Living in the Future

We’re living in the future, did you know? Yesterday’s future is today.  But I don’t seem to be living in the steel and glass constructions that were envisioned.  Instead, I see urban sprawl cover the face of the globe.  Sprawl may be too pleasant of a word to use.  The cities that we see springing up like flowers in spring are nothing more than elaborate slums. 

I am loathe to see my fellow man live in such conditions.  It makes you stop and think.  What does it take to bring happiness?  Where does joy come from?  What causes that unyielding hope that keeps them going?

In short, I think we have a lot to learn from the slum, both about human nature as well as our responsibility towards each other.

Stressful Relaxation or Relaxing Stress?

When one takes a relaxing semester, one might expect that semester to be something along the lines of, well, relaxing. Instead, I find myself posed with an odd sense of stress about all the peaceful joy. My time is not being frittered away. I am doing things I love, but somehow, it doesn't seem quite right.

Nothing in the history of who I am has prepared me for such a challange, but I will learn to relax. I think we all should learn that one.

Once that lesson is learned, I will likely return to the relaxing stress that is normal life in America.

An Oddity in Space and Time

It is strange that "cultured folk" tell us to stop and stare at art. They ask us to pause, critique and seek to understand the beauty and the message of the artwork. However, when you stop and stare and the wonderful beauty of the world which we inhabit, those same people stop and stare at you...like you are an oddity in space and time.