On Top of the World

The Beauty of Mathematics

Beauty.
It is the profound idea that one piece of reality can attract another.
Curiosity, rooted in who we are as individuals; a mere collection of mortal memories.

Beauty is in simplicity.
Beauty is in complexity.
Beauty is in what is natural and unique.

This world is a beautiful place. Go out and enjoy it!


BEAUTY OF MATHEMATICS from PARACHUTES.TV on Vimeo.

Richard Feynman - Ode To A Flower

When worlds collide, we realize that our shared reality is relative in nearly every aspect of it all. Beauty, is at the very forefront, the most obscure focal point of each respective pair of individual lens. Meaning is left to the unique experience of the mind's eye, and yet it is a gift to be cherished as a shared experience. Be the beholder! Let the beauty of life rest in the seat of your soul as you revel in the fleeting transience of all the universe's ephemeral mystery...


Richard Feynman - Ode To A Flower from Fraser Davidson on Vimeo.

Jimbo Phillips Graphix: The 7 Deadly Sins

Can you identify all of Jimbo Phillips 7 Deadly Sins?

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It may be no surprise that you recognize Phillips' iconic style. After all, his art is world-renown for bringing the artistic skate/surf counterculture to the masses, namely his screaming hand. If you are interested in adding some new pieces of art to decorate your dwellings or add to your tastefully poetic collection, check out this awesome website. 

Nelson Mandela

Today we mourn the loss and celebrate the Life and struggle of Nelson Mandela, civil rights titan and one of the central figures in the fight against South African apartheid. As we remember him today, let us be inspired to be brave and to stand up and speak out for truth and rights - for our own lives and for those who do not have the voice to speak out for themselves. Be strong and wise, my friends! 




Mandela: The Man and His Country

You are what you do!

Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau

Aloha mai kākou! Today is the premier of the ESPN documentary on the local hero, Eddie Aikau. A legend in his own right, Eddie Aikau was a man who truly embodied the Hawaiian spirit of aloha. For more information, please check out the Eddie Aikau Foundation here! 

National Geographic's "Found" on tumblr

Check out National Geographic's very own tumblr page, "Found" here! It features amazing photography content, updated often.

 

Winners & Losers

This flyer was posted in one of the cubicles in one of the buildings on the US Air Force Base where I work. The message is quite invigorating, is it not? It really leaves no room for question when it comes down to what it takes to be a winner.   

The Secret To Success

Balance is the key to Life's fulfillment. Think good thoughts and positive actions will follow!

From the Doctor

A Lesson in Political Philosophy: Only a matter of perspective

"Doublespeak."

Social Controlling Processes: It's all a matter of how you word your actions to disguise your true intent.

The Pixel Painter

Do you have an undying passion? One you could cultivate over a lifetime? Perhaps the story of this seasoned artist will inspire you to find something for yourself. A hobby that you feel called to master one day could be one of the many standout features that will define you. Let yourself fall in love, my friends!

Enjoy!

Adrift by Simon Christen & A Tribute to San Francisco

Adrift is a wonderful time-lapse photography project that Simon Christen, completed over the course of 2 years. One of the most interesting, peaceful, and beautiful cities in the world, San Francisco is done proper justice in this awe-inspiring short film. Enjoy!












And now, a Mayer Hawthorne tribute to the classic Tony Bennett song about the greatest city on Earth.

Animals of Earth

Aloha ahiahi! How is everyone's week going so far? Hopefully we're all getting things checked off our to-do lists so we can enjoy the weekend at its finest. Today I bring you some breathtaking images submitted to National Geographic and chosen as the "Photo of the Day: Animals" category. Below are a few of my favorites from the recent batch of photographs, perhaps you'll find a few that suit you.

When I look at wild animals I cannot help but feel a strange sense of calming centeredness. The very idea that these living beings can live free and pure, not bound by moral or social constraints like we humans, is really quite enviable to an extent. Would you not agree? They simply, Live. Have we forgotten how to do the same? And is this the fundamental basis for our divergence as a species from the natural course of human harmony with the living planet? Perhaps the "modernizing" human race (and a continuously evolving, if not already highly evolved, one -- in our own boastful minds of corrupted social priorities and incessant hubris) has almost fully transitioned from a symbiotic relationship with the Earth into a parasitic one?

Our human capacity to actualize our thoughts and seize our environment for our consumption has overshadowed our classic endeavor to master the art of simply being. What gives your life purpose? And how do you contribute to Life in this world? Deep thoughts, my friends. But as humans, this is our higher calling. Is it not?

Life is good.

15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy

Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. (Original article from World Observer Online here.) We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?”Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

15 Surreal Satellite Images of Earth

The impact and devastation that human beings are capable of incising upon the Earth is astounding. Here are some incredible satellite images of specific events caused by human activity that have left lasting scars on the planet. In terms of a macroscopic analogy, it appears that the Earth is suffering from a virus or cancer of the human variety.

Below is a before-and-after comparison of the exponential growth of Las Vegas -- an artificial human playground in the middle of a non-sustainable desert.

CMA - Do What You Love

Life is too short to do otherwise, my friends. This is something I need to continuously remind myself every day as I make my way through this world. Whatever you do, do your best. And above all else, Love and be Loved. Aloha~

The Universal Language Is In Our Minds

"UC Berkeley linguistics lecturer Patrick Boudreault, who is deaf, explains that language is a fluid thing that's not just spoken. It's something universal that happens in our minds, whether it's communicated with our hands or our voice."

Have you ever stopped to really think about language?

How it magically enables us to communicate with each other?
How it mysteriously allows us to think
and define the incredible world which surrounds us?
How without it, our reality would not be our own?

In a culture of affluence, it is all too easy to take material things for granted. Which consequently makes it even easier still to walk through this life and overlook the most fundamental miracles of simply being.

Be grateful. And you will be happy, my friends.
Aloha~