the desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly
and listen to the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life if full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiul world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

-max ehrmann

the open mic night!

by the way it says: featured poet richard newman. entertainment dj blackout. march 26, 9:00 pm- $5 cover donated to hepatitis research. c.w. post hillwood commons, pioneer room!

“How do I know I’m not the reincarnation of Jesus Christ?”

What is to be said of this organization? Though I have not experienced it myself and have not given it much of a third thought, once it came out of Tara's mouth (an old high school friend I recently met up with) I knew it was growing, rapidly. I can see how the idea of landmark would be intriguing, in fact I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious and interested myself- what draws so many people to pay 550 dollars for self help session that is supposedly “life changing” I couldn’t really tell you except for the explanation that the vast majority of people in our world (if not all) are lost and vulnerable looking for some sort of direction- some epiphany of sorts. As a human being, like all the rest of a masked and pretentious vulnerability I wonder and think to myself- could landmark change my life? I have no verifiable answer to this question since I have not experienced the phenomena but there is an overwhelming sensation of doubt. Call me an unbeliever; call me a psychoanalytic bitch with no desire to look beyond the regular “mundane-ness” of being but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. To this organization that believes they have “the answer” the unattainable truth that you can find seems to be entirely out of the question, which is to say that the only real questions in life, the ones of significance cannot be answered but instead are the ones you find yourself thinking about throughout the extent of your life, the ones the thinkers, philosophers, artists, writers, poets have contemplated through all of existence and tell me that 550 dollars will answer these questions for you. Not only do I detest the idea of payment to fulfill your life but the concept of having “the answer” at any given moment of your life seems to be not only a cop out, but a waste of life in and of itself. So lets think about this rationally- you are paying an extraordinary sum of money to sit in a conference room that is monitored by 15 surveillance cameras with about 75-250 other people (sure, go ahead, argue the sense of community- but a forced community you have to dig in your wallet for?) to listen to someone who is trying to “help” you (when did help and community ever have a decent paycheck? Who in their right mind, really wanting to help, would charge such an irrational amount of money, let alone in the worst financial crisis our generation has ever seen? If it was fifty bucks sure but I mean multiplying at least 150 by 400 leads me to believe that this is the first step of their Hitler regime). All right fine, I know, harsh- it’s not that I believe they are preaching pure evil or spreading negativity but it seems as though there must be some sort of brainwashing technique especially since they involve the entire audience in a mass hypnosis. You want to go to the bathroom? Not allowed. Want to take notes? No again. Want to just check it out for yourself during the “graduation” expect more than one phone call from the landmark. Maybe its all worth it, maybe this thing, whatever it is really works, or maybe, you just become even more robotic sitting next to that many people under the dictatorship of the same man who was accused by his own daughter of sexually assaulting and abusing his children and is the founder of this organization. I for one, enjoy being human- and though I complain, maybe a little too much, every sorrow and burden and pain I am faced with allows me to become a better person, a better human and will ultimately lead to my life long path of self discovery- you want someone to ruin the most precious gift you have been given? Go ahead, but I think each and every person needs to find their own path, feel the pain, feel the joy and be grateful, and if you need some help along the way, find another human- not the solace of a “community” that probably is one giant scheme. Oh the beginnings of 2012- fulfilling our own self prophecy. Anyway, this whole rant does not mean that I won’t be giving the infamous/famous landmark a shot. Of course, my nature is that of a curious one, as is yours and every other person so yes, I will end up dishing the 550 dollars (when I can afford it) and yes, I will be sitting in a conference room where I am not allowed to pee and give up all control, but I suppose it’s a small price to pay. I mean, not really, its actually quite large but yes, I will be there. Perhaps my entire idea of this organization will change (remember- hypnosis) ::winks:: but who really knows- these are just my thoughts. I will update you along the way. In the meantime, remember to relish being human, even the worst of seeds can blossom into a beautiful flower with a little time, sweat, love and patience.

All my love-
Lindoz
P.s. Werner Erhard; Jesus? Really? Because Jesus would never say something like that.

im an idiot.

self sabotage. think linda. think.

today.

went to my internship, same as every wednesday- group therapy, "happy days" (activity and stimulation program for Alzheimer's patients). We had pet therapy today, N (I'm only going to use first initials -patient confidentiality) brought in the sweetest puppy, her mom is a client in happy days, and N volunteers. She's really a nice lady. Then we put on some music and danced. I asked B if she wanted to dance, told her how lovely her sweater was. B never really wants to do anything. She used to speak fluent english but reverted back to yiddish/gibberish when her brain started to deteriorate. She takes my hand. If you knew how difficult it is to connect with her you would understand that her taking my hand was a big deal. anyway, we dance and about twenty minutes passes by and its time for lunch. i ask her, "B, are you hungry? do you want to eat? its time for lunch" and point to my mouth and my belly. She looks at me and responds:

"No; I like you."

and goes back to yiddish and gibberish.

i dont even know what the feeling is; all i know is that i evoked something in her and she in me as well.
it was completely beyond my comprehension and so gddamn beautiful.

a good bit of comedy for all to see :

AND ENJOY! courtesy of of a certain someone...

click here for the best laugh of your life, written by a 21 year old girl (not me- i cant take credit for this sort of comedic genius)

http://mynameislin.blogspot.com/2009/02/sense-of-humor-in-brooklyn.html#comments

thanks "sasha"