Seriously, I don't mean to insult you, but everyone I've ever met is in one way or another a walking contradiction. And this is not a bad thing. Similar to almost everything else in life, everyone falls somewhere on a broad spectrum: I know people who are basically the physical embodiment of irony and others whose personalities seem to be 99% consistent. It's such an interesting part of being human-- to have two integral parts of your personality and preferences be totally contradictory and even oxymoronic.
Maybe an example or two will help explain what I mean. Some people thoroughly enjoy the outdoors, nature and hiking and all, but are very mechanically or technologically inclined. Others long for a sense of community and a place to belong, but don't really like being around people that much. I think everyone at some point wants to stand out enough to be noticed and different, but fit in enough not to be considered the weird kid. But as I get older and have met more people I've begun to realize that not caring what other people think about you is one of the world's best stress relievers. Anyways, my point is that everyone has these strange little quirks that contradict each other, but work.
Personally, I see these in myself all the time and can't help but wonder how my mind doesn't beat itself to death because of the way it disagrees. I will sit still through a two-and-a-half hour opera, anxiously anticipating each new part of the story and each beautiful musical aria, but I get fidgety as all get out and can't wait for the end of an 90 minute movie (it depends on the movie, but for the most part this is true). I am a city girl at heart, yet I know the words to every Top 20 country song from 1999 to the present. I chose to commute to college, but I hate driving. I am one of the most literal people on the planet, but my use of the word "like" rivals that of a Valley Girl (okay, maybe it's not that bad, but I catch myself using it more than I should).
That turned out a bit more autobiographical than I had originally planned, but I suppose you got a glimpse of the specific examples that puzzle my brain. Additionally, although it may be a stretch, when you dig a bit deeper, I think some of these blatant contradictions actually work well together and are even sprung from the same desire. The desire to be respected drives people to try their hardest, but not look like they're trying too hard. The desire to have control of one's life can actually cause out of control reactions; for example, life happens and someone loses a relative or a job. They feel like they have no control, so they turn to over-exercising, or reckless behavior, or calorie-counting because it is something they can control. Same desire, contradictory behaviors. I could probably come up with more examples, or try to verbalize some other related thought, but I think I shall leave you with this: You are a walking contradiction. Embrace it. Embrace everything that makes you, you. Even if we can't figure out how it works, embrace the contradictions.
31 July 2013
17 July 2013
Back to the Beginning
I was recently reminded of the spark that started this blog. Recently some close friends and I went to see Monsters University; the Pixar short beforehand brought me back to last November. I took my brother to see Wreck-It Ralph for his birthday, and the short before that movie was fantastic. I guess I wasn't the only one who liked it that much; it was so well done that it won an Academy Award.
The short film was called "Paperman" and yes, if you haven't seen it, you should watch it before you continue reading. The film begins with a handsome young man and a beautiful young woman who "meet" (in passing) on a train station platform. He is clearly enamored by this beauty, but misses her as the train departs before he could say anything. The only remnant of this meeting is a lipstick-stained paper from the woman's file folder that she left without... Jump forward a bit, and at work the man spots the woman in a building across the street. He tries desperately to get her attention, waving and turning all the forms on his desk into paper airplanes to get her to notice him. The paper runs low until he only has the lipstick-stained paper left. That too is turned into a plane, but to no avail.
As he leaves his office building and tries to find the lovely woman, he finds only the lipstick marked airplane, and thrusts it into the air. It lands in an alley where the rest of his planes had landed. They all begin to move-- carrying the man along the streets toward the train station while the one with the lipstick goes after the woman. She sees it, and recognizes it, then begins to follow where it flies. In the end, the two of them are brought together at the station platform and are then seen chatting at a coffee shop, along with the airplane bearing the lipstick mark between them.
This short had a profound impact on me. Aesthetically, I liked the cool CGI but 2D animation and the fact that it was in black and white (except for the lipstick stain, which I'm pretty sure was red). But the typical, predictable, but touching movie love story was really what got me. From the audience's perspective, these two are clearly meant for each other. He begins to realize it, and she might see something there too, but day-to-day life and their circumstances keep them apart. But, he kept pursuing her, like a gentleman. She carried on with life, but when she saw that lipstick-stained airplane, she went after it too. I guess what I most took from it was that what is meant to happen, will happen. You just have to give it time, but never give up hope. When things are looking down and you're frustrated, that's alright. It's a part of life to be frustrated and disappointed; just don't stay there. Never forget how wonderful the lessons God has for you to learn are, how much He and others around you love you, and how all things work out in the end. Only time will tell.
And thus, through my recent movie-watching experience, I was brought back to the beginning. Back to the moment where I knew I needed to start a blog, to record all sorts of wonderful thoughts like the ones I had on this short film. It might not have been much, but it was the spark. And I am thankful for it. Who knows what I'd be doing with all the random thoughts I have otherwise.
[If you haven't seen the "Paperman" short, you can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL-7Xo5QPeY . It looks best if you turn the 3D off in the bottom right corner. All rights belong to Disney/Pixar and all their writers, directors, animators, etc. who worked to produce such a beautiful short film.]
As he leaves his office building and tries to find the lovely woman, he finds only the lipstick marked airplane, and thrusts it into the air. It lands in an alley where the rest of his planes had landed. They all begin to move-- carrying the man along the streets toward the train station while the one with the lipstick goes after the woman. She sees it, and recognizes it, then begins to follow where it flies. In the end, the two of them are brought together at the station platform and are then seen chatting at a coffee shop, along with the airplane bearing the lipstick mark between them.
This short had a profound impact on me. Aesthetically, I liked the cool CGI but 2D animation and the fact that it was in black and white (except for the lipstick stain, which I'm pretty sure was red). But the typical, predictable, but touching movie love story was really what got me. From the audience's perspective, these two are clearly meant for each other. He begins to realize it, and she might see something there too, but day-to-day life and their circumstances keep them apart. But, he kept pursuing her, like a gentleman. She carried on with life, but when she saw that lipstick-stained airplane, she went after it too. I guess what I most took from it was that what is meant to happen, will happen. You just have to give it time, but never give up hope. When things are looking down and you're frustrated, that's alright. It's a part of life to be frustrated and disappointed; just don't stay there. Never forget how wonderful the lessons God has for you to learn are, how much He and others around you love you, and how all things work out in the end. Only time will tell.
And thus, through my recent movie-watching experience, I was brought back to the beginning. Back to the moment where I knew I needed to start a blog, to record all sorts of wonderful thoughts like the ones I had on this short film. It might not have been much, but it was the spark. And I am thankful for it. Who knows what I'd be doing with all the random thoughts I have otherwise.
[If you haven't seen the "Paperman" short, you can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL-7Xo5QPeY . It looks best if you turn the 3D off in the bottom right corner. All rights belong to Disney/Pixar and all their writers, directors, animators, etc. who worked to produce such a beautiful short film.]
06 July 2013
The Valley of Writer's Block
There I sat for the 8th consecutive day, computer on lap, putting all of the cognitive power I could muster into a blog post. Sitting there, staring at a blank page, wishing all the thoughts bouncing around in my head would bleed through my fingers, onto the keyboard and into the ever-expanding realm which is the internet. As my eyes became bleary and my slightly frizzy hair held up by a hair-tie and pencil began to descend, framing my face, my words still could not escape my mind. The page was supposed to be filled with brilliant insights, deep thoughts, and well-formed opinions. Instead it felt as blank as the stare I had upon receiving a calculus test on infinite series and sequences.
It was then I realized I had fallen into the Valley of Writer's Block. A place that exists only in my imagination, but can be stumbled into quite easily. Who knows why it happens, or why it happens when it does, but I recently have been found at the bottom, searching for coherent thoughts and eloquently linked words, but finding none. "The Pit of Writer's Block" may be a more appropriate name for this place of mental frustration. Either way, there's only one way out.
To escape this valley, this state of mind, all one must do is write. Begin the slow crawl upwards, out of the valley by composing some piece of writing. It's fairly likely that this first attempt will be terrible. In all honesty, it'll probably be absolute rubbish. But it's a first step. You've now got a solid foothold and can begin to haul yourself out of the valley and onto bigger, better, and more thought-provoking compositions. The thoughts that make you think "I should write that down! That was golden!" will return-- slowly but surely. And the drafts you composed on the way out can always be revised and made shine like a diamond in the rough.
Here's hoping that I've safely broken free and will not be returning to said valley anytime soon. Here's hoping that when I do return, say when there's another 10-page paper to be written, that it'll be easier to get out due to experience. Here's hoping that those who may be stuck in the Valley of Writer's Block currently find the will power to keep writing and get out.
It was then I realized I had fallen into the Valley of Writer's Block. A place that exists only in my imagination, but can be stumbled into quite easily. Who knows why it happens, or why it happens when it does, but I recently have been found at the bottom, searching for coherent thoughts and eloquently linked words, but finding none. "The Pit of Writer's Block" may be a more appropriate name for this place of mental frustration. Either way, there's only one way out.
To escape this valley, this state of mind, all one must do is write. Begin the slow crawl upwards, out of the valley by composing some piece of writing. It's fairly likely that this first attempt will be terrible. In all honesty, it'll probably be absolute rubbish. But it's a first step. You've now got a solid foothold and can begin to haul yourself out of the valley and onto bigger, better, and more thought-provoking compositions. The thoughts that make you think "I should write that down! That was golden!" will return-- slowly but surely. And the drafts you composed on the way out can always be revised and made shine like a diamond in the rough.
Here's hoping that I've safely broken free and will not be returning to said valley anytime soon. Here's hoping that when I do return, say when there's another 10-page paper to be written, that it'll be easier to get out due to experience. Here's hoping that those who may be stuck in the Valley of Writer's Block currently find the will power to keep writing and get out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)