When art becomes heresy

How does one draw the line between art, heresy and profanity?

Recently, an art exhibit generated controversy by having “art” that bordered on outright sacrilege.

You have Jesus with a penis, then you have a crucifix with a condom. Understandably, this created an uproar from the Catholics who were up in arms over such a blasphemous work. On the other side you have the artists and art lovers who are defending their freedom as artists.

Personally I feel that if you live in a civilized society, there will exist  standards of behavior which must be observed. Being in a society means that you are not alone and you cannot insist on doing just about anything your heart desires to express.  To insist on doing so would mean totally disregarding laws, mores and all other things that keep the society civilized.

If people insist on their way, regardless of the people around them, then they should not live in a society. They should not stay in a society then insult other peoples sensibilities and argue that it’s all about being an artist and their freedom of expression.

Imagine the chaos this would create when decent behavior ceases to exist. If they insist on their right to portray Jesus that way, then others can insist on creating their own art depicting the artists grandmother, mother, father in a manner that the artist should see fit. What they wear, what they show and what they do is none of any ones business, not even their relatives. Freedom of expression right?

That is the bottom line. To allow such transgressions and sacrilege to be displayed in the name of art is tantamount to allowing anarchy to reign. After all, anyone can make an obscene, blasphemous or sick and twisted artwork and escape prosecution in the name of art. If that is allowed to happen then it is the end of civilized society. One cannot display and express their opinions within a certain society and expect themselves to be exempt from the bounds of decent behavior. Each and every one of those operating within the group are all expected to follow the rules.

No one is above the law, and no one, within a society, should be allowed to exceed the boundaries of decent, moral behavior. Those who insist on breaking the law are considered outlaws. Break with decency and morals then you are indecent and immoral. You want to create "art" like that, go ahead, but keep it to yourself. Should you allow the public to view it, then be ready to accept that the public can take advantage of the very freedom under which you created your "art". Should they be offended, outraged, and insulted, then that is their prerogative.

Bid Time Return

"Bid Time Return" This was the title of a book which formed the basis
for the movie "Somewhere In Time".

I read the book before the movie and the film made such a big impact on me.

The title suddenly popped into my mind when I was about to write today.

If only we could make time return, to bring back years we lost, years we
wasted...

I want to move forward but I can never do that with one foot firmly in
yesterday.

If I don't do something soon, I know I will lose everything, my past,
present and future.

I Am The Captain Of My Ship

We enter this world alone, and we leave it alone.

In between birth and death, we travel with others, staying longer with
some and sharing the briefest of encounters with others.

The luckiest among us finds a kindred spirit, one who is able to uplift
us and make us become much greater together, but these are very few.

Some are lucky to journey through life with that which they have created.

It is a paradoxical situation where you find that your life is no longer
your own, yet it brings fulfillment which your life, existing by itself,
cannot provide. The paradox is that you live, by losing that life.

But whether you travel alone, or with ours, we are ultimately, the
captains of our own ship.

When the sun sets for the last time on our life, we should be the ones
holding the wheel, guiding our life, our ship, to drop anchor at this
place where the journey of this body ends, and where the liberation of
our soul begins. That place called eternity,

A reminder of my mortality

Received some very sad news today about the passing of a contemporary of mine. He died of cardiac arrest at the very young age of 49.

It affected me very deeply because it was a big warning sign to avoid things that could lead to an early demise.

With 4 young kids depending on my being there for them, I should always remember that my life is no longer my own...

Things that cause extreme stress should be taken out of my life even if they are important to me.

It's a  bitter pill to swallow but if nothing can be done to rectify the situation then I will let it go.

Of what use is having a few happy moments if it costs you your life?

Double jeopardy

I’m no lawyer, but I am just wondering what legal remedies are open to cases where new evidence has been discovered, but a person cannot be tried because of double jeopardy.

I can understand that the law should offer equal protection to all, but obviously there is a substantial gray area that exists. 

As far as I am concerned, when guilty persons are able to escape sentence because of a technicality then there is a failure of justice. In such cases, moves should be made to change the law to prevent the guilty from going free.

Some may argue that one cannot presume guilt, but when the process of going beyond a presumption, is stopped by the law itself, then it becomes a complicated moral process which sometimes results in derailment of justice.

One phrase that comes to mind to is this:

“Justice delayed is justice denied”,  my corollary to this is “ Justice denied is judicial injustice”

Time passages…

There is nothing like looking at old and new pictures to see how things have changed. Because of the hectic pace of life today, where everything is urgent and has to be attended to now, we sometimes lose touch of the things that matter.

All of a sudden we realize how much our children have grown and how little time we have spent with them..

Or we see how much older our parents are, and we feel an ache in our hearts knowing we are running out of time to give back at least a bit of all the good things they have given us. We desperately want to give them a really good life, yet despite being all over ourselves trying to make more money, we fall short of the mark.

Because despite all our good intentions, life here in the Metro is like a leech, sucking up all your energy, resources and money.

So at the end of the day, you still have no time, not enough money and whole boatload of regrets at things you haven't done and the loss of time that you can never bring back.

 

Eckhart Tolle and Anthony Robbins

I discovered Eckhart Tolle’s works relatively late. In fact, aside from watching his videos, I have not been able to finish reading any of his books.

The story of his life never ceases to amaze me, and I am surprised at the parallels between his life and that of another life coach/visionary Anthony Robbins.

It is interesting to see the differences in their styles, yet you can fathom that somehow, they are operating from the same consciousness. Perhaps the differences stem mainly from their ethnicity since Tony Robbins is American, while Eckhart Tolle is German.

So now I am putting their works way up high on my reading list and I hope to be able to absorb and apply their principles in my life. At this point in time, every time I read notable quotes from their works, it amazes how it manages to hit the proverbial nail on the head each time.

If any of you readers are looking for good reads that are potentially life-changing, search on Amazon or Barnes and Noble for the works of Eckhart Tolle and Anthony Robbins.

You’ll be glad you did.                              

Fate

What are the real laws that operate in this world? Are they the laws on attraction? The Secret?

When you do good, do you get your reward in the end? Does it make sense to do good, when you do so with an eye on the rewards that are supposed to come?

Why is it that in this world, sometimes the most evil have it better than most of us…

Why is it that some people work to support their families, day in, day out then one day, someone robs them in the street, killing them, then using that hard earned money of theirs to go on a buying spree, drinking spree or fornication… Why?

Is it the fate of some people to be the sacrificial lambs in this world? And is it the fate of some people to enjoy life at the expense of others?

Religion would have us believe that our rewards will come in eternal life. How I would want to believe that. But does it make any sense to starving kids of the person who was killed for their money?

Was that all their parents life was worth?

Obviously these questions have no answer. One can debate about them endlessly but the bottom line is we can only comfort ourselves with euphemisms like, “only the good die young” or “vengeance is not ours, it is Gods” and so many others.

So many others would say “that’s life”… Really? And exactly what else is this “life”?

At the end of the day, it seems that all that’s left to say is that fate is our life and life is our fate. And what our fate is ,nobody knows.

A tornado in Quezon City??

If it were not the middle of June I would have thought that it was an
April Fools joke.

I was scanning Tweetdeck when I read this reports about a twister in
Balete drive!

Here is a link to a blog which has photos of the aftermath:

http://cheftonio.blogspot.com/2011/06/twister-in-new-manila-betty-go-belmonte.html

Sometimes I feel that we are so used to movies that we sometimes cannot
discern the difference between reality and fiction. If we could then
people would have long rang the alarm bells about the disasters that are
ravaging our world.

Listen up PEOPLE, technology is not a magic pill that will save us from
a whole spectrum of impending disasters. As a reality check, we still
have not cured the common cold and there are many superbugs that are
afflicting us now, which defy most antibiotics known to man.

So don't think for one minute, that technology can prevent in one fell
swoop, disasters which we spent decades creating...

I'm not an alarmist, I'm just a realist who worries that it might soon
be too late to make changes.

Signs indicating the end of the world?

A friend shared a link on my facebook which demonstrated what appears to
be alignment of the tectonic plates. This is supposed to be a precursor
to a large seismic event in high risk areas. Before this, there were
articles that came out in Time and another magazine about the imminent
extinction of life in the oceans. This was quite disturbing because of
the recent incidents of massive fish kills in the Philippines.

So it seems that there quite a lot of current events that are consistent
with an apocalypse in 2012. Strangely enough, this news doesn't have
that much of a negative impact to me. Such a doomsday scenario would
fulfill a childhood wish of mine that we all die together, instantly. So
no one is left behind and we all take that next step together. Given the
various ecological, environmental and economic disasters that appear
impending, which can result in a breakdown in social order, I would much
rather see it all end, rather than leave my loved ones in such a dire
and ruthless world where their outlook is bleak.

But nothing is certain, and while there are these so-called "signs of
the times", the fact is, it ain't over till its over....

Lawyers and justice

The Maguindanao massacre trial is about to begin soon and I was just wondering if this quest for justice will deteriorate into a showcase of legal talents.

While everyone is entitled to defend themselves with a lawyer, the courtroom battle should not be a question of whose lawyer was better, but on whether justice was served.

If the lawyer for the defense knows that his client is indeed guilty, what would be the ultimate proof of his mettle as a lawyer? Letting the guilty go free? Or making sure that they are punished?

Some may argue that it is not their place to judge, but this is just rhetoric which circumvents the fact that they do in fact know even more than the judge or the jury about the case.

In my mind, the true pinnacle of the legal profession is to ensure that truth and justice prevail. So with this in mind, I hope that trials become less about lawyers or sly legal moves  and more about discerning the truth. No less than the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab

NAG

Nag - something women do naturally, which they think is their birthright.

When men do what they do, it's called pestering or hassling.

A check with the thesaurus shows nag, pester, hassle, badger and harass
among other words, mean the same.

Yet it will always be natural for a woman to nag and unacceptable for a
man to do the same.

Something has got to give sometime... and someone is cruising for a
bruising.

The uncertainty of death

Death…

Ever since I was young, death was an overwhelming concern for myself. I worried constantly about what happens when you die? Would you ever see the ones who went ahead, and the ones you leave behind?

Just  last night, I came from the wake of a friends father who died suddenly at the young age of 71. Then right beside his chapel was another wake for a guy who was just 51 years of age!

Hence my concern about life and death again. But I know it is an exercise in futility until someone talks to us from the other side.

So death remains the dark and unknown frontier it has always been.

All that’s left to do then, is to cherish life and live as though it all ends here.

Death is the ultimate uncertainty, while it's opposite which is life, is the ultimate certainty.

Happy Fathers Day To All The Dads Out There!

It's Fathers Day and I was surprised by my kids and partner with a midnight celebration. A sumptuous one with wine, food and chocolate :)

What more can a Dad ask for ? After all, fatherhood is its own reward :)

Parents day in Ateneo

Waiting in the covered courts for parents day to start.

I don't recall having events like this when I was a student here. Might have made a big difference in how things went in my life...

Oh well, life goes on. No rewind,.no replay,.no fast forward and no pause...

My first mobile post

Another post so soon?

Yes because I need to make sure I can just about post from anywhere...

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab

Why create another blog?

Yeah I know, I've got several other blogs going, being updated randomly...

So why another one?

Because I need to be able to prove to myself that I can commit to updating a blog regularly.

To keep my writing sharp (?!)

To chronicle thoughts that occur to me, to catch them before they disappear.

To preserve an image in my mind or seen by my eyes, before they are swept aside by the mad daily rush we call life.

Let's see.