#2

Days have gone by

Wounds have been healed

Perspective in place

Lessons of life

Giants have fallen

But their memories live on

The reason you're there

The reason I'm here

Experiences had

Both good and bad

Strengths in disguise

Life playing out

The past has a part

The you I can't see

The I that was me

Just let it be

#7

Little house with no-one home

Paint the walls, fix up the door

Heat the rooms, breathe fresh air

Vinyl spins back life and soul

Books on books, shelves in grief

Wooden floors that creak hello

Steps relived from times of old
The kettle boils, tea to be made 

#6

Storm brewing

Coffee brewed

Fire down

Book in hand

Live In The Moment

I'm a little fed up with the society I belong to. It's a twisted society that has really lost its way, leaving each and every one of us to pick our way through the obstacle course it leaves in its wake. Perhaps it's not necessarily a bad thing, that we must once again become thinking people, that we become the philosophers of our generation.

Our society is an unhealthy one, that constantly promotes unnatural behaviour. There are a number of different levels of this within our society, but right now I'm thinking of the 'reach the top or you're a failure' attitude.
This notion that we must have a thousand different things to be doing each and every moment of our day is mad. People are driving themselves into the ground, overworking themselves. This is all founded on the notion of progression through the ranks, earning a better wage, having greater purchasing power so that you can own each and every new gadget, or piece of clothing that the ridiculously skinny model on the magazine wears. It's as though we are guided into a vicious cycle.

Work is not the problem, but working for the wrong reason is. The belief that we must have a thousand things to do is a lie but it troubles people greatly.

Is it really worth valuing this "higher" standard of living over time. Time to be with family and friends, to sit with a book, to write in your notebook, or simply snooze. Have we lost touch with the slower pace of life that older generations grew up with. Sometime I think it's no wonder so many people within our society suffer from depression or anxiety.

To live your life in comparison to the man or woman next to you is wrong. But that's exactly what happens in our society.

This is a characteristic not seen in all cultures or societies. I remember cycling around Siem Reap in Cambodia back in 2011. It was Monsoon season and so I got caught in a downpour. I quickly pedalled my way over to a nearby shelter, a small wooden gazebo. Under the gazebo were three or four locals, in no hurry to be anywhere, but to be in the present moment. They all whipped out their hammocks and snoozed away. Obviously I had to join in, so I simply lay on the bench, only to find a giant spider a foot from my head. Needless to say, I did not snooze!

We need to live in the present moment. Be happy in your own skin, not the skin of another. Live your life. Enjoy your moments.

mindlessness

rainy days

sun shining

study blues

day dreams

coffee cups

melancholy rhythm

mindlessness

a moment

It’s a fine line

we stay walking

have we a choice

fall from grace

did the world blink

clock kept on

time has no patience

neither do we

a cold world

but the sun shines

and you smile

we stay walking

it’s a fine line

and night comes

but the stars shine

and the rain falls

then we dance

Thoughts on "I Am Malala"

Last night I finished reading the 'I Am Malala' book. I think it was probably more like early this morning, 4am or some stupid hour like that.  This book has moved me. It certainly has had a profound effect on me, on my understanding (or lack thereof) of the way in which our societies and cultures across the world differ; yet as individuals we are much the same, with the same fundamental values and desires to be free. Yeah yeah, what does it mean to be 'free'? I just mean it in the sense that one should feel comfortable and happy to express themselves from their heart and their soul. To be free of culture, tradition, religion is a choice that very few people will make, as it's not what our hearts desire. After all, most of us are extremely proud of the quirky traditions and cultures we grow up with, whether that be within a Pashtun, Irish, British, Asian, Indian or Latino society.

Personally I wish I could experience all of these different cultures and traditions. I fell in love with Bangladesh and it's people after spending 2 months there. I felt part Indian after living in Kolkata for the best part of a year. Travelling has been my education and my best friend the past few years. Asians, Indians, Americans, Europeans, Africans, Latin Americans, I have bonded with all of them and see in them what I see in myself; Individuals that want to live and to love, that are proud of their home, that wish just to share moments of their journey with their fellow friends and strangers.

In the book, I could feel Malala's desire to be herself, to help others and to lead a healthy life. Under the Taliban rule that was impossible, and it was really quite disturbing to read of their oppressive nature. They were no different than (awful example coming up).. dementors! I'm sorry but that was the best example I could think of, a faceless being sucking happiness and life out of what was clearly a beautiful and colorful people and place. Yet as individuals, can they really have been so bad? I'm sure they are not, but collectively have lost their way.

Who has the right to decide on how another lives their life? How can an individual, or a group of individuals believe they know what is best for larger groups of individuals. Each person on this planet has the right to interpret life in their own way, and to live their life in accordance with that. Nobody has the right o interpret life and enforce their interpretation on others. That is a message I've taken from the book, and believe it to be true. Read it.