The Seven Virtues: What Are Your Resolutions??

With every new year comes the creation of resolutions and plans to improve the self, the spirit, and, of course, the mind. These resolutions help us become better people, friends, and peers in our communities, really guiding us into a new year the right way. I have journaled several resolutions this year, and at the risk of sharing them all with you and boring you to tears, I’m just going to share one: my resolution to adhere to the seven heavenly virtues.

I am not religious by any means, but I’ve familiarized myself with various religious texts and scriptures from all belief systems, so I feel comfortable enough to live a life the virtues would be proud of... And , today, I took it upon myself to reiterate the virtues with my own, brief interpretations of them. Not only will this help cement them into my own curious brain, but it will, hopefully, enlighten my audience too. Whether you’re religious or not, I hope that you get a little something out of this. So here they are...

Charity

Charity, in terms of the virtue, is defined as an innate sense of generosity towards the world solely for the sake of being generous. In Christianity, charity is viewed as love, or agäpé - the greatest and most noble of all of the virtues. It is a loving kindness towards all other beings and it is viewed as the most true perfection of the human spirit.

Chastity

This is the ability to show self-control and divert oneself from giving into temptation. This is not to say that it is wrong to feel tempted, just that it is wrong to give into such temptations that are harmful or self-damaging.

Diligence

So - this one is all about the work ethic and doing your best in any task presented to you. It coincides with the ability to stay organized and vigilant about work or any type of labor. 

Humility

Humility is directly interchangeable with modesty. It is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.

Kindness

This is the ability to be good towards those around you without expecting anything in return. This is empathy towards others without prejudice and resentment, and possessing a positive outlook towards life in general.

Patience

This is the ability to cultivate peaceful community despite conflicts and injustice that may arise. It allows one to endure any unbearable circumstance with dignity and, of course, patience.

Temperance

This is the ability to show self-discipline and restraint. This is showing constant mindfulness of those around you and your environment. It takes every view into account  in any disputing matter and allows one to moderate a circumstance efficiently. This is showing good judgment.

Favorite Movies Of 2015

I don't know if you've ever had years when a stroke of bad luck hits you at every turn you make and every corner you don't cut, but 2015 was definitely my hall-of-fame year of bad luck topped with a sweet cherry of despair on top. Despite this, there were a few things that made it slightly more bearable: vices such as food, alcohol, and, of course, cinema. Yes, cinema. And since my means were rather limited, my trips to the movie theatre, too, were rather limited. So at any rate, I still viewed enough films to crack a top ten list. So, when I wasn't back home ballin, here are some of the films I viewed with the minimal cash I had to swing...

12. Inside Out

11. The Wolfpack

10. The End of the Tour

9. Slow West

8. Ex Machina

7. Tangerine

6. By the Sea

5. Love & Mercy

4. Spotlight

3. Sicario

2. Steve Jobs

1. Amy

The Happy One

I had not smiled in a quite awhile. And I did not plan to smile that day - in those moments - but he made me feel beautiful. Not because he loved me in a romantic way, but in the way that a friend may love you. That is, after all, the best kind of love. It is far less likely that such a relationship will break your heart, your spirit, and I know this one will not.

He was so kind and tender with his words that I could feel my soul healing with every brush stroke, every etched line and crevice he so masterfully crafted. So I showed him no sign of a broken heart - of my broken heart. It’s wonderful what such an exchange of the human spirit can do to a soul - and none more than the exchange of an artist and his muse. And I am the muse. The muse portrayed with the happiness due to me!! And I will always love him for it. Though he did not complete the work for me, he triumphed in the completion of my upset, my sadness. 

I lost my little girl four years ago. I did not know what would become of me without her - without her here with me - and the hole in my heart grew to to a depth too grossly immense, too vividly substantial, that it’s dissolution and eradication seemed so far out of my reach. Too far out of my grasp. I healed rather minimally through my sweet and blessed children, my husband, and my glorious friends - who never failed to uplift my spirits, but there was always a piece missing. One I could not fulfill.

Sadness is a poison. It seeps through the veins of the disheartened so mercilessly, so unsympathetically, that it will turn the most benevolent and kindhearted souls into spirits of coldness and indestructible stone. I remember feeling such sadness that I could not feel my toes - and I could not get out of my sweet bed - because I could not feel my heart. My heart was missing. It was so hurt by me - by my loss - that it could not live happily in my own body. My heart was hurt. Plain and simple. My heart hurt.

But how he fulfilled my heart for me! What is a woman if she is not the leading lady of her own life? Of her own destiny? And this is what he asked me and inquired of me. And I know that a woman’s worth is of great value, and she should not be sorrowful if she has so much to live for and look forward to! How I love him for breathing such life into me and how I love him for showing me a way - and I will forever be known as the happy one because of him. I promise that I will return this to him with a smile - one that I will have forever. I could never repay him -- no amount of money, no amount of diamonds or gold  can compensate him for what he did for me. For the energy he gave to me. And whenever I think of him, I am given life again! I can think so clearly and I can actually do what I never thought possible - because he healed me with a simple brush stroke. With his art. He risked his station in life for me - he risked his career to heal me - and I will never forget it. I am forever indebted to him, for turning the light in my soul on again. And I will pay him back with my happiness,

I will pay him back with a smile.

My Reasons to Despair And Hope In the Name of Climate Change

Reason for despair:  Denial of climate change, inaction revolving around its indisputable reality, and reduced education in the fight for climate change mitigation are a few reasons to despair over such a global, environmental epidemic. Those who refuse to acknowledge that humans are majorly, or at least partially, responsible for the rise in the global temperature, the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and the reduction of glacial ice, for example, pose more of a hazard to Earth than any other entity on the planet. We are seeing global warming at an unprecedented level, and it will  continue to worsen with any communal, definitively blind refutation revolving around its grave existence or any other assertion maintaining that humans bear no responsibility over Earth’s welfare and its increasingly fragile condition. I numbingly despair over those who deny climate change and its effects on our dear planet.

Reasons to hope: With the COP21 and other efforts to educate the world, encourage political action, and seek global solidarity in the fight to reduce climate change, I have hope that we will achieve a stable, environmental temperature, necessitate the creation of the tools and technology required to further aid in the mitigation of global warming, and foster an international consensus on the realities and threats of climate change. China, for example, is becoming a leader in the realm of climate change mitigation, and the country’s promise to reduce coal emissions is a huge step forward in this global effort. Their initiative is truly inspiring, simultaneously encouraging the rest of the world to follow suit -- promoting solidarity, support, and, most importantly, education.

Intro

Once upon a time there lived a princess. She lived in a world filled with gold, diamonds, and silver. Her favorite color was pink and her favorite food was cake. All kinds of cake. But she was still the size of a peanut. Her favorite day was Christmas and her favorite season was summer. How she loved summer time. The warmth of the golden air and the light of the sun’s strength beaming against her translucent skin. It was romantic and dazzling enough to be written about in any story, novella, or poem. Yes, summer was her favorite season, and during the cold winter months it was all she could think and dream about. 

Hm..

What should I write about today? I have this century’s worst case of writer’s block, and it won’t seem to shake. What do you write about on days when you cannot think of anything at all to pen on a sheet of paper, of an idea to artistically convey via the medium of language and literature?? Maybe I should just write about my writer’s block, then, ey? Well, it’s not very interesting. A short story, perhaps? Of what? I’m thinking of a young girl - and why a young girl, you ask? Young girls don’t have much of a voice in the world and I could provide such a voice to a girl who needs and deserves one, despite how miniature my own twitter and blogging platform is. Hm..

Brief "By the Sea" Review

Relationships are fascinating. Love is fascinating. The heartbreak and grief that often stem from these relationships and turbulent throws of love are fascinating, and so, too, are the internal mechanisms through which we cope with these feelings of loss and emotional discontent. Sadness is fascinating, selfish despair is fascinating, and witnessing characters overcome, or at least attempt to overcome, any form of melancholia is fascinating. Yes, sorrow is one of the most intriguing facets of the human experience, and the range of such self-despondency is virtually boundless. This sweeping, cognitive horizon and grand field of unsettled emotion is delicately explored in countless pieces of art, music, and literature, as well as in Angelina Jolie Pitt’s latest directorial and acting endeavor, “By the Sea.”

“By the Sea” is a story of love, loss, and, of course, heartbreak revolving around the marginally redeemable yet sweetly corroded marriage of Vanessa (Jolie Pitt) and Roland (Brad Pitt). These characters are introduced to us in a lovely opening sequence driving through gorgeous weather on the sea-side in a flashy little convertible, really setting the picture’s aesthetic tone of ‘70s glamor with the perfect mixture of rustic naturalism and urbanite chic. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s because it is. It’s almost too pretty, but its beauty sucks the viewer in and adds several dimensions to the greater, overarching story. Yes, the scope of beauty in this picture is not remotely similar to the amount of beauty found in real life, especially in toxic, overwrought relationships, but it is this magnitude of incredible visuals and dreamy shots that counterbalance the inner-ugliness of these characters, and an ugliness that we come to discover during their stay in a hotel that is, of course, by the sea.

When viewing this picture as an intense character study and dynamic relationship piece, Angelina Jolie Pitt has struck gold. When viewing it as a narrative or plot production, we’re just happy that we have all of the pretty pictures to look at. In either case, there is still so much to be enjoyed about the feature. The craft and execution of the immaculate scenery is quite extraordinary, as well as the inner dimensions of these broken characters and their relationships with fellow hotel dwellers (who also happen to be newlyweds) Lea (Melanie Laurent) and Francois (Melvil Poupaud). Poupaud does great work here, but this is definitely a standout performance for Laurent, who portrays Lea with a delightful yet sexy enthusiasm, with a brilliant charisma and delightful sensuality to top it off. At any rate, their interactions with Vanessa and Roland are complex character machinations, and ones that Ms. Jolie Pitt should applaud herself for. The weaved synergy between all four of these personalities exposes the multi-faceted, layered nature of these characters so smoothly, it’s as though Jolie Pitt concocted a gourmet character dinner for the viewers to indulgently feast their cinematic proclivities on. This really helps show, more than anything, the various sides to Roland and Vanessa. We see them at the best of their relationship, and the worst of their relationship within several, heart-wrenching moments because of the simple presence of the newlyweds next door, who remind them of a love that they don’t share. Though Vanessa and Roland definitely love one another, and care very much for each other’s being, it is not the same kind of passionate love that is so deeply shared between Lea and Francois. 

Yes, “By the Sea” is a remarkable character piece, and one that reveals the human experience of grief, loss, and severe upset through a fearless intensity that draws the audience in by the fascinating character interactions. Though the picture may be viewed as a vanity piece, there is so much that connects it to the global human experience of grief and loss. Jolie Pitt definitely cements herself as the real deal in this feature, and I honestly can’t wait to see what she does next with other, more complex personalities.