Author Topic: The Surreal Beauty of Life  (Read 1084 times)

Boo the Gentleman Caller

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The Surreal Beauty of Life
« on: October 02, 2011, 11:39:02 pm »
I have no explanation for my recent behavior; I guess it's a mixture of nostalgia, the growing desire to truly live every moment, and the joy that comes when you bring a child into this world. Life is full of wonder and so often the things we see in passing are glimmers of something pure, wholesome, beautiful - yet we rarely notice them for what they are. I spent an hour today walking around downtown Chattanooga and found myself in awe of the little things. The way porches and building edges align, sunlight through swaying leaves, the sound of a car passing under the bridge - they are the truest essence of life's little moments of loveliness.

This is a thread to share the simple moments of surreal beauty. Whether it be a song, a photograph, a video, a piece of art, a memory, or anything else of simple value, let it be shared amongst our friends... Here. Even on the internet, despite the miles and the differences in our real-world lives, we are together. Let us celebrate in whatever life we find ourselves in.

[youtube]koXfJwerwUE[/youtube]

[youtube]TFqRqZaOb2E[/youtube]
« Last Edit: October 03, 2011, 12:40:48 am by Boo the Gentleman Caller »

Lord J Esq

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2011, 12:49:18 am »
I have no explanation for my recent behavior; I guess it's a mixture of nostalgia, the growing desire to truly live every moment, and the joy that comes when you bring a child into this world. Life is full of wonder and so often the things we see in passing are glimmers of something pure, wholesome, beautiful - yet we rarely notice them for what they are. I spent an hour today walking around downtown Chattanooga and found myself in awe of the little things. The way porches and building edges align, sunlight through swaying leaves, the sound of a car passing under the bridge - they are the truest essence of life's little moments of loveliness.

Well said. I boldfaced the part that's likeliest to explain your inexplicable behavior. This takes root in some people and not in others, at varying ages in life, but few folks have the understanding sufficient to recognize it as anything else but a great washing-over of appreciation--a sense of beauty everywhere.

The world itself is devoid of objective beauty. We perceive beauty when we are in a state of mind to do so. It comes from many places, from self-confidence, from comprehending the world's complexities, from recognizing the familiar, from a whole host of animal instincts, and from elsewhere besides. It could be that your having a child was a trigger for you, but in others (such as myself) who have hatched no kidlets it isn't necessarily the case.

The good news is that, as best I can tell, unless your misfortune is supreme you will be able to enjoy this heightened level of appreciation for the rest of your life. There will be more struggles and hardships, but appreciation is something that rarely fades.

I think you may find that the paradise many of us hope to one day find is already here, or at least the objective material component of it is, for those of us who are lucky enough not to be downtrodden or enslaved. We live in a golden age and you will see that everywhere, now, in all your travels and studies. What is usually missing is not the setting, but the mindset. What you're describing is the dawn of that mindset, and I wish you all the best with it.

Since you invited such things, here is a short poem to commemorate the occasion:

A temptation by what can be done.
A temptation to be where you are.
The blowing blade of grass is not overlooked.

Boo the Gentleman Caller

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2011, 01:34:53 am »
Thanks for the poem, Lord J - it's quite fitting with the theme of this thread (as abstract as it is).

I've actually been this way since my teenage years. I would often used to drive through the North Dakota countryside just to take in and appreciate the sights. One of the first big 'aha' moments was actually when I first heard the Lost in Translation soundtrack. I was in eleventh grade and my buddy had given me a few CD's. My family and I had a finished basement that I had claimed as my den (video games, computer, kitchenette, etc) and I would sometimes sleep on the couch there rather than in my own bed. I was listening to the CD in the darkness (well, I did have green Christmas lights strung up, so I guess it wasn't completely dark) when I heard Kevin's Shield's Goodbye (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIX_WxVOJPg). I was overcome with a multitude of emotions: thankfulness, sorrow, hope, beauty. I lay there was got teary eyed at the entirety of the feeling. I hadn't seen the movie so I didn't have a scene to relate it to, but I felt it.

Every so often something will happen to make me feel that way, but since having had a baby, the frequency has increased tenfold. Everywhere I go I find myself soaking it in, relishing it, wanting to hold on to it and share it.

tushantin

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2011, 09:46:58 am »
Firstly, that is an adorable kid there!  :lol: Awwww...

Every so often something will happen to make me feel that way, but since having had a baby, the frequency has increased tenfold. Everywhere I go I find myself soaking it in, relishing it, wanting to hold on to it and share it.
XDDD You may as well become a photographer (professionally or for hobby, it's up to you -- I can direct you to some books). You want the world to see life's beauty from four eyes, then I dare say you duty vision will be appreciated.

Josh is right, but unlike Josh I don't think beauty is an illusion; sure, it holds among the eyes of the beholder, but the complexity, imperfection and ugliness itself lends to the value of aesthetic importance. Show me a place where slavery and injustice is prevalent, and I will show you beauty hidden in plain sight while also helping people be inspired to take arms against such injustice. Beauty isn't simply something that you're willing to accept. Beauty is also something that makes you cry. Something that inspires you.

For now, I only have something I've written before, though expect more. :wink:

Weird stuff happenened today after while I got home.  :lol: An old man walked home from a meat-butchers place with a bag full of raw chicken. A black dog stalked him for a while until he turned a corner. When the grip on the bag loosened, the dog grabbed the bag and ran for it! The old timer pursued, but quickly became exhausted. Since I was on a bike I chased the dog, and boy did ho go far! I didn't want to confront the dog, nor grab the chicken back; I simply chased out of curiosity, hidden midst the crowd so that the animal didn't know someone was after him (yeah, I'm good at stalking / chasing -- shut up!). I stood close and saw how far the dog gone from where it stole its bounty. It walked to a silent pavement, away from the crowd, looked back to see if anyone followed it and quickly dug its teeth on the plastic bag, tearing it open to devour the juicy meat inside. I smiled and went back home.

I could say a lot on this, but I don't think its necessary. Though I would love to know your interpretations.  :wink:


Another miracle: I woke early in the morn (6 am) and went on a walk with my bro. Early morns have these minuscule, white insects that swarm and fly wherever there are plants. I used to abhor these creatures as a kid, I found them annoying. Today, however, it was different, though my brother still did. At first I tried to find their hive, but noticed that they swarmed on certain leaves at the east side. I pondered: sunlight? No (they received none of it). Rather they swarmed on concave surfaces, which probably meant that these surfaces provided protection from the wind and sunlight. A snacks seller at the roadside said that these insects are usually found on almond trees. I took a step back and looked at them again. Their hive simply disappears at a distance, but what you see before you is something miraculous. It wasn't snowing, but these insects swirled around like snowflakes, having a life of their own, or perhaps like ghosts or spirits of nature itself. Forever changing, and limitless.

And it was beautiful!

Synchronization

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2011, 07:17:30 pm »
Ecstasy anyone?

tushantin

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2011, 07:22:25 am »
Ecstasy anyone?
What're ya talkin about? XD

Boo the Gentleman Caller

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2011, 09:55:41 pm »
Speaking of ecstasy...

A little hit of audio-e by The Chemical Brothers. It's such a great song; it makes me want to dance and celebrate life. Especially at the 4:20 mark - it starts building into an audio explosion of love. Then, right at 5:00... that's when it really gets sexified. I present "The State We're In".

[youtube]_BnvA8jIUbI[/youtube]

And here's the lovely remix.

[youtube]2z-W52BEA_Y[/youtube]

EDIT: The videos don't seem to be loading for some reason. Is anyone else having that problem?

EDIT II: Fixed!
« Last Edit: October 06, 2011, 11:30:28 pm by Boo the Gentleman Caller »

FaustWolf

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2011, 10:15:59 pm »
The address IDs aren't even working in Youtube for me. For example, try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnvA8jIUbI. Could you have missed a character?

Boo the Gentleman Caller

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2011, 06:02:21 am »
[youtube]6D9och5skRk[/youtube]

Sorry that some of my posts tend to revolve around my growing family and I. These things just weigh heavy on my heart these days - my daughter is already growing up too fast and all I can do is quietly participate as time takes its toll. I find beauty in such things, especially after weeks like this, in which we were in a pretty bad car accident. Luckily everyone was fine and no one was hurt, but it just brings me back to the meaningful nature of life, love, family, legacies. I hope everyone can one day know this feeling. It is universal, and it isn't tied to a family or a child; it is tied to living.

tushantin

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #9 on: October 30, 2011, 08:12:04 am »
Hey, don't feel bad about it, Boo! Those moments are fantastic, they're your moments, yours and your family's. Nobody can take them from you, so enjoy them now. I'm glad you guys are alright, but if that accident signified anything it's probably that you need to live NOW more than you ever did before.  8)

Your baby girl's adorable! Kids grow fast, don't they? Take a glimpse through their eyes once in a while, though, and you'll find that while years pass quickly for you, ever minute is an eternity for them. And what they see about the world is... beautiful! Hold those moments delicately. Cherish them with your child, and she'll grow to be the most wonderful person you'll ever meet. If I were you, I'd paint em!  :D

Remember, Boo, what you hold in your arms there is nothing short of a miracle. In fact, it is the greatest miracle the universe has to offer.

Quote from: Pablo Picasso
“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”

tushantin

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #10 on: November 14, 2011, 09:55:50 am »
I must have already told a few people about how my mind automatically synthesizes music on its own, composing the most elaborate melodies and synths depending on the circumstances -- everything, be it the moon and stars, the loud traffic outside, the jolly people, the wind, etc., become instruments in my head.

Since the last time I walked in the rain, with my home miles away and no bus in sight, the rain and winds themselves played a beautiful song in my ear. It felt quite like the Schala theme, but the composition and music was entirely original, unlike anything I've ever heard. It was a flute music, and it tried to tell me something that I still haven't managed to figure out yet.

And unlike the other music I normally create in my head, I have remember this one pretty clearly. I only wish that I could compose music and make it eternal.

Anywhos, I better go back to serenading the Moon.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2011, 10:00:25 am by tushantin »

Lord J Esq

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Re: The Surreal Beauty of Life
« Reply #11 on: November 17, 2011, 02:29:52 pm »
One perk of being on a night schedule in the winter months is that, if I stay up into the early afternoon, then come bedtime the bedroom has two windows, one each on two walls, which will open up to views of the mountains. Open those blinds and light pours into the room, like the aerie atop Sky Dragon Isle. Going by electrical light all night, and then having the sun on the east side of the house in the morning, means that it's nowhere near as bright in any room at any other time as it is in the bedroom on these late-year afternoons.

Light and silence. I sleep well in that.
« Last Edit: November 17, 2011, 02:40:17 pm by Lord J Esq »