Amsterdam. The vibrant, cold and enthusiastic city of the Netherlands. To be honest I am still absorbing much of what's happening here, even though, I promised friends I would write something about it, so here it goes.
It is a bit hard to describe Amsterdam. From the tourist point of view it resumes itself to a very dynamic, beautiful and pretty much, crazy city. It's the place where you can get anywhere with a simple bycicle, where you can smoke weed or axe just like that or even go to a prostitute without having anyone looking at you like if you are an alien. Like a friend says, it really is like going to a pharmacy and get a pain killer. Simple as that.
But it's much more than that. It is a city that goes beyond the beautiful adjective. Every neighbourhood has its special thing, every corner has a new story to tell, every street has a special moment and every place is the new place to be.
What about people? Well, that's another thing that makes things so special. In Amsterdam you can find literally, people from all over the world. Living, working, studying, partying, wondering and the verbs could go on and on. At the same time, this massive group of people are almost all in some sort of transitory state. You talk with them, and they all have some plan: going to Berlin, Stockholm, Paris, New York, who knows. And most likely, you wont hear about those persons ever again. So I would say it's some sort of transitory city. I think it's really not the best place for you to discover yourself, as you get so moved by the city itself, it gets harder and harder at some point to define what you want for your life.
And all this dynamism and uncertainty gets mixed with the dutch lifestyle somehow: analytical, calculated, soft paced and at the same time with a strong will to thrive and succeed. Amsterdam is actually a though city. Everyone wants to stay here. I have met many people that come here just on vacations and decide to stay and try their luck. Some stay, some go. Knew recently two italian fellows who came here for a weekend and live here for two and a half years. Still living both on the same hostel they booked for the weekend and both working as bycicle mail deliverers for a private company. Not enough to get rich, but enough to party and eat.
But lets get to some more examples: the austrian 40 years old guy, ex heroin addict who lives in Amsterdam, actually, who doesnt have a place to live has he sleep in the streets, and spends all his nights till 3am in a bar so that way he wont spend the whole night out. The portuguese guy who came here for just six months of work, and lives here now for eight years, married with a dutch girl and two daughters. The turkish cab guy that can speak six languages fluently has he worked has a cab driver in five different countries already. The prostitute that came from Bulgaria, got rich in 3 years and now has five hairsaloon's in Amsterdam. And I could keep going, has in Amsterdam, everyone has a story to tell.
In the middle of all this, the crime rate is one of the lowest in Europe. Why? For some reason and it is something you feel if you live here, you know if you get out of the line, sooner or later, they will get you. This is the country where you get a 41 euros fine for not using lights while riding your bike at night. Or for riding your bike out of the bikepad. There are more little examples. In other countries this sort of behaviour would also be a motive for a fine, difference is here, you will get fined, period. There is no bullshit talk with the police to see if this time the thing flies. It will fly money out of your pocket, and that is it.
So, it is interesting the kind of balance they have achieved here, as in a way, you are legally authorised to do things that you cannot do in other countries, but at the same time, you get the feeling you need to behave properly. Or else.
All in all, it is an absolutely stunning city, where you get to know the most interesting people, the most interesting places, the wildest parties, the must go events and eventually, what you're looking for. Who knows? It's Amsterdam!
Hope to see you soon here. Tot later!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Drug use battle will never get into a war
Governments of any developed country have an ongoing war on drugs, which is something to expect. Drug abuse usually lead to what the picture shows. But the question here is, when someone starts doing drugs can they imagine themselves in such a horrible situation, sleeping in the street, having to steal things or sell their own body to buy the next fix?
Awnser is no. No one can picture itself on such a situation. Seeing the other side of the coin is like a guy whos working on a kitchen restaurant imagining himself having a worldwide restaurant chain. But wait.. actually there are some people who start out in the kitchen and end up being CEOs. So its ok to think that someone who starts with a joint might end up in crack. But like I said no one thinks this way, at least in this degenerative way.
So whats the solution? Im not a psychology expert myself but Ill risk a solution. What about starting with the light drugs? I know there are programs already going on with light drugs but most of the investment goes to the heavy ones. Also it would be important to understand that drug use matches a lifestyle. It is normal for someone who usually smokes weed or ashe to hang around in places where you can do it safely. Chemichal drugs, like ecstasy, are popular among eletronic music lovers. Cocain is more hard to stereotype because everyone is doing it these days regardless the lifestyle.
What I mean is.. If you manage to explain people there are alternatives to those lifestyles that are as cool as the weed or ecstasy use lifestyle, eventually, people will start to choose another path. And now youre thinking, but how can weed or ecstasy lifestyle be a cool thing? In the moment it is, and that is the main issue.
Friday, October 19, 2012
The HR Issue
As Europe thrives with an employment issue a bit everywhere, I was thinking what's the role of HR Specialists on this.
Let's see how it works with qualified jobs: a company either hires by itself an employee or outsources it with some big recruitment player like Michael Page for example. The principle is very basic: the outside recruiter, who knows little about the client's business (yes they will tell you they know everything and that they worked in the field yada yada yada), gets on his database and seek for candidates that are already working in the area. It's funny, as it happened to me once. I worked in sales and was trying to move to management. So the recruiters - all with no exception - told me I should look for something in sales since that was my area of expertise. A few months later I went work to a management position, with a company that was recruiting directly, that is, without a recruitment specialist on the way. Two years later, I decided it was time to use my management skills with something I had experience in: sales. So I went again talk with the recruitment specialists, those that two years ago denied me a position in management. And now guess what? "Well, since now you're doing management I'd advise you to look for something in management."
Funny isn't it?
Bottomline is: recruitment specialists like any other specialists are interested in one thing: money. Otherwise they'd shut doors. So it's more safe to send a candidate to a client that has recent experience in the area than one who doesn't. So, forget all the bullshit about people's development and personal growth. It's bullshit, period. They are all more focused in making you do something you probably don't love, on other words, they want to send candidates to employers that are "interview bullet proof" (ideally, a young adult, with no children, a college degree and experience in the area).
All of this brings out an issue: when you start working companies will assume you love what you do. So they'll expect you to work long hours and that you will deliver above expectations. In the meantime they'll also think that they can bring out what supposedly is "the best of you" which in fact, is the same for all companies: they want you to be determined, self confident, out of the box minded, multitasking ability and a house in Saint Tropez.
What if you're not like that? Well, you have to be like that, or you don't get a nice job and obviously a nice paycheck.
With the current unemployment rate we have in Europe right now the recruitment schizofrenia continues and worsens as time goes by. One day they'll want robots (they have already..) with all the characteristics above mentioned.
My advise: people should be recruited for what they love to do. Markets cannot suck in all people, since just because you want to be a photographer doesn't mean you'll get a nice job doing it. But recruiters should start the process backwards, that is, they should send candidates to companies for what they love to do, not for what companies want people to be.
Companies have to work with what's truly available at the labour market, not with some transformed individual who wanted to be a clown at circus at turned out to be a software engineer.
And I say this not even by the humanity part of it, but by the success of some businesses: successful companies these days, are the ones who can find people for what they love to do (Apple, Google, HP, list goes on..), not for the stereotyped profile they're trying to inject on people's mind.
Let's see how it works with qualified jobs: a company either hires by itself an employee or outsources it with some big recruitment player like Michael Page for example. The principle is very basic: the outside recruiter, who knows little about the client's business (yes they will tell you they know everything and that they worked in the field yada yada yada), gets on his database and seek for candidates that are already working in the area. It's funny, as it happened to me once. I worked in sales and was trying to move to management. So the recruiters - all with no exception - told me I should look for something in sales since that was my area of expertise. A few months later I went work to a management position, with a company that was recruiting directly, that is, without a recruitment specialist on the way. Two years later, I decided it was time to use my management skills with something I had experience in: sales. So I went again talk with the recruitment specialists, those that two years ago denied me a position in management. And now guess what? "Well, since now you're doing management I'd advise you to look for something in management."
Funny isn't it?
Bottomline is: recruitment specialists like any other specialists are interested in one thing: money. Otherwise they'd shut doors. So it's more safe to send a candidate to a client that has recent experience in the area than one who doesn't. So, forget all the bullshit about people's development and personal growth. It's bullshit, period. They are all more focused in making you do something you probably don't love, on other words, they want to send candidates to employers that are "interview bullet proof" (ideally, a young adult, with no children, a college degree and experience in the area).
All of this brings out an issue: when you start working companies will assume you love what you do. So they'll expect you to work long hours and that you will deliver above expectations. In the meantime they'll also think that they can bring out what supposedly is "the best of you" which in fact, is the same for all companies: they want you to be determined, self confident, out of the box minded, multitasking ability and a house in Saint Tropez.
What if you're not like that? Well, you have to be like that, or you don't get a nice job and obviously a nice paycheck.
With the current unemployment rate we have in Europe right now the recruitment schizofrenia continues and worsens as time goes by. One day they'll want robots (they have already..) with all the characteristics above mentioned.
My advise: people should be recruited for what they love to do. Markets cannot suck in all people, since just because you want to be a photographer doesn't mean you'll get a nice job doing it. But recruiters should start the process backwards, that is, they should send candidates to companies for what they love to do, not for what companies want people to be.
Companies have to work with what's truly available at the labour market, not with some transformed individual who wanted to be a clown at circus at turned out to be a software engineer.
And I say this not even by the humanity part of it, but by the success of some businesses: successful companies these days, are the ones who can find people for what they love to do (Apple, Google, HP, list goes on..), not for the stereotyped profile they're trying to inject on people's mind.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Back and forth
Well.. How to start this?
The point in life where stereotypes make a negative difference in the way you perspective things. You discover the road to the same thing everyday. The smell of the same old stuff and the cry out for something new. Something that can rock your world or maybe tear it apart. You want badly for something to happen but nothing happens. What to do then? Wait? Do something?
Everyone will tell you to do something about it but no one will be brave enough to tell you something off the hook. Specially if you have one of those stereotyped lifes with some comfort and some happyness.
Why should you change the certain for the uncertain? Just for the fun of it? What if it goes wrong? And this is where you get more and more stereotyped. When you start asking yourself "What if?"
The What If is important. It makes you think about stuff and prevents you from doing stupid things in your life. Notwithstanding, it also prevents you from doing things that could ultimately change your life for good in a positive way. So it's some sort of roullette life you're playing here: either wait for something to happen wich most likely wont happen at all or do something about it.
What to do then.. The million dollar question. Still waiting for the awnser here.
Take care everyone.
The point in life where stereotypes make a negative difference in the way you perspective things. You discover the road to the same thing everyday. The smell of the same old stuff and the cry out for something new. Something that can rock your world or maybe tear it apart. You want badly for something to happen but nothing happens. What to do then? Wait? Do something?
Everyone will tell you to do something about it but no one will be brave enough to tell you something off the hook. Specially if you have one of those stereotyped lifes with some comfort and some happyness.
Why should you change the certain for the uncertain? Just for the fun of it? What if it goes wrong? And this is where you get more and more stereotyped. When you start asking yourself "What if?"
The What If is important. It makes you think about stuff and prevents you from doing stupid things in your life. Notwithstanding, it also prevents you from doing things that could ultimately change your life for good in a positive way. So it's some sort of roullette life you're playing here: either wait for something to happen wich most likely wont happen at all or do something about it.
What to do then.. The million dollar question. Still waiting for the awnser here.
Take care everyone.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Episode One - The Date
It was actually pretty much simple to do it. At least for him. Or at least if you see it like if it's a challenge at all. Doesn't need to, and sometimes it ain't, but if you really want to, a challenge it might be. That day, our friend nice guy (let's call him this way from now on) met a nice girl.
The day was kind of weird. One cloud here, one cloud there. Those days you wake up and you can't even decide if it's a good day or bad day. It's something you can't classify and you really don't want bother considering it. Those days you can't decide if you want to go out, stay home or whatever. Nice girl got a call from a friend to take a walk. Not in the wild side like the song, but a simple walk. In the middle of that walk nice guy showed up. He was friend of nice girl's friend. A coincidence (ok, if you're superstitious I'll let you decide it was destiny or something like that). They all decided to take the walk together. Oh by the way: the walk was on those long sidewalks you have near a river or a beach, with the wind blowing in your face and the sun shining in your eyes, except the fact, as you can recall, the weather in that day was fuzzy.
After fifteen minutes walking, nice girl friend got a call from his work. He had to leave for some emergency. Nice guy was a guy who never missed a chance and boy, he was the guy who would never wave by to a good chance at something. So he asked nice girl to have a drink with him. Sure, why not thought nice girl, despite the fact she accepted the invitation with some sort of embarassement.
Conversation began. The first ten minutes were about the city they lived in and all the beautiful things and experiences the place had to offer. The so called small talk. After all, no one turns into Aristoteles in the first date. No one, except nice guy. In the middle of words of monuments, sightseeing and soundscapes he asked her what was like to be happy for her. She replied with a weird look and said, come again? Happyness he said, whats it like to be happy? She got her face red but found it unusual and replied after a few seconds breaking her tought down to earth. Happyness she said, is to wake up in a rainy day and see the beauty in the stormy sky. It's a like a song in repeat when you hear it for the first time and you get so blowned away by the feeling it brings you. It's like remembering the days you were a child and a simple baloon would leave you smiling for the rest of the day. She said all of this with her dazzling hair touched by the wind and her eyes smiling at the sun. Nice guy didn't expect such a complete and philosofical awnser. But she didn't stop and wanted to know, what about you, what's happyness for you nice guy?
He'd better come up with a good awnser to this one. Her reply was astonishing to say the least. So he looked in her eyes, not in the romantic way, but in a sincere hand touch he claimed: happyness is the never expecting feeling. It's what we are all looking for but it's the thing that always found you instead. It's the brick that solid rock your days and the brick that turn your dreams into darkness. It's a lesson from that teacher you loved and the punishment of the advices you chose to ignore. It's confidence and despair, emotion and conflict.
It wasn't the awnser she was expecting, but the least you expect the more you care about. Things you don't understand but that are mind reachable, make you want more of it. Make you want to know more about it. And then, it clicked, nice girl wanted to know more about nice guy. They didn't said it but I know, happyness is beyond many things, a click. A wild click you can say, but definitely a click.
Hours passed by while they talked and hunger arrived. Dinner at my place asked nice guy. Why not said the nice girl. But this time, embarrassment was something that walked by the same sidewalk they haved walked hours early.
And so it begins our blog love story. Next episode soon. Take care.
It was actually pretty much simple to do it. At least for him. Or at least if you see it like if it's a challenge at all. Doesn't need to, and sometimes it ain't, but if you really want to, a challenge it might be. That day, our friend nice guy (let's call him this way from now on) met a nice girl.
The day was kind of weird. One cloud here, one cloud there. Those days you wake up and you can't even decide if it's a good day or bad day. It's something you can't classify and you really don't want bother considering it. Those days you can't decide if you want to go out, stay home or whatever. Nice girl got a call from a friend to take a walk. Not in the wild side like the song, but a simple walk. In the middle of that walk nice guy showed up. He was friend of nice girl's friend. A coincidence (ok, if you're superstitious I'll let you decide it was destiny or something like that). They all decided to take the walk together. Oh by the way: the walk was on those long sidewalks you have near a river or a beach, with the wind blowing in your face and the sun shining in your eyes, except the fact, as you can recall, the weather in that day was fuzzy.
After fifteen minutes walking, nice girl friend got a call from his work. He had to leave for some emergency. Nice guy was a guy who never missed a chance and boy, he was the guy who would never wave by to a good chance at something. So he asked nice girl to have a drink with him. Sure, why not thought nice girl, despite the fact she accepted the invitation with some sort of embarassement.
Conversation began. The first ten minutes were about the city they lived in and all the beautiful things and experiences the place had to offer. The so called small talk. After all, no one turns into Aristoteles in the first date. No one, except nice guy. In the middle of words of monuments, sightseeing and soundscapes he asked her what was like to be happy for her. She replied with a weird look and said, come again? Happyness he said, whats it like to be happy? She got her face red but found it unusual and replied after a few seconds breaking her tought down to earth. Happyness she said, is to wake up in a rainy day and see the beauty in the stormy sky. It's a like a song in repeat when you hear it for the first time and you get so blowned away by the feeling it brings you. It's like remembering the days you were a child and a simple baloon would leave you smiling for the rest of the day. She said all of this with her dazzling hair touched by the wind and her eyes smiling at the sun. Nice guy didn't expect such a complete and philosofical awnser. But she didn't stop and wanted to know, what about you, what's happyness for you nice guy?
He'd better come up with a good awnser to this one. Her reply was astonishing to say the least. So he looked in her eyes, not in the romantic way, but in a sincere hand touch he claimed: happyness is the never expecting feeling. It's what we are all looking for but it's the thing that always found you instead. It's the brick that solid rock your days and the brick that turn your dreams into darkness. It's a lesson from that teacher you loved and the punishment of the advices you chose to ignore. It's confidence and despair, emotion and conflict.
It wasn't the awnser she was expecting, but the least you expect the more you care about. Things you don't understand but that are mind reachable, make you want more of it. Make you want to know more about it. And then, it clicked, nice girl wanted to know more about nice guy. They didn't said it but I know, happyness is beyond many things, a click. A wild click you can say, but definitely a click.
Hours passed by while they talked and hunger arrived. Dinner at my place asked nice guy. Why not said the nice girl. But this time, embarrassment was something that walked by the same sidewalk they haved walked hours early.
And so it begins our blog love story. Next episode soon. Take care.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Entusiasmo
Hoje é em português até porque a selecção nacional vai às meias finais do Euro e é justo que depois de não sei quantos posts em inglês, escreva um na nossa lusa língua.
Ligamos o facebook e frequentemente vemos aquelas imagens pré-fabricadas sobre felicidade, amor e tristeza. Em primeiro lugar, quero dizer que efectivamente e apesar de todo o cliché que faz acompanhar essas frases, a maior parte delas corresponde à verdade. São frases batidas é certo, mas noventa e nove por cento das vezes, encontramos correspondência na nossa vida com elas, porque basicamente, desde cedo vivemos momentos relacionados com essas sentidas frases. Um exemplo que vi aleatoriamente no meu facebook (vejam a qualidade de "amigos" que por lá tenho): "Não se arrenpenda jamais de ter conhecido algumas pessoas na sua vida." É verdade certo? As que foram más foram uma lição bla bla bla
Onde é que eu quero chegar com isto tudo? Que nos dias que vivemos deixámos de pensar naquilo que realmente interessa. A fórmula para a felicidade, para a harmonia, o equilíbrio (whatever..) passa sempre pelo mesmo: um bom trabalho que permite depois ter uma boa casa, que por sua vez traz conforto, consequentemente alguém que nos ama (ok, esta é polémica, mas é também verdade que em casa onde não há pão..) e por aí fora. Todas as outras fórmulas para a felicidade caem no ridículo. Mas o post não é sobre outros caminhos para a juventude eterna. É sim, sobre o facto de olharmos para estas frases, ou outras mais elaboradas do ponto de vista intelectual e não reflectirmos sobre elas. Limitamo-nos a admirar a beleza do sentimento que nos provoca, porque nos identificamos realmente com aquilo, mas tomar uma atitude em relação ao assunto, está quieto.
O título do post é entusiasmo e não é por acaso. Várias vezes na minha vida, senti entusiasmo por muitas coisas e várias vezes também, perdi o entusiasmo pelas mesmas. É um processo normal suponho. Ou pelo menos, gosto de pensar que é assim, para não achar que sou diferente. Por outro lado e definitivamente, sempre fiz algo para que o entusiasmo fizesse parte da minha vida, que acaba por ser diferente da felicidade, que como diz um amigo meu, é uma coisa passageira (se calhar é, ou morreríamos com excesso de felicidade?).
Considero então fulcral, independentemente do estado que a nossa vida atravesse, que o entusiasmo faça parte de nós e que se algo ou alguém nos limite esse campo, deve ser cilindrado sem qualquer piedade.
Termina este post em formato de auto-ajuda, aconselhando todos os leitores, a incluírem o entusiasmo nas vossas vidas. Seja no trabalho, numa relação, num hobby ou noutra coisa qualquer. Em jeito de filósofo contemporâneo, concluo que sem entusiasmo, não há felicidade.
Ligamos o facebook e frequentemente vemos aquelas imagens pré-fabricadas sobre felicidade, amor e tristeza. Em primeiro lugar, quero dizer que efectivamente e apesar de todo o cliché que faz acompanhar essas frases, a maior parte delas corresponde à verdade. São frases batidas é certo, mas noventa e nove por cento das vezes, encontramos correspondência na nossa vida com elas, porque basicamente, desde cedo vivemos momentos relacionados com essas sentidas frases. Um exemplo que vi aleatoriamente no meu facebook (vejam a qualidade de "amigos" que por lá tenho): "Não se arrenpenda jamais de ter conhecido algumas pessoas na sua vida." É verdade certo? As que foram más foram uma lição bla bla bla
Onde é que eu quero chegar com isto tudo? Que nos dias que vivemos deixámos de pensar naquilo que realmente interessa. A fórmula para a felicidade, para a harmonia, o equilíbrio (whatever..) passa sempre pelo mesmo: um bom trabalho que permite depois ter uma boa casa, que por sua vez traz conforto, consequentemente alguém que nos ama (ok, esta é polémica, mas é também verdade que em casa onde não há pão..) e por aí fora. Todas as outras fórmulas para a felicidade caem no ridículo. Mas o post não é sobre outros caminhos para a juventude eterna. É sim, sobre o facto de olharmos para estas frases, ou outras mais elaboradas do ponto de vista intelectual e não reflectirmos sobre elas. Limitamo-nos a admirar a beleza do sentimento que nos provoca, porque nos identificamos realmente com aquilo, mas tomar uma atitude em relação ao assunto, está quieto.
O título do post é entusiasmo e não é por acaso. Várias vezes na minha vida, senti entusiasmo por muitas coisas e várias vezes também, perdi o entusiasmo pelas mesmas. É um processo normal suponho. Ou pelo menos, gosto de pensar que é assim, para não achar que sou diferente. Por outro lado e definitivamente, sempre fiz algo para que o entusiasmo fizesse parte da minha vida, que acaba por ser diferente da felicidade, que como diz um amigo meu, é uma coisa passageira (se calhar é, ou morreríamos com excesso de felicidade?).
Considero então fulcral, independentemente do estado que a nossa vida atravesse, que o entusiasmo faça parte de nós e que se algo ou alguém nos limite esse campo, deve ser cilindrado sem qualquer piedade.
Termina este post em formato de auto-ajuda, aconselhando todos os leitores, a incluírem o entusiasmo nas vossas vidas. Seja no trabalho, numa relação, num hobby ou noutra coisa qualquer. Em jeito de filósofo contemporâneo, concluo que sem entusiasmo, não há felicidade.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Seek and you will find
Seek and you will find they say. Let's see:
- I have seek professional success and what have I found: headaches, little victories, envy, big losses, lack of time to be with friends and family and lack of time for myself
- I have seek love in many ways and what have I found: broken hearts, people hurt, people who rather see me dead than alive, hate, sorrow and in the middle of it, glimpses of happyness. Passion is supposed to give place to love. In my case, always gave place to boredom and all the trouble that comes with it. I seek love and I always find a fucking Pandora box.
- I have seek friendship and what I have found: true friends, honest I must be. People who have gave their hands when I needed. But I've also found people who actually don't give a shit about what you think, and hang around you for some stupid reason they found interesting.
- I have seek the building family stereotype to myself and what I have found: tons of lies, hunger (yes I managed to get poor at the time), true sadness, very hard times to beat. I got out of the shithole but heck, I've lost literally years of life in the process. I have a beautiful daughter who taught me what real love is: something pure, simple and serene where nothing or no one can tear apart. I have found true happyness in that child smile. A reason to live definitely.
- I have seek admiration and what have I found: jack shit that is. I believe that one day I could be seriously grandious (professionaly speaking). Like Cat Power song, "Once I wanted to be the greatest" That's me. I think one day I'll be the greatest. But what do I find? A lots of competition, people afraid of you, people trying to make your life hard, people trying to deceive you. Once you're a threat it's fucked up to get up there.
Well, life is a fucked up thing, but has stuff worth living.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Jack Shit
Hi there,
Lately I've been using this blog to dump some thoughts. The word dump wasn't chosen by accident. I havent been writing stuff to people read but rather for me to think.
Writing for me (see how this ´writing for me´ phrase gives the person who uses it some kind of passionate aura about writing) among many things, has served the purpose of putting myself in thinking mode. I like to think. Thinking is a very tricky thing. The more you think about something, the more stuff you'll be adding to something (if that makes sense at all). Adding stuff to something can make you overreact over simple stuff but can on the other hand simplify what at the first sight can appear as a complex problem. So you can have a idea about my love on thinking I use it to fall asleep while Im on it. I fall asleep many days saying to myself: "Ok, now I'll think for awhile" Like some people say they'll go count sheeps or watch TV. I'll think and fall asleep in the process. Outstanding isn't it?
Now, back to the beginning. Jack shit that is. The purpose of life. The purpose of life is jack shit. So for the unknown reader the Urban Dictionary definition of Jack Shit is "Nothing or something equivalent to nothing". From that you're now thinking I'm saying that the purpose of life is Jack Shit. Wrong. Life has a purpose of course. The purpose you give to it or if you are religious the purpose some God gave to your life. Moving on. Try to look back. How many life purposes have you had already? Better: have you ever thought about life purpose? Don't confuse it with life goals like being rich or get married and have kids. That's different. The reason why you are here is what I'm talking about. There's a biological answer to it. You're here because your mom and dad had sex and you born. But hey, philosofically speaking what's the fun part of this simple explanation? Right, it's not fun.
My theory: there isn't something called the purpose of life. There are life goals you set to yourself to achieve and that's it. But that's not why you're here. You weren't born to be a successful lawyer or politician, or even like some people say, "to change people lives". You're here for a biological reason (sorry philosophy fellas, but that's about it on life purpose for me).
More, I think that those peeps who say their life purpose is to help children or the poor is nothing but an excuse for them to say to themselves they are here for some special reason. It's like a protection just in case they go nuts from this second to the next one. Of course, it has an intrinsice value, but again, that's not why they're here. It's just something they do to feel good with themselves. I know, it's kind of condescent of me to criticize those who choose to help others without asking anything in return. They aren't asking nothing in particular, but they get something back: a smile from a kid, a hug from an old woman or beautiful and intense life stories.
Think about those who have or had an hard life. Despiste all the bad things that happen to those persons, they eventually had a much more interesting life than those stereotyped lifes produced by "The Society Product", that is wife/husband, house, job and kids (yep, that's about it). I'll give you an example: I've met this guy in a area of Lisbon where he was parking cars for a living. He's an alcoholic and he's always stumbling regardless the hour of the day. That day I decided to know what happened to him. He talked. He had a small business ten years ago. Was married and had a daughter. He was a typographer, had a small shop. One day, two guys enter the shop and offer him a deal: make fake money. He accepted. A few months later, the police apreended his money making machine and he was sentenced to five years in jail. When he got out his wife got his house and his daughter. He went live to a public shelter - where he still lives today - and started drinking and using cocaine. Now he parks cars for a living. Sorry about the sad ending but that's an intense life as well. A suffered one you can say but still, from the inner self experience side, a hell - literally - of an experience.
My advice: turn your life, into a not "jack shit" experience. Think about it, and change while you still have time to do it.
Don't get me wrong on this one, but like they sing in the song: "I'm not a bad man, I'm just overwhelmed"
Lately I've been using this blog to dump some thoughts. The word dump wasn't chosen by accident. I havent been writing stuff to people read but rather for me to think.
Writing for me (see how this ´writing for me´ phrase gives the person who uses it some kind of passionate aura about writing) among many things, has served the purpose of putting myself in thinking mode. I like to think. Thinking is a very tricky thing. The more you think about something, the more stuff you'll be adding to something (if that makes sense at all). Adding stuff to something can make you overreact over simple stuff but can on the other hand simplify what at the first sight can appear as a complex problem. So you can have a idea about my love on thinking I use it to fall asleep while Im on it. I fall asleep many days saying to myself: "Ok, now I'll think for awhile" Like some people say they'll go count sheeps or watch TV. I'll think and fall asleep in the process. Outstanding isn't it?
Now, back to the beginning. Jack shit that is. The purpose of life. The purpose of life is jack shit. So for the unknown reader the Urban Dictionary definition of Jack Shit is "Nothing or something equivalent to nothing". From that you're now thinking I'm saying that the purpose of life is Jack Shit. Wrong. Life has a purpose of course. The purpose you give to it or if you are religious the purpose some God gave to your life. Moving on. Try to look back. How many life purposes have you had already? Better: have you ever thought about life purpose? Don't confuse it with life goals like being rich or get married and have kids. That's different. The reason why you are here is what I'm talking about. There's a biological answer to it. You're here because your mom and dad had sex and you born. But hey, philosofically speaking what's the fun part of this simple explanation? Right, it's not fun.
My theory: there isn't something called the purpose of life. There are life goals you set to yourself to achieve and that's it. But that's not why you're here. You weren't born to be a successful lawyer or politician, or even like some people say, "to change people lives". You're here for a biological reason (sorry philosophy fellas, but that's about it on life purpose for me).
More, I think that those peeps who say their life purpose is to help children or the poor is nothing but an excuse for them to say to themselves they are here for some special reason. It's like a protection just in case they go nuts from this second to the next one. Of course, it has an intrinsice value, but again, that's not why they're here. It's just something they do to feel good with themselves. I know, it's kind of condescent of me to criticize those who choose to help others without asking anything in return. They aren't asking nothing in particular, but they get something back: a smile from a kid, a hug from an old woman or beautiful and intense life stories.
Think about those who have or had an hard life. Despiste all the bad things that happen to those persons, they eventually had a much more interesting life than those stereotyped lifes produced by "The Society Product", that is wife/husband, house, job and kids (yep, that's about it). I'll give you an example: I've met this guy in a area of Lisbon where he was parking cars for a living. He's an alcoholic and he's always stumbling regardless the hour of the day. That day I decided to know what happened to him. He talked. He had a small business ten years ago. Was married and had a daughter. He was a typographer, had a small shop. One day, two guys enter the shop and offer him a deal: make fake money. He accepted. A few months later, the police apreended his money making machine and he was sentenced to five years in jail. When he got out his wife got his house and his daughter. He went live to a public shelter - where he still lives today - and started drinking and using cocaine. Now he parks cars for a living. Sorry about the sad ending but that's an intense life as well. A suffered one you can say but still, from the inner self experience side, a hell - literally - of an experience.
My advice: turn your life, into a not "jack shit" experience. Think about it, and change while you still have time to do it.
Don't get me wrong on this one, but like they sing in the song: "I'm not a bad man, I'm just overwhelmed"
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