Περί ευθύνης

Ν’ αγαπάς την ευθύνη να λες εγώ, εγώ μονάχος μου θα σώσω τον κόσμο. Αν χαθεί, εγώ θα φταίω.

Νίκος Καζαντζάκης

The Sunday of all Sundays

Since I was a child, I was looking for the Sunday of all Sundays.

The one that doesn't turn into a Monday.

Yet, the older I get, the deeper the roots of doubt grow.

I don't even know any more, if such a Sunday would be utopia or hell on Earth.

State of mind

If you think you are beaten, you are;

If you think you dare not, you don't.

If you'd like to win, but you think you can't,

It is almost a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you've lost;

For out in this world we find

Success begins with a person's will

It's all in the state of mind. 

If you think you're outclassed, you are;

You've got to think high to rise.

You've got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win the prize.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man;

But sooner or later the person who wins

Is the one who thinks he can!

Walter D. Wintle

Διαπίστωση #20

Κάποτε καποιος μου είπε, οτι γερνώντας, νοιώθεις πως όλος ο κόσμος σου γκρεμίζεται. 

Χάνεις τους γονείς σου.

Φίλους.

Τον σύντροφο σου.

Η μουσική που αγαπάς ειναι κατι που σταματά να γέννα. 

Μένει στο παρελθόν μαζι σου.

Μακριά απ τα νεαρά αυτιά. 

Οι ήρωες και οι προσωπικότητες που αγάπησες ειναι κατι που οι νέοι δεν αναγνωρίζουν.

Και ετσι εχεις ολο και πιο λιγα να μοιραστείς. 

Ολο και πιο πολλά που σου λείπουν.

Κ ετσι η θλίψη γίνεται ο καθημερινός σου σύντροφος. 

Για μένα, υπάρχει και η άλλη οπτική.

Ολ' αυτα ειναι απόδειξη οτι έζησες.

Οτι έγινες κομμάτι των ελαχίστων τυχερών που έστριψαν απ το ποτάμι της ανυπαρξίας.

Αγάπησες, παθιάστηκες, δέθηκες.

Αυτα που σε βαραίνουν ειναι η απόδειξη οτι είχες πράγματα , καταστάσεις, πρόσωπα που σου έδωσαν χαρά.

Και θα τα κουβαλάς μαζι σου μεχρι το τελος. 

Μπορει να ειναι θλιβερό οτι τα έχασες, αλλα ειναι προνόμιο οτι τα είχες. 

Καλό ταξίδι Νιόνιο και ευχαριστούμε. 

Να δώσεις χαιρετίσματα στο Λαυρέντη.

To you (mou)

Welcome to life.

I look forward to showing you this world—

One full of happiness and pain,

Full of life and death.

A world that will crush you and enchant you,

Full of the magic of nature and its brutality.

Be curious, my son.

Embrace the new, love to learn.

Learn to filter out the noise.

Respect your body, yourself and others.

Be passionate about your dreams, 

not about corporations; 

protect those who in need.

Welcome to this amazing, scary, exciting, boring, unjust—yet full of values—place.

It's a short trip, so make it matter the most by doing the wisest thing you can:

Find someone to share it with.

Experience love, rejection, and companionship.

Take risks, but also plan ahead.

Make it last long enough—yet don't play it too safe.

Διαπίστωση #19

When we are born, we are given two finite and valuable resources.

We are given Time and a bucket of Effort.

We should be waking up and going to sleep always having these in my mind. 

Every day gone, every effort spent is a thing of the past. 

Something we will never get back.

Yet, we spend them like we have them in abundance. 

Mindlessly, without cause. 

Only ,close to the end, we realise our mistake, despite knowing their limited nature from early on.

This is what humankind is about. 

A monstrous intelligence of poor wisdom.

The Truth about Sancho Panza

Without making any boast of it Sancho Panza succeeded in the course of years, by feeding him a great number of romances of chivalry and adventure in the evening and night hours, in so diverting from himself his demon, whom he later called Don Quixote, that this demon thereupon set out, uninhibited, on the maddest exploits, which, however, for the lack of a preordained object, which should have been Sancho Panza himself, harmed nobody. A free man, Sancho Panza philosophically followed Don Quixote on his crusades, perhaps out of a sense of responsibility, and had of them a great and edifying entertainment to the end of his days.

- Franz Kafka

A new Sun

A new Sun is about to rise. 

A new era and a new challenge. 

One I am eager to take. 

Yet, I am afraid. 

Afraid of myself, of my weaknesses and how I can rise above them.

I have a very high bar to bit. 

I can't even begin to understand how they did it. 

The amount of effort and bravery. 

The sleepless nights,

The tenacity to train my character and brain.

To give me all I needed to thrive in the society. 

How? How do I start?

How can I give you everything I have, without hurting you?

There are times that I feel afraid. 

Afraid that I will not be good enough.

But then, I remember:

Fear is a superpower. 

It makes us think faster, harder. Be on our feet.

I know it will be my friend going forward. 

Fear and love always go hand in hand. 

We always think that love makes you achieve unimaginable feats.

But no, if you peel its layer and get to the root of the motive, love is not the fuel of your engine. 

It's fear. 

Fear of seeing your loved ones get hurt.

Fear of what could scar them.

Fear will lend us its strength and push us upwards in ways we have never been pushed before. 

So, Fear, please lend me your strength and thank you for being here.

To help me, help my Sun.

Sad and short story

Today I woke up and thought it was Saturday. 

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep. 

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain. 

When you wake in the morning hush,

I am the swift, uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night. 

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there, I do not sleep.

(Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there, I did not die!)

Mary Elizabeth Frye

Καζαντζάκης

Μια από τις πιο μεγάλες χαρές που μπορεί ν’ αξιωθεί ο άνθρωπος στον κόσμο τούτο είναι να φυσάει αλαφρό αγεράκι και ν’ αρμενίζεις στο Αιγαίο˙ δεν μπόρεσα ποτέ να φανταστώ πώς γίνεται να ‘ναι αλλιώς ο Παράδεισος.

Ποια άλλη χαρά στον ουρανό και τη γης, μπορεί να ‘ναι καλύτερα αρμονισμένη με το κορμί και με την ψυχή του ανθρώπου;

Ο αγαπημένος αόρατος κόσμος γίνεται ορατός. Κι ό,τι λέμε Θεός και αιώνια ζωή, δεν αφανίζεται.

Τι είναι ο κόρφος του Αβραάμ μπροστά στην ελληνική τούτη, καμωμένη από το νερό πέτρα και δροσερό μελτέμι, αιωνιότητα;

Κλείσε τη φριχτή ώρα του θανάτου τα μάτια. Κι αν δεις τη Σαντορίνη, τη Νάξο, την Πάρο, τη Μύκονο, θα μπεις χωρίς να μεσολαβήσει το χώμα, στον Παράδεισο. Χαιρόμουν που ήμουν άνθρωπος, άνθρωπος και Έλληνας.

-Επίλογος ταινίας "Καζαντζάκης"

Πόση;

Πόση ομορφιά μπορεί να κρύβεται 

πίσω από φαινομενικά απλά πράγματα;

Μια χαρούμενη ουρά.

Ένα ζεστό χαμόγελο. 

Μια πραγματική αγκαλιά να σε καλωσορίζει σπίτι.

Πόσο φτωχός αυτός που δεν έχει κανένα από τα 3;

Κοίτα γύρω σού. Ίσως να είσαι πιο τυχερός απ' όσο νομίζεις. 

Άσε τις ακτίνες του ήλιου 

να σου ζεστάνουν το δέρμα το καλοκαιρινό αυτό πρωινό. 

Μύρισε το θαλασσινό αεράκι και 

άστο να πλημμυρίσει τα πνευμόνια σου.

Ξαπόστασε στο  μαλακό χορτάρι και κοίτα τ' άστρα. 

Πιάσε το χέρι της καθώς κάνετε βόλτα και πες της πως την αγαπάς.

Άκου το αγαπημένο σου τραγούδι.

Χάσου  μες στις σελίδες του  αγαπημένου σου βιβλίου.

Θυμήσου να εκτιμήσεις τη στιγμή. 

Θα περάσει σαν αεράκι και θα χαθεί για πάντα. 

Εισέπνευσε το βαθιά καθώς φεύγει για το άπειρο. 

Μίλα μας

Κάθε χρόνο και πιο σιωπηλός.

Έχω άραγε λιγότερα να πω; 

Έμαθα να ακούω πιο πολύ;

Η μήπως  έγινα πιο αλαζόνας;

Μ αρέσει να παρατηρώ.

Να βλέπω, να μαθαίνω.

Να καταλαβαίνω πως λειτουργεί η παράσταση και ο θίασος στον οποίο ανήκουμε όλοι.

Παλιά ήμουν πιο ενεργό μέλος. 

Ήταν εύκολο να ξεχωρίσω το μαύρο απ' το άσπρο. 

Τι άλλαξε λοιπόν; 

Γιατί όλα είναι πλέον γκρι;

Πλέον δεν έχω τόσες ισχυρές απόψεις. Ξέμειναν μόνο λίγες, σαν μια κακή συνήθεια που δεν μπορείς να αφήσεις πίσω.

Κι όμως τρέμω μη τις χάσω και αυτές. 

Τι θα έχω να δείξω;

Τι να πω;

Τι  να προσφέρω;

Ένας παρατηρητής που βλέπει τον κόσμο να καίγεται και αντί να βοηθήσει... κράτα σημειώσεις.

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

Image by Zen pencils

Mother

And once again you are one with nature.

You fulfilled your role in this form.

You taught me so much, you gave us all you had to give.

But most of all, you showed me how to be brave, how to endure.

How to support and give, rather than be a burden and take. 

You were the best of the four of us.

I was so lucky to meet you. 

To get YOU out of billions of mothers.

I hope that one day I get to be such a great parent as you were.

This is the only thing I can ask for, 

as I know that I will never be as brave. 

Thank you and I love you.

Until we meet again in another form.

Until we are both stardust under the same sun.

About Utopias

“Utopia is on the horizon. I move two steps closer; it moves two steps further away. 

I walk another ten steps and the horizon runs ten steps further away. As much as I may walk, I'll never reach it. 

So what's the point of utopia? The point is this: to keep walking.”

― Eduardo Galeano

That inspiring art

You know what I am referring to. 

The one that always gets you.

Every time you check it, it brings tears to your eyes.

It inspires you.

How could they think of such a perfect way to present this message?

Words can be so powerful. 

Go ahead, experience it again. 

Feed from it.

Let it fill your soul and let it lend you its power.

Then go out there and do your thing.

An eternal gift of its creator:

A way to touch your soul and awaken the special part of you.

A gentle touch of your soul that you never knew you needed.

something that touches mine

A birthday gift

It has been a good day for him today.

He was exhausted, but at least he made her smile.  She loved her early present. New boots and a helmet. It was the perfect gift for their trip.

Tomorrow they would travel to another country.

Just the two of them, travelling together, visiting new places. 

He was so excited that he could not sleep. 

They walked for hours, looking after each other, keeping their eyes open. He was taking care of their safety and she was taking care of their food and drink supplies.

They reached the borders at night. 

He looked around and crossed first.

He missed spotting the guard. 

But the guard did not miss him.

A shot in the dark turned the night birds away. 

He is now laying down.

He is not moving.

The last kiss of war.

One more taken away. 

A darker future for her and none for him.

A birthday gift from their country.

A safe future denied.

And at this point we come back to you my friend; Tell me again how unfortunate you are for not being able to travel abroad for vacations.

Be positive or be alone

Smile. Be positive. 

Stop draining the energy out of people.

"I am a kind person", you say. 

"I always help people".

Yet, noone supports you. 

At least, this is how it feels to you. 

You are always the victim.

The unlucky one.

Why are people using you to get what they want? 

Why is the universe against you?

The answer is: "It's not". 

You are just a negative person.

Subconsciously you like this. 

But this negativity is hurting you more than anyone around you. 

It drives people away. 

Stop complaining. 

Stop pitying yourself and be the positive power you would like to see in the world.

You can't do it you say? 

Let me tell you how simple it is:

If you don't have anything positive to say, keep your mouth shut and try to think of something. 

Otherwise you deserve your fate.

Γνώση ή γνώμη;

Αυτό που πάει λάθος στον κόσμο,  είναι ότι όλοι οι απαιδευτοι άνθρωποι με κλειστά μυαλά, έχουν απαντήσεις για όλα τα περίπλοκα θέματα που οι ειδικοί δεν γνωρίζουν. 

Αν ο κόσμος μπορούσε να αλλάξει με μια φράση,  αυτή θα ήταν: "Δεν γνωρίζω". 

Η αναγνώριση της έλλειψης γνώσης, μας ωθεί να μάθουμε παραπάνω. Να ενημερωθούμε, να καταλάβουμε καλύτερα. Δεν χρειάζεται να έχεις άποψη για όλα. Κανείς δεν περιμένει να ξέρεις τα πάντα. 

Αυτό που χρειάζεται είναι η περιέργειά και η δίψα για γνώση. 

Πες το. Δοκίμασε το. Μη γίνεσαι και εσύ άλλη μια παραφωνία του όχλου των ανόητων.

Κατάλαβε ότι η γνώμη και η γνώση μπορεί να έχουν ένα γράμμα μόνο διαφορά,  αλλά η ουσία τους απέχει γαλαξίες.