"Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.
That’s what George Bernard Shaw had to say once.
What I would say? Think. As simple as that.
But. Believe me. Not an easy thing to do.
For the last few days I’ve been really trying to figure out the true meaning of “thinking”. This pushed me to go through many dictionaries and ask few people around about the word. Finally I got quite a long list of meanings and I started eliminating the ones I thought weren’t appropriate.
Finally I ended up with a much smaller list. Here it is:
Have a conscious mind
Have a belief or opinion
Imagine
Those were the definitions that stroke me. But my task wasn’t over at this stage. I then decided to find a certain logical sequence or even a link or interrelation among them.
I realized that the difference between a thinker and a dreamer is somewhere around the first point: have a conscious mind. Dreamers dream. And that’s what they do. A dream is an intangible thing that can be kept as it is and enjoyed forever. A dreamer can be insane as long as she keeps her dreams for herself.
Note the use of "she". Why should I use "he"? Can't women be insane? Sure they can.
On the other end, a thinker is in search for something.
"A thinker thinks for a thing
Yes. It starts with a conscious mind, then is followed by a belief and finally comes the imagination.
Had we had to list how many thinkers there are in this world? We would end up with a very short one. Most of them would fail in the first point: the conscious mind. The others would fail in the second: having a belief or opinion. Well, they all have some, but for their own interests. When it comes to imagination, we would all succeed. I’m sure we’re very good at it.
Imagination is a daily routine. It’s our daily bread. The youngest ugliest kid would imagine himself being kissed by the nicest girl in his class. The oldest man in his death bed would imagine how it would be like to have few more years to live.
John Lennon once said:
"Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that
I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
…
Yes. Think, dream and imagine.
It’s easy if you try.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Who Knows!
I know.
I haven’t written for a while. You’ll have to excuse me. I have been really busy. Traveling actually. Not far. Some place I’ve been to before. Damascus, Syria.
Sometimes I feel that the more I see, the more I’m passionate about writing. The more I dig, the more I find. I started to realize how we are all interrelated in this world. How the happiness of one can affect the other. And vice versa.
The more I look, the more I’m curious. Sometimes I wonder if people don’t get pissed with all the questions I ask. Why do I ask? Because I’m interested. Why am I interested? Because I want to find that link. The equilibrium point between all people.
Alejandro González Iñárritu had put three stories from three different parts of the world into one final destiny. The stories of Americans, Moroccans and Japanese that became one final epic. That was Babel written by Guillermo Arriaga.
What I can say about Syria that it is a country of culture, of certain discipline and long term calculated growth. And apparently Syrians like it this way.
My last trip along with some other cultural clashes I’ve been experiencing for the last few months have affected me in some way. One of the things I’ll be working on is my first screenplay. Why not put 29 years of ups and downs and cultural lefts and rights into a 120 page script that could end up being something. We never know.
Have you ever bothered to look at who wrote a motion picture? Very few do. Be aware that the screenwriter is the base of every good movie you’ve seen. I suggest you start with the latest Academy Award winner for Best Adapted Screenplay “The Departed” written by William Monahan. Another award winning movie is “Crash”, written and directed by the one and only Paul Haggis. One of the greatest storytellers of all time.
Yes. I will try my chances and will appreciate your support.
One day I might be accepting an award in the Kodak Theater in Beverly Hills and thanking all the people who supported me. Referring to you.
Who knows!
Sometimes I feel that the more I see, the more I’m passionate about writing. The more I dig, the more I find. I started to realize how we are all interrelated in this world. How the happiness of one can affect the other. And vice versa.
The more I look, the more I’m curious. Sometimes I wonder if people don’t get pissed with all the questions I ask. Why do I ask? Because I’m interested. Why am I interested? Because I want to find that link. The equilibrium point between all people.
Alejandro González Iñárritu had put three stories from three different parts of the world into one final destiny. The stories of Americans, Moroccans and Japanese that became one final epic. That was Babel written by Guillermo Arriaga.
What I can say about Syria that it is a country of culture, of certain discipline and long term calculated growth. And apparently Syrians like it this way.
My last trip along with some other cultural clashes I’ve been experiencing for the last few months have affected me in some way. One of the things I’ll be working on is my first screenplay. Why not put 29 years of ups and downs and cultural lefts and rights into a 120 page script that could end up being something. We never know.
Have you ever bothered to look at who wrote a motion picture? Very few do. Be aware that the screenwriter is the base of every good movie you’ve seen. I suggest you start with the latest Academy Award winner for Best Adapted Screenplay “The Departed” written by William Monahan. Another award winning movie is “Crash”, written and directed by the one and only Paul Haggis. One of the greatest storytellers of all time.
Yes. I will try my chances and will appreciate your support.
One day I might be accepting an award in the Kodak Theater in Beverly Hills and thanking all the people who supported me. Referring to you.
Who knows!
I know.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Survival of the Fittest
Economics has always been a major player in creating relationships between two door to door merchants up to relationships among countries. Since day one, economics has existed. In some way.
One of the first examples we learned in the school of economics was "the salad example". Simple. One person grows lettuce and another grows tomatoes. The only way for each of them to eat a good salad with both lettuce and tomatoes is for them to barter. The first gives some lettuce in exchange for tomatoes and vice versa.
The same system exists until this day. We all remember the Iraqi oil for food program. Food to the Iraqi people in exchange for oil. Good deal! Even this program was hijacked by money lovers. No other than Mr. Kofi Anan’s son: Kojo Anan.
Anyway, let’s not get into the details.
All I want to say is that I have always been a supporter of the school which promotes free competition. It simply gives tendency to improve the quality of the products and services we consume on a daily basis, and it drives prices down. A win-win situation for both the seller and the buyer.
Still I have doubts. I believe we have been entering an era of monopolies. Yes. One single company or organization taking control of a whole industry. This company or organization can be a country.
For those of you who think I’m exaggerating. Ok. No monopolies. But oligopolies. I’m not trying to impress you with the words I'm using. But they should be known to any person. At least to those who have studied business administration or economics, or simply to those who read some business reviews.
Oligopolies, or small group of companies that control a specific sector, exist. Look at OPEC for example. Another one. Look at the G8 summit. Decisions taken by a small group of people and that affect the whole world.
Looking at what has been taking place around this world, I wonder if communism should still be that much criticized. Or why take it to the extreme. I don’t want to sound too “Stalin”. But maybe we should reconsider some old theories thrown by Marx for example. Maybe people like Guevara should be brought back from the dead.
Most of all. Maybe religion should be put away. Economics and religion can never work together. Economics is the art, and not the science (at least for me), of supply and demand while religion is the science of supply. Yes. Calculated based on how much the people give to their lords.
Again. Should the Marxists be criticized? I’m not sure. Maybe we should reconsider. Schools and universities should update their books every few years. The world is changing on the other end.
Communism and other ideologies can be rejected today but welcomed tomorrow.
Finally, isn’t communism rejected for its extremism? Aren’t imperialism and capitalism also extremes?
Why aren’t they rejected?
At least publicly.
One of the first examples we learned in the school of economics was "the salad example". Simple. One person grows lettuce and another grows tomatoes. The only way for each of them to eat a good salad with both lettuce and tomatoes is for them to barter. The first gives some lettuce in exchange for tomatoes and vice versa.
The same system exists until this day. We all remember the Iraqi oil for food program. Food to the Iraqi people in exchange for oil. Good deal! Even this program was hijacked by money lovers. No other than Mr. Kofi Anan’s son: Kojo Anan.
Anyway, let’s not get into the details.
All I want to say is that I have always been a supporter of the school which promotes free competition. It simply gives tendency to improve the quality of the products and services we consume on a daily basis, and it drives prices down. A win-win situation for both the seller and the buyer.
Still I have doubts. I believe we have been entering an era of monopolies. Yes. One single company or organization taking control of a whole industry. This company or organization can be a country.
For those of you who think I’m exaggerating. Ok. No monopolies. But oligopolies. I’m not trying to impress you with the words I'm using. But they should be known to any person. At least to those who have studied business administration or economics, or simply to those who read some business reviews.
Oligopolies, or small group of companies that control a specific sector, exist. Look at OPEC for example. Another one. Look at the G8 summit. Decisions taken by a small group of people and that affect the whole world.
Looking at what has been taking place around this world, I wonder if communism should still be that much criticized. Or why take it to the extreme. I don’t want to sound too “Stalin”. But maybe we should reconsider some old theories thrown by Marx for example. Maybe people like Guevara should be brought back from the dead.
Most of all. Maybe religion should be put away. Economics and religion can never work together. Economics is the art, and not the science (at least for me), of supply and demand while religion is the science of supply. Yes. Calculated based on how much the people give to their lords.
Again. Should the Marxists be criticized? I’m not sure. Maybe we should reconsider. Schools and universities should update their books every few years. The world is changing on the other end.
Communism and other ideologies can be rejected today but welcomed tomorrow.
Finally, isn’t communism rejected for its extremism? Aren’t imperialism and capitalism also extremes?
Why aren’t they rejected?
At least publicly.
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