10.31.2007

::happiness::

"A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two more hours before it was his turn to be given the man's attention.

The wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn't have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.

'Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,' said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. 'As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.'

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

'Well,' asked the wise man, 'did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you noticed the beautiful parchments in my library?'

The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

'then go back and observe the marvels of my world,' said the wise man. "You cannot trust a man if you don't know his house.'

Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

'But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?' asked the wise man.

Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

'Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,' said the wisest of wise men. 'The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.'"

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

10.29.2007

10.28.2007

ground on down


I believe in a few things :
God, the Devil and Love,
Cause I've looked up from the bottom and I've stared down from above.
And I have faith in a few things :
Divinity,
Divinity and Grace,
But even when I'm on my knees, I know the devil prays.

And you're working your way,
From the ground on down.

I hate to say I love you,
Because it means that I will be with you forever or will sadly..., say goodbye.
And I love to say I hate you,
Because it means that I will live my life happily without you or will sadly..., live a lie.

And you're working your way,
From the ground on down,
On down.
Your way,
From the ground on down.

Life is short and if you're looking for extension,
With your time, you had best do well,
Cause there's good deeds and there is good intention,
They're as far apart as heaven and hell.

And you're steady working your way,
From the ground on down,
On down.
Your way,
From the ground.

anywhere but here

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness -- all foes to real understanding. Likewise, tolerance or broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in our little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
- Mark Twain

Take me away, and I'll be ok.

10.27.2007

10.24.2007

10.17.2007















"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. [...] This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron."
Dwight D. Eisenhower

10.15.2007
















Al perderte yo a ti,
Tú y yo hemos perdido:
Yo, porque tú eras
A quién yo más amaba;
Y tú, porque yo era
Quién te amaba más

Pero de nosotros dos,
Tú pierdes más que yo,
Porque yo podré amar
Tanto como te amaba a ti,
Pero a ti no te amarán
Como te amaba yo.

Ernesto Cardenal



10.14.2007

10.11.2007

10.10.2007

10.09.2007

10.08.2007

10.07.2007