A Great 2012 for All!

"It always seems impossible until its done." - Nelson Mandela

Everyone is no one

Everyone is a storyteller,

but most have nothing to tell.

Everyone is a dream seller,

but most have nothing to sell.

Everyone is a well of wisdom,

but most wells were meant to run dry.

Everyone has their own magic spell,

But most tricks still lack their why.

Same old, same old...

Always that same old story,

but we just don’t seem to learn:

That failure is often a path to glory,

when we ignore the point of no return.

Always that same old speech,

but we just don’t seem to remember:

That righteousness we cannot teach,
to those who compromise or surrender…

Always that same old, same old

but its time that same old becomes new.
Some of our gambles we must fold,
And some of our dreams we won’t see through.

Image by Walfrido Garcia

http://www.shafferfineart.com/The_Art_of_Walfrido.htm

An Angel

She walks within the humble dust,
yet she was born amid the clouds.
And while life has shattered all her trust,

she still brings smiles upon the crowds.

She takes our old and makes it new,

for all of those who have no name.

And since angels such as her are few,

we must thank God that this one came.

She opens up and shares her heart,

with all of those who need a hand.

And while most people pass and part,

she stops to help the nameless stand.

 

Image by chitrasudar

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chitrasudar/

 

Hide & Seek

When you hit walls, seek the door...

Find your peace in times of war.

When you lose faith, seek the way…

Find your path, don’t go astray.

When you are in love, seek the bliss…

Find your comfort in a simple kiss.

When you are prepared, seek the cause…

Find your strengths and accept all flaws.

 
Image by kwerfeldein
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwerfeldein/

Beautiful Stranger

The face of an angel that has given up hope,

she no longer listens and forgot how to cope.

That beautiful stranger that I used to see,

she is lost in herself and forsaken her plea.

I wish I could find her and stretch out my hand.

Whisper those words that would help her to stand.

But wishes and dreams don’t often come true:

So beautiful stranger… I’ll leave that to you.

Image by innaminnafly

http://www.flickr.com/photos/innamarianophotography/

And the World for All

"
During a recent panel discussion in the United States, I was asked what I thought about the idea of internationalizing the Amazon Rain Forest. The young man who asked this question began by saying that he wanted me to answer as a humanist and not as a Brazilian. This was the first time that anyone has ever stipulated a humanistic perspective as the point of departure when asking me a question.

In point of fact, as a Brazilian I would always argue against the internationalization of the Amazon Rain Forest. Even though our government has not given this patrimony the care that it deserves, it is ours.

I replied that, as a humanist who fears the risks posed by the environmental degradation that the Amazon is suffering, I could imagine its internationalization, just as I could imagine the internationalization of everything else of importance to humanity.

If, from a humanist perspective, the Amazon must be internationalized, we should also internationalize the entire world's petroleum reserves. Oil is just as important for the well being of humanity as the Amazon is for our future. The owners of the reserves, however, feel that they have the right to increase or decrease the amount of oil production, as well as to increase or lower the price per barrel. The rich of the world feel that they have the right to burn up this immense patrimony of humanity.

In much the same way, the wealthy countries' financial capital should be internationalized. Since the Amazon Rain Forest is a reserve for all human beings, an owner or a country must not be allowed to burn it up.
The burning of the Amazon is as serious a problem as the unemployment caused by the arbitrary decisions made by global speculators. We cannot permit the use of financial reserves to burn up entire countries in the frenzy of speculation.

Before we internationalize the Amazon, I would like to see the internationalization of all the world's great museums. The Louvre should not belong merely to France.The world's museums are guardians of the most beautiful pieces of art produced by the human genius. We cannot let this cultural patrimony, like the natural patrimony of the Amazon, be manipulated and destroyed by the whims of an owner or a country.

A short time ago a Japanese millionaire decided to be buried with a painting by a great artist. Before this could happen, that painting should have been internationalized.

While I was at the meeting during which I was asked about internationalizing the Amazon Rain Forest, the United Nations convened the Millennium Summit, but some presidents of countries had difficulties in attending due to U.S. border-crossing constraints. Because of this, I said that New York, as the headquarters of the United Nations, should have been internationalized. The city, or at least Manhattan, should belong to all humanity. As should Paris, Venice, Rome, London, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Recife - each city, with its unique beauty, its history of the world, should belong to the entire world.

If, to minimize the risk of leaving it in the hands of Brazilians, the United States wants to internationalize the Amazon Rain Forest, we should internationalize the United States' nuclear arsenals. If only because the country has already demonstrated that it is capable of using these arms, causing destruction thousands of times greater than the deplorable burnings done in the forests of Brazil.

In their debates, the United States presidential candidates have defended the idea of internationalizing the world's forest reserves in exchange for debt relief. We should begin by using this debt to guarantee that each child in the world has the opportunity to go to school.

We should internationalize the children, treating them, all of them, no matter their country of birth, as patrimony that deserves to be cared for by the entire world. Even more than the Amazon deserves to be cared for.

When the world's leaders begin to treat the poor children of the world as a patrimony of humanity, they will not let children work when they should be studying, die when they should be living.

As a humanist, I agree to defend the internationalization of the world. But, as long as the world treats me as a Brazilian, I will fight for the Amazon Rain Forest to remain ours. Ours alone.
"


Text by Cristovam Buarque

Photograph by Moonman82
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25830962@N06/

No Regrets...

I came across this text on the internet and thought it would make a good first post for this new year: 2010.

"

10th Grade

As I sat there in English class, I stared at the girl next to me. She was my so called "best friend". I stared at her long, silky hair, and wished she was mine. But she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it. After class, she walked up to me and asked me for the notes she had missed the day before and handed them to her. She said "thanks" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I wanted to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

 

11th grade

The phone rang. On the other end, it was her. She was in tears, mumbling on and on about how her love had broke her heart. She asked me to come over because she didn't want to be alone, so I did. As I sat next to her on the sofa, I stared at her soft eyes, wishing she was mine. After 2 hours, one Drew Barrymore movie, and three bags of chips, she decided to go to sleep. She looked at me, said "thanks" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Senior year

The day before prom she walked to my locker. My date is sick" she said; he's not going to go well, I didn't have a date, and in 7th grade, we made a promise that if neither of us had dates, we would go together just as "best friends". So we did. Prom night, after everything was over, I was standing at her front door step. I stared at her as she smiled at me and stared at me with her crystal eyes. I want her to be mine, but she isn't think of me like that, and I know it. Then she said "I had the best time, thanks!" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Graduation Day

A day passed, then a week, then a month. Before I could blink, it was graduation day. I watched as her perfect body floated like an angel up on stage to get her diploma. I wanted her to be mine, but she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it. Before everyone went home, she came to me in her smock and hat, and cried as I hugged her. Then she lifted her head from my shoulder and said, "you're my best friend, thanks" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

A Few Years Later

Now I sit in the pews of the church. That girl is getting married now. I watched her say "I do" and drive off to her new life, married to another man. I wanted her to be mine, but she didn't see me like that, and I knew it. But before she drove away, she came to me and said "you came!". She said "thanks" and kissed me on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Funeral

Years passed, I looked down at the coffin of a girl who used to be my "best friend". At the service, they read a diary entry she had wrote in her high school years. This is what it read: I stare at him wishing he was mine, but he doesn't notice me like that, and I know it. I want to tell him, I want him to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love him but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why. I wish he would tell me he loved me! `I wish I did too...` I thought to myself, and I cried.

"

My point?

More often than not, we choose to ignore our natural instincts: we don’t do because it’s “wrong” or we don’t say because it’s embarrassing or we don’t feel because it hurts...

The truth is that sometimes we just have to take that “leap of faith” – so when you find that person that makes your words sound a little slower, your eyes shine a little brighter and your heart beat a little faster, do, say and feel every single moment to the fullest...

Because in the end these moments are all you ever really had.

Dance like no one's watching...

"We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we will be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teen-agers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.

The truth is:
There is no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It is best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D'Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special; special enough to spend your time - and remember that time waits for no one...

So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose 10 pounds, until you gain 10 pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or 15th, until your song comes on, until you have had a drink, until you have sobered up, until you die - to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
 
Thought for the day?
Work like you don't need money,
love like you've never been hurt,
and dance like no one's watching."



Text by Chrystal Boyd

Photograph by Sergiy Gonchar
"Dance like no one's watching"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gonchar/

Encontrei-me em Ti

Eu sempre te conheci,

mas só agora te encontrei.

Não me lamento se me perdi,

nem pelas lagrimas que chorei.

Encontrei me nos teus olhos,

perdi me em teu olhar.

Antes de te conhecer

eu era um barco a naufragar.

Tu ligaste o teu farol

e eu avistei o teu brilho.

O complicado tornou se simples

quando caminhei pelo teu trilho.

Quero que saibas que seres quem es

da me a minha consistência.

Por isso agradeço a tua amizade

e celebro a tua existência.

Photograph by Ironrodart
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironrodart/

Bullet Proof

I don’t care if you love me.

I don’t mind if you hate me.

The only thing I ask from you,

is never to underestimate me.

I know what you are doing,

before it is even done.

No point in having bullets,

when you can’t hold the gun.

So, if you are going to shoot,

make sure you hit my heart.

Just know that you can’t finish,

something that didn’t even start.

 

Photograph by John Linewood

"Bullet Proof"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnlinwood/

"Last Request" by Paolo Nutini

Afterall, music is just poetry dancing...

O meu lugar no Mundo

Incompreendido pela sociedade, lamento o meu lugar.
Embora eu acredite, acabo sempre por duvidar.

A tristeza que me assola desafia quem eu sou.
Perdido neste mundo, eu não sei para onde vou.

Não compreendo a razão pela qual eu sou diferente.

Talvez eu veja o mundo através dos olhos de quem sente.

Mas porque levar uma vida determinada por emoções?

Se este mundo em que vivemos é repleto de ilusões.

Num dia sou o Rei, e no outro, apenas mais um vagabundo.
Alguém que me ajude a encontrar o meu lugar no mundo!

Mas alguém, eu não encontro e já me cansei de procurar.
Por mais que eu procure, alguém não consigo encontrar.

Espero pelo dia em que se complete este vazio,

alguém que abra os olhos a este mundo doentio…

Photograph by Sungazing

"Happy Earth Day"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sungazing/

Why?

You ask me: Why do we live?

And honestly, I really do not care.

Each of us dresses our own cape,
but to this World, we are born bare.

Some have tried the cloak of glory

Some have dressed the face of shame,

Some have died, but live forever,

while others lived without a name.

You ask me: Why do we live?

And honestly, it really does not matter.

Each of us has his own convictions,

but in this World, they often shatter.

Some have dared to reach the sky.

Some have stood strong on their own ground.

Some have swam beyond their dreams,

while other dreams were being drowned.

What really matters is not why we live our life.

It is how we live our why.

What really matters is to make the seconds count,

while time is passing by.

Photograph by Amorph

"Life and Death"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amorph/

You & I

I need you so much it burns from within.

You are the point where I begin...

Begin to feel and cease to be.

You are the blood that runs in me.

And bleed I do when we are apart,

until no blood flows through my heart.

I love you so much that words seem vain.

You are my sun under the rain...

Rain it may for endless days.

You are the answer to all my prays.

And prey I shall with all my might,

until my dark becomes our light.

I hate you so much it makes me mad.

You give me hope when I am sad...

Sad I feel when your eyes don’t smile.

You give me breath for that extra mile.

And mile by mile I will run,
until you shine again my sun

Photograph by Mesh2

"My Love Burns for You"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mesh2/

With you by my side

I am struggling with my fears,
for all those many nears,

that I’ve seen too many times before.

But with you by my side,
together we will ride,

so my fears may fade away once more.

I am hiding from reality,

for I do not require gravity,
to take my wings away.

But with you by my side,

I will stand strong and face the tide,
so my reality can become our day-to-day.

I am sheltering my heart,

for it has been torn apart,

and I can no longer withstand this painful sorrow.

But with you by my side,

I will challenge my own pride,
so that this broken heart can love again tomorrow.

Photograph by Auro
Zero Gravity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/auro/

A Essência de Ser

Ser ou não ser não e a questão.

O facto de eu ser não e uma opção.

Escolhido para existir de forma distorcida sem contexto temporal,

a minha realidade e omitida pela supremacia do banal.

Existo no âmbito de uma estagnação populacional.

A minha visão da realidade torna este mundo irreal.

Perdido numa existência que não consigo explicar,

procuro alguém que consiga ouvir a minha alma a gritar...

Busco um significado omitido na essência do ser.

Porem, esta busca frustrada não me permite viver.

Certezas? São poucas, alias, só tenho uma:

A minha existência não pode ser justificada por razão alguma.

Se ser implica conhecimento, considerem-me um Deus,

pois eu existo de todas as formas, para crentes e ateus.

 
Ilustration by Josephine Wall
Child Universe
http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/josephine.html

Seekin' the Cause by Miguel Pinero

There is something in the way…

There is something in the way you look at me,
a tenderness that no one else can see.

There is something in the way you look around,

you make me keep my feet down on the ground.

There is something in the way you sketch your smile,
that makes the pain of living seem worthwhile.

There is something in the way you hold my hand,
it seems as if I am sinking in the sand.

There is something in the way your eyes can shine,
if only these eyes I see, they could be mine.

There is something in the way your voice is heard,
I hear the gentle singing of a bird.

There is something in the way you say my name,
I hear it everyday, but it’s not the same.

There is something in the way when we are apart,
I feel an empty feeling in my heart...