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From the mind of critic: “If cheap doesn’t always mean worse, and expensive doesn’t always mean better, what’s our ballast point? If poor and homeless doesn’t always mean inferior, and rich and influential doesn’t always mean superior, what’s our precedent? Are we doing ourselves wrong by looking for a black and white rock of gibralter, that is the end all be all scale to judge if our judgements are correct? Are we taking two steps backs if we put energy into validating our judgements, solidifying that we don’t want to learn new things because we don’t have to? Or do we think we have all the answers, and everyone who agrees with us is our friend, and everyone that disagrees with us is our enemy? Stereotypes, labels, epithets, nicknames and assumptions are all used to simplify the complex world we live in. So much info and so many events and opportunities flash by on a daily basis, that we have to form them in such a way that our brains comprehend them. What can shove our progress backward, is making sense of something by labeling it and then never asking questions about it again, thinking we have it all figured out so we go on to the next thing. Once we realize that most of our assumptions end up opposite of what we think, we’ll see that labels don’t free up our thoughts for other things, they stop us from thinking. If life is learned as we go, then we’ll never have everything figured out. Labels inhibit evolution, they don’t help it along. Moving forward includes critical thinking, not blind assumptions” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If plants need water and sun to live, what type of fertilizer is needed to thrive? Are all plants hungry for the same nutrients, looking for the universal elixir that will make them big, strong, vibrant, productive and help them serve their purpose? Or all plants hungry for different nutrients, looking for their personal magic elixir that works for their unique needs, which will make them big, strong, vibrant, productive and help them serve their purpose? There are universal truths that make us the same, we all need food, water and shelter to survive. Clothing while socially imperative, won’t immediately harm us if we go without clothes, or atleast go without clothes that are acceptable. There are also special truths that are representative of the unique snowflakes that we are. We all come from different environments and generations, with different backgrounds, upbringings, beliefs and financial resources. As such, different things reach us for different reasons. Once we realize that infinite things reach us for infinite reasons, we’ll see that expecting all people to respond the same stimuli is more than a fools’ errand, it’s a collectively detrimental act. All plants might require different fertilizers to thrive, but they all need fertilizer. What makes us different, actually makes us the same” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If we can see clearly now because the rain is gone, has the rain actually stopped, or are we just able to see through it toward where the skies are clear? Do we believe the rain will never return for anybody, because it’s the same for all of us and if it stops, it stops? Do we believe it has stopped for us and not for others, causing us to throw out all our rain hats, coats, boots and umbrellas because like a cartoon rain cloud, it will only rain on others, while we sit under beautiful blue sky and sun with birds chirping? Or can we see clearly not because the rain has stopped or permanently dissappeared, but because the rain has no effect on us since we’ve activated the most impermeable connection know to man, a critically thinking brain, a loving heart and a driven soul? It’s so interesting when we read, watch or hear something when we’re older, that which we were entertained by when we were younger. We can pull a completely different meaning from something that is using the same exact langauage. The easiest examples are cartoons, books and movies, but we also see the definitions of old sayings change as we gain life experience. If we can see clearly now, we must ask ourselves why? Has our definition of clear changed? Has the ferocity and/or makeup of the rain changed? Has our sight changed? Once we realize that we , the rain as well our critical thought all change at the same time, we see that even though we can see clearly now, the rain isn’t permanently gone. The moment we believe the rain won’t ever come back, is the exact moment when it does. Clarity of thought is only acheived through perserverance, not stagnation” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If unexpected occurences ruin our daily routines and plans, do we completely lose our cool? Do we get lost amidst a windstorm of self doubt and self-preservation, making our mind spin completely out of control, because our plans for everything we wanted to do and places we wanted to go, are thrown into chaos by some powerful outside force? Or since we’ve been conscious enough to critically think and to expect the unexpected, that when our plans change because of some unforseen circumstance, we simply adapt to our environment like many animals before us according to the process of evoltuion? Whether it’s rain, sleet, snow, wind, hurricane, tornado, a rockslide or some other unexplainable act of god, shit just happens sometimes and we have to deal with it. When these things do happen it will test our courageous determination to accomplish not only what we set out to do because we need to, but also what we dream of even if we haven’t yet taken the first step. We must ask ourselves how much we want to do something, and if we’re willing to adapt. Once we realize that we must keep moving forward to lead a fulfilling life no matter how slow of a snails pace we’re travelling at, we’ll see that nothing but nothing stops us from leading a fulfilling life except us. No matter what happens, we can push forward, we just have to want to” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If life is a series of moments, snapshots frozen in time that portray good times and bad, are our days more fulfilling if we keep them at the forefront of our mind? Do we hang onto the good moments and let go of the bad, because we’ll feel more empowered if we’re not stuffed to the gills with negativity? Do we hang onto the good, but hang onto the bad much harder, because we don’t comprehend the definition of empowered, due to the sheer volume of negativity that has permeated our every nook and cranny, making us feel like it’s what we deserve? Or do we let go of the bad, but cling to the good with such ferocity, that it dupes us into believing all our good days are behind us, practically ensuring no good days come in the future? We’ve all heard it said many times to not sweat the small stuff, and pay attention to the bigger picture. At some point in our life we come to realize, that it’s the little things that make life worth living. The idea is that it’s the little things that make up the bigger picture, and we musn’t cling to good things with all our might as we discard the bad. We must recognize the good for the purpose they serve or served, and then let them go. This is when the next step of having good moments flow in and out comes in. Which can only happen if we don’t cling to the good moments we’ve had, thinking they wont happen anymore. And it certainly won’t happen if we hold onto the bad moments, thinking we’re undeserving of good ones. If we want to continously fill up with fulfilling and soul rejuvinating joy, we have to keep our eyes on what’s in front of us, not just what’s behind us. Our life becomes infintely more fulfilling, once we realize the best things are yet to come” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If life is all about discovering what the cornucopia mish mosh of unknown unknowns means, then what will our life mean we get answers? When things we don’t know we don’t know become things we do know we do know, does our purpose dissappear? If we’ve defined ourselves as dissidents, rebelling against the powers that be, and then either the powers topple or we become the power, do we feel hopelessly lost because there’s nothing to rebel against? Or do we view this as the object of all our struggles, the finish line we’ve been working toward, making us more than ready to take over because it’s exactly what we’ve been preparing for since we decided to stand up? Finding answers and solutions to long inbedded problems has always been our goal. Where we can mislead ourselves is thinking we’ll get to a place where we have all the answers. Because all we discover as we become more knowledgable, is more questions. Kind of the opposite of the rebel thing. Where we rebel against the power for so long, that once we become the power, we find that we can’t rebel against the same things anymore, because we have become the ones that people rebel against. Once we realize that life is rarely as it seems and objects are always closer than they appear, we’ll see that as soon as we get set in our ways, life has a funny way of coming around to smack us in the head with a 2×4. Life is all about searching for answers and rebelling against unjust laws, but it’s also about adapting to our surrounding environment. That’s how we survive as a species” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If we slow down the pace of our daily activities to take take care of ourselves, do we feel like we’re missing out on everything we could be accomplishing? Whether we’re sick, worn out, or simply need a break, do we feel bad for taking care of ourselves, because we’re not attacking the million tasks in front of us, or the million tasks contained within us that haven’t surfaced yet? Or are we feeling low simply because we’re not feeling good, and the fact that we’re taking care of ourselves, reminds us of the importance of healing quickly if we can, so we can get back to accomplishing our goals and dreams? Not being productive when getting things done is our MO can make us feel bad, just like being productive when not getting things done is our MO can make us feel overwhelmed. Sometimes we need to eject ourselves from our comfort zone from time to time, specifically to remind us that we still have the ability to surprise ourselves. Sometimes we need to slow down and realize that taking care of ourselves can make us less productive, but it can also make our productive times more productive, by not trying to accomplish when our mind, heart and body aren’t in it. Life is all about finding what drives us, then finding our most productive time, then doing what we can to be kind and take care of ourselves during those down times, which we all have and can’t prevent, and need to recharge. The difference between a temporary slow down amnd a permanent one, depends on what’s rolling around between our ears” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If all of us are drum majors for peace, justice, love and harmony, but also dance to the beat of a different drum, do we ever run into the problem of too many cooks in the kitchen? If we’re all corageously passionate about having our voices heard, do we drown other voices out because they’re different from ours, and impede our voice from being heard? Or do we allow other voices to be heard, specifically so they’ll allow out voice to be heard? Many times we fight and struggle so hard to be heard, that we forget other people are trying to do the same. We care so much about our rights and being treated fairly, that sometimes we see others fighting for their rights as our opponent. Sometimes we don’t see others fighting for their rights as seperate, but 2 areas of the same side of the same coin instead. Once we see human beings of all stripes always have and always will want to live free, we’ll see that fighting for our rights is a great thing, but when we see our fight as seperate from somebody elses fight, it takes away from ours. We all came together to stop the Vietnam war, and then we did. Then we started splintering off into seperate groups, to fight for our individual rights. Which womens rights, youth rights, gay rights and others deserve to be fought for, but we stopped seeing how they’re all interconnected. If we’re all drum majors for peace, love, justice and harmony we’ll see that fighting for rights, means fighting for ALL rights. Once we see how our collective success is symbiotic, we’ll see that we might dance to the beat of a different drum, but they’re in the same band” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If a child says and does very off the wall racist, sexist, homophobic things as they discover the world by testing their limits, do we tell them they’re wrong, and that’s not what we say to or about people? Do we enlighten them as to what’s important, to judge people by what’s on the inside not the outside, that if we don’t have anything nice to say we shouldn’t say it and we should only treat somebody how we’d like to be treated? Or do we ignore them or tell them they’re not wrong, thereby instilling ignorance by leading through example, specifically because we judge by what’s on the outside, say mean and hurtful things whenever, whyever and however we feel like it and treat people however we want because we feel more deserving of better treatment then them? Does this ignorance quickly and forcefully metastisize if not nipped in the bud at an early age? As we become adults, we all become a little like our parents whether we want to admit it or not. Traits of theirs get instilled in us through constant communication or deafening non verbal naivete. These traits follow us throughout life, and have an exponentially magnified effect if we hold public office. If we end up as President through election or otherwise, we’re the epitome of what the people are, or what they ignore. If we don’t like having a President that’s a racist ,sexist, homophobic, tiny handed baby man who bullies everybody in the schoolyard, we must first ask ourselves whether we’re racist, sexist, homophobic baby men ourselves. Teaching kids the right way to be when they’re young without ignoring them or their outbursts, would prevent somebody like President Donald Trump from even being a possibilty” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If the rain is pouring down with no end in sight, do we believe carrying an umbrella will prevent us from getting wet? Do we think a big giant umbrella will keep us bone dry, never to be affected by the rain no matter how hard it falls, specifically so we can ignore it? If this umbrella is brightly colored with flashy designs, that emit our personal disdain for precipitation, will it make the water bead off, allowing the speed of drying time to display how much more powerful we are compared to the rain? Or do we say screw the umbrella and just walk through the rain with a good coat on, because we know the rain will never stop unless we allow it too, no matter how torrential it becomes? To wear a raincoat or to not wear a raincoat, is like asking whether we should seek protection against atacks on our free speech and way of life. Questioning whether or not to carry an umbrella to sheild us from the rain, is like asking if we want every depersonalized aspect of our future to hit us all at the same time, completely obliterating the last remnant of our soul. Ofcourse we need protection, we don’t want to lose before the fight even begins. But simply locating the right protection isn’t going to stop the rain, it isn’t even going to slow it down. We must take it upon ourselves to move forward with light. When we let it engulf our soul, it spreads with every single interaction. Once we realize that not only will this light repel the rain, but greatly lessen it as well, we’ll see that an umbrella or raincoat won’t stop the rain, we do, by not aquiesing to it, but by undoing the illusion of its power through continous conscious action. Who needs an umbrella or raincoat when we have our heart and soul?” 🙂