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Moral Obligation

So right now, I'm working on a group project for Humanities. I know, it's 2 in the morning and I should be sleeping, but 1) SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK, and 2) PROCRASTINATION.

Anyways, I'm on a Skype call with a group member, and he and I have basically carried the group. Sure, there was another group member that did work, but we did the bulk of the heavylifting (academic heavylifting, mind you). But there are four people in our group. So what happened to the fourth person?

Okay, so first, lemme assign names to protect people's identities and such: I'm me; the other responsible group member is Ryan; the group member that worked, but not too much will be called Aiden; and the group member that didn't work at all will be called Lewis. Although Lewis had an excuse not to work (his computer glitched or something, I don't really know the details), he still could've done his work at the library or something, and that's why I'm making this blog post.

As stated previously, it's 2 in the morning, I'm tired, my eyelids are heavy, but fingers are not moving across the keyboard normally, and I wanna go to sleep. However, the aforementioned project still is unfinished. Why you may ask? Because of Lewis? Not all because of Lewis, but he wasn't not the reason. We still have several elements of the project unfinished, and Lewis's part of the Annotated Bibliography is one of them. Sure, we could throw him under the bus, screw over his grade and talk our way out of our grade going down, but that feels... wrong. So now Ryan and I have to do his research, his research questions, his slides in the Powerpoint, everything that he would've normally done. And then we have to do our own part of the project (which we finished, actually, before working on Lewis's stuff).

So. Should we have to do this?

We are all friends in the group, and we know each other pretty well. Ryan and I discussed it at length (at the detriment of our productivity, but at this rate, nothing's getting done, let's be honest), and we decided to do Lewis's work. It's our moral obligation, we said to justify this excess workload. We'd feel like bad people otherwise. But is extra sleep worth that feeling of guilt? As previously stated, we could work our way out of any grade trouble on our end, but Lewis's grade would be screwed. Wouldn't affect us. Would actually be good for us if you think about it in terms of rank-competition. We'd be getting extra sleep.

We'd be guilty of being bad friends. And I think that's what at the root of this "dilemma" (it wasn't really a dilemma; I exaggerated previously; we decided at once to do Lewis's work): the moral obligation for us to cover for our friend. Sure, logically, if we were robots, we would never cover for Lewis, not in a million years. But we're not. We're humans. With emotions, with empathy, with compassion for one another. There's a reason society hasn't completely crumbled into chaos and anarchy yet. We still have humanity within us. We still cover for one another, and make sure the job gets done no matter how much (or how little) sleep we get.

And once we lose that humanity within us, once we succumb to the robots' level, once we stop covering for one another, this all goes down the drain. Once we put our priorities, our pleasure, above someone else's pain that we could solve, if we just sacrificed a little, that's when society starts to fall into disarray. We must always cover for one another, help each other out, and whether that means less sleep or less money, it's enough for a little to go around to everybody. And that's what really matters. That everybody gets something.

Maybe you think that Lewis will do this again. Next group project, he does nothing. But that won't happen. You know why I know that? Because I trust Lewis. I know that this was a series of unfortunate events, not a series of planned frivolity (not sure if I used that word correctly). People by nature want to better themselves. Lewis, by nature, wanted to work on the project, he wanted to earn his grade. So we must trust each other, not just in group projects, but in society as a whole. Humans aren't inherently lazy, idle, complacent. We're workers, we're do-ers, we want to feel validated, and we earn our grade (or money) as best we can. If something comes up, something comes up, and others should be there to cover for you. But nothing comes up that often to compromise this system.

So think about that the next time you watch the news. Think about that the next time you go to a voting booth. Think about that the next time you're up at 2 am working on a group project. You have a moral obligation to cover for people. Maybe they're not in the best of spots, maybe they're just getting by.

So cover for them.

--PRANAV

Tests

Four tests, one week
This was fun, let's
Not do it again

No study
No sleep
No grade

Crowd

I'm surrounded by people
Milling about every which way
Yet I'm isolated

Why am I lonely
I have no excuse
Emotional fragility
Is uncalled for, and
Frustratingly unnecessary

But it exists
It festers within
And to stamp it out
I know not how

It's always been there
Just beneath the surface
Perhaps tomorrow
You'll see

Rhyming

Rhyming poetry is quite hard to create

You have to be exceptionally talented

A bowl of cereal, I just ate

Perhaps this is only fate

But

I feel like I'm on a roll

With these rhymes, like gold

Poetry can be good

Rhymes can be lyrical food

Sometimes similar spellings don't rhyme

Those rhymes are like enzymes

Speeding up the rate at which

A reader will want to ditch

Rhymes are interesting and fun

This poem has meaning like mud

But it is an attempt, nonetheless

But this poem will, for sure, not impress

Maze of Life

It's dark in here
The maze is scary
But I know my way around

That's what you think
But really, I'm bleeding,
A gaping wound in my side

Admiration

People around me

Are better than me

More talented

I look up to them

I admire them

I want to be them

Lexical Gap

Words are flawed
Such a limited medium
Of self expression

What is a color
What is a sound
What is pain

But at least words can
Make you feel

Turn That Down

Your music is so loud
Turn it down please
I can't think

But it helps me think
I don't want to turn it down
Go away

Choice

Obligations are obligatory

Unless you say that

They aren't

Choices are powerful

Unless you say that

They aren't

I Want To Come In

Tapping away

On the window

The tree branch is

Allow me to come in

Allow me to visit you

Just open the window

Yawning In Misery

My binder is over there
Across the room
But I'm here

Don't force me to work
Don't force me to think
Don't force me to be

Captain America: Civil War - Average Joe Review

So, on May 7-8, 2015, I went to the theater to see Ant-Man. And this is my review of the movie.
(May 7-8 because it started at about 10:30 and lasted until 1:10 at night)

First off, this review is spoiler free if you've watched the trailers for Civil War. Assuming you have, you have the go-ahead to read the following review.

Civil War. Easily my most anticipated movie of the year. Sure, Batman v Superman was up there, but I had a nagging feeling that that movie would bomb (which it did), but Civil War had me hyped since I heard about plans for such a movie. Captain America versus Iron Man? Of course I would love it! Although going into this movie I had knowledge of the comic book story arc by the same name, I tried to distance myself from most of the promotional material (except the trailers, of course). Clips on the Marvel Entertainment Youtube Channel, I neglected, TV spots, I fast-forwarded, actor interviews, I skipped over. I think part of the reason I disliked BvS so much was that the marketing was so horribly managed: it was as if I had already seen the entire movie through the promotional material. So yeah, I distanced myself from Civil War marketing best I could.

Now for the actual movie. Wow, what a movie. It was dramatic, action-packed, thought-provoking (or as thought-provoking a superhero film can be), well-acted, all around a great movie. Directed by the Russo brothers, Civil War was an all around stellar film. The Russo brothers directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a movie in the MCU many regarded, at the time, as one of the best installments yet, earning such high praise almost solely because of it's amazing action sequences. Such great choreography and action really shine through in Captain America: Civil War as well. 

The general premise of the movie is that the Avengers have been split into two teams, led by Captain America/Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, and Iron Man/Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr.. 

<sidenote> Are there supposed to be two periods there or only one? K thx. <sidenote>

The cause for such a rift in the Avengers is over the Sokovia Accords, a documents that makes the Avengers a public organization controlled by UN. Basically, the superheroes will have to act according to the UN and only the UN. Tony Stark is all for this: after all, his endeavors have resulted in mass destruction in the past, and a surprising number of villains were of Stark's creation. However, Captain America wasn't having it. What if the Avengers needed to go someplace that the UN didn't green-light? What if the UN itself was/were the bad guys? After the HYDRA fiasco of the Winter Soldier, Captain America wasn't so ready to let the government tell him what to do when, and understandably so. The proposal of the Sokovia Accords was, as the name suggests, after the Battle of Sokovia in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but also because of a battle in the beginning of Civil War (which I won't go into now because SPOILERS). One thing leads to another and everybody takes matters into their own hands. And then it all goes to hell. (In a good way)

As always, I'm a little bit skeptical of movies like Civil War which are jam packed with characters, wondering if each character will shine on their own amidst all the chaos. In Civil War, I feel that each character did shine, although characters such as Hawkeye and others that were introduced later on in the film didn't have as much going for them. I know in the past I've said I was a huge fan of Hawkeye, but that has kind of reversed into a begrudging acceptance of his presence in the MCU. I don't know why, but he's definitely not in my top 10 favorites any more. Anyways, back to the point: the characters in Civil War do shine, even if it's just for a brief few moments. After all, with so many characters in the MCU crammed into this film, you can't get everything. Welcome additions were Black Panther, the Wakandan prince with his own agenda (which I won't get into here because SPOILERS), and... drumroll please...

SPIDER MAN!!! Tom Holland positively stole the show as Spidey, and finally all our prayer's have been answered: we have a great Peter Parker and great Spider Man!  Tobey Maguire was a good Peter Parker and an okay Spider Man, and Andrew Garfield was a bad Peter Parker and a good Spider Man, but this guy Tom Holland, he's the complete package. Finally, an actor who portrays Spider Man, in my opinion, the way he was always meant to be portrayed. I think part of the reason I loved his performance is my nostalgia towards Spider Man 2, the best Spider Man prior to Civil War. Of course, Spider Man 3 made me lose all respect for that franchise, but yeah Tom Holland is great. If you've seen any of the promotional material, you know what I'm talking. A teenaged snarky genius with superpowers is a welcome addition to the cast of adult superheroes doing super serious (hahahaha see what I did there?) superheroing, and in the main battle scene at the climax of the movie, Spider Man truly shines. 

Of course, RDJ does a wonderful job with Tony Stark, and although there was a lot less quipping from him than in past films, RDJ brought out the dark side of Tony, the side necessary for Tony to fight Cap. The action was quite compelling, and really made the Iron Man - Captain America interactions electrifyingly tense with anticipation. Chris Evans also had a stand-out performance, bringing out the dark side of Cap that Steve Rogers warned of in Age of Ultron. Both performances made for dramatic interactions between the two, and made the plot so much more riveting. All the other performances were great too: Anthony Mackie as Falcon, Sebastian Stan as Bucky/Winter Soldier, Don Cheadle as Rhodey/War Machine, Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Elizabeth Olson as Scarlet Witch, you get the idea.

The CGI was also great, which can't hurt, although it was to be expected with such a huge budget. The action sequences were where Civil War really shines. Amidst all the chaos, the tension and rift in the Avengers is non-stop action that the Average Joe came to see. The Average Joe came to see Captain America beat up Iron Man and Iron Man to beat up Captain America, and Civil War delivered. Intertwined with dramatic, sometimes witty dialogue, the choreography and cinematography of the action sequences is characteristic of the Russo brothers: less shaky-cam, more storytelling. I could actually follow along with the punches, who was beating up who how. Other films, take notes.

There was also actually character development. I saw Captain America and Iron Man grow on screen, diverging from the norm of "good guy" to rivals, enemies to the end. Although having several years of the MCU to become attached to these characters might've aided the film, it's to the film's credit that I was still so invested in these characters whose stories I walked alongside. I could empathize with Captain America feelings towards the government, I could respect Iron Man's logic, but in the end, I didn't want either character to go away. Scarlet Witch and Falcon and Bucky especially also grew. In Age of Ultron, I barely got attached to the telekinetic mutant, but in this film, I see her struggle with the magnitude of her actions, and see her overcome that struggle for the greater good of what she thinks is right. Falcon also became so much cooler in this film, for lack of better words. In Winter Soldier, I wasn't the biggest fan of Falcon, but he's gotten much more interesting than a simple Captain-America-follower since that film, having his own thoughts and opinions on the Sokovia Accords, amongst other matters. Bucky however, stood out. In Winter Soldier, I was a bit worried of how he would be portrayed in the future in the MCU, but Civil War erased those worries completely. His story arc really came fully circle (get it, arcs and circles and stuff, hahaha), and I believe in Bucky as a  character now. As you know, character development is what I love to see most in a film, and this film, it delivered.

Now for the villain, the bad guy, whatever you call it. I feel like telling you the villain's motives and stuff is pretty SPOILER-RIFIC, so I won't go in depth at all, but all I will say is this: I felt as though the villain's driving force for doing what he did was pretty un-dramatic, and not of huge weight. He goes into his motives in the latter half of the movie, but such a brief scene didn't quite resonate with me. In other words, it was predictable from the very start. I really wish that Marvel could've done something out of the blue for this character, but they went the easy route, which was probably necessary to make the movie as good as it was. 

All in all, Captain America: Civil War was an absolutely stellar film in almost every way. Great acting, great action, great plot, it would be an understatement to call it awesome. I give it a 4.9/5, for even though everything was freaking awesome, amazing, spectacular, stupendous, the less-than-convincing villain doesn't give it a perfect score. However, this movie replaces The Edge of Tomorrow for the title of My Favorite Movie. Good job.

--PRANAV

PS #TEAMCAP ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice - Average Joe Review

So, on April 24, 2016, I went to the theatre to see Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. And this is my review of the movie.

First off, this review is spoiler-free. You're welcome.

Also, lemme just say that I haven't seen any of the DCCU movies up to this point. Basically, I haven't seen Man of Steel. So perhaps that may influence my experience of this movie. However, I knew what happened in that movie. So yeah.

Batman vs. Superman, perhaps that most anticipated movie of 2016 (The Force Awakens came out 2015, right? Right?! Ok). Of course, nothing could live up to the amount of hype that surrounded the film. Every trailer was picked apart, frame by frame by ultra-fans. All the promotional content, all the TV spots and clips on Youtube, they too were analyzed beyond a shadow of doubt as to what their role was in the movie. Personally, I distanced myself from such theorizing, from such speculation. I usually try to go into a movie without knowing what it's about. However comma, I was exposed to the horrible word of mouth that accompanied the release of the film. I heard from friends that critics were bashing it, that it was horrible, that it would waste my time

And to be honest, I kind of agree. Performances were overall pretty okay, with Ben Affleck being the stand out cast member. His portrayal of Batman echoed that of Christian Bale's, which is always a good thing. Nevertheless, it didn't' my save the movie. Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor was an interesting decision, but I felt that he didn't portray the character very well, despite a good performance. On the other hand, Henry Cavill's Superman, to me at least, was quite unconvincing. However bad or good the performances were, much worse so was the plot.

The plot was rather atrocious. Basically, Lex Luthor tries to put Batman and Superman against each other in "the greatest gladiator match" ever, his philosophy being that no power is innocent, thus Superman had malicious intentions. Batman's motivation to fight Superman was basically,"If he's so strong and we can't control him, then he's a threat [not a direct quote]." This resolve was further strengthened by Luthor's actions, which [SPOILER], and by Superman's battle with General Xod in Man of Steel, of which we see Batman's perspective. Superman fought Batman because you know, vigilante and hero don't really mix. However, the plot gets convoluted and hard-to-follow when Luthor gets a bunch of privileges and authority from this authority-figure guy that I forget what's his name. Luthor's interactions with Senator Finch, someone who believes that they can make Superman obey laws and stuff, are boring, albeit pretty important to the story. Perhaps the plot itself wasn't bad, but the story told was. Overall, the non-action elements of the story were quite boring. I fell asleep during one part for about a short period, to find that I hadn't missed anything from my friend.

Snyder's bleak colors, and dark brooding atmosphere are of course present, and the mood it sets is quite fitting. However, at times, humor is mixed in with this, and, to me at least, resulting in a few confusing moments. "Wait, am I supposed to be laughing or on the edge of my seat right now?" went through my head a few times at least. 

And now for the action. It's good. It's at times incomprehensible noises, accompanied by a cacophony of CGI, dark-costumed characters fighting other dark-costumed characters, and a whole lotta jump cuts. The final action scene against [SPOILER] was pretty awesome though. However, because Superman and Batman are conveyed more as ideas than as people (Superman being the "you-don't-understand-me, I-actually-have-you're-best-interests-at-heart" guy and Batman being the counter to Superman, the protector of the masses), emotional attachment to the characters is all but gone. I didn't feel any sadness when [MAJOR SPOILER], which made me less emotionally invested in the overall film. Basically, I was pretty pathetic and indifferent towards most characters (except for Luthor, whose motivations were weaved into his peculiar personality quite well). However, the Batman vs Superman scenes were PRETTY FREAKING AWESOME. I didn't care who won or lost or whatever, but as an Average Joe, the excitement of Superman flicking Batman aside or Batman using the element of surprise to his advantage resulted in a pseudo-adrenaline rush. A good thing.

One thing I will add is that the shoehorning in of characters that will be additions to the DCCU was not appreciated, resulting in unnecessary tangents about Aquaman, Cyborg, and the Flash. DC, we get it. You want to rival the MCU. However, rushing your cinematic universe to catch up is not the way to go about doing so. Instead, DC should've had a Batman solo movie and maybe a Wonder Woman solo movie in preparation. It just feels too rushed.

All in all, the action scenes that the Average Joe came to see were few and far between, being separated by boring exposition, plot development (which neglects character development), and boredom. I give it a 2.9/5 stars, for the action scenes somewhat made up for the messy plot.

--

PRANAV

Oneself

What is being?

What is your's?

What is mine?

To be, is that to live?

To be, is that to love?

To be, is that to 

Do something extraordinary?

To be is that to 

Do something ordinary?

Oneself is not

The mere sum of one's parts

But, the collection

Of words

Of feelings, of emotions

Of actions, of intentions, of life

Actions aren't the mere

Sums of one's parts

But the collection of 

Thought, of feeling

To exact an impact on

Something

Or someone

For life is what one does,

Is it not?

Should one do or do not, 

That is up to oneself

But should they live, 

That is up to something more than 

The sum of their parts

Zootopia - Average Joe Review

So, on April 10, 2016, I went to the theatre to see Zootopia. And this is my review of the movie.

First off, this review is spoiler free. You're welcome.

Zootopia: a magical place "where anybody can be anything". Sounds like a cliché premise for a movie if I've ever heard of a movie about anthropomorphic animals. But you would be wrong if you said that Zootopia is cliché. Themes about prejudice, about gender and race, and an interesting, original plot combine to make Zootopia the best Disney movie I've seen. And yes, that's including Big Hero 6. And yes, that's including Frozen. And yes, that's inc--

Anyways, back to the point. Zootopia is about a spunky rabbit, Judy Hopps. who defies stereotypes by becoming... gasp a cop! This seems to parallel the gender norms and stereotypes associated with certain jobs in the real world, and is apparent (but not shoved down our throats) when the police chief, Chief Bogo (voiced by Idris Elba, who has a great performance) assigns her with a less-than-suitable job, although Judy was valedictorian of her class and worked hard to get where she was at, similar to how some people believe that women shouldn't work in certain professions. Nevertheless, eventually, Judy is assigned a case to find this otter dude (Emmett, I think), and yeah, she does some good stuff and starts being all boss-like... and then she uncovers this [SPOILER HERE] and starts to work against [PREVIOUS SPOILER] until [SPOILER]. Along the way, she meets her friend/enemy/annoying con-artist Nick Wilde, who helps her with solving the case and uncovering the [SPOILER].

Zootopia is mainly divided into districts, each corresponding to a different climate/biome/thing (shut up, this isn't science class), solving the problem of how polar bears and panda bears and bunnies and rodents and foxes and water buffalos all coexist in one city. There was this one shot of the whole city that showed the entirety of these districts, which, in my opinion, was the most cinematic, beautiful shot of the film, really showing off the animation quality of Zootopia. Did I mention how good the animation was? Well, it was really spectacular, and I could see the different types of fur on different mammals... it was kind of mind blowing, especially at the start of the movie.

Zootopia also has a social structure type thing, and although the slogan of the movie was, "Zootopia: where anybody can be anything," that's far from the truth. As with any city claiming to be a utopia (or Zoo-topia in this case huehuehue look at me so funny, even though that pun was in the freaking title), Zootopia is far from it. Crime is relatively common, the aforementioned missing mammal cases were unsolved prior to Judy's involvement, and prejudice is very, very, common, in stark contrast to the opening scene where Judy is in a play illustrating how mammal coexist peacefully, predator or prey. This is what, to me, is the central theme of the movie: prejudice against certain kinds of peop--, animals. In particular, foxes are stereotyped as sly, up-to-no-good thugs, and bunnies are stereotyped to be wimps. This is highlighted in the introductory scene to the police department: there isn't a single non-threatening mammal in sight (except for an overweight jaguar, but y'know, it's still a jaguar). In particular there is this one scene with a fox where the fox isn't actually [SPOILER] but is still beaten up by the prey animals in his Junior Ranger Scout troop because of preconceived notions of prejudice. I saw this as a clear connection to the racism in our society today. In addition, prey are often prejudiced against predators, seeing them as a threat. For example, Mayor Lionheart (excellently voiced by, naturally, JK Simmons) appointed a sheep, Assistant Mayor Bellwether "for the sheep vote," as if the sheep wouldn't vote for him otherwise.

Keep in mind, Zootopia is a Disney movie, and Disney movies are generally for smaller children. Although this movie kind of goes against that formula by introducing more real-world complex scenearios, the humor is still pretty solid. There were Godfather references, likeable characters, and overall more mature humor than that of, say, Kung Fu Panda or Madagascar, which I enjoyed. One thing I will add is that during moments of intense action, or plot development, the humor definitely took a backseat, and these lulls might've bored out younger audiences.

The plot of Zootopia was solid, with powerful underlying messages and themes throughout, and performances were very well-done. The animation was beautiful, and the characters were relatable and realistic. Character development was well done, especially with Nick as he works more with Judy for the greater good instead of reverting back to his con-artist ways. I give Zootopia a 4.7/5, for although everything was spectacularly well done (expected, what with 3 directors and 8 writers), there were certain lulls in the movie. Great movie, everybody should watch it.

--
PRANAV

Intended Audience

What is the point
Of writing on the wall

Or writing on paper
Or a screen
Or at the mall

Or rhyming
Or not rhyming
Or repetition
Repetition to do something

What is the point of
This experiment of words

Cuz words are weird
If you don't speak them
They're not your's

But if you do
They're not your's
If you do,
It's everyone's, but nobody's

For words are weird,
Are they for you
Are they for me
Are they for their own existence
Or are they for something else entirely

Either way, words are
How we communicate
And although they
They're weird
They're something else entirely

Words are weird
They're something else
That something else is something
That nobody knows

Into the Void

So, I've been doing this blogging thing for about 10 months or so, talking about whatever crap comes to mind and seems interesting, and the thought occurred to me: all communication is just yelling (not necessarily, but you know what I mean) into the void. Who knows if anybody understands my ideas for what I interpret them to mean? Why do we, as humans, hope to be understood in an attempt at connection? Does anyone actually care about what I say? (Don't answer that last question.) Anyways, I guess I was just pondering the futility in this experiment I call life the way the human race begs to be understood, and to voice their opinions to those who might have the slightest inclination to care.

Miscommunication is one of the biggest barriers in the way of human connection. Here I am, at my desk (well, actually on my bed because my desk is overflowing), writing something on the internet, for at least a few people to read, and hopefully, interpret the way I interpreted. Wait, scratch that. It's not necessarily good if people interpret this post the way I do. That's just a repetition of ideas, and sure that may lead to a fostering of new ideas, but for the most part, it just leads to agreement. Sure, agreement can be good in the way of peace and lack of conflict, but by the same token, agreement is not disagreement: it doesn't lead to different perspectives, new outlooks, a clash of ideals characteristic of what progress has come to mean for many people nowadays. I dunno, maybe I'm looking at progress the wrong way, but to me, it comes from new ideas from the same materials: different interpretations. So go ahead, think about the futility of communication, of screaming into the void, differently than me. I would love to know what you think.

That is, if you're thinking anything at all. I have an inkling of an idea of a suspicion that some people just read or watch a creator's content just to be supportive of that creator. Like, sure, I like the notion that there are people out there that are so nice to just do this to support someone, but at the same time, if you don't really think about their message, or you don't enjoy the content for the content's own sake, then are you really doing the creator a service? (The answer is yes, by the way: yes, because view/pageviews = money, and that's all adSense cares about.) Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that most people, the overwhelming majority who read this probably don't care, or read it and forget it, and in short, it doesn't make a lasting impact. Consuming a creation is one thing, caring about it another, and pondering it, a completely different thing. Thought is what drives creation, and creators share their thoughts and ideas. And if those ideas aren't thought about equally so, perhaps due to lack of execution by creator (ahem, me, ahem), perhaps through the idleness of the consumer (and I'm hesitant to use the word consumer here, because that implies that it's a transaction, that the creator is selling something to the consumer, whereas the reality of the situation is that in most cases, the creator is suggesting something to the viewer/reader/listener, be it ideas or otherwise), then maybe the creation was for nothing. Or maybe it wasn't. After all, my "What is Art" post a long time ago failed to mention what soon after Samantha from Sam the Ant World told me, that art can be art for the simple notion of being interesting, pleasing to the eye or the mind, entertaining, dare I say. Maybe the creator simply wanted to make something interesting for their own sake.

However, personally speaking, I make these thingies to express an idea, a single, fleeting thought. I make these for myself, as a sort of journal, of what was and what is and what will be, and of a prison sanctuary for ideas that otherwise would be lost (but as I've realized, I'm really not that creative. I'm almost certain that this has been written about and philosophized about and pondered for millennia, probably. Whatever.). I also make these things for people to read (obviously), and for people to think about. And maybe this is working, maybe people are thinking about stuff more as a result of this experiment I call life blog, however minute an impact upon the world this will make.

Or maybe, I'm just screaming into the void. But I have a quiet solace in that my shouts are not alone. Maybe humanity itself is just one huge scream into the void, desperately wanting to be heard by someone, something... maybe even by itself.

Nostalgia For The Soul

The aching of the heart
For they were once there
Beside you

The sadness of the mind
For they were once here
Right with you

The past was the past
But that doesn't change it
That doesn't change that they
They were here
With you

But the present is the present
However the past was the past
And the aching of the heart is
Still there, for they
They were once right here

You might cry and scream
For what was once
Reality, and wish
For what could've been

And the aching heart
That is what it aches for
For the possibilities lost
For the experiences,
Never remembered

Reality was with them
Smiling
Laughing
Making memories

Reality isn't with them
Loneliness captivates the soul
Loneliness envelopes the mind
Loneliness is being with them
When you aren't

Nostalgia is for the soul too
To mend what once was
Into something that
Soon will be

Looking forward while
Looking back
At the life you once led
And the life you will lead