Ninja Lisa?

To me this is the real version of the Mona Lisa man... I don't care what you say... SHE WAS A NINJA! *runs away screaming and arms flailing*

Don't miss the Art

So I was scrolling around on Facebook and came across this little piece of writing...

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Written by Guillo Puig. 

If you would like to listen to the piece clicky this here link! àhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xq5ZM7r6AU&feature=fvst It’s so beautiful! <3 

To me it seems like society has taken a very left brain perspective on life. We're so obsessed with organizing; categorizing, and thinking rationally...we forget a ginormous part of being human is creativity, emotion, and inspiration! But one might say..."well Rav...that’s all fine and dandy but in order to advance in life and living situations we need a more logical perspective, we need to categorize and think rationally, like what science does for us." and to that, I completely agree. But ...what was needed for that first idea of an "atom"? CREATIVITY my friends, creativity! For any first idea you need a theory and for a theory you need an imagination... so seems like even science uses the two sides of the brain quite equally (in a very generalized sense of course.. I mean technically we are constantly using both sides).

Another thing... is it just me or are people generally brought up in a society that devalues art and creativity? In school there is quite obviously a hierarchy. Hmmm…let’s see…The maths and sciences most defiantly ranking first, then comes language and literature, and at the very bottom…*busts out magnifying glass* “Oh…I think I see it…Visual Arts…is that you?” I think the problem is schools don’t allow or stress creative freedom. Not even in the sciences, which is where they are in fact most needed for future advancement! You have a bunch of teenagers sitting in their science labs just doing them for the sake of doing them…no one wants to do a lab where you’re given the topic and even the friggen hypothesis (WTF MAN?). And so the teacher’s job is to simply teach the kids how to handle this stuff safely and possibly make it out alive without blowing off an arm. Thank you…just thanks. The amount of knowledge I have gained from this experience is just bewildering, I didn’t know I shouldn’t drink toxic substances at the end of a chemistry lab, you have changed how I see the world.

 Okay I admit I might be a tad too sarcastic…I mean I did learn a thing or two in those labs but I think the point I’m getting at here is that the true amazement of the sciences is sucked out even before students get a proper taste of it, all because of the lack of creative freedom. And what do you end up with? A bunch of bored ass teenagers that are going into the sciences because their parents told them to…not because they actually find it interesting or want to advance the world at all. And those kids, my friends, is our potential future (oh joy!). What happened to the good ol’ days where dudes with the funky stashes were conducting experiments in their basements with results that break my awesometer?  Back then, they had what we don’t today, an interest. And this odd word “interest” is something that creates itself, usually through experiences, it can’t be forced. With a little bit of creative freedom to students, they could explore topics they found interesting and maybe come up with some genuine ideas that have potential for expansion. I think the point of education should be to expand the mind and give way to exploration…but instead, it does quite the opposite. It sometimes bears closed minded elitists.

Let’s not even get started on how environment and experiences physiologically shape the brain. So a child is taught to be rational and logical his whole life by society, supressing what is a natural part of the human brain, creativity and imagination. And as a result his brain will begin to form stronger neurological connections to parts he is most using and diminish the ones he is not. So essentially, he will shape his own brain. He will make himself a rational machine without even noticing it (Ohmagawd!). So maybe society can try to stress creativity and the importance of imagination and help prevent little rational machines from being created. Little monsters!

Anyway I guess what I'm saying here is creativity is a natural part of humans and we live like logic and creativity are contrasting when really they are complimentary. <3 Seems like we miss a lot of things in life especially the beauty of it.  

ART RULES THE WORLD! And that… just fills me up with hearts and sheit.

“Earth” without “art” is just “eh” –anonymous  

~YE YEE!

Hands and your motive

The people that know me know the importance of hands to me. They're more than just another part of your body they are a map of who you are and what you were. I don't know when I started thinking this or why but it has become such an important part of how I see people. No hands have ever looked ugly to me before but there have been a few that intrigue me. They make me think "what's the story behind those?" 

So what is the story behind someone? Can you ever really find out? To find out who they are now from what they were before is almost (dare I say it)...impossible. 

When I was about 5 I used to go crazy asking people how exactly it is that we can walk around, talk to each other, carry ourselves, and essentially live. No one gave me the answer I was looking for. Some said  "its your brain of course, it allows you to do all these things" the more relaxed people said "that's just how it is"  and others that "its GOD!" (right dude...chill out and put your clothes back on). When I grew older I realized that I wasn't asking the right question. What I was really trying to ask is why is it that this thing that lives inside my head can see...why can it look at the world in the way that it does from my own brain only. Yes I realize I sound schizophrenic and that I am being very ambiguous so to illustrate my point try this: Just sit there and feel what it feels like to actually be. (if you have never done this...try it)

 What does it feel like? Kind of like your something looking through these eyes that are attached to this body. Now when I was a child I was fascinated by this. And even more so by the fact that everyone sees from their own eyes in a completely unique way...they are the little "things" sitting in their own head. With that point being made; can you ever really understand a person? Their thoughts, motives and intentions come from this little "thing" and the way that this little "thing" views the world is different from yours because of their past experiences and even genetics. I know I'm bringing up the old case of subjectivity and empiricism (Descartes would be proud..actually no he wouldn't because this is kind of crappy compared to his work...very crappy. Actually Descartes would probably want to crap on this blog...*defaced Rav moves on*) But its just a topic that has always interested me. 

Its the small things! My sister, who is one of the most important people in my life (although I don't ever give her the satisfaction of knowing this) loves the sound of munching... I never knew this, until I randomly asked her what her favourite sound was in which she remarked "munching!... I like the sound of munching!". If you know my sister whenever she has spare time she's munching away at something crunchy, usually popcorn. I would always see her eating popcorn concluding the motive of this behaviour was that it simply tasted good and I was very interested to see that this motive that I thought to be most rational was wrong. Imagine how many other little things people do, that may have a different motive to them, go virtually unnoticed because in your head you have already rationalized the reason for this behaviour.

So I guess you can never really know the little "things" inside the head of another like you know them in your own. They always have these little insignificant secrets that they don't share because to them are pointless (but to me... fascinating). I'll always be interested in what makes people the way they are... I can't help it, that's the way I am. What can I say, this psychology stuff fills me up with hearts and sheit.. 

~YE YEE!