"The Human Experience"

“The Human Experience” is a movie, a documentary about two brothers in search of the true meaning of the human experience. I am not sure where to begin describing the impact this documentary had on me and on others who have seen it. It reveals information I would like to believe we all somehow know and understand at some subconscious level. 

The most important message infused in the stories (experiences) presented in the movie is that life is worth living. It is worth living because it is. As one of the experts, a doctor, summarized it, even people in the worst of situations, with horrible medical problems want to be treated, want to be alive and remain so because one or five more days in this world is a gift to be enjoyed. No one knows what happens when we are gone so it is wiser to enjoy this fleeting gift of life, right now, while we have it. The above could not be more evident in the experience that led the two brothers to a place in Peru inhabited by children severely abused and with horrendous physical deformities. The kids cry during physical therapy because it hurts. However, they don’t mind enduring the pain; they “have the joy of living” and all they care about is that they get to go home at the end of the day and play with their friends. 

Another important lesson of the documentary is that to experience something out of one’s comfort zone is to learn. Most people understand consciously that there are many suffering out there and living in abhorring conditions. Unless they get to walk in the sufferers’ shoes, however, they do not really know what it is to be that person. Sometimes, it is urgent to step out of one’s comfortable life and embark on a foreign and scary adventure to truly understand what it means to be human, what it means to both suffer and rejoice. After all, it is quite obvious that the children in Peru and the lepers in Ghana, despite their physical challenges, find more meaning in life and enjoy it more than many Westerns do, Westerners who have everything and yet lack so much. 

The conclusion is, no matter what happens in life, life is still good. All people need to do is pay attention to the humane in each of us and ignore the distractions of the materialistic society we live in. Then, we can all be happy and actually enjoy life, not just go through it as if it is a chore. 

“We must rapidly begin the shift from ‘a thing-oriented’ society to a ‘person-oriented’ society.”

-          Martin Luther King Jr

 - Krasi

 

Trust

I know. I haven’t contributed with a post in a little over three weeks and as should be the right course of action, A. politely reminded me I need to do my fair share. I guess as much as I would not like it to be so, sometimes, I end up being too busy with the mundane practical and needed actions, such as work, and am not able to do what I actually enjoy doing, such as reading and writing. However, since I like for others to accept me as a trustworthy person who can be relied to do what they have committed to do, here I am again. As it turns out, this is a perfect opportunity to discuss trust and most importantly, what does it have to do with climbing? 

A couple of weeks ago, several of my climbing friends and I spend a weekend climbing at Enchanted Rock and man, was it hot! I was thoroughly exhausted after spending hours hiking and climbing in 90-degree weather. But that’s a topic for another conversation. What I would like to focus on today is the importance of climbing in the development of trust.

I’ll be the first to admit. I am not a very trusting person, not at all actually. As such, the hardest aspect of climbing for me wasn’t the action of going 30, 50, or 100 and more feet up a wall or a rock; what turned out really difficult is to learn to trust my belayer (the person on the other side of the rope who secures the climber), the equipment, and the skills of the people who set the anchors to which I am to hang as I climb. Soon after I started climbing, I realized that a large part of what makes one an excellent climber (aside from being a little insane and not afraid of heights and falling) is the ability to trust. To trust that the belayer will do what s/he is supposed to do, to trust that the equipment is safe and reliable, and to trust that the anchors have been properly set and will hold an elephant, that is if an elephant did one day decide to climb a huge mound of granite.

Needless to say, I do not trust just anyone to be my belayer, especially when outside on a real rock. But the important thing is that I did learn to trust, which drastically reduces fear and as such, improves climbing as I am actually able to move up without freezing 30 feet up in the air and not being able to move. 

Considering the many issues young adults face today and the armies of negative exposures attacking them from all sides, I would definitely recommend an activity that will add a positive flavor to their lives. I am, of course, referring to climbing. It is a great sport not only because it will allow them to spend time with others and socialize, to stay active, and to become more respectful of nature and the environment; it will also teach them to be able to develop healthy trust and not be afraid and suspicious of everything and everyone. And that’s a mighty good thing!

 - Krasi

World Fair Trade Day

Hi folks, just wanted to drop in and let you guys know that today is World Fair Trade Day. What better time to see the wonderful variety of beautiful and tasty items you can buy knowing that the talented people that produced these items were paid fairly! Ebay has a wonderful fair trade store and that's just a start! Other places that carry fair trade goods:

Ten Thousand Villages

Fair Indigo

Grounds for Change

Major retailers have begun to carry a limited supply of fair trade products as well. Check your local Whole Foods, Target, even (I say this begrudgingly) Walmart. If you don't see any fair trade items, ask for them! Use that consumer power folks!

You can find more retailers, companies, and websites that carry fair trade goods at Fair Trade Federation.



- A

Where is the love?

An oldie but a goodie...



Where's the love y'all? I don't know. Where's the truth y'all? I don't know.

**Although I live in Texas that's the only instance in which you'll hear me 'say' y'all ;)

Have a wonderful, love filled weekend you guys!

- A

Attitude

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.




-Anon.

 
 
Have a great weekend!
 
- A

Love & Politics?!

Love and politics...two words I never thought I would use in the same sentence but I can say that the only time I love politics is at the White House Correspondents' Dinner because those politicians get it! This years was no exception. President Obama was hilarious! My favorite part? The Lion King clip and his follow up..."I wanna make clear to the FOX news table, that was a joke"...hahahaha. Then Seth Meyers followed up and killed it! Both men had me laughing hysterically and quite out loud.

I love that about this country. You can make fun of your leaders, all the way from the top (president) to the senators and representatives.

Did you have a chance to watch the dinner? What did you think? I'd never watched one until last year. For curiosity's sake, I decided to go back and watch from the previous administration.

- A

Earth Day

Today we are celebrating none other than our beautiful planet Earth, or what’s left of it. There are certainly still gorgeous places to visit and magnificent landscapes to admire, but the number of destroyed and polluted areas increases dramatically with every word I type today.

April 22 was first marked as Earth Day in 1970 when Gaylord Nelson, a US Senator from Wisconsin, outraged by a massive oil spill in the previous year and inspired by the anti-war movement, decided to take a stand and convince people to join hands in a movement for sustainable environment and against water and air pollution. That year, millions of Americans participated in a wide-spread protest against deterioration of the environment. In 1990, Earth Day became a global initiative (The Earth Day Network). 

Even though protecting the environment is now a world issue, there are still many who believe that pollution, deforestation, and mostly global warming are a huge hoax. And that’s their right to do so. But when there are signs all around pointing to the opposite, they can call it whatever they want, it still doesn’t change the fact that humans are slowly destroying the diverse, well-organized and only home that they have. 

First, researchers studying the ice of Greenland have witnessed and experienced first hand the increasing meltdown. Eskimo villages have had to relocate and the future of the polar bear has been threatened.

Next, it is estimated that around 35 to over a 100 species become extinct every day. It is important to realize that even the smallest and seemingly insignificant organism has its place in the cycle of life and without it, the cycle is placed off balance. A great example of what impact an organism has in the chain is the one of gray wolves re-introduced to Yellowstone National Park. This is marked as one of the most successful conservationist efforts. 

Moreover, deforestation continues to spread rampant in the Amazon Rainforest. On the average, 7,000 square miles are cut and burned every day. Considering that the forest produces 20% of the oxygen we all need to breathe and live, its destruction must be a concern for all and its protection must be on everyone’s agenda. 

The above three examples are just a small portion of the large amount of evidence pointing to the fact that humans are methodically and surely contributing to the obliteration of the planet Earth, the only one that we know of that can support us. Most of the information I have provided can be found in the two documentary movies I have listed below. I would strongly recommend them to anyone interested in finding more about both the grandeur and fragility of our planet. 

Planet in Peril

Earth

- Krasi