L.O.V.E.

  What is love? Where is love?
  Love is an endangered concept in a modern society, the media fills us with ideas of hate; war, scandal, murder, until we don't trust each other any more. (Note that when I say love, I don't mean relationships or sex, I mean love that involves the whole world, a wider and entirely different concept).
  'Where there is love, there is live' - Mahatma Gandhi.
  I say lay down all weapons and bring people together. I can't pretend I'm some sort of prophet and proclaim to know 'the purpose' but I'm pretty sure it's not destruction, built to destroy? That doesn't work, it's positively illogical.
  'I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.' - Martin Luther King Jr.
  It's so dangerous to say things like 'no war' and 'bring back love' but I believe if people said it more often, if people let themselves believe for a second, it might actually come true. It's right there waiting for us to reach out to it, shunned by a generation that acts carelessly.
  Speaking of the generation, I think it could be the one that starts a revolution. Not of politics or arms but of words and emotion. Less complaining, more complementing, calm your anger!
  You can probably assume I look up to a figure such as John Lennon, who was persecuted, and killed, for his ideas. But he spoke sense and he lived happily, I want that.
  'If someone thinks love and peace are a cliché that must have been left behind in the sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal.' - John Lennon.
  If you take anything away from this, let it be this: the world we live in is on its way to ruin. Take a look at the anger around you and just think, how do you want it to be, and what can you do about it?

Stress!

Hello planet dwellers,
It's been a while since I posted, and (here comes a terrible excuse) it's because I've been so STRESSED lately.
Stress is such a weird thing, we come across stress everyday and it's always there, on your back, like an annoying hitch-hiking leprechaun, and just about anything causes it. According to teenhelp.com the five 'stressors' that caused the most worry were; school work, parents, friends' problems, romantic relationships and drugs.
How crazy it seems that we accept stress as part of our  lives, even though it has the most negative impacts, and rarely tackle it and try to reduce it. Although according to the national health interview survey 75% of the general population experience at least some stress every two weeks.
Side effects of stress that I've personally suffered with are insomnia, comfort eating, nervous habits (nail biting etc.), headaches/general body aches and even feeling physically sick and experiencing chest pains.
So as a little bit of advice to people taking exams, or busy at work, or having trouble in your personal life, I say just take a few moments, every day, to yourself. Take a few little moments to do something you like and put everything in perspective. It's not a lot, but it might help.
(Notice how I've stressed the word stress throughout...I'm so punny)

Love Is A Bitter Drug

Hey guys,
I warn you this post is going to be somewhat dark and somewhat depressing but no less true than any of my other posts.
Love. It's completely destructive. Even caring about other people creates bad mood. I'm not saying every relationship will end, but even having a happy relationship could ripple into pain in the hearts of people who care but are left outside.
'Where there is love there is pain' - Spanish proverb
I've experienced these sorts of feelings, and some people might think love is a word that is thrown around far too much, but love is everywhere, and love is in everything, in everyone, an innate desire that everyone feels the need to fulfil. Often regardless of the cost.
'Love is needing someone. Love is putting up with someone's bad qualities because somehow they complete you.' - Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby
But without love, without caring about someone, without having someone care about you, where's your reason to exist?
 You always need something to fight for, I say, you could be the richest, most successful, most revered person in the WHOLE world. And you could be lonely. I can imagine being totally alone, and I don't ever want to.
'Being deeply loved by someone give you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage' - Lao Tzu
Look after the ones who love you and love the ones who look after you. Cheese to the extreme.
I'm out.
K.T.

Inspiration

Happy December!
Everyone enjoy opening their advent calender? Me too!
Anyway, today I want to talk about what inspires me, and what inspirations actually is.
DEFINITION: 'Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity'
Inspiration is simply your drive, what pushes you to do something or brings about a change in you that you may not have previously thought of or desired.
Personally, at least in my poetry I'm inspired by nature and Snow Patrol lyrics, as these are things that make my mind move and come up with something I can be proud of.
"You will never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write" - Saul Bellow
However when we're talking real life, and motivations for actions, I would have to say that most of my inspiration comes from me and my friends, this is what pushes me to do what I do. Not going to lie, I act often to make my life more comfortable and to do what I want to do, and who can say they don't do that
Self inspiration is extremely underrated, but here is a bit of inspiration to leave you with...
"One must maintain a little bittle of summer, even in the middle of winter" Henry David Thoreau

Addiction.

Hello reader!

I wanted to write, today, about something that has been dancing in my mind for quite some time now and that I think I have a rather controversial opinion upon. Addiction.
"Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or idealism." - C.G.Jung
When you hear the word addiction, automatically you think drugs, alcohol, perhaps sex, all negative ideas, a shunned thing by modern society no doubt. But are addictions really that bad? You can be addicted to anything, shopping, exercise, even things like ice chewing or pulling your own hair! Not necessarily life threatening or even harmful, though they can consume a person's whole life.
But lets all be honest for a second, can anyone say they don't have any addictions, no matter how small? Personally I'm addicted to the internet, chocolate and some have said I'm addicted to alcohol, but I'm still a functioning human being, my 'addictions' don't interrupt my life, not much at least.
What would your life be without those things you yearn for? Flavourless. It would be dry, and boring, and the same as everyone else's, it would suck! Which leads to the thought that perhaps an addiction or two is necessary for a human's mind, if not their physical form. Perhaps.
'Self destruction is such a pretty little thing" - Asking Alexandria: To The Stage
I like the idea of addictions personally, even if they are bad, so what! There's something wonderfully thrilling about the whole idea, a rush, a surge of energy that being realistic or sensible or safe just doesn't come with, and never will.

Just something to think about.

What If This Storm Ends?

     "What if this storm ends and I don't see you, as you are now, ever again?"
     You might recognise the above as a lyric from Snow Patrol's 'The Lightening Strike', I was listening to the song and it struck me (like lightening), how much this meant with intention or simply through interpretation.
     "What if this storm ends, and leaves us nothing, just a memory, a distant echo?"
     This to me, is; what happens when this is all over, this...event, which we might dread, or otherwise actively fear, but I making something new happen or changing our perspective.
     "I don't wanna run, just overwhelm me..."
     I dunno, maybe I'm reading too far into it, perhaps not enough, but I think everyone can relate to it, when you're suddenly immersed in something so fantastically present, real yet totally unreal.
     But what happens when that temporary euphoria is gone, do we go back to who we are? What if we lose something only available at that second? What if nothing changes? What if we are forced to accept that we can't get whatever we had then, back? What if we simply forget?
     I imagine that this sounds both extremely contrived and cliché but it's true: you should absorb everything around you, you don't know what's happening next, but you can enjoy the now, before the rain stops, before the wind eases. Before this storm ends....

Festival Of Lights

Nomastay everybody!

Tonight I met two lovely Hindu women to learn all about Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which is to celebrate light overcoming darkness, good overcoming evil and all that jazz.
But it got me thinking, about some very spiritual things, why do we not celebrate things like this in British culture, happiness, peacefulness, being tolerant and respectful, decorative and hospitable, it's wonderful to be around.
I love to see the candles, and the incense, and the saris, and the powdered paint decorations, and the bindis, the food, it makes life so exciting, so wondrous having something that draws on all your senses in an exciting and pleasant way.
Also we learnt a little about Hinduism, about how it is so flexible and accepting of everything unlike most other religions such as Catholicism, Islam and Judaism, and it got me thinking that if everyone followed some basic ideas like being tolerant, and calm and accepting of all those around you, then the world would be happier, and light would truly triumph over darkness.
Have a happy and peaceful Diwali everyone!

Truth

The truth.

   What is the truth? How can we define it, well according to the Cambridge online dictionary truth is "the real facts about a situation, event or person" , but how can we know what is real and not simply a convincing illusion?

    Given this, why do we seek the ultimate truth in God or science or whatever path we choose to believe in, clearly we think this will bring us something, but what?

    For example why do people so desire to chase whether or not Shakespeare was who he said he was or whether an anonymous source was the true voice behind his writing, does this change the works? Alternatively seeking out whether or not the government had something to do with Marilyn Monroe's death, would it change anything if we knew?

    Personally I don't think it's bad to seek the truth, there's something marvellously unsettling about the idea of living in a great illusion.

   But what if we found out what was behind everything, and it was evil or consisted of nothingness and random ideas? It would blow apart our whole lives.

    What we have to ask ourselves is, whether ignorance is truly bliss and would truth bring pain or enlightenment. Will we ever know?

Hey Big Spender!

     Alright guys and gals?
     So yesterday, I went, on a good ol' fashioned shopping spree!
     Two jumpers, some leggings, a dress, a belt, some ankle boots, some earrings  and a necklace, not a bad old haul really!
     What is it about frivolity and spending money that we find so exciting, exhilarating? Because it's crazy really, the idea of 'retail therapy', perhaps something about asserting power or gaining a social pleasing image maybe?
     Pretty tragic really that we view those things as important if only subconsciously, but oh well, it doesn't bother me, I spent £90 today AND I DON'T CARE!
     Maybe it's true that diamonds are a girls' best friend...

What lies ahead?

The future.
   A daunting prospect by some people's judgement, exciting by others and I am someone who doesn't yearn for tomorrow. This isn't because I'm so happy with the present, in fact it's quite the opposite, I'm extremely unhappy with the present, so why is the future so terrifying to me, and I'm sure, many others?
   It's the uncertainty, I think. Not everyone has their future planned out and not a single person can be certain in any plans they might have. It's the fear that what we're expecting won't match the reality, that we could fall so hard down into the bleak pit of the unknown and get stuck there. 
   We might not like the now, but at least we know it, understand it, it's simple to us.
   So is the future truly bleak because of this uncertainty or does it instead become hopeful and promising? I think it's either, if you want to only see the negative side, go for it, but if you want to take the chance to explore every possibility, GO FOR IT!
   How cliché...the future is what you make it, is it? No, it's not, but we can go in with whatever state of mind we want and I rest semi-peacefully in my almost fatalist view that whatever will happen will happen and that I should just let it come and tackle every obstacle I have to, grabbing every chance I get.
   It's a ride, you can't get off, so don't let it scare you, don't close your eyes, embrace it.

Marilyn

Hello Audience

I haven't posted in a while, and I deeply regret that, but today I had to because something moved me, more than anything has in a long, long time.
I watched the film 'My Week With Marilyn'.
If you've seen it, you'll probably understand what I mean and why I was moved. If you've not, let me sum it up: the concept of the film is taken from the memoirs of a man named Colin Clark (The Prince, The Showgirl and Me) and is focused on his time working on a film with Marilyn and the closeness that they shared for a short time, I recommend you watch it, it's beautiful film making and has a magnificent cast.
I've always been interested in the life of Marilyn, her mother was never there for her and she suffered so much, often expressing feelings to escape, live a normal life, be a normal girl.
I think in a way, Marilyn touched so many people because everyone can connect to her, whether it's in admiration or envy of her beauty, perhaps awed by her charm,  simply impressed and inspired by how she performed maybe. Or you could feel connected to Norma Jean, to who she was under the make up, the tragedy of her life, the pills, the alcohol, her desperation for escapism, the countless fruitless relationships, the pure insecurity she lived with and the pressure that was put on her as the most famous woman in the world.
I personally relate to her tragedy, she never felt that she had a home and she crumbled under her fame, self destructive some might argue.
She was lost.
Under everyone it seems, lies something more, and no matter how perfect a person can seem, they could be dying inside, but does anyone care enough to look? Rarely.
I think I've made my point.
Out.

Hold Your Tongue

Waddup Humans!

       So today I was inspired by somebody telling me it would be good for the planet if I were die of AIDS, really funny thing to say right? But it got me thinking, as somebody with depression and suicidal tenancies this was hard for me to hear, but how often do we say something to people that offends them more than we can comprehend? What have we let happen to people?
       I'm not one who thinks there should be more censorship or that political correctness should be enforced more strongly but how often do we use words like 'gay' or 'emo' or 'suicide' or 'posh' or 'nerd' or 'thicko' without thinking? These words are very often used as a joke in a totally relaxed manner but think how hurtful they could be to someone who suffers from, or hides, or is concious of the very thing you're now laughing at them.
       I think that something the younger generations (secondary school ages) lack is just that little bit of sensitivity that makes the world go round we're too careless with words, often not caring what we say or how we say it, and I admit I do it as much as the next person.
      All I'm trying to say is that before you say things  that could be hurtful just take one moment, just a second, to step back and think about the person you're talking to and what those words will mean to them and if you really mean what you're going to say.
       A little more care and the whole world would work a little more smoothly...

War And Peace

What up planet earth, how are you today? 

Mondays are never good, are they, NEVER! And opening a day with double Philosophy never helps, but the point that I found myself discussing with a friend intrigued me no end. War.

Personally I don't believe in war, like, I know it exists (duh) but I don't think it's right, it's like "I have a problem with your religion/skin colour/values so I'm gonna invade your country and kill people, that cool?" No it's not cool, not cool in the slightest.

Seriously, how is that the solution to a single one of life's problems? We moan when our own soldiers are killed but never a tear is shed for the enemy dead, are we judging some lives to be more/less important? We don't have that right, and surely killing people doesn't clear tension, it just leads to more tension, WAKE UP!

This is the 21st century people, aren't we beyond this mindless rage and killing? And no, this does not mean I support terrorism or whatever else ignorant people think of pacifism as, I simply think there's another way.
Just something to think about.