There are no ordinary moments.

Based on the book by Dan Millman, this movie happens to be my favorite film of all time. However in this particular entry I was aiming more to avoid mental stagnation than provide a movie review. I'm kind of burned out between work, school and promoting Noize so I'd much rather spend these few minutes I'm compelled to write saying something worth it.

There are three rules to life. These are not my rules, they do not belong to me, but I do believe them deeply in such a manner that I try to think about them in every waking moment. The first rule is that of the Paradox - life is a mystery, don't waste time trying to figure it out. I mean, right there is something I practically do every day. Each minute I spend trying to fulfill my obligations and anticipate the meanings behind every bit of unhappiness or setback, yet it never bring me any closer to answering the question "why am I here?". Is it to make money? No, at least I hope not. Sure money is necessary to make any changes or to build something from nothing, but let's be realistic. Somewhere in this universe there is a number, and with that number lies the very days each of us have left on this planet. It could be a big number, it could be smaller than we might expect. But nonetheless, we walk this Earth in hopes of acquiring something that doesn't really exist. I mean what IS money? Try to describe it to someone, heck even yourself. However you spin it, money simply is the physical manifestation of time we have spent towards obtaining tangible things to do something, be someone or simply exist.

Can we take it with us when we die? No. Can we spend it to stick around for a little longer? Maybe. But in any event we have no means of understanding why we are here until we have come up with or have been given a purpose. I personally choose to exercise my own right to decide this, but sadly there might not be people around who are aware of the choice (if they even have one to begin with). But I digress, life is not something that should be spent in the pursuit of things or the recognition of doing something somebody else probably could have accomplished eventually. This lesson is something I have come to grips with recently and it is one that brings with it a particularly stinging amount of humility.

The second rule to life is humor - especially in one's self, as it is a strength beyond all measure. Laughing boosts the immune system, and if you're anything like me, being your own source of humor can come alot more naturally than you'd think. I say this because if you were to go back in time and ask me where I might be in the future, I doubt I would tell you I would be anyone who takes himself too seriously. Yet as I reflect upon things as they are now it is difficult to see where I went astray. I want to be involved with business, yes. But this is a decision based off of my strengths but not necessarily my potential. Just look at me. This is all coming from a guy who spent time to carve out a nice little place in the internet where he could rant off the top of his head in hopes that eventually something valid would arise. I'm not perfect, no one is. But even I can look back at how lost and stressed out I have been as of late and appreciate how silly life can be in its own twisted little ways. Faith in my friends and God is the only real thing I have and yet its not even something that I can touch or taste or smell. Having faith that no matter what happens, each of us is equipped with all the tools we need to handle whatever life throws our way is the source of finding humor in those dismal little moments. No matter what happens at any given moment we have everything we really need.

And finally, change- know that in life nothing stays the same. One of my favorite quotes I have ever read in a book comes from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglass Adams. Now without butchering it, the idea revolved around what the universe was for and why we were here. According to the story, there was a popular galactic theory that if at any point somebody were to figure out what the meaning and purpose of the universe was, that it would instantly change and become something even stranger. The theory goes on to explain that in all probability this has already happened before. I feel like this perfectly illustrates the essence of life and change. We spend so much time and energy and emotion in getting what we want, that when and if we get exactly what we want... we still suffer. We still suffer because we know we can't keep it. Life is something so fluid, so terribly awesome in nature, that we have become the most advanced species in the animal kingdom by simply wondering its meaning. Our human cultures vary so widely, yet they still parallel in religion and ideology that there is more to our existences than experiencing our surroundings with such the limited array of our five senses.

I don't know where I will be in five years. I don't even know for sure if I will still be around and kicking in that period. But I know who I am and the person I want to be.

I suppose that's a start.