What happens next?

A year ago I predicted that this very summer would be the hottest one to date. I guess saying my prediction was a little off would be a huge understatement. Anyway, the mercury finally rose above thirty degrees on Sunday, so dad and I decided to hit the beach (having first jumped onto coastalwatch to carefully examine the surfcams).

Bungan beach was pumping out some beautiful waves off the point – and before long I found myself feeling out of place amongst a pack of at least twenty surfers. For some reason it’s hard to be aggressive and win the fight for a wave when you’re on a bodyboard. Anyway, I managed to catch one of the biggest ones of the day and was cruising across the face of it until a surfer dropped in on me. As we collided and simultaneously plunged into the whitewash, I did my best to protect my face and brace myself for the impact of his fibre-glass surfboard. It felt like the force of the wave kept me under for a long time, and I began to think – what happens next? Countless times before I’ve seen surfers and bodyboarders alike get incredibly angry and explosive towards the person that just ruined their wave. I’ve heard many four-letter words thrown around out there and they’re never ‘love’. Surely enough I felt the bitterness growing in my heart as I resurfaced and looked up at the surfer. I felt like glaring, or at least shaking my head...but I didn’t. I guess I realised that it was something so insignificant, and something that I just needed to accept and forget about.

What’s the point of being bitter over such a small issue? People get annoyed about so many things these days, some that I understand and some that I don’t. Isn’t it weird that one thing that gets a person fired up might not even bother someone else? It’s no secret that a fair few people in post-modern society have a tendency to lean towards individual gain. Often you can predict what’s going to happen next in certain situations – this person is going to be very disappointed, or very upset. Isn’t it a great feeling when you get it completely wrong? When they simply say ‘it’s okay’ or ‘that’s life’? I’ve come to understand that in MOST circumstances, we’re able to stop for a moment and ask ourselves, ‘what happens next?’ We could be angry...or spiteful...but also forgiving and understanding when someone hurts us. Everyone is human, so everyone makes mistakes. Lately I’ve realised how stupid I am for getting annoyed at certain things that mean nothing in the long run. How different would life be if we constantly halted and thought about the consequences of our actions?

I was watching Mr Bean a while ago and at one point in the movie he is led to believe that the rude finger is actually a welcoming gesture. Man I love that scene. After watching it, I told one of my good mates that we should start a revolution and change the middle finger’s meaning to ‘hello’. Of course, that was never going to work. However, what if we didn't take it to heart when someone flipped us off? Every time someone on the football field swears at me or abuses my teammates, I feel like saying that words are only words, and there’s no validity in what you yell out of anger at someone you don’t truly know. What if we had the type of attitude that didn’t retaliate at all? I don’t think it’s a sign of weakness, but rather, of strength. To not care about what other people think or the little mannerisms that have the potential to be frustrating as hell. I’m not talking about a superior attitude – where pride gets the better of us and we constantly yearn for a moral victory. I’m talking about acceptance. We have time to think – and that’s enough to get over the heat of the moment (or avoid saying something we’ll regret).

Wouldn’t it be cool if we carried an attitude of acceptance into every sphere of our lives? Alanis Morissette wrote a song called ‘Ironic’, which details some of the ironies many people face. I’ve grown to accept the fact that bad things can happen to good people. There are so many imperfections in this world, and that’s part of the reason why I love it.

For every bad situation I’ve been in, someone’s been through something worse. It’s the biggest cliché ever, but I’m just grateful to be alive.

At the end of the day, we generally have a say in what happens next. Our words have the power of life and death. I could list a thousand things that annoy me, but I think I could also eradicate over half of them with some simple self-evaluation and logic. That's definitely something worth thinking about. 

Quote Bank: “Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you think everything’s okay and everything’s going right. And life has a funny way of helping you out when you think everything’s gone wrong and everything blows up in your face.” – Alanis Morissette 

The Bottleneck

As a little guy I used to always wake up at 6am on a Sunday morning and plant myself in front of the TV until it was time to go to church. Needless to say, I didn’t usually get much out of those early sessions which were filled with music videos and shows like ‘Martin Morning’, ‘Jimmy Neutron’ and ‘Blue Water High’. However, the decision to change the channel one day proved to be of great benefit to my mental health – in other words, a show came on with a plotline that was seared into my memory a whole 10 years ago, and it still remains there today. It was an animated version of a story called ‘The Bottleneck’ written by the one and only Hans Christian Andersen. I loved it so much that I used to write it out daily.

To sum it up, it’s basically a recount of a champagne bottle’s life. Some of you are probably thinking that I’m a bit weird, and you’re not wrong...but the messages within the story are very relevant to the human condition.

Isn’t it funny that we can find so much in common with a character that is well and truly fabricated? Art is so powerful in that sense. It can create a world which seems unbelievably real, and a personality that shares our exact mannerisms and even thoughts. Sometimes the meaning these art forms generate is far more than what was initially intended, but that doesn’t matter. The important thing is that a staged character’s downfall or a staged character’s decision to get up could be enough to push us over the edge and catalyse change in our own lives.

Andersen’s tale concludes in cyclical fashion, and yet the ending bears two key differences: time has passed and the characters have changed.

Life consists of a bunch of cycles, as I’ve briefly mentioned in a previous blog. We get up in the morning and we go to sleep at night. We work throughout the week and we unwind on the weekends.  My question is: how many of us are stuck in a cycle that we don’t want to be in? More importantly, how many of us are stuck in the same cycles that we were in a year or two ago? Time changes, but sometimes we don’t. I think one of the problems is that we base too much on what we cannot control.  We throw our emotions on other people. We throw our emotions on the weather bureau. When it rains outside, it often rains inside.

Ultimately, what is it going to take to break the bonds and open a new door?

We often cry out for change but we never put ourselves in the position for change to be outworked. We want a new cycle, but we sit in our old cycle and wonder why nothing’s happening.

I think it’s about persevering. Making a decision and sticking with it.

Andersen’s story begins and ends with the finding of purpose (the bottle starts as a celebratory item at a wedding and finishes as a container for a bird to drink from). Whether you read this or not...whether you know me or not, I hope you find your purpose. I have so much faith in people. I don’t believe we were born to live a mundane life filled with the same routines and the same ups and downs.

We have plenty of time to right our wrongs...and that’s why I treasure those rare moments in life where a movie or fictional story reminds us of that very fact. 

Quote Bank: "Spend all your time waiting for that second chance, for a break that would make it okay. There's always some reason to feel not good enough, and it's hard at the end of the day. I need some distraction, oh, beautiful release. Memories seep from my veins. Let me be empty, oh, and weightless, and maybe I'll find some peace tonight." - Sarah Mclachlan

The hourglass just flipped itself over again

I’m usually really pedantic when it comes to the beginning of a new year. I feel as though everything on the 31^st of December needs to run smoothly. The countdown should be followed by a colossal cheer and then a moment of deep thought and contemplation about the year to come. Only, 2012 marked the beginning of something different. In the days leading up to the transition, I found some serious clarity.

I realised that one moment doesn’t make a year...nor does one situation or circumstance define the next 365 days. In the end, it’s what goes on in our mind that will drive the very little force that we have control over.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – attitude is everything. We as humans are great at pulling ourselves down with guilt and regret. We throw the towel in so easily and let one silly mistake or missed opportunity tear down the walls of possibility.

You were rude to someone you care about. It’s in the past.

You were really awkward around the person you fancy. It’s in the past.

You spent all your money and binged on fast food. It’s in the past.

You did drugs and went overboard with alcohol. It’s in the past.

You lied to your best friend and completely betrayed their trust. It’s in the past.

You broke something of value. It’s in the past.

You did something you swore you’d NEVER do again. It’s in the past.

You broke a promise not just once, but many times. It’s in the past.

It’s 2012, and you don’t know what’ll happen next. People walk around with suitcases and suitcases of baggage...souvenirs from a previous existence; dating back to a time as recent as a minute ago. We need to understand that none of it actually matters. It’s never about who you WERE, and it never will be.

I have an overwhelming sense that 2012 will be THE year of positive change.

Eyes will be opened.

It’s clear to me that we’re on the brink of something inconceivably glorious. Who said the world was ending? (This is a rhetorical question; don’t answer it with ‘the Mayans’)

Quote Bank: "I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse." - Philip Yancey

P.s. I'll try to blog more frequently than once every two months in twenty-twelve. 

A storm in a teacup

Exactly how does one begin to write an ‘acceptable’ blog entry? Do they jump straight into it and dish out a three course meal of complaints, thoughts and issues for the sake of blowing off steam? Do they ease into the workings of their mind by first establishing a context and/or funny story? Do they recount the events of their day? Start with a quote? Analyse an article or a clip?

Exactly what makes a blog entry or a piece of writing too ‘cheesy’? An overload of adjectives, truncated sentences and clichés? The constant use of pathetic fallacy, with images of rainbows and sunlit highways stretching on beyond the horizon? Or simply being far too sentimental for a particular time of day?

Sometimes I find myself making something out of nothing. Overanalysing things to a point far beyond a point found loosely to a point. Do we live in a society that worries way too much? About what we wear, and what others perceive? The other day I was thinking about the unspoken texting etiquette. These days people don’t say ‘lol’ half as often as they say ‘haha’...but if they say ‘haha’ too many times in a text, they seem weird. And so, in an attempt to salvage the situation, people mix it up and go back to using ‘lol’, or ‘ahah’ or ‘hah’. A text that lacks any emoticons immediately comes across as being blunt. A text with too many emoticons is immediately deemed abnormal. What is the perfect amount of smiley faces?

I guess the obvious solution is to say ‘don’t worry so much’, but we’re human so is that even possible? Everyone cares about something a little TOO much. You can’t control that, but can you control what you care about? I think people get swept up in the little things far too frequently, and fail to see the bigger picture. It’s often an issue of self. If it was never about you in the first place, then there wouldn’t be a problem?

Rather than casting our cares on situations, or objects, why not cast them on something that lasts a little longer...something eternal? Life involves a constant cycle of challenges, victories and failures. We always talk about how we’ll be happier if we had this, or if this problem was solved...but the solution rolls onto another problem – it’s simply inevitable. So why not enjoy it all the while? Don’t let, as Lifehouse puts it, ‘barely surving (become your) purpose’. We actually have an incredible amount of time to think, so why not spend it on something important?

Everything seems to happen for a reason. I guess you can say that there is no storm in a cup of tea, but even if there was, it’d pass soon enough.      

Finally, if this last paragraph makes my entire blog entry ‘cheesy’, then I'm okay with that. There’s this person out there that I don’t really know very well, but I DO know that they've been struggling with some psychological barriers for a while now. I just want to say: It’s ridiculously easy to listen to the negative voices in your life – the voices that come from around you, and the voices that scream within you. It’s much harder to drown them out...and I understand that. They can seem indomitable, particularly the internal ones. However, it’s so obvious that those voices are leading you astray. You’re worth way more than what you could ever care to suppose or imagine. I truly believe that simply changing your mindset and attitude will shake those voices and the impulse to harm yourself. You can get on top of the voices because they are no more than what you let them become. Try your best to ignore them...and one of these days I know you’ll look into that mirror and you’ll be happy with what you see.

Quote Bank: "Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no words left when you want to talk about something really infinite." - C.S. Lewis 

I dare you to move

Over the last few weeks I’ve seen a lot of changes take place. My room has acquired a surfboard, a trophy, three books and a new set of headphones. My bank account’s balance has decreased, and my pile of T-shirts has increased. My knee brace is starting to fall apart, and my cooking skills are starting to come together.  Life is a lot of things, but is it ever stagnant? Can you ever reach a point where you’re satisfied, not only with what’s around you, but also with what’s within you? There has always been an aspect or two of my personality that I’ve wanted to mould and transform...so lately I’ve been thinking – can you ever become all you’re meant to be? Perhaps the journey is the destination. Perhaps the tension between who we are and who we want to be is undeniable and unending. Sometimes I wonder why I’m here and not there – feeling swept up in the winds of momentum, but realising that I’m standing still. People often say you ‘find yourself’ at university and I’m starting to wonder if some of my ‘being’ is still out there...and if so, is it like a relationship (in that if you look for it, you won’t find it?) Do you wake up one day and think to yourself...I’m me? There’s a famous saying out there that goes ‘as a man thinketh, so is he’, but what if you THINK there’s more to come? It’s only logical to expect change right? It’s a part of who we are. If it sounds like I’m having an identity crisis, then I have misled you. I’m simply thinking ahead (which was triggered by a copious amount of formal photos from the class of 2011, which once again reminded me how fast time flies). If I was asked whether or not I know who I am in this present moment, then I would say yes. I know my mannerisms, I know my every thought...but I guess I don’t know my full potential. There’s more to people than ever imaginable. Everyone can be great and everyone can be terrible. Everyone is unpredictable – which forces the question, is unpredictability part of who we are? A cliché in our society today is ‘I know you, you would/wouldn’t do that’, but what if someone does something SO unpredictable and out of character? Is it a one-off, or do you need to re-learn who they are? My point is that you can never really fully understand someone else, let alone yourself. In the end...even though I don’t know what lies ahead, I’m pretty pumped because the barriers that hold me back now might be broken in a year’s time.

Quote Bank:  “Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are” – Bertolt Brecht

Footprints in the sand

The mid-semester break couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s not that I don’t enjoy university, or think the workload is overly stressful and exhausting...It’s just that I’m keen to step back from everything and relax for a while.

Lately I’ve been noticing the tell tale signs of spring and summer – an increase in temperature, the billion shards of light amidst the high-rolling waves, faces covered in zinc and the somewhat rejuvenating smell of freshly mown grass. The other day I walked into my garage to find a pair of flippers, and caught a scent that brought me back to the year 2000. Images of water-logged watches, hoses on full blast, mini swimming pools and ice-cream cones raced through my mind (weird, I know). I don’t exactly know how to explain it, but flashbacks like that catalyse a great deal of optimism within me. If we remember the good times, do we then look forward to equally good times? Nonetheless, I can safely say that where I am going is not where I’ve been...and this spring/summer is going to be wicked.

I often look forward to holidays because they carry a ‘fresh start’ banner with them...in a way, mid-semester eve is a lot like New Years Eve (if you think about it). People generally need this banner to motivate them to change, but really, in the end all it comes down to is self evaluation and reflection. We can flip our routine around anytime we want...although I guess the problem isn’t knowing – the problem is doing. People say that this is the critical decade...but why not make it the critical year?

One of the best things about September is the beach! Hopefully I’ll be able to spend a stack of time on the coast in the next few weeks. You’ve probably realised by now that I have a slight obsession. The ocean is my haven – the feeling of sitting on my board out past the break (and level with the headland) is almost unbeatable. The rhythmic sound of waves becomes second nature to me, and my head is cleared in a matter of minutes. At work, I love seeing posters like ‘I surf because...it keeps me coming back for more’ because they are so true! Ever since I was little, I’ve loved the sight of sand and crystal clear water. I used to dart across the shoreline and draw faces with a tide-washed stick. I remember being so fascinated by the fact that my footprints would disappear and be swept away by the rushing whitewash. These days when I think about footprints in the sand, I think about my past and present: sometimes I get so caught up in my mistakes that I forget to move forward. Maybe that’s why I find the ocean so liberating? Maybe it helps me realise that the best is yet to come? I mean of course the past matters, but it shouldn’t define who we are.    

Anyway, I’m off to football but I’ll be sure to post another blog soon! There are heaps of things that I’d love to talk about!

Quote Bank: “The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him, his own.” -Benjamin Disraeli 

La vita è bella

In today's society, there is a constant battle for our minds.
Life seems to consist of relationships and routines...and within them, tensions. Are there more questions than answers? Always. Humanity as a whole doesn't actually know much at all. Science attempts to explain the world around us, but cannot answer the simplest question of a child: Why am I here?

I'm 18. I'm a university student. I'm pigeon-toed and I pull my burgers apart. Like everyone else though, I'm trying to find my purpose.

I guess the reason I'm starting a blog is because there comes a point in time where personal thoughts and ideas are simply too much for social mediums like Facebook and Twitter. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like tweets and status updates need to exercise a delicate balance, where they land somewhere in between being too shallow and too deep or sentimental. I've also always wanted to compile an online 'quote bank' (because words are powerful) and I tend to over-analyse and over-think everything (so why not document it).

I do enjoy philosophical discussions, but I enjoy 'smalltalk' as well...so expect some seriously meaningful stuff, followed by pointless information, pictures and rants about my day-to-day experiences.

After all, I'm still learning to breathe.