If Nothing Else, Learn This From Whitney Houston

Like you and I, she was a soul-bearing person.

She had goals, she had dreams, a family. She also had her demons. The tabloids and gossip mongers are camping out in anticipation of a sumptuous autopsy report; something that will surely sell. If they don't get what they want, the rumor mill will surely churn out a whole litany of stories spun with unwarranted authority and utter disregard. Such is the fate of a human turned idol.

With wealth, fame and global adoration, the normal, human life that Whitney attempted to live away from the spotlight was magnified and dissected, examined and criticized.

She will be widely remembered as the greatest voice to have ever graced a stage, yet she was not impervious to rejection nor defeat.

Because of her talent, Whitney was tasked with the responsibility of transcending her human fragility. She needed to be consistently better than before, to exceed the expectations of her fans and those that profited from her. Sadly, toward the end of her life, she was often dismissed for not being up to par.

Heartbreak happens. And, when under enough pressure, the human spirit can break.

Explanations to the cause of Whitney's passing will be provided, but lets not forget that she was a person.

We are all very malleable beings. If you let them, influences of all sorts--some good and some bad--will mold you, change you, demand that you do and perform according to a rule other than your own. Again, we are all but human beings with a beginning and an end. We must respect this fact while we live, not losing sight of our needs in the wake of want.

Nature's Details: Color Pop

 After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn't it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it? This is how I answer when I am asked -- as I am surprisingly often -- why I bother to get up in the mornings.
- Richard Dawkins

 

 

 

 

May "The Force" Be With You

This is NASA's latest image of the Blue Marble, better known as Earth. Considering how many thousands of miles away the telescope that took this beautiful image must have been in relation to its incredible detail, I find it easy to lose five to ten minutes at a time staring. Just think of how small and insignificant we are to the size and life span of our planet. Our existence will be but a blink when all is said and done. Consider how small Earth is in relation to our solar system, the Universe, and what ever may be beyond that. It's all so fascinating yet mind boggling at the same time.

Consider now the invisible forces that make it all possible: gravity, magnetism, perhaps even other forces we have yet to discover. 

I'm no physicist or astronomer, but I do think it's incredible that the Universe and its contents are pushed and pulled, spun, expanded and contracted all due to forces that we cannot see, but that we know exist.

Think, now, of love, compassion, kindness and gratitude. Is it too far fetched to think of these as "forces," pushing and pulling, spinning, expanding and contracting the human race and how we treat one another? Like magnetism, for every positive there must also be a negative such as hate or intolerance.

Call me a nerd if you must, but I like the idea of wielding a special power, the fantasy of "The Force." The difference between me and Yoda though, is that I don't need a light saber or a laser gun and I have no intention of fighting any epic battles.

All I have is love, compassion, kindness and gratitude: my arsenal for combating all the negativity that wants to rain down on me and those I care about. You'd be amazed at how powerful you can feel when you're able to stand unwaveringly firm in the face of negativity if you believe in the power you have within you to defeat it. 

Think of Gandhi for instance. Surely he would find this hypothesis of force very appealing, if he hadn't already thought of it himself.

Appreciating Life's Obstacles

You must read, you must persevere, you must sit up nights, you must inquire, and exert the utmost power of your mind. If one way does not lead to the desired meaning, take another; if obstacles arise, then still another; until, if your strength holds out, you will find that clear which at first looked dark.
- Giovanni Boccaccio


Take a good look at the picture above. It is a brilliant metaphor for life.

The seemingly endless tangle of vines and branches stretch forth to block the obvious path, but there is a distinguishable way out.

In spite of the all but clear path, look around. The daylight has not been filtered out, which means there are actually paths in every direction. Your path may be laden with every conceivable obstacle that the forest can muster in your way, requiring you to climb up, over, around and through the mess. Your path could also be quite unhindered, requiring you to merely crouch or crawl beneath the tangled maze into the clearing of success and happiness.

We all will face obstacles to varying degrees. Naturally, if your path is more cumbersome, you will have a greater sense of appreciation for where you've come from and the journey it took to get to where you currently are or are heading.

Regardless of your journey's ease or difficulty, be sure to look back at the woods with gratitude for the lessons learned, the goals you accomplished, the struggle you've overcome. Never let people demean this achievement.

The stage upon which you ultimately stand may be small in comparison to others who fared much better, but your quest to get there may have very well required ten times the effort. Be grateful for knowing that you have the capability to endure.


Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.
- Booker T. Washington