Flow
flow
it goes and goes and goes
center
in the way of the sun and the moon
feel the entrance and the way
the path that guides
know the way.
all is seen, all is heard
metaphorical flying
all is learned
feel me. feel the aura
feel the energy
the fauna, flora
know the bounds, and know they’re not.
all is told, so much forgot
unadulterated love for the feel
spinning, turning
reach but don’t grab
feel
listen
sh’ma — hear it
like the river on a calm day
slide
transition into the mind
the spirit
the soul
melt away
Thoughts on Religion, Part I
It’s been a rough year, but I am thankful and eternally grateful for the person that my environment has allowed me to be.
We say in the morning prayers that Adonai raises the downtrodden. We like to believe that He hears our prayers and answers them — but He does not answer every prayer. God answers our prayers when they are for something we truly need — not something we want. And when we ask Him for the simplest thing — comfort in a time of sorrow — that is a prayer that is always answered.
God can’t be found in moments of joy — sure, we can thank God, but finding God, truly finding Him, comes form turning to Him in times of genuine need. God gives us what we need.
May you pursue nothing but righteousness in your new found enlightenment, may you be strong, and in turn may you be strengthened.
— Adam Kruger
5 Epic Songs
This is a list of five of my favorite songs of all time. I qualify them as “epics” because all tell a story of some sort, or at least inspire the listener.
5. Journey - Don’t Stop Believing
This song defines the word “epic.” It is an anthem unto itself — a song that, when heard, inspires awe and a sense of connection to all those listening. Don’t Stop Believing was covered by the Glee cast, and still sounded good. This is a song to listen to at the end of a great night, at the beginning of a night that will probably be great, or really anytime you want to listen to a song that can get EVERYONE singing along to it.
4. Infected Mushroom - Dancing With Kadafi
A new listen for me, Infected Mushroom falls into too many genres to classify. I’ll call them, for the purpose of this list, “Israeli psy-trance.” This song exemplifies a lot of what they do very very well — put intricate middle eastern sounding guitar riffs into a electronic, quasi-house beat. The song changes often throughout its 10 minutes and 22 seconds, and takes the listener on a journey. Epic, indeed.
3. Phish - Divided Sky
This song is 12 minutes long at a minimum — the recording here is from Bonnaroo in 2009 (make sure you listen to part II, as well). Phish has always been a band that can put a smile on a person’s face, and this song in particular does it every time. You can hear the pure joy coming out of Trey’s guitar towards the end; as the song crescendos, the technical showcase fades out and the energy and emotion behind the song truly show in the 30 second note that launches the listener into the conclusion of the song.
2. Deadmau5 - Strobe
I was never big into house music until I heard this song. Deadmau5 is a young producer from Canada who has quickly become a well known name in the electro scene. Strobe really showcases his talents over about 11 minutes, and the changing time signature and dynamics create an epic that can have even the most sluggish listener dancing by the time the beat drops (3:50).
1. John Butler - Ocean
This is the best song in the world. I have yet to hear a song that comes close to expressing the amount of emotion that this piece does. I heard him play a show once, and his lead in to this song was something along the lines of “I like to play this song to inspire peace and understanding in the world.” It does, John. I can’t even fill up a paragraph about how great this song is. It’s just awesome. Listen to it. Now.
Sunset over the dock at Ocean City, MD. Circa 2007.
Some Thoughts
“I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness.” — Dalai Lama
The right to happiness and the ability to achieve it is within everybody. It’s an attitude — a state of mind — and it is not primarily dependent on external conditions. Happiness is the purpose of life — but it’s also the journey. Each day is a challenge to remain positive; there are so many external factors that have the ability to influence your mood and disposition, your mind and your spirit. Once you are able to move past the external circumstances that you can’t change, it becomes almost instinct to brush off the feelings and stresses caused by your environment, and to use your own self — your own energy — to change your mood into what you want it to be. This is ‘being centered’ or ‘at peace with one’s self;’ it is complete knowledge of your own emotions and reactions. The most important use of knowledge is to understand ourselves and make changes from within — to develop a good heart. Once you understand yourself, it becomes easier and easier to relate to and understand those around you. Once you’re familiar and comfortable with your own perspective, your own ideals and morals, it becomes almost second nature to see things through other’s eyes, and this is one of the most important abilities a person can cultivate. To walk a mile in someone else’s shoes is to try and feel the way they feel, and think the way they think. It allows you to empathize, and more importantly, to relate. To come at this idea from a different perspective, consider the emotion ‘anger.’ While happiness is positive for you and all around you, anger is the exact opposite. It is not productive, it is not helpful, and it is not healthy. Emotions are natural, and there is no shame in being angry, but consider how your anger in a given moment can affect not only those around you, but also yourself, and the potential consequences of your externalization of anger. Is action influenced by anger not likely to cause more negativity? Don’t expect appreciation — don’t wait for signs of gratification. To control your anger, or to use your happiness and positive energy to your advantage, is not something you can explain or describe to someone else. Be your own inspiration and motivation. If you live your life waiting for others to praise and inspire you, you will not accomplish the things that you want to accomplish. Don’t expect immediate results from those around you — this will follow naturally.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” —Steve Jobs
I’ve come to a crossroads in my life. I was a student and a child, and then I started attending college. Once I stopped going to college, I was just dropped into the real world — no experience, nobody to tell me what to do, and nobody watching me to make sure I didn’t do something stupid. But I didn’t understand this. In my mind, I was still a child — waiting for this weird interim of work to end so my life could go back to normal. But the truth is, there is no ‘normal’. Life isn’t a plan, it’s not a race, and there’s nothing and nobody telling you how to live your life. The expression “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” is common, but is one of the most important ideals one could ever try to understand. Life isn’t on ‘pause’ waiting for me to get back. This is real life — and I’m in charge.
“I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life… to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” —Henry David Thoreau
Take a few minutes out of your daily routine, and ask yourself ‘When I die, what do I want to have done with my life?’ How do you want to live? How do you want to be remembered? More importantly, what do you want right now, and how are you going to go about getting it?
