Yet, when I look back,
The past is but a fleeting moment,
A delicate memory.

Memories so fragile,
I can’t hold onto.
Fading away silently,
Silent passage of time.

Spreading my arms,
I fall into a false embrace,
The future is but a fantastic illusion.

A beautiful mirage,
I can’t ever hold onto.
Fading away swiftly,
Swift passage of time.

While I was lost in the past,
While I was longing for the future,
Life was flowing away.

Life is flowing away,
One moment at a time,
One transient life.

Live! – life is flowing away.
Breathe in the source of life,
Spread your wings,
And fly away!

From our early years, we are set on reaching the standards of the past and the ideals of the future. Life passes by and we rarely even hold its hand. There are rare times when our consciousness distances from our bodies and we realize, that all the worries are so trivial in comparison with just being alive. In comparison with being able to feel the presence of our own existence, and connecting with others. That bubble lasts one single moment, but is enough for us to realize the vanity of our self-designed quest. Yet, soon enough, we are back to our robotic selves, trying to eat the carrot we put in front of us. Like the paradox of Achilles and the tortoise, reaching the goal seems impossible because it keeps on evolving. The road to perfection seems infinite.

We indirectly become the victims of our own ideals. We might not realize it by ourselves, because we are busy finishing endless tasks to reach the end that does not exist. But it silently sucks the life out of us. Perfection is not definite, and is also not objective. But we think of it that way. We try to reach perfection, but we do not realize that we are already perfect. We think of it as a destination, but it is the journey. Life is perfect by itself. And living it, is perfection. It is the progress of life we have to enjoy. But we focus on the end life. Everyday, we are frustrated by trivial events that hinder our delusional possibility for perfection. We construct unnecessary and invisible walls, and try to climb over them. The humanity constructs the walls and as a result, we all get lost in the maze. We try to find the end of the maze, but fail to realize that there is no end. We try to solve a puzzle that has no answer. The humanity fights over the puzzle pieces, but it is all pointless. Humanity is thus in conflict with itself. But there is no reason for conflict, because there is no enemy. Except the one we created in our minds.

Wiping out the illusion of our enemies means to reconcile and realize that we are all stuck in this maze together. Destroying the constructed walls means to offer the perfect life to everyone who lacks it, the basic necessities of life. It means to hear the cries in the world, to care, and to transform their tears of sadness to tears of happiness. No one can truly progress, if not everyone is able to stand up and walk. It means to feel the suffering in the world and construct foundations upon which they can also recreate the magical world from their dreams. Then, perhaps, the humanity might create a heaven, instead of this maze of hell.

Image by: Tito Salomoni

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Wandering the maze of life,
And wishing for a way out–
I went the other way,
When I hit a blind alley.

The end I couldn’t find,
Till the end found me.

I cried, but no one cared–
Because everyone was crying,
Waiting to be heard, without trying to hear–
Living as loners, tied up together.

Our hearts open when we scream,
But close when we need to hear.

Everyone else was blind and busy–
Blinded by the walls of greed and hate,
Busy wishing for the gate of heaven–
But in the end we all find out.

That the maze itself is our heaven,
And the walls humanity’s own creation.

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The subconscious is an abyss inside our minds, the invisible hand that can control our actions, that can draw the footsteps for us to follow. We are afraid, because we embrace the weaker connotation of being a human. As the subconscious is dark, we imagine it being infinite, a black hole, in front of which we seem powerless. Humans are simultaneously sick of conflict and in a constant search for it. We fight conflict with conflict. Everyone is blind inside a maze looking for his own way out, pushing anyone blocking the way.

In the same way, we hold the conscious in our hands and try to conquer the unconscious. We do everything we consciously can to conquer ourselves and the unlit. But, is the darkness of the subconscious a nightmare or is it just our dark imagination enchanted by ignorance? Is there really something dark in our minds and our hearts? And if there is, why do we fight it? Did anything finish peacefully with conflict?

If something is conquered with strength, it is natural that it will weaken. It is natural that it might later bring revenge with greater strength. Humanity itself is the epitome of the Orwell’s problem. Why do we know so little, given so much evidence around us? Why are we following the footsteps that lead to a cliff even though we are aware of it?

Definitions are equal to limitations. We define everything around us, we separate it, and we limit its possibilities for growth. The separation of our surroundings resulted into the separation and isolation between human beings. We long for connection, but constantly build barriers around us. We define a bird and limit it into a cage, the time flies, but the bird forgets. We build our own walls and force ourselves to climb over it.

Just as we try to conquer the subconscious with our conscious. The humanity tries to conquer humanity itself. We are one, but in our minds we are divided. The subconscious is a part of us, but we declared it our enemy. We are afraid because our eyes are covered. Humanity declared itself an enemy, blinded by unnecessary greed and artificial need.

Then we realize that there is no point in fighting with ourselves. There can be no winner when both have to be the winner for the war to end. We can reconcile with the subconscious by embracing it. We are fighting pointlessly. There is no reason to fight, because there is no enemy, except the one we imagine in our minds.

Photo by: Duy Huynh

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Change the leaves and the whole tree will be poisoned. Change the roots and the whole tree will be changed.

We convince ourselves that the mask we wear is for the good of all. We fake it so as not to hurt the other person. We change our habits accordingly. We try. We live every day wearing our masks. We tell others to fly when their wings are still not ready. We tell others to smile when their hearts are still filled with tears. We lie to ourselves to make the other person feel better. We lie to the other person, to make ourselves look better. The more we distanced from the truth, the closer we became with the lie.

We walk on this thin line, where one missed step can inflict serious pain to other people. But little did we know that walking this thin line was inflicting serious pain to ourselves. Hiding behind the masks, poisoned our hearts and souls. The inequality between our inner and outer selves pressured our hearts to constant and silent pain. The longer we wore our masks, the further we distanced from our true selves. Lying to others not only gave us fake existence, but also gave others fake happiness.

But then we realize, that the lies can become truths, if the roots are changed. We realize, that we don’t have to try to change our leaves. We don’t have to burden ourselves walking the thin line. We don’t have to wear the mask. If we change our true selves. All lies can become truths because they don’t come only from our mind, but also from our heart. We don’t have to fake the language of love and happiness, if we become love and happiness. The poison can be cured and the fruit can once more become healthy. The people eating the fruit can receive true happiness, and we can once again become one with ourselves.

Photo from: G-Dragon – Coup D’etat

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It is true that the box was created for our safety, but what if that safety is a guardian that blocks us from flying up reaching for our dreams, reaching for the amazing. It is true that we won’t be hurt this way, but what good is there if we can’t run to the forest of imagination even though we have both feet, what good is there if we have hundred years to breathe, if we can’t live freely for one day.

What if we could ignore the box that is limiting us, what if we could close our eyes and let the real ‘us’ create, the real ‘us’ that isn’t restrained, that isn’t blinded by rules. What if we could shut our ears and listen to our true voice, the voice that so longed to be heard.

I imagine there would be mess, in the world outside the box. But among the mess, among the chaos, there would be masterpieces among the piles of scrunched paper. I imagine there would be treasures beneath the rocks.

Isn’t that one masterpiece, worth it? Isn’t that one treasure worth digging the rocks?

It is true that we can create beautiful things even inside the box, but did you imagine the possible beauty of the world outside the box?

Photo by: Garen

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The future, which holds uncertainty. The past, which brings mixed emotions. This life, turbulent, yet magical. It is difficult to be stable in this fast paced world where cruelty is more easily felt than warmth. Being emotionally and socially stable is a result of loving life, appreciating it, and working on it. The future, holds so many pleasant surprises. The past holds precious memories. Live this life as fully as possible.

Here are some points that can help you to be more emotionally and socially stable.

1. Love yourself. You have the ability to love yourself the most. And if you don’t love yourself, there can sometimes be a time when no one will love you. Appreciate your life. Your time at hand. Your unlimited possibilities. Desires, dreams, goals, and wishes. Be grateful. Be happy.

2. Love others. The kinder you are, the easier you will be able to fulfill your choices without obstacles. The world of cruelty is over. Those who follow the evil road will not succeed anymore. Appreciate your family. Cherish your friends. They are the ones who will give you the hand to stand back up. Be nice.

3. Improve. Confidence is important to being stable both emotionally and socially. By constantly improving ourselves, our mind can be more positive by believing in our dreams and possibilities. A successful chef in San Francisco, said “I know perfection can’t be attained, nevertheless I always work hard to reach it.” Stay humble, and work on yourself. Both in body and mind.

4. Learn to say no. We really can’t live our lives by living for others. Sometimes, we have to take control. Everyone holds his own 24 hours, so care for yours. If someone calls you for a drink, you can always kindly decline and call for another time if you have more important stuff to do. Creating something is difficult if we are constantly being distracted. It is important to spend time with friends, but if we feel we are not giving ourselves enough time, we might have to try harder to balance things.

5. Do what you love. Sometimes doing what we love can be difficult. But there is a difference between something being difficult, and us not loving it. So, don’t give up. If it is difficult, it means that it is worth it. It means that you are pushing your boundaries, and that you are improving. If circumstances don’t allow you to do what you love, then love what you do. Things could be worse. And you can learn from anything if you open your mind.

Photo by: Yuumei

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power pose + cape = awesomeness

It has been two weeks since I started seriously with my blog. And I don’t know what triggered it, but I have been writing a post every morning. I never wrote in the mornings before, and you can guess how it was. Madness. I thought I will go mad, like Sparta. And I am still thinking. Usually I wrote only when I had to let the awesome idea out of my head, or when I was in my creative flow. But making myself write every day, turned a creative and fun process into an obligation. And you know how obligations are? Not fun and not creative.

It has been fun watching the unexpectedly high views thanks to Reddit (15,000 in 2 weeks, thank you zenhabitors). But, to keep this blog running and to keep myself from not going mad, I thought I really needed some changes. Both in the way I blog and the way I think about my blog. This post is a way to open up my blog for awesomeness, and to break away from serious-obligatory tunnel-vision.

How to be awesome.

1. Wear a cape. Blue. Green. Red. Pink. Rainbow. It can have logos, or you can imprint your headshot on it; so that you can have two heads. And you will lack only one more head, to be a Cerberus (given that you are a dog; a scary one rawr). If you like cats more, you can use a rainbow cape and put a grey cat mask; kaboom, you are a nyanmancat. Bonus tip: You can wear wings as well. You will have the awesome ability to transform into a crab when passing through doors.

2. Invent. Something. Anything (preferably, a teleportation device). It can be useful or it can be WTF. The important thing is that you created something new. Even if it really sucks. Anything is fine, as long as you can remember your young days later, and say, that kid was crazy. You know what inventors are? Awesome.

3. Awesomize. Awesomize everything around you. Splash colors, like a mad person. Help someone be awesome. Make them a cape, or a wing if you liked the crab joke. Ok, just make them a cape.

4. Go mad. Not by writing a post every day. Do weird stuff, for which you can be proud of because it was for scientific reasons. You can’t gaze at the sun because the awesomist Newton already did that. But you can gaze at the clouds and follow them till they disperse and see if you will disperse with them. Wait do they?

5. Finish. Everything with awesome.

Photo by: JD Hancock

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I have been a terrible student. I hated studying. The only thing present in my mind was playing games; and I was pretty good at them. In elementary and high school, I was thinking about getting just the passing grade so that I can play games in peace. I though that I was bad at studying, and I thought that I couldn’t get good grades even if I wanted. My potentials were same as my thoughts.

Well, to be honest, I hate studying even today. I hate studying for school. But I love studying what I pick by my own hands (which is everything else besides what I study at school, from sciences to humanities). I am majoring in English Language and Literature; and even though I like languages, it really pains me to study just for the sake of a diploma.

Which concludes to our first point on how have better grades.

1. Reason. Reason yourself. Create a reason and purpose of your studies. Most of the students who don’t study say that the material is not helpful and worthless for the future. Every piece of knowledge is valuable. You will never know when you will need it. And even when you need it, it will help you, without you realizing it. We make decisions in an instant, but little do we know that our brains already analyzed most of the knowledge before the decision. If you don’t like studying history, reason yourself. It is not just history; but you study everything from sociology, economy, anthropology, psychology etc. It is more beneficial than we realize. Think of every piece of knowledge you get as important; because the more knowledge you have, the more connections you can make in your mind. A genius, connects the unconnected.

2. Just do it. If you already enrolled, just do what you have to do. Finish it successfully. Use the present as much as possible. We go to school once in our life, so do your best.

3. 3-Steps. This is the study plan I follow for my history class which is too broad; it would be too hard to study it a week before the exam. First. Study before. Read up the chapter before the lectures. By having information already in your head, the lecture will be more effective. It will sort out the information you didn’t understand well, and strengthen the knowledge you held already. Second. Follow the lecture. Don’t play around because others are. Don’t worry about the others. You came to study, not to play around right? You can play around after the classes. Write notes, preferably write your own notes instead of rewriting the ones from the presentation. Lastly. The last step is to check the notes. Read your notes when you get back. And if you have practice classes later, than read up the chapter again and highlight the important parts. You can also write new notes while highlighting; it will also help you to study before the exams.

4. Before exams. You need a plan. And you need to follow through it. If you are one of the students, who just study and never really feel that it is enough; you definitely need a plan. Take a paper, and write-up all the subjects. Next, see how many days (minimum) you need for each subject, sort them out; and make a study plan for each subject. If you did everything well until now, you just have to follow through your plan and profit.

Photo by: timetrax23

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Remember when you decided to wake up earlier? It would mean longer days and a longer life. We would be more productive; we would feel better. We could do stuff in the calm morning. Without a vigorous determination, it is not an easy task to wake up early; especially when waking up early is not an obligation.

Here are some realizations that helped me wake up early.

1. Wake up early. Yep. It is pretty hard to wake up early, if we haven’t woken up early in the first place. By waking up early we open up more time throughout the day which we can use to exhaust ourselves (hopefully productively).

2. Use the day. Both in body and mind. You have to use up most of your energy; sleep will come because you need it. You will feel better, realizing that the day was spent lively.

3. Work out. By working out, we keep our energy and health in check. As it was in the previous point, we have to use up our body energy as well. In this technological era, working out is one of the only solutions to really move our body. (Of course, any activity such as jogging, swimming, sports and so on, are fine.)

4. Eat. Eat well, and balanced. It will give us energy to live the day and keep us healthy. Eating around two hours before sleep is not recommended as we need time to digest our food before a good sleep. Otherwise, it will be harder to sleep, and also sleep won’t be as effective because it is digesting instead of doing its original function.

5. Transition. Prepare for sleep. About an hour before sleep, turn off your music, and any other media. Wash up, prepare your bed; do your night chores.

6. Thoughts. Oftentimes, once we lie down to sleep, we get stuck in our endless cycle of thoughts. They can be productive, such as thinking about a new blog post, or we may just end up thinking about some random unimportant things. But whatever their type may be, they are hurting the possibility of sleep. Get a paper or your mobile, and write down the thoughts; write down the solutions. Give them an order and an end. If you have things to remember, write them down so that you can see them in the morning. Bonus: It is fine to tune into some random ideas and thoughts as long as they don’t require a great focus, and as long as they don’t bother us. Just don’t think about the fact that you aren’t asleep yet, it will make you active again, and you will get needless worry.

7. Cool. You can’t sleep if it’s too hot. You may open the door a bit, or the window. Let some air through the blanket. Keep the temperature cool.

8. No lights. Close the curtains. Turn off unnecessary light in the room. Of course, you can keep them if you are fine with the lights; it is just that I am too sensitive to even minor distractions.

9. Mindset. Stay positive. Stay disciplined. Stay determined for the tomorrow. You deserved the sleep. And be grateful for the roof above your head. Be happy.

Photo by: Froskeland

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