The Silent Tower

And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.
~Gandalf the Grey

(As a side note, can I get away with that? Or would I have to say I’m quoting Tolkien? I’m of the mind I could quote specific characters, but let me know what you think ^_^ )

A while back, I talked a little bit about the idea that I look at things from a whole/broken viewpoint rather than from the standard good/evil one. It’s one of those things that, once you realize you’ve sorta taken a stance, you begin to wonder when you might finally bump into it and have to do something about it.

I’ve seen more broken things than I care to admit. I acknowledge that a number of those things are ones I had some part in. But once you see these things in yourself, as I said before, you get to decide what you’re going to do about them. I’ve chosen to face them – though that has been a process, and I admit to doing my fair share of running to beginning with. There are still times that running seems like the most logical option – but I don’t listen as much as I used to.

It also means that, though there are times you stumble upon things that pique an interest, you will find yourself hard-pressed to determine how to proceed. A blind response – whether quick or thought out – is never a good thing. And that’s why I look for people I can trust to talk things over with ^^ It’s always nice to bounce ideas off people.

The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is to unlearn what is untrue.
~Antisthenes

When you pay attention, there are certain things you begin to notice. If you’re honest with yourself, some of those are the fact that this or that thing that you’re held to for some time is in fact untrue. The actions that come after that point are what gets interesting.

If whatever gets pointed out is a standard part of your life, there is a good chance that you may decide to carry on anyway, whether it is true or not. Humanity has an amazing capacity to deceive itself. By setting it aside/locking it away, when it finally builds to the point where it can no longer be ignored, it will most likely blind-side you.

Then there are those who would be horrified by the information and decided to overreact to it. Now, that’s usually not a direct psychological choice, most of the time. It would lead to a life where interaction became ever more proscribed and limiting, so that they might continue “forward” without ever having to acknowledge whatever it is they have learned.

And then there are those who actually decide to face the information. Being scared is a perfectly acceptable option when you find yourself confronted with something that you have never encountered before. The sign of strength is, in spite of your fear, moving toward it to address it. The trial involved with that confrontation may truly be epic in nature, but the individual that will come out the other side with be much stronger, and immensely more in tune with who they really are.

Science is an adventure of the human spirit. It is essentially an artistic enterprise, stimulated largely by curiosity, served largely by disciplined imagination, and based largely on faith in the reasonableness, order, and beauty of the universe.
~Warren Weaver

This one came from my EnviroSci text. I like it because of the way it shows the dynamic relationships that can exist when you deal with science. There is always the potential for something more than what we can see – as the quote implies, it is this focus beyond the everyday interaction that leads to the new discoveries that make up the core of the study that is pursued.

A person can grow only as much as his horizon allows.
~John Powell

I stand beside the archway watching people pass by, wherever they may be going. There is a restlessness that has been worrying at the edges. There is a melody that I strain to catch, calling me outward as it leads me ever more inward.

Let me tell you of my city.

There is a reason I love fiction, and especially fantasy fiction. Many times in my life I have come upon situations where, for better or worse, plain language simply does not suffice. But when I can paint you a picture – when I can take the things that I perceive and give them forms and shapes – then you can see them.

I love to tell stories. I love the rhythm and rhyme, the flow and cadence, the undulation of language and utterance as it rolls across the landscape and lounges about the unwitting and unsuspecting that are taken in by its engulfing waves. So I find the courage to put those stories down in script, that someone somewhere may shiver and gasp as the fragment that has been working itself into place slides home, and they begin to see.

Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.
~Albert Einstein

I don’t believe in happenstance ^^ I believe there is a reason and rhyme for everything that happens. No, I do not know every one – and I don’t think I ever will – but I believe there is One who does, and I believe that in the end everything will be worked out.

I signed up for my course this fall back at the end of spring semester last year. I had an idea of what I needed to take – which included the summer psych course so I’d have all the credits I needed – and I selected from what was available. I was thinking over my different classes today, and I realized that each of them pertains to an aspect of my life that I am currently addressing.

Sophomore Seminar : “Communicating in a Diverse Society”
This class focuses on the ways to overcome the communication breakdown that seems to proliferate amongst peoples of divergent societies. As I slowly become more in sync with the world around me, it becomes more and more obvious how little I know about the people around me. I know that kindness and courtesy will give you an opportunity to build a rapport with most, but even that is not a guarantee in all situations. Learning ways to bridge these divides and address these issues in a positive manner is something I can take with me into every endeavor I undertake.

Environmental Science
Were as the previous course relates to the patterns and interrelations of humanity with one another, this course deals with the cycles and interactions of our physical world and our daily existence. I love nature – though I don’t spend as much time in it as I could. I admit, I do not posses the passion that others do in this regard, but I do enjoy taking day long hikes through the woods, over hills, past streams. How we treat the things around us we take for granted – how we can restore the things we have destroyed – how we find sustainable methods of existence – all of these are concepts that I can carry with me into the rest of my live.

Lifetime Wellness
*eyes his stomach* yeeeaaah ^_^;;
Though physical well-being is an important aspect of the class, it is not the only thing that is taught. An integrated regard for every aspect of wellness is addressed. I know there are things I need to change and improve upon, and then there are things I know I don’t know – and this class will help me find and identify them now, when they are useful, instead of later when it may be to late. Harmonious personal well-being is an extremely important issue, if for no other reason than that you can never find more when you go looking than you yourself posses.

OMGCLASS
^_^ Go read my other posts

All in all, I feel rather blessed to have the opportunities that I do this semester ^^

The road leading to a goal does not separate you from the destination; it is essentially a part of it.
~Charles DeLint

OMGCLASS Day 2: (told you that was going to be its name )

Today was a bit more customary as to the way class flowed. The professor – hereafter referred to as BT – had some information to share with us. Most of what was presented was to help us realize that we to often have closed ourselves in little boxes of what is expected when we are presented with different situations. We have certain responses, almost pre-programmed some times, that we don’t even think of before we start to carry out.

One of the best ways to break these habits is to find other people you can bounce your ideas and responses off of before you go charging pell-mell into a given situation. Now, there are a variety of Web 2.0 applications that can help with this. The option that BT presented was del.icio.us ^_^ So, now each of the students has an account, and we can share the information we discover as we go trotting around the web.

Anyway, we received our first sortofsignment: write out your goals, what you’re wanting to achieve – oh, and if that includes what you want to work toward in the class, even better In all honesty, I’ve been thinking about what this class could be like since BT first told me about it last fall. Then, this summer I was thinking about how awesome it would be if I actually had the opportunity to use this class as a way to focus and work toward the individualized ludology degree I’m hoping to get. And then, the first day of class … OMGCLASS ^_^!

I like goals ^^ They can be useful things. I started with some little ones, and that’s how I got back to writing and eventually ended up with these quote-posts. I keep building on what’s there, increasing the challenge, and in the process I get to grow to meet that challenge.

I am of the opinion though, that goals are really more like waypoints, instead of destinations. You may reach them, but there are not a permanent place to stay. They are a place to gather yourself before you launch off once again. It’s when you stop moving forward – when you lose your desire to continue to learn and explore – then you begin to grow old.

For me, the journey itself is the ultimate goal, and I joy in the opportunity – not matter the ups or downs – to simply make it.

Fatigue is the best pillow.
~Benjamin Franklin

I like sleep ^_^ We’ve shared a lot of time and a lot of places he and I. On long car rides early in the morning, I’ve rested on his shoulder as I watched the trees out the window and slowly drifted away. When the world just seemed a bit to big, I’ve wrapped myself in his arms and let everything slip away – to be woken with a gently touch and a quietly whispered, “All’s clear”. Or after a long day, physically exhausted and mentally drained, curling up next to each other and letting the seconds, minutes, hours tick away.

I do believe it’s about time for me to go find him again.

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
~e.e. cummings

A little while back, when I talked about whole/broken vs a dualistic good/evil, I mentioned that what I drew from the example I can not agree with is the concept of balance – which I most certainly do believe in. After posts like the one yesterday, I wonder some times if I might come off a bit militant or war-like. In some ways that would be true, but in others not so much.

The weapons I use are not what most would expect. I carry an easily amused sense of humor – laughter can do wonders for you, and for those around you. Whether at me or with me, a smile on a face can help someone through a day.

A tactful truth can cut through a lot of BS. We have a way of building up what we want – or perhaps, what we expect – to see when we perceive a thing. Sometimes we need someone to push that aside for a minute, so we can come to better believe in our self, or see what we have hidden away.

I love to encourage people, and to be playful in the process. It’s something I do fairly well online, but that I’m still working on in person in most cases. People need to play – to find joy and happiness in the little things that come to them in the “common” moments – and if I can help them find a bit of that, that makes my day ^_^

Laughter, truth, joy – I find these much sharper and more effect than any sword.

Most of us, swimming against the tides of trouble the world knows nothing about, need only a bit of praise or encouragement – and we will make the goal.
~Jerome Fleishman

Day to day existence is something I think that many to many people have perfected. It doesn’t take much – just slogging away from one spot in the day until you reach it again the next. No measure of the passage of time, no record of what if anything may have been achieved or learned. Just a continuous, monotonous repetition that leaves the person feeling hallow and unfulfilled.

I’ve still been thinking about just what exactly it is that motivates us. There’s an aspect there that I’m still working on, and it ties in to something much larger, so I’m not going to go into everything just yet I want to at least sound coherent before I try that one ^^;

What I have realized though, is that I’m looking for sword-sibs. If you’ve read some fantasy before, especially Mercedes Lackey, you may have an idea what I’m referring to. I’m looking for people who will be honest and true friends – which includes challenging me on what I think, what I believe, and the way I choose to live my life. No, I’m not looking for people to beat me down – I can take care of that part just fine, thank you very much. I’m searching for people who are looking to become more than who they currently are, who are striving to become the absolute best they can be.

A large part of what motivates us is the company we keep. Make sure you know who has your back.

Those who are quite satisfied sit still and do nothing; those who are not quite satisfied are the sole benefactors of the world.
~Walter Savage Landor

Ever wonder just what exactly it is that drives people to do things? And why at other times they will simply allow things to continue with no thought as to what comes next?

Me too.