To Believe

Upon the Stoa this day, I am pondering what it means to have beliefs.

One truth I do know is that it is easy to believe in something when you are comfortable. To have faith is easy when one's faith is not seriously challenged.

"It will work out, God watches over us." The operative word there is "watches". There is no promise that things will work out. It is hard to have faith when one is faced with homelessness.

It is hard to believe that one is special when every door seems closed to you.

The alternative, though, is to give up. This is not a viable alternative. One must press forward, regardless of belief or faith, or else failure in life is no longer a possibility but a certainty.

It is easy to have faith when one is comfortable.

Live well,

--Zavost

Just Pay Attention

Upon the Stoa this day I sit again in quiet contemplation.

A new film related to Islam and its prophet is out. You can guess what is happening now around the world.

From what I've read about the film it is accurate in every way. The rise of Islam and its sick prophet, all researched and vetted.

Now remember, Islam is religion of peace, even though in Arabic it means "submit". Film comes out, describes Mohammed as a twisted freak who created his own religion to justify his counter-culture activities, and the muslims riot. Someone makes a silly cartoon, muslims riot. Someone sneezes near a Koran, muslims riot.

Muslims wire 2,000 year old statues with C4 and blow it to hell and back and do the Buddhists riot? No, they bend their heads in sorrowful contemplation of the horror that has been done in God's name.

Someone draws a bug, puts a scarf on it and calls it a prophet and people's heads begin rolling.

Please people, pay attention. Look at what they do, not what they say.

Live well.

--Zavost

Playing it Forward

Upon the Stoa this warm and sunny day, I'd like to discuss music from the past decades.

This post is going to concern mostly my son and the music he listens to. No, not 90's pop/slut music. Not 00's Pop/slut music and not even the current, whatever it is. Hell, we are not even talking about music from the 60's or 70's.

My son has reached all the way back to the 20's through the late 50's for his music. He does not like big band music, he likes crooners and groups. Bing Crosby and Sinatra fan. Loves Martin and the Ink Spots. Those are only a few.

Why does he like them? He likes the music, he likes the singing, since it appears that those people actually knew how to sing. He also likes the stories they tell. They weren't just a few lines and phrases repeated endlessly, but a story that unfolded in the song.

He likes how it all comes together, behind the talent of the singer/songwriter. No sound booths to make your voice reverb.

He was introduced to this via video and computer games. Lacking creativity, many today turn to the past, to raid it for talent and independent thought. Frugalness made them go after songs that were not under copywriter any longer and this led to a re-introduction of songs to a generation of kids who might actually mistake them for original and recent.

Not so my brilliant son. He used the Internet to find out who these people were and learn about them. He downloads their music whenever he can.

They say computer games rot your brain, but in his case they have enriched it. The music and those games have given him a perspective on the world that many in his age group are unaware. It contrasts with the filth of today. The lack of individual creativity and the theft of intellectual property from the past is appalling.

Keep it up, boy. I may just get you a Sinatra download for Christmas...

Live well.

--Zavost