Bruce Lee's Wisdom

Couldn't help but share this once I saw it. Bruce certainly lived a life of discipline, and as such he was very successful in what he pursued.  Especially like his thoughts on "time" and "stiffest tree."  I will readily admit that these are two areas in which I struggle greatly.

 

First, time is what life is made of, so if you love it don't waste it.  It's more than likely that I talk so much on this particular topic because it is one that not only plagues our society, but one that affects me deeply as well.  How easy is it to take a quick break, or sit down to rest for a minute, and before you know it an hour or two or more has passed by?  I know it's a vice of mine, and one that I strive to correct each day.  How many opportunities have passed me by because I was too busy "wasting" my time?  If in fact I love life, how am I using my time to make the most of it?

 

Second thought is so good I'll restate it:

 

Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.

 

How often do we insist that something must be done a certain way (more times than not "our way") or it's wrong?  Too many times in my life (certainly more than I care to admit) I've been too busy focused on whether I was right to see the truth and beauty I was missing in opening my mind to something different.  The only way to grow and progress is through trials and overcoming challenges as we face them; as such if we aren't able to bend and adjust as the willows or bamboo shafts in the wind then we will break and shatter like a piece of stiff wood.

 

Humility is the key, and most likely why I struggle so much with this concept.  Recognizing that we don't know everything, that we can't do everything alone and that there is a higher power at work in our lives enables us to bend rather than break. Only then can we truly state with sincerity Bruce's other gem: To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities. Clean and center your inner self, and from there the world is yours for the taking. Andy got right to the point in the Shawshank Redemption, "Get busy living, or get busy dying!"

 

Calling all Lions!!

Happiness

We are beings that have a choice; we can choose to prepare, and therefore be proactive in nature or we can choose to not, and therefore become reactive in nature.  Which do you think brings one happiness and peace?  The Dalai Lama said it well:

 

Happiness is not something ready made.  It comes from your own actions.

 

Calling all Lions!!

Time

 

This week we have examined in depth the messages inherent in Christopher Nolan's film: Inception. There are even more tidbits and gems hidden in this great work of art, one even being the scene illustrated above. Taking place in the 2nd layer of dream, their world spins uncontrollably due to the van being flipped in layer 1.  Not only does that create one of the best scenes in cinema, but it demonstrates that our thoughts build off of one another. Taking it further still, that they are dependent on one another, so all it takes (literally) is one tiny thought to sabotage an entire plan, dream or self confidence that we may hold. And in turn one small idea or moment can make a dream possible.

 

As I mentioned there are others, but I wanted to finish the week with the power of the music from the film.  I like to call the way Christopher Nolan finishes this film a "crescendo finale", and the music from Hans Zimmerman captures you and carries you through it.  The track from his score is entitled Time that plays during the climax, and words cannot describe the emotions held within this great piece of music. Please listen to it, watch the images as they appear on the video, ponder on what we've discussed this past week and I promise you will leave feeling renewed and empowered to make the changes necessary in your life; to stand up when you really just feel like sitting down; most importantly to live like a Lion even for just one day!

 

Calling all Lions!!

 



Thoughts are Things

We continue our discussion of Inception this week with a look at how "thoughts" or "ideas" are illustrated in the movie.  Think back and you will realize that every idea is actually an item or tangible thing. The Cobalt Engineering job involved stealing expansion plans from a competitor; those plans were a confidential document. Mal's reality was represented by the top, and when Cobb left it spinning round and around that showed that her reality wasn't in fact real. Robert Fischer wanting to split up his father's empire was the alternate Will, but the love of his father was in fact the Pinwheel from his youth. Yesterday I quoted Napoleon Hill in that we can achieve whatever we can conceive and believe, and these symbols illustrate the importance of belief.

Thoughts are in fact tangible things, and it is our desires that make them stick and last.  How many times have we started a new year with a resolution to lose weight?  Maybe we made it a few weeks, hit the gym regularly and even lost a few pounds only to see us back indulging in old habits before spring without achieving our initial goal of better health.  Why does this happen?  Because the idea is great, and something that we desire; however, our true "desire" betrays us.  It's not until we make that mental switch (the focus of power that we've discussed previously this week) that we make lasting change.

Cobb needed to plant the idea in Robert Fischer's mind to break up his father's empire, but it was his father's love that cemented it and made it real.  "We all long for reconciliation, catharsis," is how Cobb describes it, and how true that is.  The reason most in the world feel lost, alone, abandoned, etc. is because they lack the peace and confidence that come with this powerful experience.  We are fed daily ideas and concepts that will supposedly bring us happiness (yes, inception is alive and well in our digital world dominated by the media), yet often times the cycle is only perpetuated as we buy into what we are told. That disconnect between the idea and desire leaves a hole of despair that only grows deeper over time.

Are your thoughts treated as living breathing things requiring constant attention and nurishment? Are you looking for happiness yet cannot seem to find it?  Remember that there is a difference between what is actually real and what the world would have you believe is real, and the sooner you bridge that gap the sooner you experience the peace for which you long and desire.

Calling all Lions!!

Of Dust and Nations

Of Dust and Nations 

the towers that shoulder your pride

the words you’ve written in stone

sand will cover them, sand will cover you

the streets that suffer your name

your very flesh and your bones

sand will cover them, sand will cover you 

so put your faith in more than steel

don’t store your treasures up, with moth and rust

where thieves break in and steal

pull the fangs from out your heel

we live in but a shadow of the real 

step out from time, see the dust of nations

step out from time, hear the stars ovation 

saturn will not sleep, until the sand has made us clean

still we stack our stones and bury what we can

but it all will be undone, and nothing built under the sun

will ever stand before the endless march of sand 

Guess I’ll start off saying that there are many songs that have huge emotional ties to my love of Thrice and especially Dustin; however, this one in particular has true staying power, and as such I wanted to share it and it's message with you today. 

Dustin starts the song out by talking about achievements of men (towers built; statues and monuments erected), and is quick to relay the message of the song: These things will fail.  There is no if, ands or buts about it, eventually nothing upon which man can create in and of himself will stand the test of eternity. As such, it is our call to look for something more.  Insert the imagery that only Dustin can weave into a song. 

First image is that of the sand literally and physically bearing not only the achievements of men, but us as well.  Sand, in this instance, is not only the earth that will eventually bury all of us, but also representative of time.  Think not only of the image of sand running through an hourglass, but also a fistful of sand.  It is very difficult to hold onto as it slips and spills out despite your best efforts.  In fact, the harder you try to hold onto it the faster it seems to manage to escape your grasp.  Everything the world can offer you, “towers to shoulder your pride,” will do nothing to satisfy the inner desire for peace; to have the knowledge of knowing we’re a part of something more.

To expand that thought even further, Dustin brings us the first line in the chorus, “So put your faith in more than steel.”  Again, an innocent enough line that when viewed literally conveys the message Dustin wishes you to take; there is more to life than materialistic things.  However, what sets Dustin far above his peers in music is his ability to disguise and hide messages for the soul that chooses to seek it.  Here, I find it extremely telling and powerful that he uses the word “steel”.  Steel is something that man not only uses to build things, but more importantly it represents security.  When we want to build something of strength, long-lasting and even quasi-indestructible we usually think of something having been fabricated out of steel; this serves to drive Dustin’s message home even greater.  Again, there is no true “safety” in the flesh of men; “Sand will cover them, and sand will cover you.”  Dustin’s ability to layer images to deepen the meaning of his message is to me his greatest asset, and this might just be his best effort ever.  Let me explain because yes it does get even better. 

The next lines in the chorus are direct from the Savior’s Sermon on the Mount; Matthew 6:19-20 reads: 

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal 

Now, just as before, the literal lyrics are powerful; however, once again if we look a little deeper an even greater message lies in wait. Musically speaking, Thrice have few other songs (if any at all) that have an ending like this one; it is almost as if Dustin wants you to ponder on the message, and try to unlock the mysteries that lie in wait for one who alleviates himself from the rat race that plague so many.  Like a city dweller who can no longer see the stars in the sky at night, too many no longer realize what they give up in order to race out and have the latest gadget, car, house, clothes, etc.  So, if we take that philosophy into reading that passage in the bible, and cast our eyes but a few verses further we see the overwhelming truth that Dustin is literally preaching to the masses with most of his listeners left none the wiser.  Verses 21 and 24 read: 

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

Traditionally speaking, Christians will hold to the truth that “mammon” would be Satan directly; however, it also refers to idolatry, treasure and worldliness.  Is that not the theme of the song?  On the surface he’s talking about having faith on more than steel, but the true fact is that he’s preaching the Lord’s message that through the accumulation of “stuff” (worldliness) we are becoming an idol people, a fruitless people, and we “will never stand before the endless march of sand” in that state!   

There is one more reference that I think Dustin makes, which to me seals it all up into a message so profound that it cannot be denied.  Before I dive into the last message Dust of Nations leaves us with let me also share one little tidbit.  The last line in the chorus is “we live in but a shadow of the real”.  Dustin is a huge lover of all things C.S. Lewis, and he is famous for referring to mortal life as the Shadowlands.  In fact, it is so well known that his biography even carries that as its title.  So, clearly he finds a way to once again pay subtle tribute to a man he reveres as a giant in Christian philosophy; now onto Dustin’s final dagger. 

After giving us the Lord’s message from the Sermon on the Mount, Dustin once again chooses a very interesting way of painting the final touches on his imagery, “Pull the fangs from out your heels.”  We’ve discussed extensively the fact that point blank the lyrics are powerful, but this might just be the ultimate in layered metaphors.  Why would he make reference to “fangs” and having them plunged into our “heels”?  To me, it is a literal reference to the Garden of Eden, and the fact that Satan himself is the serpent and father of all lies.  Genesis 3:15 reads: 

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

This is the pinnacle of the image because not only is he encouraging us to have faith in more than men, he is preaching the fact that Satan is behind the whole deception!  It is his venom and poison pouring into our blood with the belief that in order to be happy we must build up storehouses unto ourselves, we must obtain status and stature within society and the biggest lie of all that our happiness is built upon the foundation of how wealthy or successful we are.  His cry and plea carries eternal truth with it… 

Step out from time, see the dust of nations!

Step out from time, hear the stars ovation! 

The heavens are calling to us; they want us to look up, to feel the connection that there is more to life than the physical; that man’s true potential requires his removal from the rat race, and until he can achieve that all is lost…left to eventually lose the battle against the march of time, to be buried in the sand.

 

Here is an absolutely incredible acoustic version of the song.  Listen to it; ponder on the message intertwined in the music, and there's no better way to start the week.

 

Calling all Lions!

 

Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men...

It's hard for me to believe that December has officially arrived, and the Christmas season is now upon us. My new son Riley was four weeks old yesterday, and it seems that each passing day, week, month, year, etc. I understand more and more what my father always told me in that time will continually fly by faster and faster; so as such, the key is to maximize what time we do have, and enjoy it to the fullest. Hence the beauty of December.

Everyone seems to slow down just a second or two this time of year, and the entire mood and feel of things appears to improve. A little more kindness one towards another, a little more cheer rather than gloom, it's all apart of this magical time of year. Cinnamon sticks are now cooking on our stove, and our fresh tree is now filling our home with the smells of the season (while I may complain about having to put it up every year, the truth is that I've grown to love a live tree as well Megan, thanks for sharing your tradition with me.)

Another favorite tradition of this time of year is of course the music, and I'd like to share with you one of my favorites: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. It's message is simple, and is a message I hope we can all carry with us throughout the season (and hopefully with us always). Peace on earth, good will to men my fellow lions!

I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how as the day had come, the belfries of all christendom,

Had rolled along the unbroken song of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head, "there is no peace on earth," I said,

For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead nor doth he sleep,

The wrong shall fail the right prevail with peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing singing on it's way, the world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime of peace on earth, good will to men.

(Shot of my kids last year by our tree. Hope to share some of this year soon!)

My Source of Peace

Haven't touched a computer in two days due to an unexpected and fun (sarcastic fun) illness that's snuck up on me over the last couple weeks. Not only am I attempting to fight off pneumonia, but also heal a torn diaphragm which is essentially the muscle underneath your lungs. How did this muscle tear you might ask? Well from coughing so much and so violently, and yes it is definitely as "fun" as it sounds. However, I wanted to jump on tonight for one reason only, and that is to express gratitude.

I felt it paramount that I write tonight quickly, and publicly thank my wife, Megan, for all she does. The silver lining to being sick is to have the quality care and devotion of a loving wife, and boy has my lining been phenomenal. Not only am I talking about just over the last couple of days while I've been whimping it up acting like I'm hurt, but more like the last 5 plus years we've been able to call each other husband and wife. She is truly my lioness, and I am nothing without her.

The last couple of posts have focused on The Last Samurai, and some truths that it teaches us. In addition to these truths already discussed, another applies here as well. Nathan Algren learns and truly finds himself while amongst the Samurai in the mountains of Japan. Once he learns that they are set to be destroyed he goes into battle side-by-side with them. Question is, where does he go afterwards? Directly back to that sanctuary in the mountains that brought him the true peace he had long sought in all the wrong places. Megan is that place of peace for me.

Often times we jokingly talk about how it isn't truly possible for me to actually "want" to come home some nights. Tough day at work, the kids are all wired up and everything appears on the outside as utter chaos, but I always remind her that there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be. And I say that with full honesty of heart. Why? Because she is my sanctuary, my source of strength, my source of peace, my source of inspiration and most importantly she is what makes me feel alive!

Just as Nathan went out to fight only to return quickly to the place he loved most, that is my daily strategy to fight the daily fight as quickly as possible to return to the one that truly makes me happy; my one and true love.

Thank you for being you Megan, and thank you for allowing me to be apart of your life. I am the luckiest guy in the world to call you mine, and I pray that I will earn that right each and every day of my life both in this and the next. Love you long-long time to my one and only Lioness!

P.S. Benjamin, you did request a picture, but I know she wouldn't be too appreciative to me if I posted one of her at this time. Hopefully sometime soon. :)