Today I... I Just Don't Know What to Say

Today I came across a video on Youtube advertised at inspirational. It was of a young man of 26 who is a sufferer of Down's Syndrome and his quest to become an MMA fighter and show that he was not a 'sufferer' at all. After a few exhibition fights where he fought against opponents who would not hit back, the young man went on to compete in his first real bout. With a stunted reaction brought on by his ailment he found the fight difficult taking blow after blow. However, he did give a good fight, connecting with a few good punches and executing some takedowns of his own. The documentary was simple and did pretty much what it said on the tin.

His father had faced alienation from family and friends after supporting his son's decision to be involved in the violent sport. On the night of the bout he took further abuse and criticism to let his son be in such a position. But when the referee raised both competitors' hands at the end, they audience changed its tune.

I say kudos to them both.

Kudos to the son for not letting himself be beaten and doing something pretty much unimaginable. Kudos to the father for giving his son the support that he so sorely deserved. It takes unique individuals to allow themselves to be inspired and to try and inspire others.

The MMA fighter now works with other individuals with the same condition, giving them much-needed strength and motivation.

This kind of story puts the majority of us to shame.

The most shameful thing, though - what inspired me to write this blog - was another example of sub-humanity. The restlessly cruel Internet struck back.

A comment on the video, which I do not wish to repeat, was completely vulgar and I cannot put my disappointment into words. I can't imagine anybody even thinking such a dreadful thing.

Cut a long rant short, I think that free speech should be policed more effectively.

Claimed to be the forefront of our progression, it is surely setting many of us back by giving them power to say whatever grotesque thing comes to mind and for no reason at all. Fines should be issued, online restrictions to the offenders at least.

'But Big Brother will rise!' you may cry. I am no fan of being controlled more than the next atheist, yet until we show that we can deal with control such as passing comment with germane civility, then we, as 'the greater species' (or more specifically the callous, cowardly individuals amongst us), should not have the entitlement to such power.

The Internet should not be used as a tool to vent belligerence. When people suggest things in the virtual world that they dare not in the real world for fear of retribution should surely come with virtual retribution at least.

Today I... Question Love

Love doesn't exist everywhere in the world. Did you know this? I bet you didn't. Its a Western construct that is spreading with globalisation. The Beatles were wrong, as history dictates, many people live without love. Some civilisations actually survive on a healthy mental diet of respect and life-saving water.

No, no, no! This is not one of those heart-broken, forlorn examples of someone whose expectations have fell short and have taken to the keyboard to confront an injustice bestowed upon them by someone who, once a ray of sunshine, turned out to be devoid of a heart. This it is not. It is, however a rant about 'Lurve' and 'Harleywould' derived from the sheer abundance of content that passes by without scrutiny. So, here is another petty blog. Enjoy!

American Hollywood romance creates unrealistic expectations for the rest of us brainless specks. Jude Law is nothing more than a marionette, a prop. Real men are addictive creatures who are afraid or pretty much feckless when it comes to showing a shadow of their true feelings. I couldn't tell you how many times I have been in a situation where I couldn't put words to my deepest, most inner desires; moments when overused, worn out phrases just don't cut it. 'I love you' and the ideology of 'forever' seem to be the easy way out and a segway to an impersonal relationship.

'I love you' or 'I am in love with you' should be savoured and cherished, not a time-filler when you are entangled with your love of 9 months, struggling to find something to say about their eyes, bodies, personality, taste in clothes, style, impact on your life, hot mother, cooking, good graces, similar choice in literature, and so on, that you have not said before. Don't get me wrong or distort my message to produce an argument of your own, because I know how easy it is to 'troll' by deflecting an argument and take a holier-than-thou approach, but I feel love is losing its value.

Love in itself is a magnificent concept; the idea that a bond between two people can make life more meaningful, adding to it what words do not dare begin to explain. It is something of fairy tales and has often been reflected and reproduced beautifully with grace and splendour in classic literature. I just feel that today, it has lost some of its sheen. It has been over-exposed, tailored into a manufactured, promotable product embraced by the media, aimed specifically at the consumer serial sharers amongst us. You know the type, the 'selfie tweetagrammers'.

What initially fuelled me to write this blog was something that someone shared on Facebook that infuriated me. It wreaked with banality. The old same old, same old. It was an image consisting of two frames of a film. The first had a man, looking as forlorn and disappointed; wrinkled forehead - the works. The caption with the first image read, 'Don't go.' The second frame was that of a woman by a door, looking back into the room all forlorn and upset, the very image of the sorrowful goodbye. The accompanying annotation: 'Don't let me.' And you know what? This really got on my nerves, and I can't explain exactly why. This also got on my nerves. I can only go over my train of thought. Which went something like this:

'Dont' go!'
Don't let me!'

There is a choice here? They have a choice? Why the sad faces then? Surely there should be a third frame!


'Don't go!
Don't let me!
Ok, then.'
 
If he wants her to stay, she will? And he wants her to stay? So, what's the problem? Unless, in reality, he doesn't really want her to stay. He is just saying what he thinks he wants her to hear. Ease her pain and his guilty conscious for not caring enough. That's it. The selfish bastard! What a poor woman having to invest her emotions into such a man let alone have it witnessed by millions of viewers then shared by some fool on Facebook who believes it to be a true act of romance.

I know! I know! I may be being a tad bit petty here but can't we relate the concept of love to something a little less trivially contrived than this? Please? Can't we just? Please?


If this article gets enough recognition I will post a second one about being 'in love'.

In the meantime...enjoy my song of the moment

Real Talk: Grab that Chalice

'Wealth is not pocket deep.' - Me, just now.

I was shaken over the Summer by a friend who professed a revelation in character that he had discovered within himself.  Amidst a year-long period of deep thought and contemplation he came to realise something new about his character: that money meant a lot to him.

Making money was his prerogative in life.  He went on to explain to me how this was the result in certain behaviour choices which led into our physical and mental distancing as friends.  Over a year ago, I regarded him as a close life friend and could see us being brother fo' life.  Alas, the elements of drama fell into place as expectation fell short of reality.  Alas squared, the idea of making money was not following an exciting career path with prospects, yet simply to work a job that I left due to the lack of prospect and/or personal satisfaction/challenge.

In general, one must respect the decision another makes in life, as it is theirs to make and theirs to live.  From this, I decided to step away from this friend.  Change is good, after all.  That part of my life has dwindled and flickered into a frame - forever a memory.

This example moves me onto my point: Ambition.  Such a misunderstood word.  'Ambition' (contemporarily) seems to mean 'dreaming' and 'being an individual with an outlandish opinion' seems to mean 'I found an interesting post on the Internet, so I staple it to my virtual forehead and say I agree or disagree'.  And that's it.  That's all we got now!  That's all we know as a way of defining ourselves in the majority of cases.

When people step further afield, making a risk to try and do something different, the same response befalls them:

'You're brave!'

'I wish I could do that!'

'I respect you for it.'

And you will find the people that make these comments sitting in the same bar every Friday with the same crowd talking about the same things.  Complacency is good for some.  There is a key to adequacy.  It's just some people have adjusted views of the World around them.  Unusual priorities.  It's no secret that materialism is at an all time high, and, although we moan about the lack of money, we still pay more attention to our phones than we do the evolving world around us.

A very nice cake, eh? An Annie Grace Bakery original!

Local businesses need to have faith in themselves as entrepreneurs and individuals with talent and strength.  They need to market, fight and elevate themselves to a level where they can be seen amongst much more powerful tycoons.

One of these is the Annie Grace Bakery.  OK, so this is not going to fully grab the interests of readers from outside of the West Midlands/Staffordshire area in England but it's the idea that should grab attentions.  Constantly striving to improve themselves with intricate designs and beautiful cakes, they are a great local business that DESERVES recognition for their craft.  Unfortunately, it is like swimming against the tide in most situations.

Most advertising falls on deaf ears, despite social networks - in essence - being  prolific tools.  They are just saturated with gibberish and statuses about something unimportant.  Similar to a scrapbook blog.  It's a real shame that one thing that should make it a lot easier, can't be utilised to its full potential.


Stand Tall is another example of a company that should be reviled.  It's another strain of DIY clothing company.  They are popping up left, right and centre these days.  I cannot say that this one is any different from the others as of yet, however, its founder is one of my best friends - so I must say that it is.

In all honesty, it is different.  The company is based in China and alongside selling their clothing range they are attempting to set up mirroring initiatives.  Alongside band endorsements and competitions, Stand Tall Clothing are going to set up the 'Stand Tall Foundation', which is aimed at creating, funding and developing arts projects within their area in China.  I am guessing in foresight, if this hits the ground running the initiative will spread further afield and we will have a new Bob Geldof without such leathery features


Over the Summer, I tried to set up my own business to build arts-awareness in my local area to no avail.  I could pin the blame on a lack of funding, or the lack of interest by the local art-loving community, but that contradicts my belief that anything is achievable by the willing individual.  The human spirit is far stronger than we think, yet is dulled by sullen routine and petty comforts.  Don't just want more, be more.  I can't bear to see talent wasted and youthful dreams stuck behind a counter, earning enough to enjoy their weekends and to cover their contract on their widget-filled phones.

Step up, people.  Grab that chalice.  You know deep inside you want something more, and - by 'something more' - I don't mean a car or bigger breasts, I mean something more for the soul.

Ask yourself one question... Is there more I can give?  If so, then do something about it.

Today I...Expand

Just a little update.

I am publishing a Facebook page today.  It will stand as a different entity to this blog - although it will fall under the same name.  Mainly offering discussion topics and will involve different writers.

If anyone is interested in being a content creator or would like to offer topic subjects please email me at:

theheard@gmail.co.uk


Check out the facebook page here!

The Internet Ain't All Bad

A while back, I wrote an article about retiring a pair of my favourite underpants, to which somebody commented with the words, 'the world is dying'.  Science indicates that this statement is true, but humanity is married to its ways.  Petty attempts to reduce carbon footprints and to recycle one or two yoghurt pots is a little trivial when we drive to the supermarket to buy the yoghurt in the first place.  Every little doesn't really help...it just slows the process.  There is little point in me chirping on about Global affairs as I am not attuned to the politics involved in them in any way shape or form.

Today, I was sat in front of my laptop in my favourite cafe when John Mayer's 'Slow Dancing in a Burning Room' comes on the sound system. It reminds of a friend - of a better time.  It brought a bit of happiness to my sour morning gurn.  It is more than welcomed.  Sifting through Facebook, my 'catch-up' routine before starting my writing, I come across something posted by a ridiculous facebook page I subscribed to for some reason or another. The majority of things that pop up on my newsfeed are about people's new cars, haircuts, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, the female equivalent, holiday snaps etc... Generally people living their lives, showcasing joys and sharing woes.

However, today I found something truly enriching. An example of social networking being used to bring something good about.  Of course, under the gleam of beauty in this story these is a cash cow business looking to gain from the publicity, but aside from this and on a personal scale, it is great to see something like this happen to make an individual happy.  It just my morning a little more happy.  With all the crap that saturates the Internet; all of the hideous personalities it spawns and the fakeness...at least someone benefited from it in this case.

So here it is:

http://onestophumour.com/picture-9434-i-read-something-beautiful-today-story-written-by-karrie-s-mom-.html


ALSO, here is an amazing rendition of a great song. I hope you enjoy hearing it as much as I do every time I listen to it.