Its a Matter of Bounce

The next time someone says, "You can be anything that you imagine." Believe them. In fact, recently I realized that often the way you see yourself broadcasts what others can see in you.

There are lots of ways to imagine yourself. Some people see themselves as a project, pulled together piece by piece to build something they envision. Others view their themselves as a mystery story that unfolds minute by minute based on a string of clues. Usually, folks like that don't have a clue as to where they are going, or what they are about to do, but they enjoy being the main character. Others' perspectives vary as widely as imagination itself. In plain, for everyone, how you imagine yourself is up to you, and likely what you see is going to be you.

Well, I’m a rubber ball, not as fancy as the one in the photo. I am the simple kind used for handball or racquetball - a rubber, seamless sphere, only a few inches in diameter. I would say that I see myself as only a little over two ounces, but this is about imagination, not delusion. I

identify with that object because these days much of my time is spent in efforts to learn to bounce back. Spiritually, mentally, physically, there is a lot of ground to cover. In each area circumstances wrought by me or someone else slam me into walls...of doubt, of pain, of fear, of ignorance, and frequently weariness. As most people, I find myself in those conditions, but recently my goal is to emerge undefeated.

Most people do not give much thought to the wonder of that little ball. The ball itself seems a thoughtless object. Someone slams it into a wall, or an obstacle, with different levels of force. The sphere rebounds in ways that are unpredictable. The ball flies off the wall or other obstruction at random speeds and odd angles, which I accept and enjoy as a surprise. Often, when I hot a wall, I cannot predict what will come next. Do me a favor - if you know, do not tell me. I live for the surprise.

Now, mt life as a ball is not for everyone. I know that many people cannot stand the unpredictable. They want to know what happens next. They want to plan. When they see a ball like me, they ask ask questions like:

If you hit the ball at ground level toward the wall with a speed of 12 meters per second, at an angle of 20 degrees above the horizontal, how long does it take for the ball to reach the wall if it is 6.2 meters away?

Believe me, when you are the ball, the amount of time before you hit the wall becomes the least of your concerns. I am fascinated by how and where I and others bounce back. I am in awe at the variety of ways we come away from the obstructions in life. We lose a job. A better one comes along. Someone faces "ruination," and opens an opportunity toward an as yet unseen career. Money slides out the door, and walks right back in. Somehow, every day loss is replaced in a turn of events that renders the despair that once came with into unimportance, because being a ball is a lesson in love. The ball bounces again and again, because its nature is to endure hardship and rebound. The nature of a ball is resilience. In plain speak, it does what it does, because it exists., and so do I. Love teaches me to be patient, have faith, hope and endure, and through those things I live.

Its like the author of First Corinthians explains, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” If I love God, I have to love what I am. If I truly do love myself, then it is little to ask me to be patient with me, to believe in me, to hope that what I want will be fulfilled, and to endure the rough patches along the way.

In the five months since I last wrote here, I have grown in the belief that love surrounds me. In fact, it surrounds every one of us, if you can believe it. That growth makes me affirm new habits. I will not panic and despair in the present. I await the future. I can do that because I believe that I my destiny is to loved, if only by God/ That is why the story of my life cannot have a sad conclusion. So, I choose to hang with whatever comes at me every day. When something slams me into a wall I pause, keep faith with my dreams, endure, and then find a way to bounce back like that ball. That will happen at different speeds and in different directions. Keep an eye on me. Await the surprise.

The Death of "Spock," Again

Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)

Spock died yesterday, and this time he probably won't come back. For a reverent moment, let me clarify. The director, writer, photographer, singer and actor who portrayed the character Spock for more than five decades died on Feb. 27 in his bed, at home in Los Angeles' exclusive Belair neighborhood. He is gone, yet his memory will live long, and I hope that someday what the character represented will spread.

 Back to where this started -- Spock has lived, died and lived more than one life before. Paramount Studios, maker of the Star Trek films, killed off the character Spock,  in  "The Wrath of Khan," the second in a series of now 11 big-screen films. The then-Vulcan science officer on the Starship Enterprise sacrificed himself at the end of the film because, as that script nobly repeats several times, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one." Anyway, the character dies in the 1982 film, but the producers misread the needs of the fans, and what Spock represented in the American psyche. That is why, in 1984, the third film, which Nimoy also directed, was tagged,  "The Search for Spock,"an aptly dubbed search-and-rescue saga.

I grieve the death of Leonard Nimoy, but not just as a fan of the television, film, animation, and novel series. The character which was a first on television in this country made me unashamed to embrace the embrace the emotionally controlled, rational, and logical spirit - the "Spock" - in me. More than that, I hope that someday many more people on this planet will show the traits the character so ably conveyed. We need more people to take on that posture instead of the passion-driven, purposeless, violent stances seemingly prevalent throughout the globe in  in the 21st Century.

Those traits came to me as the result of an education in the Classics. Most Americans will disagree, but I wish today's high school and college students would still be pushed to study languages, Philosophy, History, the Arts, and Social Sciences instead of just Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM will make young people become better cogs in a transnational money-making machine, but those who come through the education pipeline without even a faint familiarity with Classic deeds, contributions and artifacts of Global civilizations are likely to lose their souls. Nimoy's Spock contributed soul.

Quinto's Spock

As for the movies, the Nimoy Spock yielded his spot to the a younger, more passionate and cosmopolitan character with an itch for black women in the 2009 rebirth of the Star Trek movie series. He is portrayed as rage-filled, romantic and sometimes without logic by Zachary Quinto since movie number ten. That film rewove Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's traditional storyline so far outside of what Trekkies and less die-hard fans might expect, the 127-minute drama had to be titled, "Star Trek," lest viewers become confused. Yet, Nimoy's specter was so powerful that the story included the actor and his character in a cameo role.

Nimoy's Spock was part of a race of people named after the Roman god of fire, Vulcan. Since the television series debuted during the late 1960s, a time when the United States was embroiled in a bloody conflict in Southeast Asia, his character often pointed out and criticized humanity's suicidal tendencies. Vulcan was nearly destroyed by the temptation to yield to the hearts' dictates without critical thought. Perhaps that is why Roddenberry had them not say "goodbye," as humans do upon departure. Vulcan's say, "Live long and prosper."

 The people of Vulcan came to understand that passion without logic can only yield unbridled violence. As Pope Paul VI once explained in his writings Peace on Earth can only truly emerge from the will to see all human life preserved and prosperous. As mentioned, I learned the same things reading human history, philosophy, ancient languages, and through the study of art and music. I remain puzzled why it seems that so few others people these days grasp the same understanding.

I see passion without logic everyday in the alleged acts of the self-proclaimed, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as well as the covert drone wars of the United States. The tragic formula is evident in the Ferguson, Missouri riots' irrational rage, and the racially insensitive, inflexibility of the St. Louis County law enforcement. The pattern was in the "preemptive strike" policy of former President George W. Bush's administration, sadly echoed by the mandates of President Barack Obama.

Unbridled passion, irrational fear and disjointed logic destroy mental, physical and spiritual harmony and balance. Sadly those negative traits have woven into the fabric of life on this planet. Perhaps, as people read this, remember Leonard Nimoy, or search for Spock, those of good will be inspired to pause the violence and other evils that result from rage fed by fear and illogic, and consider, "Where does this gets us?"

The future of ourselves and the Earth will be the result of human will. Violence and fear are choices, not part of human nature. Like the mythical Vulcans, at any point Humans can turn the corner and choose to life and prosperity for all.

Back in Action

I'm back. The Rest of Me was silent for awhile, yet the saga continues.

I don't have any one excuse for the lack of communication. Write the blog!, I told myself every day. Literally. An array of problems stayed the good thoughts, and tamped my desire to communicate. I could tell stories, but I won't. Suffice to state, the issues included everything from the time I overstressed myself walking and was flattened by back pain for three days to the need to deal with other people's issues. This morning, I recalled an old adage: "To think is easy; to act is difficult," someone once said. "To act as one thinks is the most difficult of all."

I and many people want changes in our lives. We think about them. We visualize them. The problem - some people do every thing except act on them. That is why many people do not get what they say they want. Frequently, I just do, rather than to talk, think or visualize the results I want. The action always seem to bring me

the sense of balance and harmony, because to not verbalize the desire lowers the pressure that comes with a high level of expectation.

For example, last month I start a blog. Impatience crept in not long after I began. I wanted the blog to appeal to readers. I wanted the digital diary to be dynamic in its own way, yet appeal to others without coming off as a crude attempt by yet another netizen to "live out loud." The impatience and high expectations made me over think the blog writing, which quickly led me to a general dissatisfaction with the whole process.  Believe it or not, all of that happened in less than two months. I decided to forget thoughts about what will happen, and just do.

The same with the activities involved in this journey toward mental, physical and spiritual balance and harmony. There are times when I over-think details. Now, I just write.

I became focused too much on weight-loss a few weeks ago. I weighed myself on about five different scales. Every machine, digital and mechanical,  showed a different result. The only sure thing is that that I now weigh somewhere between 353 and 316 pounds. I almost pulled the plug on the effort because the weight-loss seemed to creep too slowly, or because I did not like the tease of joy that came with the thought that the pounds fell off pretty fast. Frustration with the lack of consistency or accuracy led me to act. I told myself to forget the weight, just do.

I walk, watch the diet, keep positive thoughts, search for wellness education or insights, and finally, write The Rest of Me because those things will take me away from the state I was in when the journey began. My actions do not guarantee to take me to any specific destination. I have a place in my where I would like my life to go, but no guarantees I might ever reach someplace inspired by expectation. My actions will take me from where I was. That is enough. Where I might end up with this blog, and this journey are a mystery. All of that means I can look forward to something. Since I do not control the outcome, I will have to hope that the journey takes me to a better place than it found me. At least, I hope that I can act on my thoughts.

Dawn is not far off. That is when I walk. I hope today's trip around the neighborhood will inspire another entry.