Posted by Raul on December 23, 2010
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She had a smile and bright eyes when walking the trail by my side. We didn’t know where we would end up…we just walked the trail with a faint idea of the journey, and some vague plans for the next steps and the days ahead.
The warm breeze of December in the south hemisphere gave the hopes for the unknown, while the holding hands the reassurance for the times to come.
But winter is always ahead, and although we did know, we kept the smile while feeling the breeze in our young faces, walking the path together to the horizon always farther away on the road.
And winter did come.
Then the trail turned from the colored flowers all around to the brownish land of sadness at fall; and the sun changed to a reddish color for the winter and snow ahead. So the walking became hard with the cold wind in the face and the snow on the ground; feeling how the warm days of summer went away to be replaced by the harsh times of the season that had to be gone through.
Did we have to? And the thoughts of going back the trail to the beginning started to take home. Yet the long distance already traveled and the thoughts of going back cold, tired and sad through the same place that was walked warm and with a smile before…
The beginning of the trail and the horizon at the other end, they both seemed the same. We where standing there, trying to find a reason to keep going.
Then the little bird…the unimaginable find in the middle of nowhere; almost buried in the snow, looking at us, waiting to take it with us in our journey; to protect it and grow it as our treasure for the years to come.
So one hand holding the little bird while another found the excuse to touch the now stranger other hand once again. The excuse of the little bird; the responsibility of taking care of it; helping it grow as a given task; while walking the path to nowhere; to the setting sun.
And the little bird did grow!
Protecting it with our cold hands, together from the wind and the snow, just to find later we couldn’t let it go. The growing little bird became the element that held us together while walking the trail without aim, hoping for the warm sun to come back once again in the sky.
Stopping for a moment to look back and find the long trail walked now, and the horizon at the other end, with the promise of spring ahead and warmer days to keep going in the journey started so long ago.
And while the little bird has grown and trying its wings to fly on its own, the sun of spring announces its return and the colored flowers make the promise of a wonderful path to walk once more.
So now the thoughts of letting the once little bird fly on its own, give us the memories of the times when we started this trail so long ago. The two of us, knowing now there’ll be a bird flying somewhere; happily finding his own path and flying through the seasons of life and the fields of love.
While we, confused by the changes ahead, continue to walk this trail, looking at the horizon, knowing spring is coming with its colored flowers in the field, to be followed by the warm breeze of summer, to be back at the beginning while reaching the end of the road.
Raul
Posted by Raul on October 28, 2010
Dark clouds will come to stay and it’ll rain everyday
A chilly breeze will take home and remain
Birds will lower their voices and no singing will be heard again
And all the material toys will become stone and collect dust as their only purpose
And home will become a box
And sunshine just a memory
And laughter will migrate to an unknown place
And the sense of reality will fade
And every road will loose its end
A dark, silent creature standing in the middle of nowhere
Surrounded by an unseen, vibrant, alive world
Haunted by memories and feelings
But only tears will flourish
And a long forgotten smile will stay away
From one reality to another
Like an instant travel between two different worlds
So lost, so confused!
After you die…
Posted by Raul on September 16, 2010
Long ago there were exotic lands waiting to be discovered, conquered and exploited, but no more. We already know the whole geography of the planet and there are no new places to be charted and see for the first time, unless we go into space, which is difficult at this time.
But not so difficult to explore new territories in this modern world.
With the creation of the internet a new, parallel world has also been created. A parallel universe that can be traveled, explored and exploited.
Just like when word came about strange, far away lands, with exotic animals and opportunities to become wealthy and famous, the internet offers today the possibility for all of us the adventure of discovery and riches.
In past times people boarded wooden ships and started a journey of months to reach the promised land, some for the wealth, some for the fame, some for the freedom, today people board their private “Stargate” at home and travel to this new universe.
There were also those who were sent to the new lands as a sentence and had to adapt and create a new life in the new place, just like today some people have no option but to try to make the complex and unknown world of the internet work for them as the only alternative left when the economy in the physical world is crushing them.
Some of the original travelers died in the attempt while in the trip or in the new lands at the hands of natives or viruses and wild animals. Today travelers can die (figuratively) with a virus in their traveling ship (computer) or being attacked by nasty hackers, or simply get lost and confused by the many turns of this new world called internet.
Yet, there’s still the promise and motivation of riches and fame for many, so they make the trip with hopes and resolution in their minds, willing to sacrifice time and effort in order to reach their goals.
Some of them come back for a while but they are not the same anymore; they learned the local language and now they speak a mix of the new and their original, just like we see in physical life the creation of Spanglish, we see in these digital travelers the spoken language of “Netglish”, making difficult to understand what they are saying.
Some of these people have learnt to live in this new world and found they fit better than in the original, physical one. They can make friends, find support, exchange ideas and pursue a future in this promised digital land that couldn’t do in the physical counterpart, so they become “naturals” there and leave their physical bodies and basic activities behind just as a life support system.
Now we can find characters like “Total Destroyer” that dominates the game’s arena, give advice in forums, provides information in blogs and in general is respected and feared in the digital world, country of games, city of fighters and building of winners.
He dominates in this new world in his area and enjoy the respect and popularity that comes with it; yet when he travels back to the physical world we found Josh, a fifty years old, short, slightly overweight 5 feet man, moustache, living in a one bedroom apartment, driving an old battered Toyota to his job as a librarian at the local, small, waiting to be close, local library.
We can also find “Mystique Soul” teaching how to find our inner self, live a meaningful life and control our emotions for a more productive and happier life. She is considered the wise and prophetic teacher that help us survive the struggles of physical life in this physical world, and who also fill our senses with the beautiful pictures of nature and strange, epic places drawn by unknown artists.
Then she comes back to physical life to her job as a secretary in an insurance agency office, where she treats customers with the utmost respect and a beautiful smile.
Perhaps one of the craziest things is that now we have many people looking at this new world as the best way to live their dreams of being someone among the crowd; something that couldn’t be achieved in physical life. They become the naturals there and immigrants to this new world.
Then we have the Merchants of the new digital world:
Some of them sell information on how to live in this new place, some selling digital real estate in the form of hosting, some sell the exotic fabrics of Themes to dress up the houses of newcomers and give that personal touch everybody wants.
Don’t forget to implement your new home with the latest appliances and fixtures (plugins) to add functionality and a more comfortable living in your home
There are also those who trade in weapons to defend oneself from the dangers of the new land in the form of hackers, so always carry in your belt your login robot weapon and identity protection software when roaming the digital lands.
Also, don’t forget to get vaccinated with a proper antivirus to prevent those nasty viruses from attacking you.
There are also the endless stores of any city that sell different products for the digital and physical world as well.
Many of these merchants work in the new world to bring riches to the old, physical one.
Then we have the parks created for entertainment and relaxation like the many video sites that we can visit for a moment of free time and unwinding; but there’s always someone selling a treat there, or at least lots of publicity banners trying to capture the attention and business of unaware or not so strong people, just like in physical world.
Tourists are not forgotten in this new world; they can find all kind of “souvenirs” to purchase while visiting for some random information.
We also can see the police force and governmental organization created to control the behavior of locals and visitors alike in the form of possibly banning your login ID. They prevent you from entering some places and/or warn you about the merchandize you are about to see and possibly purchase in different places you can visit (warning pages). Also they can expel and revoke your stay permits if you behave in ways not allowed by the local governing body (banning your IP).
Then you are forced to use a fake ID (IP) by login in a site that allows you to surf from their premises.
We also find the black market of free downloads that established companies fight fiercely.
The old man in a wooden wagon, traveling from town to town telling stories to sell his miracle elixirs is now the site selling the ebook that will fix all your problems (how many of those do you have in your hard drive?)
Some people seems to be born to live and work in this new world by the natural abilities they have to interact and dominate, while others have to set for just sporadic visits to enjoy the place as a tourist and always come back to the old, physical world, where they seem to be more at ease.
Among the many that seem to adapt quickly we can find the youngsters that, given the fact they were born after the digital universe was created, they are growing and developing inhabiting both worlds at the same time, so their life and activities are adapted to this special conditions.
Their physical activities become reduced by the increased interaction with the digital world. For many adults that used to develop their activities in the physical world alone, the creation of the digital one has come as a simplification of many of the tasks that used to be part of their daily lives, yet they remember the old ways and, even though they wouldn’t like to go back to the old procedures, their minds still can process the possibility.
Yet for the youngest the stories of normal activities when only the physical world existed seem to be tales closer to fables or legends than past reality. Their eyes become bigger and their excitement grows when listening stories of children making toys out of cardboard and wood, and the enthusiastic stories of their parents about the fun of riding a bicycle, feeling the wind and overcoming purposely created obstacles like riding over a small rock without falling seems many times too much of a simple or stupid activity to participate in.
Physical movement slowly but surely is becoming an accessory in life rather than a natural part in the human body’s daily activities. The mind runs in the new digital parallel universe while the body remains in the physical world, just as an anachronism for the many that could happily migrate completely to the new digital universe.
Perhaps one of the tasks the younger generation will impose themselves in the near future would be to find the way to completely migrate to this new universe, so their lives would be closer to what can be seen in digitally created movies, which are closer to the reality younger generations live nowadays.
Then maybe some of the science fiction stories of the past could become the reality of the future, where digital thinking and feeling entities coexist with the physical ones, each one in their own world but both interconnected, and even deep friendships and love could develop among them, when they fail to find counterparts in their respective worlds.
This new world exists and is more than just a communication channel!
Now we have a complete new world that coexist parallel to the physical world and people of all walks of life traveling day and night between the two, in search of a personal, more meaningful life for them, without having to fight and win in a physical world that, sometimes for some, seems to have not enough room for everyone’s success.
Raul
Posted by Raul on August 2, 2010
Why should I see this? Why is it always like this? The noise, the smog, the trash all around, the fake smiling faces; the smell of rotten ideas that form the surroundings wherever we go.
I don’t want to see this ugly world anymore! I don’t need my vision, I don’t need to see all this trash around, I would be better without the vision of my eyes, better darkness than this ugly world in front.
“So the vision goes away and complete, permanent darkness take place all around.”
Without the vision it becomes better to introspect about the world, only…I can still hear the strident noises, the lies, the gossip, all the unpleasant sounds that surrounds me all the time.
“So the hearing goes away and complete, permanent silence takes place all around”
Isn’t that better? No vision that shows an ugly world and no hearing that allows noises to interfere with thoughts, only…I can still smell the trash and the rotten world that surrounds me.
“So the sense of smell goes away and no offensive, rotten world can be perceived.”
In the dark, silent new surroundings, all the thoughts can dance at will with no interference from the outside world that destroy the peaceful moment, so it can be enjoy at will, only…I can still taste the bitterness of the world around by the foods that I have no choice but to consume.
“So the sense of taste goes away and the foods are just nourishment without the bitter message of the world.”
And perfection is achieved! The perfect environment for reflection where no external elements interfere with thoughts, only…my body still perceives the cold and heat of this trashy world.
“So the sense of touch goes away and no wind, cold or heat can be felt anymore.”
Reaching the perfect point of independence, the perfect place for introspection, away from everything and everyone, yet in the same original place…happiness!
Thoughts fly by in front of me and dance to the sounds of my feelings; imagination gets freewill to express itself to the largest extent without limitations imposed by a decadent world around…I’m reaching perfection!
As the time goes by the thoughts seems to be the same, just with little variations in their tone and intention. The original state of independence starts to feel a state of loneliness without external constant feeding.
What once was the happiness of individualism becomes the desperation of being alone, abandoned by the surroundings that no longer can touch and influence the being behind the thoughts.
Crying in desperation for a longed connection with another being, so loneliness can go away and be replaced by the continuous, never ending input received throughout life, together with the perception of the elements that conforms the physical surroundings.
“So the sense of touch returns…”
The shapes! The textures! Even the temperatures that can be perceived with a single touch of the object…amazing!
“Then the sense of taste returns…”
Flavors…so many of them! And the desire of trying them all, one by one, all at once! If I could know more about them!
“So the sense of smell returns…”
Not just the food, but the flowers, the trees, the humid dirt after the rain, even the acrid smell of waste seems to be an outstanding experience! If I could only have more!
“So the hearing returns…”
What is that…music? And birds and the wind and voices all around that feed the senses with sounds and information to process and play with, but I want more!
“So the vision returns…”
Colors for everything and everyone! The complete understanding of the shapes of the objects experienced only by touch, now undeniably acquired in the brain, the mind.
Standing here makes no sense when there’s so much to be seen, to be heard, smelled and touched. There is a whole universe of physical element to be experienced and enjoyed throughout life.
And the thoughts that conform the mind get expanded and colorful with diversity when fed by so many physical elements and situations that can be experienced.
And people! With all the variations that can be encountered and all the different thoughts, opinions and experiences that can be learned and enjoyed from.
So questioning stops…and living begins!
Raul
Posted by Raul on July 29, 2010
It is surprising when we see love from the outside.
When in love, we see a different world, a different society, things seems to be in the right place; there are smiles and good intentions everywhere.
When in love, falling autumn leaves are poetry and spring flowers are good intentions popping up everywhere.
When in love, noise is music and polluting smoke a reason to laugh while holding hands and running away.
When in love, smile is the face we carry around as our introduction to the people we meet.
When in love, caught by rain is a moment of happiness and problems are jokes to laugh about.
But then…
When love is missing, solitude is the companion and tears are always ready to reflect the feelings inside.
When love is missing, walking through life is like walking in mud and every muscle in the body aches and every movement requires so much of the missing energy.
When love is missing, everything new is another task to complete that waste time and prevent forward movement.
When love is missing, we walk around in a lost society that goes smiling to its own destruction.
Not a physical form or a measurable element, yet so powerful that can make us laugh, wonder, imagine and extract everything good we have inside.
Love is like a drug that keeps us “high” and allows us to feel powerful, invincible, with a winner’s attitude all the time.
No wonder why we all wish to be in that drug… 
Raul
