The Sounds of Silence

I’ve been relatively quiet on here lately, and I wish I could say that it was done purposefully to emphasize the point of this blog. Happy accident I assure you. It did however help to inspire this blog, so I hope the message hits home.

Silence. Calmness. Stillness. Tranquility. All of these things make up major parts of my character. They also make for a great lesson in taking it all in. There are times when we are all exceptionally busy. And when we get that way, we, a lot of times, lose sight of those little things that are important. And that brings me to my overall message. Make sure to take some time for yourself, and make sure that some of that time is spent just enjoying the silence. While few of us have the opportunity to experience the true solitude that nature would bring us, away from the hustle and bustle of the human world, we can still find a source of tranquility that is accessible to us.

Again, a brief message from me, but still something that is very important to us all. Taking time to hear the sound of silence helps us keep a certain peace of mind that will make our lives better, and by extension the lives of those around us.

A Change of Faith

Many people face challenges every single day of their lives. In fact, I think it’s fair to say that all of us face challenges of some sort at least once or twice a week, if not more. Some challenges are small, some challenges change our lives forever.

Those of you who know me personally know that I’ve had a lot of moments like this in my life, especially over the last few years. And those of you who have known me for more than a few years know that I didn’t always handle stress well. I was a very angry adolescent and was shaping up to be a very angry man. I was waiting for the world to provide me with some justice. I was waiting for the world to be fair. And at that point it dawned on me that the world wasn’t going to change for me. Life wasn’t going to make itself any easier. It wasn’t going to just start making sense. I had to look at the world with a new perspective. I had to be the change I wanted to see in the world.

This was a wholly new concept to me, so I didn’t really know how to handle it. I knew how my life had been up to that point and I knew that things weren’t exactly going my way. I had to look at the root of my problems, and that root, I knew, lay deep within my soul.

For the purpose of brevity, which is my style as you can see in my other postings, I will spare you the details of my tedious journey for attempted redemption and repeated failure. Suffice it to say, my salvation rest in religion, and not the one I was currently a part of. Not to take away from that particular faith, but it just didn’t work for me. What I needed was a change in perspective. My world was falling apart, and there was nothing I could do, but change my view of it. So I began to study the various religions, philosophies, and sciences for something that could help me explain this crazy messed up world of mine. And after a time of searching, I eventually found my paradise. I found the change I needed to make in my life to help me get through the tough times. It wasn’t easy to make the changes necessary to improve my life, but it was however worth the effort. I have found a sense of peace and calmness that I hadn’t known before. I have found a way to manage life’s little difficulties and improve the quality of life for myself and for those around me (I hope). And I haven’t looked back.

A lot of times we find ourselves struggling to explain life. We look for meaning in things that have happened and we look for answers to the tough questions of life. However, when we are looking for these answers, we spend so much of our time looking externally for the answers, we don’t always look within ourselves for the answers we seek. Even though that is where those answers are generally found. Now, I’m not saying that any time you have a bad day you should go out and change your whole lifestyle. I just think we should all make sure we take some time to reflect on our own lives and make sure we know who we are and what brings us comfort. That way, when life throws us something we aren’t necessarily ready for, we know where to turn to help get us through it.

Auld Lang Syne

As we welcome in a new year, we all usually like to take a moment and look back on the year we’ve had. The people we’ve loved and the people we’ve lost. The amazing experiences we’ve had, and the opportunities lost. Who we were at the beginning of this year compared to who we are at the end. This is all a natural reaction to the passing of time.

That being said, I’ve been reflecting on the changes that have happened around me over this last year. My memory being what it is, it’s sometimes difficult for me to remember who I was 12 minutes ago, much less 12 months. One thing that has changed for me is my desire to help people. I’m not entirely sure where it came from, but in the last year I started the Global Transfusion Movement (via facebook.com and now this blog). This movement’s only goal was to encourage people to be better, treat others better, and make this crummy world a better place. Now that I’ve been on this mission for almost a year now, I’m not seeing the impact I would have liked, and it makes me wonder if it’s an impossible mission. The whole “marketing strategy” for GTM was to have our members spread the word to their friends and for us to grow and make a difference that way. But with that not happening and the world around me not changing very much, it makes me wonder if it’s worth it? Is there any way to make an impact, or is this world just destined to devolve into a complete cesspool? A very disheartening approach to what I hoped to be my life’s work (outside of raising my family of course). But then I realized something very crucial to the success of my mission. I can’t change the world, but I can change my world. I can make things better for my family, myself, and the people that I affect every day. And with any luck, those people will get on board and start making a difference, but even if they don’t, that’s ok. If I can leave the world just a little bit better than it was when I got here. If I can make small improvements each day, or each year, then the world may never be a good place, but it can be a whole lot less terrible than it is now. And if all this movement, all this blog, and all this time does is make the world just slightly better, than it’ll be worth it.

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. All the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as you ever can.” – John Wesley – 

Running in the Rain

I went for a run outside today. Probably not the most rational thing for Dec 30^th, but what can be done? Any way, about a half mile into it, the skies opened up and the rain started to fall. It was an amazing experience. The run was in and of itself a pretty good run all things considered. I ran as fast as I have since high school and felt pretty good after the fact. But the rain, it made the whole thing feel so natural. It was running the way running should be.

This whole experience got me thinking about the natural world, and my personal experiences with it. Unfortunately, these experiences, true nature experiences, are few and far between, so the thinking didn’t take long. But in that short amount of time, I did come to the realization that, though I haven’t experienced much nature first hand, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t start getting out into the “bush” and seeing what the gods, or god, or whatever you believe, intended for the world to be.

I know this is kind of short and kind of disconnected, but I hope I’m making my point. While I typically am pushing for making the world a better place, today I want to encourage everyone to take a moment to look at the world we are trying to improve. Look at what is around you. Take a moment to stop and really see what you see everyday. And if you have the opportunity, take the opportunity to dive into nature. Go on a camping trip, spend some time fishing, or just take a hike. Whatever you do, make sure to take the opportunity to notice this awesome world we live in.

"Up Yours Mr Peanut"

Many of you who have been following me since day one (or know me personally) know that I am a big fan of doing what is right. In fact, it is the purpose of this blog to encourage others to join me in my mission to change the world by doing what is right. And while doing what is right is always good, sometimes doing something small goes a whole lot further. People all need something different to make them happy, and sometimes that thing is as simple as a coloring book.

I hope that the person in the following story doesn’t mind my sharing this story. Several years ago (40 or more if my memory serves) a friend of mine sent away for a Mr Peanut Presidents of the United States Coloring Book. It cost him 15 cents and two Planters wrappers. He waited and waited, but like so many childhood heroes, Mr Peanut turned out to be a sham. And my friend, being who he is, was very very bitter about not receiving his coloring book. Fast forward to this Christmas. As my friend sat around the tree doling out Xmas gifts with his family, he had no idea that a very special gift was waiting for him under that tree. A Mr Peanut Presidents of the United States Coloring Book. The exact one he had sent away for so many years ago, now he had finally received it. Though under very different circumstances from what he had originally hoped or intended.

Had my friend received this item the way he had originally intended, it would have gone the way of so many childhood coloring books: scribbled in and destroyed the thrown out with the leftovers from so many family dinners. Now, having had time to brood over the failure of Mr Peanut, the item is an instant treasured keepsake.

There are two things we can learn from Mr Peanut’s Presidents of the United States Coloring Book. One, is that sometimes, it’s good to wait for the things we want now, because we may end up wanting them more later. The other thing that I personally learned is that, you never know what will make someone’s day. You never know what little, seemingly simplest of things, may make somebody’s day just a little brighter. And if you can do something small to make their life better, why shouldn’t you?

"I don't care what you're doing so much as the idiotic way you're doing it"

As most people who know me can tell you, I am always a fan of people going out and doing what is right. I’m also a fan of people making the lives of themselves and others not only easier, but better. Even small things receive the Davis seal of approval. I’m also an advocate of doing things your own way. There’s no single right way to change the world, and every life needs something different to help make it better. However, recent developments have caused me to think maybe there is a wrong way to make the world a better place.

There is a new video game coming out that is attempting to spread the word of God by putting players in the role of an acolyte of Christ. The player will then attempt to convert the non-believers and when they fail, there task is to execute the heathen. Now, I am all for spreading the word of whatever gods, goddesses, or spiritual greatness you believe in. That being said, I don’t think you should do it by encouraging people of other faiths to “assimilate or die.”

Now, I’m not trying to pass judgment here. While I don’t approve of the game and the things it is attempting to propagate, I also know that all these developers have done is the same thing we all have done at one time or another. Who of us hasn’t at one time or another thought, “If everything was just done the way I do it, it would be easier for everyone.” Whether it was something at work, something in our day to day lives, or anything else that we believe in, we are all guilty of this same thing. And that is where the issue needs to be corrected. We as a people don’t need to go out and change other peoples ways of thinking to our own, we need to accept that they think differently and change our way of thinking about their beliefs.

The world is a diverse and at times convoluted place. Different ideas work for different people. Different people have different ideas of what the meaning of life is. I think we need to spend time celebrating our differences and what makes each of us unique, but I also think that we, as members of the human race, need to find some sort of common ground and make strides to better the world to those ends.

-davis-

Player 2

I’ve recently began playing some of my old video games again. That being said, I’ve also spent some time reflecting on my history with video games. When I was a kid, like 9 or 10, I wasn’t very much into gaming the way I was when I was in junior high and high school, and my only exposure to games was at my friends and cousins homes. And as anybody who plays video games can tell you, the person who owns the game gets to be player one, and the guest gets to be Luigi.

At the time this unwavering rule of gaming seemed a bit unfair to me (and in all fairness it still does), but it did however alter my way of thinking in a pretty significant way. It took me several years to realize that being “Player 2” has shaped my consciousness in ways I never knew before.

One thing about being player 2 was I always had to wait and take my turn second, if I got a turn at all. This was very disheartening as a child because like most children, I wanted immediate gratification. As an adult, I’ve had the opportunity to look at this waiting my turn in a different light. I got a chance to see the dangers of the Mushroom Kingdom before I had to throw myself into them. This gave me the opportunity, and in adulthood the ability, to assess my current situation and develop a plan to make it through the tough times ahead. It also gave me an opportunity to look at the game for what it was. See things that a person in the moment might miss because they’re too busy dodging anthropomorphized bullets. The ability to perceive the world for what it is and take advantage of the things that make life easier is something a lot of people miss out on because they want to be first.

Another thing about being player 2 is I always had someone else in command. When playing cooperatively with friends and relations, I was never the one who was deciding where we went. I got the opportunity to learn how to take orders and perform without having to have the burden of failure looming over my head constantly. The advantage this gave me was when I have had the opportunity to lead, I’ve been able to look back on what I would have done differently in situations I’ve been in previously, as well as look at what those ahead of me have done well and combine their effort with mine into something truly unique and at times legendary. Learning doesn’t always have to come from the best, learning is something that should be strove for at all times. And even the most idiot decision making can be a great learning tool if you are willing to look at it from all angles.

The last thing I’ve noticed about always being player 2 when I was young was I was generally less well equipped than player 1. Player one got the rocket launcher and the submachine gun and the stock pile of grenades. I got a handgun and a pocketful of “key items” that were anything but useful in the course of the game. This did however teach me great adaptability. I was like the MacGuyver of video games. Give me an avocado and a handful of safety pins and I’ll bring down Bowser’s entire operation. I’ve found myself in real life on more than one occasion with less than adequate armament and a greater than average foe and still found a way to get myself where I needed to be. Plus, I also found out later, when I did finally get my hands on that rocket launcher, that it was actually less effective than the weaponry I had been using. Just because it was smaller and less “stand out” didn’t in any way make it less useful. It just made it less “cool”. And “cool” hasn’t gotten anybody very far in the long run.

Normally when I sit down to write something like this, I have the moral of the story all wrapped up in a neat little bow before I sit down. This time, I don’t necessarily know that I have a neat little bow to put on this present. I guess the moral is, being player 2 isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if you’re willing to be a bit patient, and use the time you spend waiting to focus your energies. I’m not sure what I want people to take away from this, but I do hope it makes your life a little easier.

Also, many apologies to Luigi. Being player 2 isn’t that bad, and we shouldn’t treat you differently because of it.