G.F. Smith's Blog, page 3

If an Angel/Alien asked You to Participate...Would You Then?

 

By G. F. Smith

 

Participate...in what, you ask? I'll answer that for you in just a moment. Thanks for taking an interest and reading this by the way.

 

Remember that great scene in the movie, Live Free, or Die Hard? The one where the hacker character, played by Justin Long, asks Bruce Willis' character the following:

 

"Just why are you doing this?"

(Do you remember the reply?)

John McLain then answers with edgy frustration in his voice:

"Because...there's nobody else to do it right now, that's why!"

Matthew Ferrell then says:

"That's what makes you that Guy!"

 

If you do remember the movie, as well as the ones that preceded it in the famed series, Bruce Willis' character could do what he was setting out to do--in this case take out the threat, one bad guy at a time. Why? Because, 1) he had the capacity that was needed in the first place; 2) he had the knowledge, experience and talent that was needed to do it; and 3), he had the courage that was needed. He had all the quintessential, archetypical attributes of a hero. We love that stuff--the stuff of heroes.

 

Okay, so that's the movies, let's talk real life.

 

Think of...the anonymous firefighters who ran up the stairs of the World Trade Center to save people; or think of the brave soldiers of the world's countless wars for instance; or more recently, think of the Japanese workers and technicians who worked tirelessly (and still are, mind you) to turn the tide in their attempts to contain the nuclear disaster that happened over there as a result of their recent earthquake. (And, who are most likely going to die in the next few years from radiation poisoning from the occurrence.)

 

All of those people, real or fiction, have those aforementioned attributes, to one degree or another. Yet, they probably didn't (or don't) really want to be in the positions they found themselves in, even if they did have the essentials: the capacity, the experience, the courage. Neither did John McLain, if you remember. However, none of those attributes would have done any good without one more essential element--the element that presses a person to apply the others in the first place:

 

The Big Reason...

 

Now, I know you know I'm talking hero types here, and we're not all heroes. I know that--at least larger than life heroes. So let's ratchet it down a notch or two and consider us everyday people.

 

It's tough to develop these attributes in our lives; I'm sure you can attest to that. Yet, we've all been born with a certain capacity for things, right? We all have the accumulated knowledge that we've gained, and the diverse experiences that go along with it. And we all have a measure of courage, I think, to step out and try to improve ourselves, along with those attributes. This goes for the guy or gal busting their butts on a hot, fast-paced assembly line, the folks treading the sidewalks to make a sale, or the people up in the boardrooms who're responsible for the jobs and livelihoods of those they manage, supervise, or govern on down the line. It's all relative when you think about it.

 

However, without the Big Reason, it's all for nothing. Is it not?

 

Now, I'm not a fool to think that the intelligent minds' reading this do not already know this, or haven't pondered this at some juncture in their lives. However, a lot of people--probably a good majority--do have an extremely difficult time with these things, and on a daily basis. And I'm supposing it's because of that last essential element. Arriving at the Big Reason--that all-encompassing value, that lofty purpose, that superior principle--that's really the hard part, for all of us. You think?

 

For some, it's their families: their spouses or partners, their kids, their grandkids; for some it's money, fame and perhaps glory; for others, it's the Mother Earth, sustainability, or peace and good will towards humankind; and then for many, it's the future, transcendence, and God. For some, maybe it's all of these. Sadly, there's probably some out there that it's none.

 

Let me ask you this: If an Angel or perhaps an Alien came down and announced unequivocally, empirically that THIS is the Big Reason; THIS is the supreme value, and it's now up to each individual to choose to learn and embrace this Big Reason. Would it make a difference in us, really? Would it alter our perspectives? Change our hearts? Would we re-evaluate our motives and re-direct our efforts? Would we rise to the occasion? Or, would we tell them: "Sorry, I don't have the time...!" or, "Excuse me, but I don't really believe in any of that high and mighty stuff...!" or, "Frankly, I don't really give a damn!"

 

I don't know...

 

However, one thing I do know. If it wasn't for all those everyday, unsung heroes out there--large and small--I would not be who and what I am today (for what that's worth), and neither would you! And because of that, I'd like to offer my heartfelt thanks, to all those who stressed and learned and worked and fought and...died, (because there was nobody else there at the time to do it) so we could be who we are today in this modern age of enlightenment and reason.

 

Thank you...

 

In summation, I think we've all been asked--by virtue of being alive--to participate in life. To understand our inherent capacities, to endure the frustration of learning and changing and improving, to find the courage to give back at least an equal portion, if not more, of what life has given us. And as best we can, with what information we have right now, find, or choose a good reason, so we can all carry on the journey, and hopefully, one day, find that it was all worth it.

 

What's your Big Reason?

 

G. F. Smith

 

 

 

What does Albert Einstein, Albert Brooks, Lady Gaga, the Apostle Paul, and YOU, all have in common?

 

By G. F. Smith

You have all been subjected to life. We have all been subjected to life. At one point in time, we just found ourselves here. And we--as a consequence of being here--are a part of this Earthly existence whether we like it or not. What is the purpose? Why are we here? Where is it all going? Who really knows? I do not know! But like you, I can imagine.

Albert Einstein said: "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Humph! One of the most knowledgeable people ever to grace this tiny planet, and yet he thought that much of imagination, above knowledge. Interesting!

Did you know that at a young age, Albert Einstein imagined himself pursuing a career as a violinist and a music teacher, and yet, around the same time, he wondered what it would be like to ride a beam of light? People thought he was crazy for that last part. Sadly, while in this life he was never able to do either. However, it was that same imagination that propelled him onwards and upwards to change the entire world's perspective of what light, energy, matter, time, and even consciousness might really be. In fact, his imagination changed everything for us.

When I was a kid I imagined all sorts of things for myself, but at every turn I seemed to lead the pack in shooting down my imagination, in lieu of what everyone else was saying was reality. For a long time I tended to believe them.

As we grow and mature we all have this perpetually changing image of ourselves: of what we wish to be, or imagine ourselves becoming, contrasted with what we (think we) are. I have come to realize that the most debilitating catalyst for shooting down our imaginations is fear and frustration--which, again, is usually put upon us by the supposed good intentions of others.

Albert Brooks, American actor (voice of clownfish father on Finding Nemo), comedian, director, writer, iconic anxiety-racked and frustrated worrywart, wrote a wonderful couple of lines for his classic film, Defending Your Life: "Fear is like a giant fog. Everyone on Earth deals with fear--that's what little brains do!" Little brains, I love this guy, Albert Brooks. He has made a living out of depicting through his characterizations a side of each of us that we, for the most part, wish to ignore, hide, and even deny (especially before intimate relations and at job interviews).

Mr. Brooks is also recorded as saying that: "I don't know if I can define fear. But one of the sources of fear is holding up some sort of model life that doesn't exist, and feeling like you are far away from it." I thought that was profound.

Fear and frustration takes its daily toll on all of us. Yet, some seem to be able to conquer this inner-challenge of the mind. If Albert Brooks is anything in real life like his characters, then he has done an amazing job at overcoming it, I think.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, or Lady Gaga, as she is known to the world, the enigmatic, contemporary, ubiquitous singer, song writer, and entertainer has a unique perspective on this. Ms. Gaga is quoted as saying: "I want people to walk around delusional about how great they can be - and then to fight so hard for it every day that the lie becomes the truth." She also remarked once, that: "We are nothing without our image, without the spiritual hologram of who we perceive ourselves to be or rather to become, in the future."

All this is why we so much love movies and books and news pieces about successful people, unique people, and heroes, especially the underdog or anti-hero types. We love them because we see in them, essences of what we want to imagine for ourselves: living a life of courage, of cause, of purpose, of on-the-edge-fun and adventure, lunging out into the unknown, conquering courageously the fear and frustration seemingly inherent to all stages of life.

Yeah, I know. It is not as easy as it sounds.

We do not like being subjected to fear and frustration. In fact, that is probably the root cause--above all reasons--that people get mad at life or at God (or at whatever you believe the source of life and animation is).

I ran across something that the Apostle Paul (you know, the one from the Bible) wrote regarding the subject. He wrote: "The creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

Is the inference here that we have been intentionally subjected to frustration (fear), in order to, somehow, reverse a decaying process, and that it is being used as a tool of some sort to usher us into a new reality? As children of God? As children of the Universe?

Now, I consider myself a spiritual person, not necessarily religious. And when I think about this, it honestly makes me kind of mad--the existence, the allowance of all the bad stuff, the hard stuff in life. Yet, I find, in essence, that we did the same thing with our own children as they grew up. We just didn't give our kids everything. We encouraged them to apply their minds. Made them work. When frustrated about a subject in school, we didn't just give them the answers; when they were frustrated because they had not yet mastered a sport, or a technique, we did not tell them to quit, or give up.

We encouraged them to press on. We pointed them in the general direction, and told them to seek the knowledge and understanding on their own, for their own reasons. We taught them that nothing is ever easy. We taught them to face their fears, to choose courage, to embrace the frustration, to seek whatever knowledge they needed in order to overcome.

We taught them to use their own imaginations. And thereby become uniquely, them. They turned out pretty awesome, by the way!

Life has its Reasons!

Thanks to all those I mentioned (as well as all I didn't), for the inspiration and the illustration. And thanks to all of you for reading the Blog. Gotta go, having my hair spiked and streaked purple, and I have to pick up my plastic bubble-suit from the cleaners. (Just kidding...)

Keep imagining!

G. F. Smith

 

 

Angry at God?

 

By G. F. Smith

 

Everyone, at different points in their lives, has gotten angry at God, or at life, or at chance, or at circumstances (or whatever you choose to call the source, or cause for everything). In fact, it is so prevalent, and such a ubiquitous part of life, that something tells me that it may be an intended part of life. But, why?

 

Is it so wrong to be angry at God, to be genuine about it? For good cause? There are a lot of bad things in life to be angry about. Life is unfair for a lot of people. But, when a person feels frustration and anger, they do tend to look at the situation with heightened focus (especially after they realize what they just regretfully did to their car door!).

 

A healthy anger, the experience of it, often helps us see our own weaknesses, not just those of others. Is a righteous anger, turned toward God, wrong? That is a good question. At least it keeps us looking up, and asking questions.

 

More about this confluential subject later...

 

Comments?

 

G. F. Smith