Light and Darkness

My Dream or a Nightmare

2009-12-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

I been having these dreams lately about one of my ex-girlfriends, whom I have broke up with for some time, 4 years to be exact. This is has been on my mind for almost about 3 days from now. And I just can’t seem to figure it out. The dreams started happening the moment I met her the week prior to the dreams. She told me she was getting married in 2 months and she wanted me to go to the wedding. We ended our relationship in a bad way, she had to go away for school in New York, so I took the initiative to end our relationship and go our separate ways.
The Dream…

In my dream I would I see myself walking front of this church over and over for 2 days I would have this dream, small clips of moments I had with my ex-girlfriend. But then 3rd night I dreamt I was walking down the sidewalk of 19th Avenue, where my ex-girlfriend and I would walk together all the time at night just spending time together. But as I was walking I was holding her hand like always, but everything started to change the street next to me on the left would turn into pews of people; friends and family. The ground beneath me started to turn red carpet and I looked forward I saw an altar and stand glass window behind it and a priest standing in front of it. I then realized this was the inside of the church I kept dreaming of for the 2 nights before. I looked to my right at my ex-girlfriend she was draped in a wedding dress. We were no longer walking down 19th Avenue, but down the aisle during a wedding. I thought this was just a dream of me thinking that I was going to get married, because we thought we were going to be together forever and when we were seeing each other we would talk about how our dream wedding would be like. This was very similar to what we talked about; I was holding her and walking with her down the aisle as the pianist played, but I wasn’t wearing a tuxedo, I wasn’t the groom, as we got to the front of the altar there was a man standing before the priest, he turns around and I can’t see his face, its blank. I stop walking, my feet won’t move any further, she continues and stands next to him, I turn away and start running to the door exit of the church, I can’t grab the door handle to get out, but my hands are gone. I turn around, and then I see my hands still holding on to her hand, I turned to the door the door grew up even higher. I turned back toward the altar, all of a sudden I’m right behind them in front of the altar, the stain glass window turns an open door, she’s smiling at me and ask me, “are you happy for me?”, then I walk up.

I feel this is a sign of my hands holding of me not being able to let go of my ex-girlfriend, not being able to give her up. The exit door is like a sign that I should not look to the past, go to the past and as I will always be brought back to the present and I have to face the facts. I have to let my hands go of her and move toward the door behind the altar, which may signify progression, to move forward through my problems. I have to learn to let go of the past and move on, and tell her how I feel and let her be happy, because I know she is.

taking the good with the bad of images

2009-11-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

Look at a picture of a young Middle Eastern kid sitting a village playing in the mud. The mud is dark more darker than one would expect, you look further to the right the mud turns red, and someone is kneeing right next to this boy. What would you think about from seeing this image? I think in some sense people, the viewers would see this as a charity video to aid the children caught in the war of terrorism. In a lot of these save the children charity commercials you would see a famous celebrity in the midst and holding one of these children. Some could think that it is probably a rouse to get people to start pouring money because a famous celebrity was etched in the scene. But some could see that is a beneficial side of celebrities trying to give back to the world with their own time. I often don’t feel that the images we see are always to be so negative, but as a gateway for people to have opportunity to give and share.

Christine Rosen might consider the thought of celebrities only reason for being on such infomercials is for publicity, to win the hearts of people by showing their generosity, and charitably to the world, by speaking out and touching the hearts of kids who are in less fortunate countries and children caught in the middle of wars struggling to survive. Rosen could even argue that the image would be distorted as well; the celebrities are just in fixed setting with child actors parading as innocent victims. But one could say that yes the image could very well be distorted, but the message behind it all is for a greater cause. People are quick to judge, but does really matter if your there or not? Infomercial like these save the children foundations may distort the image, for example they say a child is homeless and show the child, with no shoes, barely and clothes and malnourished. This could be camera magic or a trained child actor, but the message is that there are children like this child in the world. There are kids that don’t have clothes, a home, or even food for that matter. The message is always more meaningful that what is actually seen.
Though images are distorted or not it is always how people react to these images, whether they are sympathetic or bias. How people perceive these images is all up to them, people like Rosen could see these images as false advertisement or false conception of what is actually being seen in the image. But it is solely up to the people if they want to believe in what they see or what the message is. The young Middle Eastern boy is playing the mud, the man kneeing beside him a speaker of the infomercial. Who is the main subject and main focal point of the infomercial the man or the child? The child is the main focal point and the message that is trying to be conveyed. Every image has a message, but it is the viewer’s solely choice to believe the image or believe in the message that is too help these children and hope for a better future and life for them.

distorted images

2009-11-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

The article "Image Culture", by Christen Rosen is an interesting topic since it talks about how the media uses image in our world to manipulate and change ones perspective. Some people can be constantly looking at an image but in different ways, such as horror movies. People time and time again grow accustom to these images that we grow numb to them, we grow numb to violence.

But in some sense it could be a good thing; people can then twist and spin the image to their liking. People can decide what best suits them, what they chose to believe, giving choice back to the viewers. But to all good things there are often drawbacks, for example people could see President Lincoln in one photo, yet the point of time is not the same, instead it is some other president’s background just Lincoln was inserted into the frame. This is the drawback, what we as the viewers see as an historical moment in time, to be false and warped. It was funny how people themselves can manipulate the media in their own views even to their own personal profit. Makes you wonder what is true or what is untrue one could say, anything now a days can be distorted. False advertisements are some of these big issues.

With such technological advances these days, it’s hard to trust our own eyes, hoping that they don’t lead us astray. Images are just like texts, there are more than meets the eye, in other words there is more to the texts that you’re reading and the images you are viewing. Images can be easily manipulated just as images can. Makes you wonder even more who is being distorted the image or yourself?

Texting or talking which is best?

2009-10-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

The vlog of texting in relationships, consist of a girl talking about her life and relationships revolving around texting. For me texting is a very tedious type of communication. I feel that verbal communication is a easier and more convenient especially when communicating a relationship. Words in texting can often be misunderstood by the other party. Mixed feelings could also be taken the wrong way in texting, especially in a deep conversation. It's hard to understand a person’s feelings through just words written, a sense of feeling emotions is needed when expressing one's deepest feelings. Often people can have their feelings hurt in misconstrued conversations. Most people don't take texting seriously so people feel it is all right to leave a simple reply, but others who really take texting seriously as their primary sense of communication would take a offense to a simply reply if the person is in need of comfort. Especially a girlfriend going through emotional situations in their life, if a boyfriend that isn't really into texting could really effect his girlfriend in a bad way if he gives a wrong comment or a message of uninterested her feelings and emotional state.

But communicating through text could be a god way of communication especially for a couple that are not good at talking and are too afraid of expressing their true feelings. Some people can express their feelings easier in words even in poetry; people for years have been expressing their emotions of love through words of literature. For my personal experience I have had troubling relationships involving texting because I best express my feeling trough words and in person when I could see my girlfriend with my own eyes and her reaction and feelings for myself. For me cryptic words can make any relationship confusing and difficult to communicate deeply. I feel that texting is a big Misconception or as Plato would say it is just another form of holding oneself in a cave and entertaining with shadows to one’s own amusement. I feel that texting could be a faze that everyone falls under, I feel that expressing ones feeling in person with words face to Dave is the best way of communicating in a relationship and anxiety of one another could be avoided.

A Coming of Techno Age

2009-10-10T15:50:00.000-07:00

Technology is great concept that has birthed into our lives, because through technology we as a community can communicate better and more efficiently. For instance cell phones provide an easier way of communication, whether it is calling someone on the phone or sending text messages to them. Text messaging is a huge form of communication, goes hand in hand to what McLuhan says about our development in the media. How our world and society revolved around by ear, we all communicated by hearing what people say and converse back. But now times have changed, no longer do our ears become our only source of communication. As McLuhan said, “We gave our eyes ears”, because writing the invention of the alphabets we are able to read words instead of just hearing what people say on a radio or tape. For instance people used radios to communicate from airport message announcements of flights, now today airports type messages on electronic message boards showing all the listing of flights. Another would be the internet, because people can communicate through blogs, writing out the words out instead of speaking, being able to express oneself freely. And I think the most common and more useful is text messaging on cell phones, because it makes communication more convenient for everybody. For example you have a son sick at home, but you have business meeting to attend, and you can’t make calls because of inconvenience of the meeting. But now you could send text messages to your son and he can communicate back without disturbing the meeting. I feel this goes hand and hand with relationships now a day. People aren’t so rhythmically spoken or even lack romantic gestures to talk to their girlfriends or boyfriends, but talking breaks that barrier, because one can block out their anxiety and nervousness in front of their loves, and express what is on their mind and heart freely without stressing over what their lover is thinking. I think this is a much easier way of getting

But to all great aspects of life nothing last forever and therefore problems veer its ugly head. People now have to learn to catch up to time and the new age technology. People who are much older in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s are found lacking in the technological world of today. The older generation has to learn a whole new way of communication and living to adapt to this constant changing age. For example my parents are very behind in this new technological age, where I have to aid and teach them every step of the way on how to use their laptop or using their phones. As McLuhan pointed out that, “Innumerable confusions and a profound feeling of despair usually comes in this age of technology”.(McLuhan) I do agree in this concept because my own family is proof of such confusion of vast new age of technology. I too often feel overwhelmed, because the fact of the barrier of privacy can be broken, often I feel that my privacy is being threaten with the new age of technology such as cameras and what not. I feel like often I’m being watched or someone is spying on me, recording my image or the words I say. I feel like sometimes I can’t always say what I want in fear of being monitored these can also hurt the concept of communication because now people can freely express what they feel or the emotion they wish to exert.

A Moral Media

2009-10-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

I think in some ways that the media should be and not so ethical, because society at times aren't prepared for the sad truth of either being racial, and some people just rather go through and take the problem head on. So we must see media through a ethical view point, for example you see a group of people of all different races gathered striking against a company, exploiting Constitutional Racism. One may thinking those rich white people are so racist, but amongst the all the strikers there are white people. And for another example would be religion, some people have their own idea of what is the best choice on behalf of their life. But there are those that think badly of others ideas, because people like higher up company owners feel what’s the point of having these factory workers if I could have the work done triple the time with machines. I would like to take from one of Postman’s ideas of the world through his eyes. “One is the natural environment and consists of things like air, trees, rivers, and caterpillars. The other is the media environment, which consists of language, numbers, images, holograms, and all of the other symbols, techniques, and machinery that make us what we are.”(Postman) Postman’s idea of these two worlds we humans only see is very true. As a matter of fact I see it today, people who are all about the “Bling”, becoming very materialistic. People see only things for what can make them look good, for example girls want the latest purses or the in fashion clothes. Men are no different; we want fast cars, more money, and big houses. The media provides with so much of the celebrity high life that they pretty much promote the glamorous life, they want us to follow. In the real world people don’t live that extravagant, and people can’t afford even one thing some of those celebrities own. There is also a sense of ego that coincides with our media as well, because I don’t really see the point in having a big house, whether there are and specifics of advantage or disadvantage. I real think to myself would having a big house really make me happy or promote me into some egotistical prick? A lot of the time I see the media as a source of entertainment, not my open reality to the real world. A lot of what the media may say can be distorted, because it’s coming from one person point of view, not from the entire public, but what journalist or writers believe is the precise thought. Often times I look at the bigger picture and from my own view point and not just what the media says even if they claim it is on behalf of what the major public thinks. Because in the end it is really how I perceive things and what I believe and not what others rather have me think of or believe in

The Governmental Script

2009-09-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Our eyes show us everything from the day we were first born, to the days of our current lives. Our ears allow us hear all that occurs in the world, from celebrity gossip to the current wars in the Middle East. Makes you wonder has all that you have seen and experienced true, or for that matter even really. What tricks could others of greater authority have upon our eyes, and ears, playing with our minds, making us hear and see what only they want us to hear and see. Makes you wonder if you have control of your own life, or merely living it under the control or deceptions of these government figures. Are we really unplugged or we still just victims made to believe in more conspiracies. Makes us wonder that are the wars that we have gone through for so many years even real, or are they just another cover up to make the people believe in our government and become more dependent upon them. Our government is the strongest power in our world today; they control everything from the media, military, and even the minds of our constituents. Our government tries long hard to control our perceptions and plug us into everything they want us to believe, flowing a well written script just to make an award winning picture for the hearts of their viewers.

To the mind of the people what we see war as may come different to how our government may see things. War to me is that a time of turmoil in which people have to fight and endure to the bitter end for better or for worse. Yet, living during time of war is a very real thing, people dying, families torn to the ground, but could other see as war as type of show. Could war be show business itself only to use to entertain the mob and make them believe in some false hero? A leader who made a country believe to be sucked in a war of terror and the only way to win to fight, yet his time as leader to lead this war is almost up and only the citizens can reestablish his position. Sounds a lot like our world leaders today i.e., President Bush. Our government to seems like a group or writers and directors who only have one goal set to make the perfect shot and film to win the crowd with arrays of shadow wall puppets in front of a lit fire. Makes you wonder doesn’t it, are we really in a war or merely watching a computer simulated shadow puppet show? Some fear the idea that uncovering truths of our government would put us in a predicament, believing if we try to unplug and seek the light truth agents will come to our houses will kill us. So, we shut ourselves in caves and shackle our wrist and ankles to avoid such tribulations out of fear.

Often I feel like our government is constantly feeding us the blue pill regardless media, the news, or even our local city office counselors. I constantly question everything the government has told from the just war of Iraq to the previous conflicts in Vietnam. Are these just another propped war like Albania, just make our world leader look like a glorious hero to the world, again entertaining the mob. Think of a director plugging his viewers into another brilliant rendition of a historical war to bend our perception of our leader as a valiant hero opposed to evil wizard perspective. We constantly take the blue pill not caring what happens as long as it benefit us, plugging ourselves into our computers away from the real world, throwing ourselves into caves with nothing but a bit director’s shadow puppetry on the wall, blocking us from the light of websites that try to reveal the real truths. But in fear of higher chains of command, our powerful feared government we go along with the scripts and play our part in making votes towards our fearless directors and writers. We will always be kept in the dark even with the news media as our insight. But if we learn to unplug ourselves from fear and taste the red pill we can strive to make our opening to see the light and reveal the truth and not the written script of story.

Comparing 2 worlds

2009-09-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

In John Partridge’s Plato’s Cave and The Matrix where he says, “the real world in The Matrix is very like the world inside the cave.” In my comparison of my unplugged post I completely agree with this statement. The Matrix and the Cave is like a Dream world, where there are people who are still plugged or chained. In some sense people who are plugged in the Matrix cannot tell what is real from non real, but only what the Matrix wants them to see. Same goes for the prisoners in the cave, while chained they cannot tell if, as Partridge mentions, a chair is really there. But if released from his bonds he could get a better view, much like a person who is plugged into the Matrix they could see the real world for what it is if they were unplugged. This goes hand in hand from my topic people still not grasping the truth in our world today. Some of still blinded only seeing what our government wants us to see, in what they believe to be a perfect world, where everyone would agree on everything concerning, from wars, to schools, and etc.
I also found the topic of Partridge’s Socrates education of the cave and the matrix pretty interesting and in the same commonality to my statement. Partridge mention that Morpheus unplugged Neo and gave him the choice of either taking the road for the truth or live a life of illusions bound by the Matrix. I made a statement that would correspond to this analysis. In my unplugged post made a similar depiction of Morpheus and Neo’s resemblance to Plato and Glucon. Though Partridge is comparing Morpheus to Socrates, yet Plato is a student of Socrates. But the comparison of these three great men is that they gave their followers a choice in the matter. These gadflies so to speak all offer choice to their followers and giving them a chance to choose in what they want to believe in. as I said at the end of my post the choice is really up to us, whether we decide to believe in what the shadows tell us in the cave or let the Matrix run our lives. The choice is up to us, as the Oracle said, that we already made the choice now all we have to do is understand why we did.

Unplugged

2009-09-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

In relation to the previous blog, that people are merely slaves or simple programs that follow an ordinary life, blind by the truth in the dream world. And there are those who search for the truth thus stepping into the light and taking any risk needed to continue that path of the real world. Most people live just as simple lives or programs that are in search of nothing, too afraid what troubles may come and cower into that dark cave just to escape. People are always plugged into this dream world, this cave, because they depend on it to provide them what they want. Yet there are those who wish to keep us in this dream world, this cave, in order to keep us from learning the horrible truth of the real world. As Morpheus said, “that the matrix is a computer generated dream world in order to keep us controlled.” Much like how our government blinds us today from learning the truth behind their unknown motives. Simply our government is the Matrix and the agents, those who show us the horrible truths are those who are not blinded, unplugged, like Plato and Morpheus. In the movie the “Matrix”, play similar connections to Plato’s Cave on the topic of how people are being blinded from learning the truth, forced to live in a dream world, in which we must make a choice in the matter.

Plato in some respects is similar to Morpheus; both are trying to separate us from the cave or dream world. Both of them are trying to unplug, free our minds. As Plato preached to his follower Glucon is as the same as how Morpheus preaches to Neo. Much like Plato would teach his follower that choice of taking the light he will see the light and truth, but feel the pain of seeing this light or remain in darkness controlled, imprisoned. Same as how Morpheus offers Neo the blue, which he would remain in dream land unplugged to live out his normal life controlled by the Matrix. And there is the red pill that will offer the chance to see the light escape from darkness, become unplugged. The same way most people try to preach to us on the web of terrible secrets of the government of the motives of the CIA or the truths behind the wars. Secrets that the government blinds us from or in this case of the Matrix and Plato’s cave the agents and prison guards.

In the end the choice is really up to us, whether stay in the dark cave watching and hearing the shadows. Taking the blue living out a simple programmed life controlled by the Matrix or just going according to the plans that our government has sent out for us and allowing them to block out what they don’t want us know. Or take the red pill continue on the rabbit hole towards the light to see the real world and all the horrors that it may hold.

opening ones eyes to the light

2009-08-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

There are many people in this world, who stay in darkness, refusing to look into the light, fearing what realities the light will reveal. So we (as humans) blind ourselves and thus limiting the knowledge we already know, but still not yet understood. People of today who blind themselves from the true horrors of the world hide themselves way in caves and any other dark corners of the world in hopes that they’re only echoes passing in the air. The people in caves are much like the people of our world, blind and unable to grasp the truths hidden in every aspect of life, and just refuse to see.

Consider the thought of a person who is a war extremist, and promotes Bush’s idea of starting a war with all of the Middle East to be a just reason to put the whole country in poverty. Extremist believe that war will result in victory. But let’s shed some light on the matter for several years now our war has not ended, our country in out of money, not to mention the pain and lost most families had to suffer through losing sons and daughters, whom most Extremist would call, “causalities of war” or “heroes”. Because of what one image on the wall (i.e. bush, extremist) says that complete war and domination of a country overrun with terrorist will solve all our problems. Constant echoes repeating against the walls, of “war” falling upon the ears of this blind people, yet none were able to shed light on the problems and detrimental results that will come out of this conquest. These Politicians think that filling the minds of the people of the benefits of war will bring, when in truth the people should already know that nothing good will come out of the wars, which we take part in.

Darkness blinds not only politics, but individuals and communities. During the segregation disputes of yesteryear of racism between blacks and whites, people were blind to see that facts and refused to understand. Mostly in the South, whites would discriminate blacks out of their neighborhoods, social lodgings, schools, and politics. Some whites didn’t want to accept blacks into their lives or even their children; one could say they were too blind to see them as people instead of mere shadows. A life no one who was born under the flag of democracy should have to suffer, for a country that is to protect their rights as a human being. But in all aspects of life there are hidden truths, and in the result one person became that light to open everyone's eyes. Martin Luther King Jr. was that light, who helped everyone in the country see and brought everyone out of the caves they hid themselves in, especially those who refused to see. He wasn’t taught anything special but simply put forth his own knowledge of freedom for all and that everyone is not all black and white, but brothers and sisters.

There will always be people who will not listen and live in the darkness, only to hear what they want to hear and see what they want to see, rather than the horrible truth. Refusing to look into light shedding upon the truths of the world and what lies behind every bad decision that was made and the precautions not taken to prevent such problems. But once we finally do look into that light the world should be more clear, everything will make sense and a greater understanding of our knowledge of life and the world will begin to grow.