Life Ethics inspired on the Left-Hand Path

Greetings readers,

I stumbled upon what I see as the most rational blueprints of my life, adopted from the LHP philosophy. I thought it would be of many's best interests for me to share them, thus la-voilà:

1. Nature encompasses all that exists. There is nothing supernatural in nature other than consciousness, which is explicitly unnatural.

2. I am both matter and consciousness, a body and a psyche, an animal and an isolated intelligence.

3. Reason and intuition are my tools for cognition, making faith an anathema. I test all beliefs through questioning, skepticism, and extrasensory ways of knowing that may be unique to me as an individual. 

4. I strive for a middle path in all things, seeing the greatest wisdom in moderation, except in circumstances where moderation is impossible. 

5. The universe is neither benevolent or malevolent; it is indifferent. 

6. There are no Gods; I am an atheist. 

7. There is no intrinsic purpose to life. I determine its meaning for myself, according to my perception of it. 

8. I decide what is of value. I am my own highest value; therefore, I am my own god. I am an I-theist. 

9. Good is that which benefits me and promotes that which I esteem. Evil is that which harms me and hinders that which I cherish. I live to maximize the good for myself and those who I value. 

10. At all times I remain in control of my pursuit of pleasure; I am an Epicurian. 

11. My perception of merit is that which determines my criteria for the judgment of myself and others. I judge and am prepared to be judged. 

12. I seek human justice, recognizing that it is neither perfect nor kind, much like humans themselves. I seek a just outcome in my exchanges with those around me. I thus will do onto others as I would prefer they do onto me. However, if they treat me poorly, I shall return that behaviour in the like degree. 

13. I grasp the human need for symbols as a means for distillation of the complex thought structures of meta-communication. 

14. I see myself reflected in the sum of my life experiences insofar as I can grasp their import. I am a product of my history. Therefore, I regret nothing and celebrate the life I have lead, whether it has been pleasant or not.

15. Though I may join groups, I am always, first and foremost, dedicated to my own unique experience–its history and future.

16. I do not accept false dichotomies, finding instead a "third side" which brings me closest to understanding the mysteries of existence.

Fraulein Andrea

Dre-dnklschwrz MMXI

The Epiphany of a pointless war - Serj Tankian

Servus,

After working steady and hard for a few hours, I decided to take a break before going out to fetch myself some lunch. I went on creepbook to see what people were up to at this time of the day and to ensure that the world is still revolving around Social Media. To my surprise, I stumbled upon a rather interesting video: Serj Tankian's Empty Walls. My reaction: What a macabre piece of reality. I decided to outline this exact reaction below, starting off by saying that, in no way am I against what he portrayed. Yet, I am still quite shocked and I think it is absolutely necessary to continue producing materials with such strong context, as we all have become so bloody desensitized by the issues that surround us day by day.

The video starts off at what looks like a regular day at kindergarten, where children are playing and being all gay (not that kind of gay, you turt!). There is a girl playing with cubes and building some towers, and on the other side, there is a boy playing innocently with a small airplane. Add them up and, voilà, shit hits the fan - that was something I kind of saw coming, but did not dare to foreshadow for the sake of my mental health (I don't like it when I find myself lost in conflict-induced/inspired thoughts). After the fall of the towers, the situation in the innocent classroom got quite agitated. Tanks, bazookas, grenades, and somewhere in between an analogy of the day Sadam's statue fell and the way the crowd danced around it signaling victory, are included in the video. There is even a part where some children recreate a situation where intruders go into someone's home, and soullessly "shoot" an innocent "man" in front of their family. My jaw dropped with astonishment.
  

As cute and cuddly as children in this video may be (I don't know if I want to go as far as including Serj in that statement), the context goes beyond fun and games.  Empty Walls reminds me of the first time I was looking for an internship and came across one at the Gaza Strip, where a grassroots organization was working with children being raised in a war environment. One of the aspects they included in their needs assessment was that children  (as young as 5 y/o) were constantly recreating the armed conflict between Arabs and Jews within their games, due to PTSD.  I would have loved to get involved but unfortunately it was not as easy as it seemed.

Violence has always prevailed among childhood games, particularly among boys, but this video goes beyond that. It reenacts a reality, from a different perspective that would disturb even the most perverse mind. I am not attacking Serj's idea in anyway whatsoever. On the contrary, I think what he did here is absolutely brilliant and I am still pleased to know that musicians like Serj take the time to expose the issues that many do not dare to even acknowledge. This is the case of the United States of a Godless America. I cannot stop wondering how the younger generations perceive conflict and how they will eventually act upon it. It is as if we were already too accustomed to all the useless violence around us. The bottom line comes to whether there is really a reason to stop it. That is, after all, the world we have been raised in and if those in charge could care less about the lives of the innocent and helpless, why would we? That, right there, is indeed our terrifying reality.

The last scene in the video is a reinforcement of the tragic actuality that is fueled by a pointless war, where the death of thousands of innocent beings has yet become a way to justify the prolongation of conflict: a coffin covered by an American flag being put away by soldiers, right in front of the same kindergarten where the action was taking place. Deep...


I apologize if what I wrote above seems like ranting in a way. I truly couldn't let this one go and I felt that, as a citizen of this world, I needed to share, not only my opinion, but the video itself, in the hopes to raise some awareness about events that we may otherwise ignore. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Serj.

-Stay Metal-MM Dre-dnklschwrz MMXI

So, Why exactly are you crying?

I cry because I still try to feel;

tonight I cry because I am particularly overwhelmed. 

Even if I feel my existence decomposes to become just the euphemism of a bubble ready to burst,

It becomes quite challenging to grasp what seems to be triggering my implotion. 

Tonight I cry because of an array of open-ended questions,

Even though irrelevant,

Are still bothersome.

Although tears are missing,

A feeling of nostalgia has been awakened due to an undefinable anxiety.

 Tonight I leave without the burdens of emotional ties, holding me back; 

Tonight I will leave without remorse. 

And yet,

my despair yearns to be justified, along the lines less abstract than modernity would ever allow it to be.

And the yearning for being more than analytically correct, accurate.  

Sometimes it is necessary to acknowledge that we are past the letting-go state, 

and already welcoming the new horizons. 

It is hard to get used to this new idea. 

The world has never stopped for a minute to inquire for an opinion, 

so why should I?

Why would I, even when I already know my answers are irrelevant.

That's exactly why I cry! 

Because I can't spare a second to define the unexpected.

Because, even though I carry on,

 I can't begin to accept this new life of mine,

the one I have been living by myself, 

Though it may have been all I've ever wanted;

All I have ever needed:

ME.

And yet again, I feel quite empty, and that also makes me cry...

Dre - dnklschwrz MMXI

Photo Update

Below you will find a link to my Flickr account, which I have been trying to update with some of my best pieces.

Enjoy :)

Dre dnklschwrz MMXI

Porque te pienso te quiero en la distancia,

sin importar rastro alguno que hayas dejado en mi.

Al saber que como yo sufriras a diario,

"La soledad de dos amantes que al dejarse

estan luchando cada quien por no encontrarse".

Del amor ni se hable: No he dejado de quererte ni un solo dia.

El pensarte me exacerba del dolor.

Puedes jurar que al que quiere lo bendigo.

Y como dice Bunbury, aunque paresca que te lo escribi yo:

" Quiero que seas feliz, Aunque no sea conmigo"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYZiHcevpxM

Te extranno y te vivo a dia a dia.

I made a mistake: "Here I go to fall apart so long

when we'll meet again I will not be there..."
Te acuerdas? Cantando en el estudio, en donde entonabas tus mejores melodias.

"If you come a long this time

I show you the things that were mine

I am bleeding from the walls that cry

oh life has past me by..."

When we meet again I won't be there.

Aun asi sigues lejos,

apartado de mis brazos que calor te brindaron.

De aquel carinno insaciable que te llenaba de vida,

De amor y ternura, reflejados en tu existencia.

Una vez mas, Perdon.

No me canso de clamarte un perdon, de alguna manera irracional

Un perdon inoportuno y cobarde.

El perdon que jamas supe pedir.

Te extranno desde mis entrannas

Mi vida no es la misma sin ti,

aunque no podria ser lo que he alcanzado sino hubiese sido por ti.

El perdon es en nombre de la entrannable fe que hubo en ti.

Aunque me siga mi camino hacia la nada,

esperando un bienestar seguro

no puedo despedirme sin hacer un tributo a vos.

Por haber creido en mi hasta el final

y por seguir haciendolo hasta el sol de hoy.

Gracias.

Te quiero con la fuerza que me da la vida misma.

Al no definir mis sentimientos hacia ti

siento haber perdido lo que me hace falta para recuperar mi humanidad.

Tan intangible; tan irreal

Si pudiera definirte con mis palabras

seria maldecir tu existencia.

Retrasar tu memoria es inalcanzable

En la utopia de mi mente vivo entrecortada por tu ser.

Existiendo en retrospectiva para ser lo que mas deseaste al contemplar un atardecer.

Arrojando piedras en el lago,

liberandote de la rutina misma

mirando hacia el horizonte en busca de un futuro anhelado

a causa de un pasado que siempre te marco.

Contemplando la vaga imagen de tu rostro en mi frente, 

vigilo tu mirada hacia tu futuro.

Atrapo tu pensamiento por un instante,

sin saber el futuro que me espera.

Ese sufrimiento que se alimenta de tu recuerdo.

Suenno con algun dia poder intoxicar ese sufrimiento

para que me abandone de una vez por todas!

Pero aun asi anhelo seguir llevandote en el recuerdo de esos besos

Evocarte en las tardes de febrero, en medio de la nieve.

Recordandote en las noches de junio al  caminar en la madrugada.

El sentarme en el parque a fumar  el humo que alguna vez compartimos.

Tus ojos anhelando un cambio que desafortunadamente no te pude dar..

El coraje que con tanta urgencia buscabas, no te lo logre brindar.

Y robarte una sonrisa al darte una mirada de amor...

Ay, mi muchacho de los ojos tristes -por que no estas aqui?

Para llenarte de alegria tus vacios insaciables.

Espero estes bien, and still my guitar gently weeps. 

PS: As much as I wish I could have finished your song, I failed miserably. I gave it my best shot, but couldn't really synthesize all the feelings I have about you. It's a collage of many different sensations, and yet I am not sure what it is.

I miss you miserably; in the hopes that the grass is greener on the other side.

And even if my human side attempts to knock on material doors,

My heart still remains true to the one and only You.

All is quiet on New Year's Day MMXI

"May the New Year bring you whatever is it that you are contemplating from the bottom of your heart, be it: loosing weight, eating healthier, buying a new car, falling in love, or simply getting by."

-Dre-

I am sure up to start the New Year with my right foot complying to one of the resolutions from my list, which includes actually writing more. I find this quite therapeutic, particularly when I have no reason to rant but yet my head still feels like a HUGE Scrabble bag.  I find this sudden intrinsic drive to spontaneously come up with  resolutions for the NY to be quite amusing. Surprisingly enough, the people around me do not show much interest in doing so. It's funny because I had my mind set on writing mine for quite a while, but for some odd reason I could not get myself to sit down and get it over with, until last night at around 21:00. I came up with 30  bullets of rather realistic goals; nothing too idealistic that I wouldn't be able to achieve. We'll see how all these goals turn out throughout the year.

One thing is certain: 2011 upholds a great deal of important decisions for me to make. If everything goes according to plan I will be finishing my career and joining the work force (finally, the real side of life); something I have been contemplating for a while. Let's face it: Being a student can be quite the bundle of joy but Mensch if you have to stretch yourself in unbelievable manners (physically, emotionally, economically, chronologically, gastronomically, among others). Yes, joining the work force also comes with its disadvantages, such as having to pay taxes (it isn't too bad after all, we get free health care ^.^), having to pay back student loans with HIGH interest fees, various other miscellaneous bills, and let's not forget that if you have a significant other things obviously change, depending on your degree of involvement. For me it isn't too bad right now as my idea of family is not listed in the near future (nor in the far future for that matter), so my entire focus will be on miscellaneous little issues. 

I am aiming that MMXI will be my last year in Canada, for a while at least.  Don't get me wrong, I love this country (particularly Toronto) but I can feel it in my bones that the time has come for me to explore new horizons. I honestly feel that this city has nothing else to offer me at this time so the logical thing is for me to move onto more exotic destinations. This may be the chance to see the world that is still foreign to me and after all, who knows, I may end up in The Maldives, may be even Madagascar or what about Thailand, that is sure in for a cultural treat. As of right now it all looks like I am going to be staying within the American continent, however it won't be within the Northern Hemisphere.  I am aiming for the Equatorial line ^.^  Either way, be it for leisure or for business purposes, I will be traveling a bit this year. My best friend has honored me as her Best Maid, which means I HAVE to make an appearance, no excuses, period.  That will take place around the end of July and I am hoping that by then I will be settled down somewhere down south.  This is all very exciting, almost unbelievable.

Aside from moving away,  I have included in my list more interesting things to achieve within a shorter term, such as reading more, writing more, picking up the violin once again (hoping that it works out this time), stop neglecting my languages, committing to my never-ending list of side projects and making it a point to eat less red meat.  WRT to the latter, I don't quite recall the last time I drooled over a steak. On that note, eliminating that from my diet doesn't seem too difficult after all. This goes hand-t0-hand with the fact that I am very  interested in exploring new sources of protein, which include lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, soy beans and any other type of flavorful bean for that matter. I hope to become a vegetarian one day (no set date yet) as I have previously stated that being a vegetarian in the XXI century simply makes sense, period.  For now I am not completely ready to give up my infamous curry chicken, but I will definitely try to incorporate other things into the recipe and go from there. One thing is for sure: I am not willing to give up sea food in the near future. NO, NO, NO! Specially after being re-introduced to breath-taking-incredibly-delicious rollmops.  Leaving the German delights aside, I still wouldn't have the heart to give up sushi, raw tuna and salmon sashimi, smoked trout among other sea food delicacies.  


From the bottom of my heart, I am hoping that 2011 will turn out to be a great year for self-discovery, self-growth, and self-enhancement. Yes I know, all of that sounds very egocentric and in all honesty I am quite pleased with that, as I feel that I have become my own second plate.  Thus, it is only fair that I start to appreciate meself a bit more and go from there as well. 


I think I have done a decent job summarizing my NY's resolution for MMXI. Now before I go, I will leave you with the song that has traditionally become a Must-Listen on New Year's day:

Best wishes for the year that begins today.-Yours Truly, Dre dnklschwrz, 2011-

Chistmas Morning - Top 3 Classic Christmas songs

Season's Greetings readers,

From my lovely home in Toronto I wish each and everyone of you a Merry Christmas. I was hoping it would snow this morning but unfortunately that was not the case this year. It is still quite a lovely morning as the field across from my apartment remains quite white from the last time we had some snow. 

The neighborhood is awfully quiet (quite surprising, actually) but it makes for a great first-day off, after having worked for seven days in a row. Sometimes complete calmness is a great way to rest (hence why I'm blogging).

As many of us take the day to rest and recover from the agitated holiday season, let us remember some classic Christmas tunes that have accompanied us throughout time. I want to highlight fond holiday memories through the next few songs:

1. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon

This single was written in 1971 by the one of Rock's greatest legends, Mr. John Lennon, who later joined forces with his loyal companion Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band in an effort to take a stand against the War of Vietnam. The song came to life in the Shaved Fish compilation during the Christmas of '75. 

The lyrics are based on a campaign done by both Lennon and Ono in late 1969 when they rented billboards and posters in eleven cities around the world (New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Rome, Athens, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Helsinki), which read: "WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) Happy Christmas from John and Yoko".

At the time of the song's release, the United States was deeply entrenched in the unpopular Vietnam War. The line "War is over, if you want it, war is over, now!" as sung by the background vocals, was taken directly from the billboards.


I personally have a tremendous appreciation for this song as it evokes an enormous feeling of nostalgia, which isn't necessarily bad. Every year I look forward to hearing this song during the Christmas season, since the first time I came across this song in 2003.

2. Jingle Bell Rocks - Bobby Helms


This song is older than my mother, as it came into existence in 1957! How can you NOT love this single? It is probably one of the most "modified" Christmas tunes of all times, as it has been played in rockabilly, country, modern Rock and Roll and who knows what else.


This song has also been featured in various movies, such as  Home Alone 2: Lost in NY, Cookie (1989), and Lethal Weapon among others.


To me this tune kind of makes me want to do the Macarena around the Christmas tree or dance like a little Japanese cartoon. I feel that unless I magically turn into a reindeer and wear green and red, I will never be cool enough to enjoy this song at its maximum.

3. Baby,  It's Cold Outside -  Dianne Reeves and Lou Rawls
Even though this song's first intention was not to refer to a particular time of the year, it is usually associated with the winter and thus with Christmas. There is an interesting story behind this one, which I think you will find amusing.Sometime in 1944 Mr. Frank Henry Loesser had a great idea and wrote this duet to debut it, along with his wife Lynn Garland, at the house warming party of their Navarro Hotel in they city of  New York. It was such a marvelous evening and everyone (hosts included) was so mesmerized by the song to the point that it became their signature tune; even the couple denominated it as "theirs" (well, it was more like Ms. Garland considered it as "theirs").  

Like many men out there, Mr. Loesser was probably thinking of more interesting things (not caring so much about the whole our-song situation) so he sold the rights of the single to MGM. Now, imagine the reaction of Ms. Garland... Not a pretty scene, right?  Anyway, damage done. Who knows how Frank got out of that one. Either way thanks to his aloofness towards his lady's feelings, we get to hear this song throughout the year, particularly during Christmas time.
There are countless versions of this songs interpreted by many of the masters of Jazz, such as Mr. Louis Armstrong, Mrs. Ella Fitzgerald, Mr. Dean Martin, Ms. Dinah Shore, Mr. Buddy Clark, and Ms. Norah Jones, among many others.This time I have chosen the version of Dianne Reeves and Lou Rawls because I find that this one truly evokes a warm feeling associated with the holiday season. I honestly prefer the version interpreted by Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton, however when I hear it, the first thing that comes to mind it not quite "Tis the season to be jolly, falah lah lah lah lah lah lah lah"  
Merry Christmas to youDre - dnklschwrz, 2010