now we can dissect the story (which you can easily find by googling Oblio or The Point) but that's not the intent. The point (like how I'm tying it all in?) is that everyone has something to say and wants to be heard.  It's too easy to cut someone off when they are taking an exceptionally long time to get to the end of their story or inject your own thoughts so that the conversation then shifts to you. Sometimes the message they are trying to relay is not necessarily what they say; it's what they aren't saying.  So if I may suggest, the next time you are having a conversation, quiet your mind, because it is then and only then, that hearing becomes listening, seeing becomes perceiving and speaking becomes teaching. That's my point and I'm sticking to it.