Wednesday 20 August 2014

A Gripping Fear

Humans have always been afraid of the unknown. When we were younger the unknown was simple, like the dark and not knowing what was lurking in the shadows. Yet as we grow older the simple things become more and more known, which means our fear of the unknown expands to bigger thoughts and ideas. One of the biggest fears I have found I have is the fear of the future. Even my own mother gets worried about my future. I believe this fear again stems from the unknown.
Wanting to get a career in the entertainment industry as always gotten me almost pitying looks, or as my old English teacher put it when I mentioned I was going to study Journalism and Music - "Why would you choose two dying fields?" I've always been told that while I should follow my dreams I should have a safety net or back up plan just to save me if I don't succeed. But what happens when this back up plan takes over from our dreams? What sets aside the dreamers and the achievers, in my opinion, is taking the leap of faith. You have to be willing to let go of the safety nets and leap into the unknown. It's terrifying but if my two greatest heroes are able to let go of their safety nets then why can't I? The first of my heroes is Batman, during the Dark Knight Rises he must climb out of his prison pit, but because he had a safety rope he allowed himself to fall. It wasn't until he let go of the rope that he was able to pull together the courage required to make the leap and free himself from the prison. My other hero, Phil Dunphy proves that he was able to achieve his dream of being a tightrope walker once he removed the safety net by setting his bar at a hight that he couldn't let himself fall from. It shows that if we set ourselves up to fall then we will fall.

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will - Carry Fletcher

The other fear people have is that their life won't mean anything. With over seven billion people on this planet people fear that the importance of their lives will be drowned out by the noise of everyone else. We want our lives to matter, for someone to witness the events that are our lives. Yet when do find this person, we are faced with a decision. Do we jump head first into the unknown holding their hands, or do we stay in our comfort zone, never progressing but never knowing what we are missing. Of course this might not end the way you want it to, but in the end we are no worse off for trying. We will never regret the things we do in life, only the things we don't try.
So my dear readers, don't be afraid to make the leap to follow your dreams, and don't be afraid to share it with someone.

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Eclectic Thoughts

I'm back again, can't say how long for. I do want to keep up blogging, so I'm going to attempt to stay longer than my last return! To start my (hopefully) triumphant return I thought I would start with a post compiling some of my thoughts, which means this post may jump from thought to thought without any real connection, but that's the way of the brain. So prepare yourself dear reader for the good, the bad and the beautiful thoughts from my brain.

Starting with the good! Up until very recently my favourite movie was a tie between 'The Dark Knight' and 'The Avengers', however a new movie has risen up that I believe will join the ranks of Darcy's Favourite Movies. The movie I'm talking about is 'Guardians of The Galaxy', a cross between 'Star Wars' and 'The Avengers'. A group of outlaws end up saving the galaxy from almost certain destruction. It was almost as if Star Wars had cast Han Solo as the main hero with no Luke Skywalker. On top of the Star Wars-esk feel to the movie it was filled to the brim with Marvel fan Easter-eggs. *SPOILERS START HERE* For me the movie was launched to the top of the list with it's connection to The Avengers. First and foremost having the Infinity Stone as the source of the villains power and having Thanos behind it all (much like Loki in The Avengers). We even get to see the Dark Elf from Thor the Dark World as well as The Collector. The Infinity Glove even makes a brief appearance. For a Marvel nerd such as myself this movie kept me engaged and hopeful that there will be a cross between the two franchises by Avengers 3, bringing out The Cosmic Avengers. *END OF SPOILERS* I would recommend this movie to anyone and everyone (it even passes the Bechdel Test that everyone is so caught up with at the moment.) And after seeing the movie for a third time with (the third time being in 3D I might add) I can honestly say it has not gotten boring!

Now on to The Bad (well really the sad). As some of you, if not all by the time this has been posted, will know - Robin Williams has passed away. A man who has brought laughter to people across generations, as well as bringing to life some of the most inspirational roles to grace the screen. From the big screen and TV through to Broadway and stand up, Robin Williams has inspired and brought joy to countless people time and time again. While I wish I had known him personally, all I know of him is what he decided to show the world. Unfortunately this means it was possible he was fighting some terrible demons of his own, not wanting to reach out for help. It shows us that sometimes the people who have the biggest smiles can be hiding the saddest thoughts. Don't forget to check up on those closest too you, just to ask if everything is okay, and if you are struggling don't forget that help is always available to you at http://www.beyondblue.org.au/.

And finally on to what I hope you will think of has some beautiful thoughts. On my way home today, I witnessed what was possibly the most beautiful, brightest rainbow I have ever seen, possibly in my entire life. However, when I tried to take a photo of this glorious rainbow, the image didn't come close to capturing the beauty that I saw. In fact the picture looked quite dull in comparison. It got me thinking that in a world where we are still so caught up in technology and capturing the moment so it will last a life time, we forget that sometimes moments are supposed to be just that, moments. Never to be recreated, never able to truly share with those who weren't there, but growing ever stronger and more beautiful in the recesses of our minds. As a society I fear we are losing the ability to stop and see things for what they are, a fleeing moment, meant to be enjoyed to the fullest at the time, not as something to capture and try to relive when the time suits us better. In life there are some things that won't wait for the right time, so make sure you are ready to live when life decides it wants to be lived, don't let opportunity slip by.



Sunday 16 March 2014

The Human Condition

It's crazy how well we treat stray animals yet we don't seem to share the same feelings towards homeless people.

At my university we have a pack of stray cats, who I will admit are adorable. Now almost every time I pass the park in which they live I see someone feeding them. Sometimes it's just scraps from their own lunch, but at times I have seen people cross the road to the Woolworths to buy a can of tuna for each cat. While this is an amazing demonstration for the compassion humans have for animals in need, it raises the question of how well we treat our fellow humans who are in much the same condition as the cats.

How many times do we see people out in the streets who have nothing, and we continue on our way doing nothing about it? And for some people (not mentioning any names Tony Abbot) this extends to not offering help to people fleeing war torn countries. I'm not going to let this post get to political, but Mr Abbot seems to be one of these people who refuse to help his fellow man. From not allowing to people who are madly in love to get married purely based on their gender through to refusing to help people who are begging for help because they are forced to flee their home country and travel to Australia with nothing more than the clothes on their back.

As news progresses I find that it almost appears that humans will only help an animal that they deem cute. For example the minute an animal becomes threatening we have to try and kill it, the biggest example of this for Australians is the Western Australia Shark Culls. Basically, for those of you unaware, there were a few shark attacks and the government retaliated by killing any shark over a certain size. Where has all the compassion that we showed the cats gone?

Maybe that's the true human condition. We can only show compassion to those things that we find cute or harmless, something you can feed once and then walk away, there the problem isn't too big or scary. For the minute it seems like things will contribute to something outside of our bubble we lose interest. Now this being said it's not the case for all people, The March in March showed that thousands of people were fed up with the way our government was treating people and that we are ready for change. Let's just hope that our leaders head the call and are willing to make a change to help our fellow humans.

Saturday 15 February 2014

7 Billion Stories and Counting

Hello my Smart Yet Casual Readers, once again I apologise for the lateness of my post (but one month into the new year is always the best time to start right?) this year it is my resolution to, once I start writing, continue to post at regular intervals even if it's a paragraph. So obviously I had put off the start of this epic adventure as late as I thought I possibly could. However, guilt and boredom have taken over and the adventure is now about to begin. I shall be posting every week, I make no promise on the day, but it will come out no later then 7 days from the previous post so make sure you check in regularly.

 
Have you ever stopped and wondered what is happening in the lives of those around you? I'm not just talking about people close to you, but the people you pass every day in the street, on your way to work or school or when you're out shopping. Every single person is the lead character to their own story, they don't just disappear when you no longer see them. How many times a day do you play an extra in someone else's life while being the lead in your own?

There's even an ad for apple that claims everyone gets to write one verse in the play of life. It goes on to say what will yours be? While this is extremely inspiring it also poses the question how will you be able to make your verse stand out against the other billions of verse that have been written in the entire history of time. We all play such a small yet extremely important role in life. While we may sometimes lose sight of what that role may be it doesn't mean we don't have a purpose or a reason to be on this earth.

Now I'm not going to tell you that you need to strive to do your best everyday, because lets face it, people have bad days. That being said, maybe try not to bring other people down when you are having a bad day. For example, you're running late for work because the line for Starbucks is too long (I have an unsettling addiction to Starbucks) don't then take your frustration out on the poor man or woman who is giving you precious coffee, instead smile at them, it doesn't have to be a big gesture. Just something small, maybe you find your own mood will be lifted.

Remember everyone is an actor, writer, and contributor in this play of life. So make sure your part is the best you can make it.