Society

Mono – Hymn To The Immortal Wind

The Artist

Mono (stylized as MONO) are a Japanese instrumental rock band, formed in 1999 in Tokyo. The band consists of Takaakira Goto (electric guitar, glockenspiel), Hideki Suematsu (electric guitar, glockenspiel), Tamaki Kunishi (bass guitar, electric guitar, piano, glockenspiel), and Yasunori Takada (drum kit, glockenspiel, synthesizer). Hymn to the Immortal Wind; Part of the story behind the music and studio album released in March 2009.

Ashes In The Snow

Swiftly as a draft of wind, moving past her without a trace.

Time, cold and unbending, leaves her standing alone once again.Long ago, there was the sound of two children running here. Their footsteps, never straying farapart from each other’s, still echo through the woods where an old woman walks on his day.

On a still river surrounded by weeping willows, the woman rows her boat towards the open sea.With a grave face she pulls the oars to and fro, her eyes fixed upon a nearby cliff above the waters. She traces the edge and holds her breath, reliving the chilling distance down to the bottom. Her rhythm is steady and slow as she breaks through the familiar fog. The sound of waves crashing, the lingering smell of burnt wood, and the reflection of branches on the water all remain the same as her memory, as if frozen in a spell. She inhales all she can hold and wonders if winter never ended since that cold night she stood on the cliff with him. Here lies their landscape of memories untouched by the awakening spring.

On this day the woman prepares for farewell. Heavy are his ashes, sinking in her hand. As she strains to let his remains go, she turns herself to the earth for an answer, a reminder of why she is here. Beneath her grief she knows there is something beyond the finality of this moment. Like the spring that is born from a cruel winter, there is something here waiting to be born. Resting her hand on the boat, she lets her eyes sleep.

Peering from the thickets of the surrounding woods, a promise tree faithfully waits to welcome this day of their journey. With roots woven deeply into the earth, it is the only thing that’s flourished here where all else has stood still. In the midst of it all, it continues to grow, nurturing the vow that it was planted with as if it were its child. The tree watches the woman tenderly and sways its branches, sending a stream of wind to relieve her. Continue reading →

Optimism, Pessimism and Fear

Thoughts on Optimism, Pessimism and Fear

In Will Smith’s 2013 movie After Earth his character distinguishes the difference between Danger and Fear;”Fear is an illusion, Danger is real. ” In physically demanding collision/impact sports the most prevalent characteristic between the great athletes and the average ones is usually the ability to overcome the fear of hurting yourself. Fear directly affects your relationships particularly the one with your sense of self, imagine the difficulty of not being able to trust yourself let alone another person. The level of trust that exist when in a partnership needs to be solid in order to be successful this foundation is built on integrity, introspection and a healthy dose of self respect.

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I’ve always described myself as a realist with the heart of an eternal optimist. There is no doubt that the majority of my life decisions have been led with my heart it is my greatest strength and sometimes exploited weakness. The concept of “learned pessimism” is something I deeply agree with and a skill I’ve learned even though it doesn’t come natural. Optimism and pessimism are two different sides of the same coin, understanding this enables us to better understand and perceive the situations and circumstances we find ourselves in, as a result we learn more about our individual human qualities, would even go so far to say a greater appreciation for life. One of my favorite quotes was said by the entertainment and cultural icon Frank Sinatra, when he said “Confidence is king”. This Forbes article by Travis Bradberry is a good summary of the characteristics that embody this attitude. Continue reading →

Airbnb Travel Style: Living Moments

Technical Innovation and Response

Airbnb has started to get a lot of traction and I am a big fan of it so far, for anyone that travels frequently it is a nice alternative to the traditional means of booking hotels, motels etc. I think the great recession of 2008 challenged the world to come up with solutions on how to generate additional income but also on what is most important in life. The soul I think is a global citizen, connected online and offline we all desire love, appreciation, friendship a healthy meal and environment. Out of all the online platforms that has gained traction in this new digital sharing space, I think Airbnb has clearly come out as a leader. Great value, quality price and engineered pleasant experiences with gracious kind host who share your values. Investors are watching this company very closely as a potential public offering might be in the works in the future. Continue reading →

Outwitting the Devil – Napoleon Hill

Removing Fear & Thinking Clear

Image Source: Shutterstock

The nature and discussion of how to overcome fear is prevalent in many modern day spiritual enlightenment movements. The idea of conciseness and old saying “mind over matter” has never been more popular or accurate in my opinion. Breaking down the concept of reality conciseness at a quantum level we come to realize that almost everything we think of as solid is really just empty space, the universe itself is considered to be made of over 70% dark matter.

Removing fear is like exploring dark matter, you know it exist yet it is difficult to understand and easier to just simply ignore. I’ve always enjoyed tackling fears, however only when I was aware of them. When not aware of the roots of fear, negative thoughts and suppress feelings you cultivate a perfect environment for fear to manifest. The following audio book below called Outwitting The Devil by Napoleon Hill is over 70 years old and it contains wisdom and positive teachings that have never been more relevant today. Continue reading →

Coming Soon: Quantum Computing

Canadian Innovation & Leadership

Quantum Mechanics has been in the realm of thought, debate, and study for over 60 years. However out of all nations Canada is emerging well positioned to lead this new era of technology advancement in regards to commercialization. Former RIM (Blackberry) Co-CEO Mike Lizard, and his partner Doug Fregin, have put Canada and Waterloo, Ontario on the map with their vision of having the region become known as the “Quantum Valley” a place of innovation advanced innovation and a global hub for the sector. So far the management team has established a $100M fund with resources being used to support scientist and researchers to find new discoveries and breakthroughs. Below is a documentary I found worthy of sharing that introduces the subject of Quantum Computing with simplicity.

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The New Year & Psychological Time

Moving Forward While Being Present

I’ve officially started referring to conscious popular calender time as Psychological Time (external time), Eckhart Tolle, is considered a contemporary Spiritual Teacher his book “The Power of Now” has sold over 5 Million Copies and has been translated in 36 languages, I finished it in 3 days and walked away feeling many of the things he discussed as legitimate, very repetitive but legitimate non-the less. Continue reading →

Great Thought Leader: Milton Friedman

During my undergraduate studies Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics was vilified as though it was the root of all evil. The neo-right on the political realm took up many of his theories however through study, experience and my own research I’ve come to realize I think Mr. Friedman was misunderstood in many ways. I was particularity impressed with the emphasis and responsibility he placed on the individual in society and the citizens relationship and role with government. As a thought leader Milton Friedman’s legacy runs deep and looking forward it would not surprise me to see his perspectives pick up popularity within the emerging Global Social Enterprise sector, putting the responsibility on individuals and free enterprises to solve problems and not governments. He challenged John Maynard Keynes the king of western civilization economics for well over a generation, I respect that.

Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist, statistician, and writer who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades. He was a recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, and is known for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory, and the complexity of stabilization policy.^[1] As a leader of the Chicago school of economics, he profoundly influenced the research agenda of the economics profession. A survey of economists ranked Friedman as the second most popular economist of the twentieth century after John Maynard Keynes,^[2] andThe Economist described him as “the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century … possibly of all of it.”^[3]

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For The Love of Jazz

That First Memory

As long as I can remember I’ve had a deep fascination and love of Jazz Music. I don’t recall how and or when was the first time I realized how much I loved the genre; however if my memory servers me right it was when I was a little boy maybe 11-12 years old. It was quite evening in Mississauga my mother in the living room watching television and brother asleep in his room, we just moved from Downtown Toronto, Mississauga only a population of 200K + at the time. I was in my room cleaning and organizing my cloths and random toys I was beginning to outgrow. During a break I was beside the window in my room fiddling around with the AM/FM radio trying to get a signal… and then this sound came through the haze and fuzz of radio the signals crossing, I adjusted the dial with surgical precision until, wow that…. flute I knew the instrument because in my grade 4 music class we learned about them and heard the sounds. At that time I was becoming a master of “Hot, Cross, Buns on the Recorder”, the pride I had playing that simple melody you would think that I was Miles Davis prodigy with the grin of achievement and satisfaction on my face once done. However this sound on the radio was a lot different, It defiantly wasn’t Mrs. Burnett’s music class of a bunch of out-of-tune elementary students blowing recklessly on recorders, this sound was, it was…. it was world class! So smooth anyone who was blessed with the ability to hear could realize it instantly.

Photograph: Redferns Redferns/REDFERNS / Redferns via http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/aug/09/john-coltrane-giant-step

Introduced To A Classic

Then the radio announcer said as the music slowly faded the radio honed in super clear, “you were just listening to John Coltrane’s Classic “Favorite Things”, from his 7th studio album in 1961″. That very moment time stood still, it was only 1994-1995, and in between playing my NHL 94′ on Super Nintendo (arguably the best video game ever) from that moment on through the years I would make time in the evenings every weekend to stay up late and listening to Jazz music played on CBC Radio.

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Great Thought Leader: Earl Nightingale

“We can let circumstances rule us,
or we can take charge and rule our lives from within.”
–Earl Nightingale

As a Depression-era child, Earl Nightingale was hungry for knowledge. From the time he was a young boy, he would frequent the Long Beach Public Library in California, searching for the answer to the question, “How can a person, starting from scratch, who has no particular advantage in the world, reach the goals that he feels are important to him, and by so doing, make a major contribution to others?” His desire to find an answer, coupled with his natural curiosity about the world and its workings spurred him to become one of the world’s foremost experts on success and what makes people successful. earl-nightingale1

His early career began when, as a member of the Marine Corps, he volunteered to work at a local radio station as an announcer. The Marines also gave him a chance to travel, although he only got as far as Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. Earl managed to be one of the few survivors aboard the battleship Arizona. After five more years in the service, Earl and his wife moved first to Phoenix then Chicago to build what was to be a very fruitful career in network radio.

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Great Thought Leader: James Allen

jamesallen

James Allen is a literary mystery man. His inspirational writings have influenced millions for good. Yet today he remains almost unknown. None of his nineteen books give a clue to his life other than to mention his place of residence – Ilfracombe, England. His name cannot be found in a major reference work. Not even the Library of Congress or the British Museum has much to say about him. Who was this man who believed in the power of thought to bring fame, fortune and happiness? Or did he, as Henry David Thoreau says, hear a different drummer? James Allen never gained fame or fortune. That much is true. His was a quiet, unrewarded genius. He seldom made enough money from his writings to cover expenses.

Allen was born in Leicester, Central England, (November, 28, 1864). The family business failed within a few years, and in 1879 his father left for America in an effort to recoup his losses. The elder Allen had hoped to settle in the United States, but was robbed and murdered before he could send for his family. The financial crisis that resulted forced James to leave school at fifteen. He eventually became a private secretary, a position that would be called administrative assistant today. He worked in this capacity for several British manufacturers until 1902, when he decided to devote all his time to writing. Continue reading →