Clouds (The Song): Meaning and Background

I paint for you a picture of my heart with a guitar and a melody.

Lyrics

I am on a stage
You are in the crowd
Marlboro reds burned all the way down
In the midst of the noise and perfume
The Muse is there to guide me through
(I call out to her and say)

Clouds that's where my head is
When I'm with you all I can do is just dream
Clouds baby you take me there
When I'm with you all I can do is just dream

Take me to forever by your chariot of air
Majestically guide me through this world, through this world unknown
Swimming in your wake, take me to your lair
Walls through gods lips, through gods lips blown

Composition

The writing of this song was very unusual. I actually wrote it in reverse. The last verse was written on the plane that brought me back to the United States from Spain last summer. These are the words that came to me from looking out the window at the incredible world of the Clouds. The clouds were so fantastic that it seemed almost disrespectful not to write something about them.

The rhythm and chorus of the song just kind of came to me in the shower at home subsequent to my trip to Spain. The blues type nature of the song really turned me on because of the awesome opportunity to lay some lead guitar over it. I'm not the best lead guitarist, but it is fun to try. Plus, I have found that you can't do anything until you just start doing it. Improvement is made along the way. I love this little tune.

The first verse is what came to me last. The only thing the song needed was a setting and a purpose. This verse gave it both of those things.

Meaning

Clouds has become my mantra. Over the last six months, I have realized how important creativity is to my happiness. Creation is the life-blood of this existence and steps are being taken for me to make it the focal point of my life. Upon recognition of this, I decided to start reading up on creativity and the creative process. Throughout a string of books, a universal idea continued to show its face. The idea of a power source for creativity exists and has always existed. The Greeks believed in the Muse. The Muse were a group of nine sisters who also happened to be goddesses  They are the offspring of Zeus, the mightiest of all the gods. They were believed to be the source of creativity. The Muse were the inspiration that every artist strives to find.

For Clouds, the song is being sung to the Muse. It is a cry out to that creative spark and source. For me, this song is about recognizing that there is something greater that gives me the ability to feel the flow of creation come out of me and into the world. It is never mine, and it never stays long. The Muse represent the universal consciousness. The overlying thing that keeps this world moving forward; that which causes our existence to be perfect. That thing is the source of my creativity, and this song is my way of attempting to repay it for the gift.

Principle 1: Reaction Awareness

Become aware of how you react to the things that happen to you.

Using this principle is exactly how you can shape who you are because essentially all that you are is an accumulation of the decisions you make. The perception that people form of you is simply the collection of these decisions that they know about and whether they were right or wrong based on that person's mental framework. The paradigm, or mental framework, of a person acts as a sort of filter that is used to push facts through and decide whether the other person's actions are in alignment with whatever the previous person believes is right and wrong. The majority of the time people make an assumption/judgement of you way before finding out the whole truth; most judgements of other people are based on partial and fragmented information.

With this in mind, there is some good news and some bad news. You want the bad news first? The bad news is that many people have formed an opinion of you and it will not change no matter what you do. The good news is two part:

A. If the person whose opinion of you is in question is so closed-minded that he cannot get over something that you did in the past, then there is absolutely no requirement that this particular person be in your life at all. Therefore, kick him out of it! This might seem drastic and will most likely be emotionally difficult to perform, but it is most certainly essential. Life should be looked at as a beautiful rose bush that must be pruned to assure that growth is optimal. The health of the flowers is the most important thing, and anything that hinders that health must be trimmed away. The truth is that this life is just too short to tolerate negative people that do not improve the quality of life itself. They are the thorns of your life and the only way to grow and move forward is to cut them out. Their sole purpose is currently serving to take up valuable time that could be filled with other useful things and to make your mindset a bit more negative than it would have been otherwise. Here is a quote from none other than the Emperor Marcus Aurelius himself to illustrate life's brevity.

"Consider in what condition both in body and soul a man should be when he is overtaken by death; and consider the shortness of life, the boundless abyss of time past and future, the feebleness of all matter."

When you truly make an effort to understand the vast and unfathomable concept of time, it seems inevitable that you would end up contemplating the shortness of this life. Death looms and makes itself known. It is inevitable and no man will escape it, so what sense does it make to worry about it? The Stoics stressed the importance of being ready for death at all times. Their reasoning was that death could arrive at our doors at any time, and to not be ready would be foolish.

Becoming aware of how you react to things is the first step to taking control of your own life. Up until this point, you have been controlled by the way you have always done things. The ways that you have learned how to react to things up until this point have determined your mood and ultimately how happy you are. So this is a tool that provides the ability to control your own happiness.

B. The second part of the good news is the most potent. Upon full realization of the impact that this principle can have in your life, not only can you begin to shape relationships, you begin to shape life. If you make the decision to start making the people around you happy, then they will certainly be happy and you will be seen as the person who is a good friend to be around. Their happiness will lead to your happiness. Paradoxically, if you work to make them happy, you will become happy. This is the teaching of all of the greatest spiritual teachers. If you want to do absolutely anything, then do it with vigor and passion and set your path toward that thing and magical improvements will begin to be made.

The source of this magic is the positive feedback loop that starts to become created. Slowly, over time, momentum is built up and good things begin to leap-frog off of one another. The next thing you know, the path that you pursued because you believed it would bring happiness ends up bringing multitudes more than previously thought possible. The extent of the power of change this principle can bring lies solely within the heart and will of the person using it. If you want radical change, then take radical chances and make radically different decisions than you do now.

The Essence of Life

All of life boils down to identiftying the ideal self and the actual self and then working to merge the two. Too many people across the globe simply react to the things that happen to them, rather than being proactive. This is precisely the reason that the majority of people are in situations in which they do not want to be and this inevitably leads to unhappiness. The thing that gets missed is the identification of the ideal self. Very few people take the time to actually decide who they would be if they could do anything in the world. This identifies one of the great tradgedies of our society.  My mother, like many mothers, told me that I could be anything when I was a child. You hear this so much that it becomes cliche and carries no weight. One of the great realizations of my college experience has been understanding the scope of what this statement really means. In most cases, people say this only pertaining to vocation. I understood that I could be a doctor or a lawyer if I worked at it. The problem is that I did not want to be any of those things. It turns out that I wanted to write the whole time. The stark reality is that you can literally become whatever you want to in this life if you simply identify what that is and start taking steps toward it.

The even greater understanding of this principle that we are taught so early is that it carries over into all facets of life. You want to be a great father, mother, son, or daughter? Then be one! You want to be in excellent shape? Start exercising and eating better. It will absolutely lead to being in better shape. You want to learn a language? Go buy Rosetta Stone, or start taking classes!

It really is as simple as that. Identify who you want to be across all fronts of your life and then move toward that! This is certainly one of the keys to life. What is at risk if you do not do this? Your happiness, health, and mental wellbeing. This is a list of things that are the most important. So do not let this life mold you into the person it wants you to be. You mold this life into exactly what you want it to be. This is a skill that is specifically unique to humans; therefore, take advantage of it!

The Divergent Paths of Philosophy and Society

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead

Throughout history all the great societies had great leaders and thinkers at their helm. Rome, Greece, Colonial America, and Great Britain are just a few good examples. Rome had Marcus Aurelius and Augustus. Greece had leaders like Pericles and philosophers such as Socrates and Aristotle. Colonial America was founded by, in my opinion, some of the greatest thinkers in human history; men such as Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and John Adams. Great Britain has had its share of great contributors to human thought also, with people such as John Locke and David Hume.

Almost invariably, the great civilizations were founded and continued by people who had taken the time to subscribe to some set of philosophical ideals. These great men used axioms and principles to form a sort of moral framework through which to live their lives. Whether conscious of it or not, every person has formed what is called a paradigm for themselves over time. A paradigm is simply a way of seeing the world. In other words, it is the context or filter through which a person perceives the outside world. A large amount of the general populous has no idea that this exists. Some others know about it, but choose not to make any actions of change. Only a very select few- including those that are listed above- figure out the secret to getting the most out of this life. That secret is simply realizing that paradigms exist and understanding that the greatest power known to man is the power he has to change his own paradigm.

Paradigms are malleable and can be adjusted and tweaked. Once a person understands this, he can begin to shape the way he sees the world into whatever is desired. If a positive outlook that is motivated and forward-minded is the goal, then it can be forged with desire and force of habit. Over time momentum is built through habit and repetitive practice. That is how lives are changed, and virtually the only way.

The worry: the leaders of this great country have moved away from pursuing this philosophically constructed worldview and are now focused much more on bureaucratic bullshit and getting re-elected. It really is a shame. A brief review of the history of all great societies will reveal a scary fact: the fall from grace and loss of power is inevitably aligned with the leaders moving away from having a philosophical foundation and toward greed.

With that being said, the United States of America is a very young country in the grand scheme of things and it is certainly not too late to right this ship! This generation has an opportunity to become enlightened and slowly edge out the old powers-that-be while realigning the government with moral and philosophical ideals. The only way for this to happen is for many citizens to start forging their own framework which includes becoming educated on important issues. This framework can only be created slowly by systematically overhauling the paradigm that has been inadvertently adopted up until this point.

For you that want to impact the world for the better, this is a quest that you must undertake and one that will be lifelong. The ball is in your court now. Take the reigns of your life and lets change this world!

What Yoga Means to Me: lessons from the first month

Roughly a month ago, I made the decision to dedicate a minimum of three days per week to yoga class and five days per week to developing my personal yoga practice. In many ways, I have been headed toward yoga my whole life. Given that reading is one of my favorite pastimes, a few yoga books have made it onto my shelves, but the idea of practicing in a class had always seemed a bit ridiculous. This has a lot do with a certain stereotypical mold of a man that I had come to adopt. I would just try and practice alone and learn the poses (asanas) out of the books. Well recently the realization came that one cannot truly learn how to physically perform an action solely through reading books; action must be performed poorly at first and then improved upon and learned. This is the reason behind the decision to join classes. My interest in yoga in general comes from a long time desire to be spiritual and an ever-budding love for philosophy. The action of becoming involved in yoga just represents a physical manifestation of my entry into eastern philosophy. The physical benefits of yoga are well documented, so I do not think it necessary to describe those. The benefits that I am most interested in are those of the mind and the spirit. There is something very mystical about being still and attempting to quiet and tame the mind. There is something about this quietness; something marvelous and misunderstood; something that only a select few realize is worth chasing. Out of the taming of this quietness comes the most magnificent works the creative mind has ever conjured up. This is exactly the chief reason for my new found interest in yoga. I am of the mind that the most fulfilling work to do is creative work, and anything that is beneficial to my ability to be creative is something that I am willing to do-assuming that it is not harmful to myself or others, of course.

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With that being said, I would like to explain to you something that is at the heart of yoga: spirituality. After that, I will explain what, in my opinion, are the most important characteristics of a path that leads to spiritual realization. Once that is addressed, the major things that I have learned from my first month of yoga are outlined to wrap this post up.

Spirituality is essential to becoming a well-rounded and level-headed human being. Just to clarify, spirituality has absolutely nothing to do with religion; a person can be spiritual while having no religious affiliations.

My definition of spirituality:

1. Requires a lifetime of intentional self-analyzation
2. An appreciation of the quiet/stillness
3. Constantly trying to perceive the world in a more positive way
4. Eventually spills over to all aspects of life

Now that spirituality has been described, the most important step is upon us: ACTION. How in the world does one go about pursuing spirituality? The big question here is: What is the best path to take that can lead to spiritual gratification and realization?

The answer to this question is broad. There are many, many paths one can pursue. Here are the characteristics of a passion that can lead to spiritual realization:

• Discipline: this is one of the most important qualities because discipline leads to and requires consistency, which happens to be the key to improving and mastering anything. 
• Clear Path of Improvement: it is imperative that the chosen path have some structure so that the participant can see improvements as they are achieved.
• Concentration: the passion must require intense concentration that is learned slowly over a long period of time and many repetitions.

Anything that requires these characteristics can apply. The most important thing is that the activity is approached with the mindset of spirituality. This implies reverence and respect. A quick list of activities that come to my mind that fit the mold are:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ)
• Golf
• Pool

The first three on the list are the closest to my heart. The first two go hand-in-hand, but the third is something that I discovered way before yoga. There is no doubt in my mind that BJJ has the capacity to change a person's life on a spiritual level because it has the listed characteristics and way more. Yoga is the one that I am most focused on at this point in my life, however. 

What have I learned in this first month of yoga?

• Importance of Breath: breath is life. Without breath, there would be no life. The fact of the matter is that most people breathe in a shallow manner and never reap the true rewards that come with breathing properly. This is an incredibly important facet of yoga. 
• Malleability of Yoga: anyone can do it because it is up to the individual to do what is comfortable while also pushing himself. This comes along with the fact that yoga provides a means to see improvement. When a person can see that they can finally get into a particular pose or stretch further than they ever could before, it supplies satisfaction and motivation to move forward and achieve new heights.
• Consistency is key to seeing improvements
• It has the potential to revolutionize your life: there is no question about this fact. Practice will certainly lead to a more calm and rational mind and an exponentially healthier body. 

Football. America. Humanity.

The chant of USA that spread wide throughout Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium on saturday served as a beautiful reminder of what truly unifies all of us that are lucky enough to live in the United States of America; a country where you can go anywhere you want to go and do whatever you want to to do. All that has to be done to participate in the land of opportunity is walk out the front door. With all of the turmoil that is happening in the Auburn football program and the immense success of the University of Alabama's squad, it is easy to get caught up in fanship and emphasize the things that segregate us as a people. The truth of the matter is that there are real-life heroes that put their life on the line every single day in the name of America. These heroes are our armed forces. Emotion overwhelmed me during the pre-game festivities when the cameras were turned to a group of soldiers standing on the sidelines. People started applauding. One of the soldiers realized the camera was on him and seized the opportunity to pump up the crowed by lifting his arms in the air. The crowd's response was so moving that I struggled to fight back tears. People starting yelling and whistling for the soldiers; the stadium roared. Just as the applause achieved its apex, four military jets performed a fly over Jordan-Hare. This was enough to push me over the edge and the tears started flowing. It is easy to get caught up in day-to-day life and start believing that the self-imposed divisions that have been put into place by our society for entertainment purposes- and reasons that are more devious- are real. In fact, they are not. They are only as real as we choose to think they are. The reality is that fellow citizens of America are fighting and dying for us to be able to have these divisions and entertainment and everything else for which America stands. This is not to say that we cannot enjoy being affiliated with a sports team or university; or being proud of an ethnical heritage; or anything else with which a person can identify and from which feel joy. We can certainly participate in these things and use them to enrich life. The only thing that needs to be remembered is that we are all a part of a greater whole: America; and America is part of an even greater whole which is Earth and Earth is the home of all humans. So take these things away from this:

• Be thankful that we live in the most amazing society that has ever existed on this earth
• Lets do what we can to make sure that those real-life heroes are not dying for no reason! Get the evil people out of office.
• No matter how you define yourself and what groups you affiliate yourself with, ultimately you are just a part of the greater whole of humanity. Therefore, be nice to people and lets improve this world while we have the opportunity to be on it!.