Dreams

Yeah, I saw Inception. Brilliant movie, no doubt; the only problem was the dreams did not really feel like dreams. They felt too rational, and too well organized - not the surreal kinda ones we get. But still, it kicked ass. But really, how much do our dreams contribute to thoughts? Dreams are basically the subconscious manifesting itself into a semiconscious state. I have thought of them more as a TV show - where our thoughts form the show, a jumbled variety that is edited and directed by the conscious brain. I find them fascinating. BTW, isn't it a weird feeling thinking about thoughts? and even dreams? It's a out-of-mind-watching-the-mind kind of thing. Anyway, research so far hasn't found the reason we dream, or what role dreams play in memory. We have hypotheses though. I think we need to understand sleep and memory formation to better understand dreams. Why do we sleep? It is quite sad that we still can't answer even this question. The mind is shrouded in so much mystery, you gotta love neuroscience! 

There seem to be conflicting opinions regarding why we actually sleep. One camp goes to say that sleep has a vital restorative function in the body. The opposite camp says that sleep is just a way of conserving energy, when there is no physiological need to stay awake. Though the first view appears reasonable, they really don't have much in terms of supporting facts except behavior in humans. As far as humans go, we know that if we were to go sleepless a few days, we do not function well, to put it mildly. There are plenty of movies to vouch for that- think the machinist (Personally, I have never stayed awake for more than 48 hours- I just need my sleep. But I have heard people say they go sleepless for up to a week. If I went sleepless on one night, the next day I feel a kind of lightness in being but a strange weight in my brain that seems to crush in-happens for a few minutes. wonder if anyone else feels that way. What happens in reality sometimes feels dreamy and disconnected; and while I do doze off, I go into extremely dreamy sleep. anyway... moving on...) But is that the status quo, for all other animals too? Do we really need sleep so much, or is it just that we have become so used to it?

It apparently is quite tough to study sleep in animals. Apart from the obvious reason that you can't ask them if they had nightmares the previous night when they wander in grouchy at your doorstep demanding food, electrophysiological recordings of activity are not really indicative of actual sleep occurring. It is believed that whales and dolphins don't really sleep. They go into a unihemispheric sleep, where they doze off one brain half at a time. However, even during this "sleep", they keep moving and can respond to stimuli. But unlike other mammals, they do not require both hemispheres of the brain to carry out metabolic functions either- one is sufficient, and therefore, it is possible that there is a reduction in metabolic activity when one side sleeps... for a detailed argument saying sleep is necessary, see this open source article: http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.0060216&annotationId=info:doi/10.1371/annotation/47c75a12-8a0b-491d-89f9-383f70a0eed7 (I came to this after reading this article http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-do-we-sleep.html)

If you look in the comments of the PLoS paper, there is an interesting hypothesis that says evolutionarily, sleep was primary and activity was secondary. Over time, activity has increased, and sleep decreased.

So, going back, there is a hypothesis that as we sleep, long term memories get formed. One of the functions of sleep is probably in the consolidation of thoughts and experiences into memories. Dreams are probably by-products of this process. There is an article going along these lines which discusses these in relation to cortisol, a stress hormone. http://learnmem.cshlp.org/content/11/6/671.full

The authors in conclusion write this interesting piece: 

"In addition to telling us something about the contributions hippocampal and neocortical circuits make to episodic memory, to the consolidation of episodic and semantic memory, and to the content of dreams, our proposal suggests some intriguing possibilities about creativity and the generation of novel thoughts. One stage of consolidation likely involves the integration of information with pre-existing knowledge and the linking of distant but related concepts. We dream when we become aware of these activated traces, which are often fragmented images and sounds coupled with motor activity. Similar to memories created under stress, these fragments are immediately subjected to a process of narrative smoothing, and the result is typically a story that is often confabulatory, quite bizarre, but possibly also creative.

Although it is true that accurate recall is adaptive in many cases, there may nonetheless be a positive side to a process that produces fragmentation—both during wake and during sleep. All new ideas are based upon previously stored information. These fragments, or pieces and patches of knowledge, are bound into representations that we use to recall information about personal experience and to help us understand and act in the world. When these bonds are weakened, this information can be recombined, either in dreams or misremembered episodes—perhaps resulting in a process leading us down unusual paths to creative insights and new ideas."  Payne and Nadel, 2004. Sleep, dreams, and memory consolidation: The role of the stress hormone cortisol.

Pretty neat, I think.

So now, coming back to Inception, it’s time for spoilers.

I think there is a flaw in the story. Entering a person’s dream and using it as a vehicle to the subconscious to plant a thought sounds cool, but I don’t think it’s plausible. One, the person is still dreaming, and it doesn’t really fit into actual thought process. How do you account for a thought that is generated within a dream? Does it ever happen? However, they do agree in the movie that a brand new idea is not manufactured. It is built on previous thoughts; after all, it’s our interpretation of these thoughts that adds the uniqueness.  Two, the fact that he doesn’t have to remember this when he wakes up. Given, it is going to be tough to forget a dream like THAT, but how many dreams do we actually remember? Atleast I don’t remember much, and I do know people who recite stories from dreams… anyway, it’s a movie I would definitely watch again and figure out the loopholes.

wordless

Imagine a bright sunny day in a sunflower field. Warm skin, fluffy clouds, and cornflower sky.
Do you see?
Now, see the two people running in the midst of the flowers. You have to know, these people are special. They do not know speech, words, sound... nothing. They don't need that. Thoughts and emotions flow between them. How do you think that will be, without words? Can you imagine that?
In that sunflower field, one person smells the wetness of the earth, feels it in his heel and sees the green stalk rise from brownliness. The other, feels the gentle breeze stir her heart, bringing with it sweet unearthly fragrance. They see each other, and instantly... God, can you imagine?
What joy, and what sorrow we would feel. For, isn't every thought and emotion, at its core a silent uttering? And, when we communicate from this fundamental plane, won't it be the simplest, and most honest? How pure, and how crystal clear.
And some day, we will realize this soul of silence. When silence becomes being. When our first point of contact with another being is from the silence, and not from the senses. When your senses feed your silence, and by choice, the river of silence between you and everything else.
You become being, and nothingness.
You are free.

And till then... there's English :)

-inspired largely by this post of pure beauty: http://misadventuresofaplainjane.blogspot.com/2010/04/may-you-find-your-river-ajeet-dada.html

Sita sings the blues

This looks awesome, yet to watch completely. via Nick's blog http://kasparen.tumblr.com/

Sita sings the blues...

Identity

From some of my previous posts, it might be apparent that I seek a common denominator; one that can define, and unite us as humans. A common identity. In that sense, I think this continues on the previous post.
I believe that the institutions of our fathers give us a ground on which to build on, but not to follow without thought. Religion, nationality, community, language, regions... there are plenty of things that we find identity with. These are concepts that can induce tremendous passion and provide its followers with purpose. They provide crucial structure for the development of the individual within the community. They have, in fact, shaped the way civilization has developed to this point.


However, over the past few years, advances in technology particularly with regard to communication, have been instrumental in changing our lives, our communities, and with those, our perceptions of identity. This has enabled people at different corners of the globe to interact instantly. This, coupled with easier travel, has erased many a boundary, wherever that existed. Traditional definitions of closed communities are rapidly being overthrown to bring in concepts of larger, global communities, a 'global village'. National boundaries are of no concern. Trade has become global, ideas flow with no regard to location, race, color... In this melting pot of cultures, concepts that were once considered the basis for one's existence suddenly lose value.
Take language, for example. Though there are millions of languages all over the world, with growing communities, there is an urgency for a common language, and a common platform for communication. In this situation, a person's mother tongue, something that has been a source of 'identity', is now being more or less replaced with another language, purely for functional reasons. Future generations might choose to take up the new functional language as their mother tongues, and with passing time, the initial language can not only lose significance, but can also fade away with disuse.
I am not going to argue the merits and demerits of this; that would be a whole post by itself. But it serves to illustrate how such concepts change over time, or rather, how our identity with these concepts change. Further, it is inevitable over generations. Therefore, as we go stripping down to our cores, the only identity we share with this global community is our humanity.
How do we express, or share this identity? Simply by accepting one another, accepting we are the same regardless of where we come from or what we are.
It also arises that once we accept this humanity as our identity, everything else becomes secondary. Identity will necessarily have to be singular. Therefore, concepts that we hold dear will have to be re-evaluated.


What do I mean by identifying with humanity? It is accepting that our further evolution lies not just in individual advancement but in the advancement of the global community. It is accepting that contributing to this community transcends national, religious, or communal interests. I think it was best put by Asimov in his Zeroth law of robotics, a law that preceded protecting an individual human being, which was the First law: A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. Just imagine the possibilities of such a community. Instead of warring over land, we fight against poverty, disease... improve the lot of mankind. To cope with our population explosion, we should be putting all our energies into actually exploring outer space, to find alternatives to Earth, to push our boundaries, to advance. The alternative is surely degeneration as our resources deplete.


The ideas are all there. We know where the truth lies. Are we ready to accept it? Will we put aside our differences for our common humanity? Religion had/has the ability to induce passion and fervor. It bought people together, to rally under a banner. Would we feel the same way about our humanity? Is this just an idealistic dream, totally free from practicality? I don't think so. It makes the most practical sense. But how do we bring people to realize it? What is that common denominator? A visionary leader to show us the way, is that what we need? Or, is there something apart from our humanity, something else that can appeal to everyone on earth and give a basis for our unity? I have more questions than answers. 
Maybe we do need a global catastrophe to actually help us realize it.

Lovin'

There floats a lot of stuff about love... vague definitions, about it being unquantifiable, unmeasurable, and not comprehensible to rationality. Many say it is a 'feeling'. A feeling of deep attachment to something/someone, the withdrawal of which causes pain. Since it is a feeling, it also has the ability to arouse tremendous emotion, which is also confused with the definition of love itself... if the emotions associated with love are removed, would love make any sense at all to many people? So, what is the perception of love in those of us, with the 'emotional capacity of a teaspoon'?
I think love is something that stems from an initial selfish need that then evolves to accommodate moments of selflessness. There's a book by Stephen Covey, where he compares the 'love' in any situation to a bank balance. You put something in, you take something out. You sometimes go on overdraft, but for the account to stay active, you got to put back in, to reach a healthy bottomline. It makes sense. After all, no one wants to be giving all the time. No person is selfless all the time, not even a mother. So here, love is about understanding, accepting differences, and showing willingness to work toward a common goal.  Why do we do it? Because we benefit from it, it gives us happiness. It does not involve emotions, feelings, or intimacy... things that we normally associate with love. And this love, is applicable to a global sense. I can love humanity. I can love you. I can probably even love loud neighbors. There's a friend who says that true love is when you can actually 'love' a person who has harmed you... how do you love a person who has raped your sister, or put a gun to your head? It seems a tall order, but in this definition, it is probably possible. However, my love doesn't mean I condone the person's actions, but I accept his weaknesses, his inherent humanity. He will be punished, but does not become an object for hate. So hate, I assume, has to be the utter opposite; an unwillingess to accept/understand someone. So there, to all you unbelievers, I've stripped love of all its glamor, gloss, and it still makes sense. The emotions that we experience are normally a product of our interactions, our intimacy, and not a product of love. The expression of love, or the lack of it, induces all emotion. Feelings for a person is not equal to love. But the intimacy, the emotions, the testosterone, the oestrogen, and the feelings, all of 'em mix with the underlying love and create the colorful, beautiful, and totally imperfect 'love' that we share with 'that one person' :) Gotta love biology for that!
So, there you go kids, now you know what to look for! All you girls that sit starry-eyed, dreaming for that perfect 'Darcy' and boys who walk about looking for love in the prettiest pair of legs, you know what you gotta do :) And for the ones moaning, crying and wasting over 'lost love', get a life!

Edit 12/26/2010: An npr article that shares the same view, albeit written much better
http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2010/12/25/132291375/what-is-love#more

wanderlust

maybe its the sheer unexpectedness of every moment; maybe good, maybe bad, maybe terrible, but its all alright... its just another passing moment, like every other bit of life, only I'm here, close to my oldest mother, my oldest love, and everything is just okay.
the challenge of the unknown, the thrill of exploration, the adrenaline rush; the feeling of knowing that maybe no one else on this whole planet has actually been on this precise pristine spot I'm standing on...
or maybe its the joy of pushing myself to the extreme, physically, climb that high rock, swim that cold sea, jump that precipice... taking that life-threatening risk and coming out panting, close to death, wildly happy
I dont know which one of these, maybe its them all, maybe its just a need to escape from where i'm at now, an irresistable urge to fade into the earth, to be one with everything i see... and if I can't do that, then just run, walk, climb, fly, jump, dream, fling myself into the unknown with the gayest abandon... because I can. I am mowgli, I am!! and i hear the call...

In a world clamoring for attention, there you stand in solitude, my beacon of love, my lighthouse, with arms open, with silent unuttered words from your eyes, Come home. I love you.

Go Obama

humanism.. Gandhi had the right ideals, beautiful visions... but the world is just not ready for it yet. I think that is the way to be. You are not separated by regions, countries, race, color, religion, language.. you are what I am, human, a pure living organism, racing to survive, find happiness.. unite under that banner but none else. There might me a God, and everyone believes that a God is an all-loving all-compassionate being with nothing but goodwill.. don't you want to be a God too? you can, I can, we are all images of that God.. after all, thats why we feel His presence. We want to be like him, be a better person; and all that blocks us are our CONVICTIONS, our certainity that what we believe is the absolute truth, sadly there's no absolute truth, at least to me. The only absolute truth is the fact that we are organic beings, capable of communicating with each other, the extent of which is only limited by our perceptions. Like Nietzsche said, "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies." Open up. Be free. Be the fuckin spirit you are!! How desirable would the world be! But we aren't ready for it yet. We still don't care. We probably don't even know how to go there, even if we wanted to. Worse of all, we can still live the way we do and get by. Get by... and another lifetime goes by... in a haze of insignificance, battling issues of no consequence to humanity. To realize that and get out of it is the first step toward understanding the world. Once we understand ourselves, we understand humanity and its place on earth.. But to reach that goal, we have a long long way to go. In a recent conversation, a friend talked about his dream to conquer the world through trade, business.. and I believe that might be one factor that can actually unite people. Politics, religion, beliefs, everything that has been tried before has failed and will fail in the current world we live in. Nothing unites us more than our race for a living, a better economic situation; so why not? A benevolent business that doesn't work just for the profit of some but is committed to raising the standard of life all over the world. It is a hard thing to reach. The failing will again be human greed but if that can be overcome and people of different races relate to each other, irrespective of their backgrounds, they will find that they are one. A single powerful empire uniting all of mankind, initially by force, but make us realize what we are capable of as one. No more national boundaries, but together, as earthlings. Three things that can unite us all: a common enemy, one powerful empire, gradually globalizing to realize our potential as one. Maybe one may happen before the other, or maybe, they will all happen together... I'll keep dreaming with Lennon. And in these lines of thought, I think that the one person who has the charisma, the political presence, and leadership, to lay the groundwork for such a future has been awarded the peace prize. He might just have visions, but they are indeed grand. Grand for the president of a country that prides itself in its responsibility. Grand for a self made black man from a country that once did slave trade. To Obama, change, and a global village.

Edit: An op-article by Bono; quite sweet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/opinion/18bono.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=bono&st=cse

Thoughts

Do we judge our thoughts? Isn't it futile to do so? A thought is just that, a thought; there's no point in being proud or ashamed or scared of it. The only thing we control is the action that ensues from it. We can choose to accept, implement or just do nothing about it. And it is that action that defines the person, the character, and probably life? We have the choice, even with our thoughts. That's quite a cool realization for me. Freedom, even from thoughts. There has to be a fuckin soul!
So my blog is futile till I begin Doing It. That might be the main theme of my blog now, thoughts that inspire me to 'metamorphosise' :) or maybe not :)

The Boxer - Simon and Garfunkel

I am just a poor boy
Though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocket full of mumbles such are promises
All lies and jests
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest

When I left my home and my family
I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station running scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know


Asking only workman's wages
I come looking for a job
But I get no offers,
Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there


Then I'm laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was gone
Going home
Where the New York City winters aren't bleeding me
Bleeding me, going home

In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that layed him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving"
But the fighter still remains

From the motorcycle diaries...

I wonder what I would do when I'm at this point in life... would she say yes and join me in my foolish adventures? Would I give up my dreams? Or yet, would I get the steel and courage to choose the boat? I wonder...

I heard splashing on the boat
her bare feet
And sensed in our faces
the hungry dusk
My heart swaying between her
and the street, the road
I don't know where I found the strength
to free myself from her eyes
to slip from her arms
She stayed, crying through rain and glass
clouded with grief and tears
She stayed, unable to cry
Wait! I will come
walking with you.

Miguel Otero Silva

We're just two lost souls swimmin' in a fish bowl.. year after year. Runnin' over the same ol' ground, and how we found.. the same ol' fears... How I wish you were here...

We have been doing that for 3 years now.. and sometimes, I just can't help wonder.. we lead such automatic lives, wake up, rush to work, and spend a day waiting for it to end so we can just get home to another long night... alienated in all aspects from the world, hidden within ourselves, living in our own private worlds.. and with each passing day, Roger Waters seems to make more sense, ranting about the drudgery of our lives, seeking happiness in comfort, numb to everything else... if there was indeed Heaven on Earth, how would we know? Living for the future, living in the past, refusing change, frustrated, depressed..why indeed do we push ourselves through this when we know the fickleness of life...
Because the future is indeed important, we have responsibilities we cannot squander away, and this is probably a lifelong learning experience... and the hope that once that future is indeed as secure as is humanly possible, there is the chance that we can start writing the bucket list, and actually live like there was no tomorrow. But to reach that beautiful sandy beach and that vast expanse of reckless adventure, we need to hack our ways through the wilderness, filled with thorns, slippery stones, quicksand and every other possibly imaginable obstacle... everything that tests whether you have the guts, the endurance, and the undying passion to reach that place; cos' if we din't, it is just so easy to give up, lie down and say that it doesn't matter that much to me. Living forever in that wilderness, lost, lonely and searching... that's just not cool. And the journey, I guess, isn't going to be that bad all through; indeed the blues never last all out. For, without those breaks, without the little pieces of happiness we inevitably get, I guess we would all be dead men walking. And if it is indeed a bad attack of the blues, all it takes is a minute to just lie down on the grass and look up at the clouds rolling by, feel the wind on your face, feel insignificant and tiny beneath the vast expanse of blue...though the blues won't go away, you still feel a little better, a little less sad, and there will be a chance to smile... and that might make all the difference!!

She walks in beauty-Lord Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear, their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

Oh, such a pretty song! Reminds me so of her, of basking in that light...

Mr. Tambourine Man-Bob Dylan

Couldn't be a happier song in the world!! Apart from the drug references, I believe it's just a song that takes you to that 'happy place' in your mind, the place you go to when you sit back in comfort and let your mind wander... go swimming through time, laughing in your mind, a smile plays on your lips... and you sing along, in moments of pure happiness. And the world is a beautiful place, filled with magic swirling ships, rolling meadows under a bright sun that you go runnin' in, singin' laughin' spinnin' with hands flailing in joy... aaaaahhh!!!


Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to.
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Though I know that evenin's empire has returned into sand,
Vanished from my hand,
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping.
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet,
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming.

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to.
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship,
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip,
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'.
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way,
I promise to go under it.

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to.
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Though you might hear laughin', spinnin', swingin' madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin'.
And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind,
I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're
Seein' that he's chasing.

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to.
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind,
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to.
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant--
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.


Max Ehrmann