#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.

Malala, Taliban and Swat Valley

I've been reading the I Am Malala book this past week. The last few chapters I've thought about deeply, even in the moments I'm reading the page; I find myself losing my focus, lost in a different world trying to understand exactly what I've been reading. The time of the Taliban and their exertion of power over the Swati people is such a sad part of the book. Why such discrimination, and why such a loss of vision and love for ones fellow human being? Religious belief shouldn't even be factored into the equation of such acts as those of the Taliban. It's a surreal moment in history, like that of the Nazi concentration camps or Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia. Of course it's not as extensive and the number of casualties don't compare, but the nature of the beast is the same; the confiscation of ones freedom.

The confiscation of education from a girl, the confiscation of free will, the freedom to choose not just your faith, but the manner in how you practice your faith. The enforcement of law is not law when the majority of a population are suppressed to the point of giving in to the opposing force, against their will.

What I find really painful to read are the moments in which Malala describes the Taliban's destruction of ancient Buddhist structures, and the elimination of all kinds of traditional and cultural values that the Swati people hold so dear. It's very clear throughout the book that culture and tradition in the Swat Valley is paramount to the way that Pashtuns live their lives.

Malala also brings more light on the hurt that was felt by Swati's on the news of innocent killings of children by US drones. That is a story that lies in the background of Malala's book, yet is obviously a greater issue than that. It must be seen as on par with the actions of the Taliban, and  was clearly a driving force behind the Taliban's recruitment appeal.

I hope one day that for me it will be safe to go visit the Swat Valley. It's mountains, lakes and scenery are clearly some of the most beautiful on this planet. To walk or cycle through the valley, and walk the streets of Mingora and other small villages would be a dream. One day, I believe that I will.

Sandcastles and the Sea

Life’s like building a sandcastle.
You sweat and you burn under the sun,
slaving away as you build your masterpiece,
your pride and your joy.
When your work is complete and the day is done,
you lie back in the sand to admire your effort.
But the minutes tick by and the water draws near,
next thing you know, your castle disappears…

The Crossroads

For a part of our lives we lived together,
we worked together, and we loved together.
For a part of our lives, nothing else mattered.
You were the most important person to me,
and I the most important person to you.
Our world was a harsh one, but that didn’t matter.
Through laughter, work, struggle and prayer,
We were together as one. Nothing else mattered.
But the road ahead is never straight forward,
And today we are stretched by the realities of life.
But forever we remain under one sky,
Through spirit and memories of times gone by,
When we were together at the crossroads of life.

The Lost Soul

The lost soul wanders through the throng of people,
deaf and blind to the world around him. He looks
through tired eyes and walks his tired body. Tired
from the pain and the stresses of life. Tired from having
nothing to do, tired from being shouted at, and turned
away. Tired from being acknowledged as nothing more
than a pest and a nobody.
Finding a dark isolated corner, he rolls his best friend
between his fingers, places it between his lips, puffs
and lets go. Finally a place of comfort where the world
wont find him!