Swords of Revealing Light

Revelations are those which most of us don't understand until it's too late. For me I see them as answers awaiting arrival at the right time and for the right reasons from almighty God Jehovah! In all my days nothing has been truer as time and time again he has shown why his ways are higher than my ways. He has revealed the truths about situations I've been in, people I've kept around me and the lifestyle I was living. Most importantly he has shown me truths about myself, the life I'm supposed to live and the ideals I ought to put forward as my image.

Too often I become entangled in the images I see and not the image I ought to show. In this world of excess and overindulgence, it's far too easy for the mind to be tempted and the heart to be grieved. This is a world of plentiful and even though suffering exists everywhere it's actually restrained to a select few. As a man living amongst this planet of apes, I have been tempted to become an ape, behave like an ape, suffer like an ape but yet still look like a man. If you're not following think of how humanly apes look yet still we know them as beasts and not human beings and now you begin to see the derelict of confusion that is the modern world. My strength is in my god given ability to blend without succumbing, I can be in the world without being of the world. Easily I adapt and see the strengths and weaknesses of human overindulgence, the struggles of poor planning and the destruction that is caused by pride and arrogance. Sadly though adaptation removes me from the mirror I ought to be looking at regularly to ensure I develop and reinforce my own weaknesses and build my strengths. I recently glanced in that mirror and realized despite how far I have come I have much further to go. My pride is the fuel of my overconfidence which blinds me from avoiding the trip holes I'm prone to falling into. Tunnel vision is a dangerous trait of mine and I'm yet to get out of this habit even though the consequences have time and time again proven detrimental to me. I realized it in one of those crude management training sessions my boss puts me through, I'm unable to look closer into the big picture and miss many details. I'm actually not sure how to deal with this as it plays into another blind spot of mine which is complacency. I'm the last to admit how very complacent and procrastinating I actually am and I think it's time I come to terms with these facts. Details do matter and without them I'm surely doomed and would fail to command the respect that I currently enjoy.

I do believe if more people spent time working on themselves and not make mischief in the world we might be living in a better life. After work and sleep I'm constantly preoccupied with analyzing myself for flaws in my system and I have found many. I'm yet to realize where this lack of motivation to exercise comes from, whether it's a natural dislike for exercise or if I'm just that lazy or something traumatic that maybe on the top of my mind. It always amazes me that I can easily identify flaws and solutions to those flaws but can't formulate even a hypothesis to my own shortcomings. It's more or less the saying of seeing a splinter of the eyes of another via the the big piece of wood in my own eyes. Never thought I would own up to being like those I so criticized of such traits, the reality I'd though that it's far easier to study and identify a subject rather than be the subject for the simple reason that it takes much longer to see past your blind spot. Much like driving a car, there are certain points on the vehicle that the driver simply cannot see past unless they're the passenger. Even as the passenger though its still your vehicle so only someone on the outside can see what's really going on with your driving but that outside person can only guesstimate any issues or problems with your vehicle by listening for familiar noises or signs but only you can really check your car to see what the source of the issue is.

Clarity is a strange thing, as I write this I realize even for myself that I was right to start being more open with others. That openness can save my life from a perilous wreck if I'm not grown enough to realize that an experienced mechanic is needed on my side to survive this road to life. Yes its true that some people seem like experts when in truth and fact they're only there to derail your efforts by misleading you about what the issue with your life car really is. At the end of the day only you can really check and find the source of any malfunctions in your life car.

The Friend Zone, myth or reality?

It's a nightmare to some, a safe haven for others and to the rest it's a series of questions and hieroglyphics demanding answers to explain it's alien presence. Both sexes use it without doubt but the circumstances around the term "friend zone" clearly varies from person to person and gender to gender.

Interviews with several persons of differing backgrounds and lifestyles yield startling similarities while identifying key differences in their definitions. For ken a professional barber and university student, the friend zone is a myth, he doesn't believe it exists period and his reasons why are intriguing. According to ken, all relationships are based on friendship of some sort so to state that a dreaded friend zone exists would be to consider all relationships dreaded. His parents were longtime friends who eventually pursued an intimate relationship which grew into marriage, for him this friendship is key to their success and is fundamental to his relationships. Without that friendship he states that no relationship would last because as he puts it, "who know yuh better than yuh friend?"

According to his perspective, the friend zone that society despises is actually fundamental towards building a solid relationship. Simply interpreted you have a better a chance of intimacy in the friend zone according to ken. The next person I interviewed was Andre, he's an accounting officer and defines the friend zone as a confused state of mind. He identifies that most relations in the so called friend zone are very platonic and are the cause of many misinterpreted signals from both sexes which then leads to drama. Based on his theory, there are different levels of the friend zone, the first being a nonsexual platonic level and the second being a sex only communication type where as long as no intimacy exists everyone ought to be happy. He states that this mix of emotions, intimacy and communication is what causes signals to be misread and intentions to be over and underestimated. Is he correct? Well have you ever had someone correctly caress you based on information you gave them and then wondered how you suddenly feel romantic around that person? Have you been on a seemingly harmless date with a friend in a very intimate setting that unexpectedly arose deep feelings? These according to Andre are but a few situations where we send the wrong signals to those we do not consider romantically to expect us to now be romantically involved to the point of sexual relations.

Taking a step back though, its clear that men see the friend zone as a black and white scenario. For them it's either you're getting sex or its just a friendship. Most men interviewed see the friend zone as a place where there's no hope of getting sex in the immediate future. Not some place many care to be and it's actually frowned upon when the situation comes up that sex is not involved. Well then there's the female perspective, like men women too see the friend zone as a place where little or no sex is involved but there's more. Allison gave her account of once being friend zoned by a man she genuinely liked as boyfriend material. According to her the friend said theirs  was a friendship he treasured greatly, too much to complicate with titles such as boyfriend or soul mates but he was fine with them having sex to which she objected. She stated that the friendship was based on communication, understanding and compromise, except when that discussion came up but otherwise he was someone she saw as a match for her. Listening to her story was interesting because now you have a woman talking about intimacy coming first instead of the initial attraction. She however is adamant that friends do not have sex with each other and this is where my interest really geared up. To her sex crosses a line of friendship, she says that once sex is involved she expects more than just a mere friendship. To her friends are those she partially confides in, while her significant other is her rock and house. Well now this puts a whole new spin on relations with others, here we have borders being established of a different kind. Camille and Traycee had a slightly different story to Allison, both women agreed that if the initial attraction isn't there then there's no chance of it ever being there even if you some how managed to make their grade of desire. To them the friend zone doesn't exist, they see it as clear cut, either sex is involved or it isn't. As long as there's no sex you're only appreciated as a companion and nothing more. Is that the same as the friend zone? Maybe, but considering they both agreed that friends are not people you attract yourself to then no its not. They identify friends as people they can be intimate with on a mental and spiritual level. To them a member of the same or opposite sex who has intentions of being sexually involved can never be a friend. This view is similar to that of Raquel, a final year student who has had many encounters with friends being attracted to her. The only spoken for member of the interviewed team, her reasons for maintaining a border r strictly because of her relationship with her current boyfriend. Asked what would have become of said suitors had she been single and her answers are now the same as Camille and Traycee.

What has this all taught us? Simple, to women if you're someone they can partially count on to supply their needs then prepare to be treated as just that, a partial supplier. To men, if you're a woman who supplies part of their needs then prepare to be treated as just that, a partial supplier. When it comes right down to it this partial supply is what is really known as "the friend zone."

Snakes and Rocks

Back when the great Steve Irwin was alive and dominating my TV interests, I recall an episode where he was snake hunting in forests, deserts, rivers and even seas. One thing o always noticed is that he would forever find snakes hiding under rocks, not so much branches and leaves but almost always rocks! I didn't think much of it until today actually, snakes hide in rocks because they're safe, solid, cooling and provide a dark enough place for said snake to strike at unsuspecting prey.

Snakes do come in many forms but the most dangerous ones are found globally on almost every land mass and they have two legs. The work environment is where you find the majority of them and to be honest they pack more poison than an army of cobras on a bad day. They spend every living moment sneaking around searching for ways to undermine and destroy you, they're relentless in their pursuit of your demise and unfortunately most are armed with a level of power or slave whip as I fondly call it. They bear smiles made of either cheap or very expensive plastic and use these smiles to lure you into a false sense of security. It's really an old predator trick still used by the likes of the american snapper turtle, lion fish and Venus fly trap to name a few, the idea is to get close enough to you for a fatal strike which will render you vulnerable and exposed.

You're not expected to live in a prison of distrust but much like walking on an industrial compound exercising safety first is key with such people. Much like walking in a new forest trail, respect the environment and do your research because ignorance is not bliss nor is it paradise. What you don't know will kill you!!