Placebo is the most powerful treatment.
Thought of the Day
Author: W
Wissam, Wesley, or simply W, is an educator, writer, entrepreneur, engineer, activist, ex-Imam, humanist, liberal thinker with interest and mediocre attempt at many takes of life. A modern confused Renaissance man, who uses doubt as a path for emancipation and science as a road towards enlightenment.
A Hard Day … Korean Movie
I watched this movie last night with couple of my friends at the Detroit Film Theater.
The movie is full of action and suspense, taking one twist after the other from the beginning few seconds. Amazing film making and interesting camera works at times. It is also a nice window to the Korean culture: how they respect their elders, mourning, loyalty, and female/male relarionship. It also exposes corruption within the government or police departments.
There are many funny moments, and although violence is part of the plot, there are no graphic violence scenes save a fight scene that gets really long š.
I recommend this as an action movie with light ending.
Here is what DFT said:
(South Korea/2014ādirected by Kim Seong-hun)
A homicide detective makes the first of several bad decisions when, immediately after his motherās funeral, he runs somebody over and decides to hide the victimās body in a most inappropriate location. To his horror, he soon discovers that a colleague is making steady progress on the case, and to make matters worse, there seems to be a witness ā another detective. This nerve-wracking thriller is all non-stop surprises and suspense, with a thread of dark comedy at every turn. If youāre looking for profundity you wonāt find it here, but for those who crave an occasional jolt of supremely kinetic, only-in-the-movies mayhem, this South Korean surprise delivers the goods. 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Directorās Fortnight selection. In Korean with English subtitles. (111 min.)
āWhen was the last time you saw a modern thriller with so much narrative and visual wit that you were simultaneously laughing and crying out in fear? Dare to be disoriented.ā āDavid Edelstein, New York MagazineāYouāll be glad that A Hard Day isnāt happening to you, but you wonāt regret observing it all from a safe distance.ā āMichael OāSullivan, The Washington Post
āItās the heady black humor, social satire and a touch of surrealism that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats.ā āMaggie Lee, Variety
– See more at: http://www.dia.org/mobile/calendar/event.aspx?id=5226&iid=6347#.dpuf
The Overwhelming Unconscious Critic
EveryĀ observation, whether it is barely conscious, or unconscious at all, made by my brain to my surrounding is registering a distaste or admiration.
Unfortunately in Dearborn/Dearborn Heights area, it is mostly registering distasteĀ and irritability for the lack of aesthetic value. Ā It is a city inter-commuted only by car, biking and walking unfriendly, with over crowded streets and houses, and a population of crazy young drivers who all seem in a hurry to get somewhere very soon, if not racing or revving for entertainment.
No way to stop this overwhelming flood of ugliness into your unconscious except to separate yourself completely from your environment, if not leaving the city all together.
Days are Never Short
The day is never short. It is a uniform container. If it is too busy, or you feel it has not enough time, it is because you are over filling it. Ā Here is the remedy:
- Simplify:
- Toss out the junk (facebook, youtube, TV, etc…)
- Simplify your communication through one or two emails only, and one messaging app.
- Minimize your style so you don’t spend much time there.
- Let Go:
- You can’t do it all.Ā Say NO to previous commitments and memberships.
- This moment becomes your new ideal
- Cut the strings out of what is hanging… let it float away from you … then be free to visit when you want to, … with no strings attached.
You Are Never Neutral
“I believe that you should not belong to anything in life. Be free and don’t be labled.”, she said to me.
But does she know that there is no such place as unbelonging. Ā There is no such thing as labelless, because the moment you consider yourself labelless, you have labelled yourself as such.
Your silence is a vote.
Your inactivity is a passive action that emboldens and empowers those with activity.
Your disinvolvement is a blank check to those who are involved to change the world, on your behalf, without your knowledge or authorization.
I am sorry to tell you, that your uninvolvement and silence are very damaging action! Ā As Paulo Freire says it:
If we wash our hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless we side with the powerful – we don’t remain neutral.
Paradise
My phone says the temperature in Paradise currently is 42 degrees fahrenheit.
ļ»æ
ļ»æIt is referring to Las Vegas.
What do we perceive as Paradise?
Is it the abundance of what fullfills our animal desires of food and opportunities of reproduction… yes … sex?
Is it the perfect weather and its freeing aspect, and its illusion of freedom, having more outdoor options?
Whatever it is, it seems to be dreamier and more fun that the place where we live, and at the same time, less real!
What is it in our insecure essence that always seek something less real and more imaginary? Our frontal lob just doesn’t cease of creating ideal potentials, that are not achievable. But I can see how this is a naturally selected tendency, since our ancestors who dreamed optimistically and ran enthusiastically after a better life of abundance, at least got something, hence had better chances of survival.
Our dreaming seems to be a factor in our survival and thriving. Without dreaming, we ceaze to move forward.
The catch is to be conscious of when you are dreaming and distringuish it from planning. Dream with no limits, but plan with brisk cold realism.
Dream that your business will be a multi-million dollar company, but understand that your chance of success if 18% for first time enterpreneurs, and 20% for those who tired and failed before.
There is a similar statistic for every aspect of ourlife. We approach everything with optimism and dream like attitude… with faith … but also with planning that keeps in mind that a chance of failure is inevitable and no suprises there.
Welcome to Paradise…. to the Dream Land!
Checking Email 3 Times Daily
The average business personnel receives about 125 emails daily and sends about 41 emails. [SOURCE]
Although, Tim Ferris in his book, the 4 Hours Work Week, recommends checking email twice a day, I think we need to up that to 3 times given that the book was written about a decade ago, before the Smart Phone revolution.
I recommend checking the Email 3 times daily only, Continue reading “Checking Email 3 Times Daily”
Boredom + Boredom = More Boredom
If the meaninglessness of life, redundancy of living, the overwhelming frontal lob that is far beyond your survival need, and its consequential deep thinking that can be fruitless to your needs and desires, all place you in a state of boredom, then you are in a good place.
That is a place from which you emerge into enlightenment. Not easily, but eventually.
We often try to escape boredom by meeting another bored person, or entertaining ourselves by empty boring games … Literally games! The loudness of these futile gatherings or spectating, hides the constant whispers of our bored mind.
The journey to exit that dimly lit room of boredom is an exciting journey. If you are in that path and you meet someone else who is in the same path, then an exciting company in an exciting journey has started.
Resolutions … Milestones of Failure or A Journey for Success?
I think this is probably the 10th year where I set resolutions at New Year.
I can tell you one thing: I learned a lot from setting resolutions.
I learned that:
Continue reading “Resolutions … Milestones of Failure or A Journey for Success?”
