Examining the mind of a child.

First off... It's been a while since I last posted (since March of last year evidently) and I felt the need to change the format of the blog. So that's new. Not that I suspect anyone really checks up on this regularly... Just felt an obligation to acknowledge that.

Anyway - moving on to more important things. I've been thinking quite a bit lately about seeing the world through the mind of a child. At the end of the day, I do value what small amount of wisdom I have been able to obtain through watching those around me and the inevitable wisdom that time seems to bring with it. But there are many things that appeal to me when it comes to the mind or mindset of a child barely touched by the influences of the outside world.

1. Innocence
2. Simplicity
3. Open-mindedness

Innocence is something that we definitely lose as we grow older, whether we like it or not. Innocence and experience, in my opinion, directly oppose each other. In order to fully understand this thought myself, I had to look up the definition of innocence.

Innocence: A lack of guile or corruption; purity.

Infants and children are, more often than not, devoid of most corruption that life experience inevitably brings into our minds. This is not to say that all forms of experience are corruptive, however seeing the world in an innocent way and without these corruptions would definitely solve many problems that I fall into psychologically. As we gain life experience, we become much more jaded. We naturally assume the worst even if we are hoping for the best. That is human nature. Wouldn't going back to a mindset of innocence prevent wrong assumptions and, consequentially, destructive misunderstandings? Life would seemingly be much simpler.

That brings me to number two: simplicity. Let's define that as well.

Simplicity: The quality or condition of being easy to understand or do.
 

Sounds about right to me. What better way to describe the way a child communicates? Children, by nature, are very blunt (easy to understand) and are generally not very reserved when it comes to talking about the world around them. That being said, this is one of those moments when I am thankful for the life experience and wisdom that tells me not to say anything and everything that comes into my head... But on the flip-side, it would be very nice to feel as though the people around me were not judging my opinion/were open to it. I think that children do not assume other's may react in a negative way to their opinions and, therefore, do not hold back in voicing them. A great example that comes to mind is a part in one of my favorite books in which a child is talking to a school teacher:

No sight so sad as that of a naughty child," he began, "especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?"

"They go to hell," was my ready and orthodox answer.

"And what is hell? Can you tell me that?"

"A pit full of fire."

"And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?"

"No, sir."

"What must you do to avoid it?"

I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: "I must keep in good health and not die.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

 Wouldn't it be nice to be able to voice your opinion without judgement or feeling the freedom to do so? I can almost remember what that felt like to think in that way before I was taught that socially, it is not acceptable to do so. The freedom to express an opinon openly is what feels so nice to me about having a very strong relationship with someone - communication is much simpler because essentially, there are little-to-no restraints on what we can share with one another. This simplicity not only allows me to share my opinons with another person and feel heard, but also to keep an open mind to their thoughts as well.

Open-mindedness is different from  innocence and simplicity in the way that we can continue to be open-minded regardless of what life hands to us. Open-mindedness, while difficult to maintain, is something we are born with as children and are obligated to maintain as productive members of society. Keep in mind that I do believe holding a strong opinion and being closed-minded are two COMPLETELY SEPERATE THINGS. You can still hold a strong opinion and be open-minded. Closed-mindedness leads to judgement. The one thing I will say on judgement (for now, anyway) is that judging another PERSON is not productive. Period. I believe that to be productive, we must remove the person from the action that we are examining and apply our feeling about the ACTION to our lives in the way we see fit. We will never have the power or the knowledge to judge the PERSON performing the action because they come from a completely different walk in life and have been through things we may never experince for ourselves. All-in-all, judgement, synonomous with closed-mindedness, is not a prodctive quality in our nature as human beings. Therefore, I will continue to stive to keep the open-mindedness that I was born with.

These are just some basic thoughts that come to mind on a subject that could take days of discussion. I also am aware that all of these points could definitely be argued. However, I truly value all of these characteristics and I will continue trying to figure out how to impliment them into my daily life. I personally think the world could use a little more of a child-like mindset every once-in-a-while. Sometimes I think that the answers to the world's largest issues could be waiting in the minds of children. But are we too caught up in "grown-up life" to notice?

"A DEFINITION NOT FOUND
IN THE DICTIONARY
Not leaving: an act of trust and love,
often deciphered by children.”
― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Note: Just something that I thought was interesting. In the thesaurus that I used, innocence, simplicity and open-mindedness are all synonyms with each other and the word "childlike" (which I thought was pretty cool). However, these were the direct antonyms: evil, convoluted and short-sighted. I know that some of those are a bit extreme, but it's just another thing to think about...

     

 

 

What if?

So what if you woke up tomorrow morning and the only things you were left with were the things that you said thank you for today? Scary thought, honestly. Personally, I would have very little. On most days I wouldn't even have my eye sight or my ability to walk. I wouldn't have the clothes that I do, the house that I live in, or the ability to choose what I want to do with my life and be able to pursue that through the support of my family. The list is seemingly endless. Now, I'm not saying that we should all just sit there and think of every single tiny little thing that we can. However it does make one stop and think for a little bit about how many things there are to be truly thankful for that many may take for granted. In my personal opinion, life is way too short to take anything for granted. Most of the time when we go out to eat or lay down to sleep in a warm bed during the winter we are just not cognizant of how much of a blessing that is. Imagine waking up the next day to find that you don't have anywhere to sleep anymore. I am not trying to sound self-righteous or that I am lecturing anyone by writing this because I can tell you with full certainty that I wouldn't have much left at all if the above statement were to occur. But thinking about this sure helps me to realize the small things in life that would otherwise go unnoticed. Just something to think about.

“Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.”

This quotation is quite motivational, as well as it is true. It is said that the people who are successful are not the ones that are the smartest or the most talented, but the people that work the hardest.

A great example of this is musical theatre. You may be a very talented singer and a naturally gifted dancer, but the people that continue to find work are the ones that constantly strive to do better and take lessons to improve on the skills that they already have. Many people take their gifts and talents for granted and do not strive for perfection (which, in my opinion, can never truly be obtained but it is not a bad standard for one to set for themself).

Another great example of this is none other than Thomas Edison himself (who originated this quotation). He was very hard working and never accepted failure as an excuse or an answer. While attempting to create the light bulb, he tried and was unsuccessful about 1,000 times. When people would ask him about it he would say, “I have not failed. I've just found 1,000 ways that won't work.” It’s not about ideas. It is about making ideas happen.

On a personal level, this quote (“Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration”) is inspiring and motivational. It also explains why Thomas Edison has experienced success and why many others that follow this principal life style experience it as well. All-in-all, it leads me to believe that the general consensus for why people are so successful has nothing to do with people that happen to be lucky or incredibly talented, but because they work hard every day at what they are passionate about.

Big dreams and dreaming big.

Think about it...

For me, there is a difference. My interpretation is that a "big dream" is something sizable, yet definable or limited. However, "dreaming big" is something indefinite or limitless. In short, when someone says that you have a "big dream", the definition of "big" is limited to the interpretation of that single person (however big it may be to you personally). On the other hand, when someone says that you are "dreaming big", the dreaming is considered limitless and doesn't have a borderline.



"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable." - Christopher Reeve

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney

"Dreams don't chase themselves." -Anonymous

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

(Greek philosopher, BC 341-270)

Something I wrote a while back. For all the performers out there. ;)

Recently, while at rehearsal, I was watching my friends perform and I began to ask myself, ‘Why do we do this? Why do we constantly put on these masks that make us different people and show it to society?’ To be honest, this seems a rather cliché question on the surface. People are constantly asking why the performing arts matter and what makes them so important and enticing. However, when you dive further into it and ponder the question for even a moment, you realize that the answer is far more complicated than it seems like it would be.

          I suppose that on a more individual level (as far as performers go), one could begin by saying it is a way of “getting yourself out there”, building charisma and creating relationships (onstage and off). Or perhaps it is just the adrenolytic feeling that is created when you step in front of other people, waiting to be praised, judged, etc. In my experience, every person has their own reason for partaking in what I think is one of the most mysterious and unpredictable forms of entertainment. But that still leaves the question to be answered. 

          Due to the difference in opinion from person to person, it is very difficult to determine the general verdict on why performing arts are so important and why they matter so much. However, Ben Vereen (a well-known Broadway veteran and performer) once said, “A society without culture is not a society at all. The arts are our culture.” Culture is a very important part of the world and I believe that everything stated in the previous quotation is true. Cultures all over the world are defined and well-known- not just for the religions and languages they practice, but also the forms of art that they partake in (for example, in many Asian and African cultures, dance and theatre play a huge part in their religious practices as well as their main forms of entertainment). One would not tell another person that the way they dress to satisfy their culture is not important. But then, by the same token, would you say that performing is not important either, even though it is a huge part of many cultures (including our own)?

          All of these points are things to consider when asking the question, “Why do the performing arts matter?” Personally, I have not come up with a full explanation myself. However, I do believe that as long as the world still appreciates the performing arts and continues to explore this seemingly magical art form (and the culture that it brings to the world) then performing arts will continue to “matter”.

Saying one thing and doing another.

It is an amazing thing when our actions and words come into agreement. People watch what we do and listen to what we say everyday. They watch to see if we say one thing and do another. What are we showing them?

Are people who speak with actions rather than words afraid of what they might say? Do most people who let their actions speak louder than words usually not want to be outgoing enough to say what they feel or they know that if they do say, “I love you,” or say something kind, then there will be strings attached and they will be expected to prove it in some way..?

On the opposite side of the spectrum, do most people who let their words speak louder than actions not want to be accountable for their actions?

Most people end up doing one or the other and never do both. Which puzzles me. But then again (ironically enough) am I a hypocrite by saying that? Time for some self-evaluation. ;)

This made me laugh :)

If pro is the opposite of con than what is the opposite of "progress"?

                                      -and-

Why isn't the word "phonetic" spelled the way it sounds?