INVICTUS

                                                                                    

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

                            William Ernest Henley 

   No matter which road we take, no matter how far we are, no matter how poor or rich we become, nor even in the worst plague do not forget you are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul. In this vast and influential world we live in and on the face of   the limitless opportunities life offers us at this stage of our lives,  it sometimes turns tricky and tough to stick to ourselves, our essence and keep what we are, our convictions. Life is full of changes but what we really are should never change. The inspiring and sensible words from the poem bring me back to what really matters: whatever I do must be because of my own will and nobody else’s, and should never go against what I am!

In the middle of the uncertainty we are going through I wish to tell you ‘don’t forget that you are the master of your life’!!

DO WE CARE ABOUT BREATHING?

According to Erica Gómez Del Corral, an Argentinian anthropologist, feeding and breathing are the two vital biological functions for any organism. However, unlike oriental cultures, occidental cultures pay great importance to the first one dismissing the importance of breathing. Now it is not hard to agree with this since in our society everything goes around food: diets, physical exercises, specialists, ‘tips’ of every kind and source meeting of course the social demands for goods and services that aim at the perfection of the body. There is an outstanding need for people to become conscious about eating habits but what about breathing habits? Well this author states that not only breathing but learning to breathe properly is essential to keep our energetic as well as psych-physic balance. It is not enough just breathing. Oriental cultures make use of a method called ‘breathing consciously’ which provides the proper techniques to oxygenate the body thus improving performance at any level. This type of breathing brings various benefits: by providing the body with enough oxygen it helps it to carry out metabolic functions properly and satisfactorily. Breathing consciously also allows greater concentration bringing greater mental clarity. Moreover, it helps you gain more mental as well as emotional control. 

    The author provides the reader with various techniques but I want to share one in particular which is called ‘respiración completa’:

      Put yourself in a comfortable position

      Inhale through your nose, maintain the air and then release it through the nose but taking twice the time you take to inhale.

      Do this exercise from 10 to 20 minutes.

This technique activates your blood flow, helps you calm down your mind and fosters your will. I have tried this one and it is really useful! Let’s see if it works for you… I think we need to devote time to our breathing so that we listen to our body and mind!  

BITTERSWEET

An arduous sensation ran through my veins till my chest so disgusting that I felt I was burning inside…something bigger than my chest was growing inside without stopping…I felt it was going to explode!! But it started to move upwards slowly very slowly…it was going to come out through my mouth… no through my vocal cords!! Someone or something ordered me: relax, take it easy, it is not worthy!! The fire kept on going upwards and met my consciousness. That’s when I took a deep breath, draw a smile on my face and coldly greeted back the bloodthirsty piranhas lurking around the ballot boxes, spying the thirsty and powerless victims in the queues. Yes they were, we were thirsty literally for there was water supply in no home…not mention the long-lasting absence of drinking water and the percentage of people suffering from kidney failure… still they have the nerve to spat a kiss on your cheek and go around the town showing off how wealthy they are, how young they keep with all the surgeries on, how loved by their people they feel or have to be. But how could I speak my mind deliberately without having the simplest thought that I was not the one to suffer the consequences directly!! So once inside the dark room I took another deep breath, “roamed around it with a sense of joy ” and did what at that moment resulted and was the best option to try to change the state of affairs in my village. Then I went out and spat a smile to my dear and loved politicians!!! Please don’t draw any conclusions as to what the relationship between people and politicians is like, you might be mistaken!! Now I am anxiously waiting for the results…what means that there is still some hope left in me!!   

So if I had to describe my day of elections, so to speak, I would define it as a heartbreaking, nerve-racking, annoying and disgusting with a bit of pleasure day… all mixed. BITTERSWEET!!!

p/d: for the ones who don’t know I’m making reference to my village La Calera, though I think I remember I might have told you about it before, haven’t I?? 

 How about your day?? I guess it was less disturbing for you, wasn’t it?  

 Waiting for the capacity to think…

I happened to be zapping for some piece of news on telly in an attempt to give my brain activity a break when suddenly I was startled by one of those gossiping programs which was exposing the latest “advance” in women’s pursue of a proper role in society: showmatch got one of the dancers, don’t know the name, totally naked. Wow everybody on TV commenting on the poor girl’s insolent, audacious, cheeky, and so many adjectives more dance. What nobody knew this was going to happen?? Well I think you’ve seen some of this. Everybody, on TV and in the street, people around me saying: oh no change the channel because the baby is here!! ONLY after this girl showed her parts have people started to be careful with what their children see on TV!! The fact is that this show always gets the dancers almost naked, a now well what’s the difference? One tiny piece of clothing less than usual! For sure, they are making huge amounts of money otherwise they would have already shifted to another technique. This means that this program is just taking into account the social demands: people’s unlimited longing for coarseness in general.

Now going back into history, the role of women has always been dismissed and subordinated to men but not only because men have done everything in their power for this to happen but because we women have also contributed. Our society is more “machista” than anything but let’s not blame the male only. I feel I could never end bringing up examples of how women have contributed to our own present state of affairs. Just to mention one instance, I usually meet mothers complaining their sons do not help them with the housework “they are a disaster, untidy, dirty, etc.”…. “I am tired of making their beds, picking up and folding their clothes” while arranging everything for them!! Why don’t they let them do it by themselves?

So, women’s role along history have been related to household, child-care, cook, men’s property, and now “sexual objects”. I am waiting for a role based on our abilities to think for once in life…. Are we not as capable as men to think!! This new role is being supported by society…what now? Women teaching their sons to see other women as w____s??  what are we waiting to turn off the TV and get our children out to the open air I don’t to play with a ball, with the dog, to go to the little square around the corner, etc? There so many things to teach a child more than letting them see naked women…    

"White” related to goodness??

Not at all for albinos in Africa.

After decades of suffering different attacks to their integrity this month the albino population witnessed the first trial for albino assassination in which a group of men was sentenced to death penalty in Tanzania, Africa. What’s the matter?? Tanzania is estimated to be one of the countries in the continent to have the major population of albinos, thus one of the places with the highest rate of albino body parts traffic. Although born from black parents, it is normal for albinos to keep a watchful eye on bloodthirsty, ambitious and superstitious albinos’ hunters as it is protecting their skin from sunburn in Africa. Unbelievable, things turn out to be the other way round in that distant country given the fact that it is not having black skin what puts in danger a human as it has been or was the case in other parts of globe but being white…

 Albinos pursue in Africa has its roots in black magic or muti in which not only uneducated people draw on but, strikingly, high social classes as well, among them politicians pursuing to win an election!! Surely, politicians falling back on black magic to come by powerful places are not uncommon here, but the fact is that this trade in Africa is enhanced by these people who not surprisingly avoid dealing with this issue.

Although stealing dead albinos’ body parts form graves satisfy the high demand, it apparently doesn’t prove to be as powerful as chopping or ripping a leg, an arm, or any other part of the body out from an alive victim. What are they used for?? Apart from leading to “success” - whatever the matter-, albinos dismembered bodies are used by witch healers to cure diseases.

It is extremely exasperating is to reach the conclusion that this human trade as sexual slavery is taking place because a great part of society is demanding it!! It is not just some few crazy witch doctors or wicked people but also common people from different social backgrounds who are paying for it… And just as in sexual slavery, in albinos hunt “there is too much money at stake”.

I ask myself: Will human trade ever come to an end?? A future “yes” looks gloomy for me…  

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1215949/The-albino-tribe-butchered-feed-gruesome-trade-magical-body-parts.html#ixzz1Z1lRqySq

Hi guys how are you??? 

Well this time I want to show you and also dedicate you this representative and famous painting by Munch - a Norwegian painter. I'm sure you know it or at least you've seen it. This masterpiece called The Scream was painted in  1893 and as the title suggests it represents anxiety, fear, depression and any feeling connected to oppression. Although the source of inspiration for this piece of art is related to specific personal features of the author which, of course, were influenced by a certain context, the Industrial Revolution, and everything society was undergoing at that time ( for more info go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9c_8zmbq_c) , paintings and any peice of art such as a novel - art in itself - posses the greatness of not being meaningful by itself but by the audience's interpretation. We, audience, are given the chance of interpreting and signifying art according to our own features and context which are not the same as the author's. I have already dedicated this painting to myself. I feel we are in a part of our lives in which we are surrounded by pressure, anxiety and desperation mainly because of the fact that this is the last part of our teaching training course which combined with our personal everyday responsalbilities make our lives a bit  hectic! I think this picture represents this specific period of my life, even though not everything is like that as I told you before in my first post life also brings us happiness through little great things! However, I would like to know whether this masterpiece draws the same feelings from you...  

Little great things!!

      Talking about those little great things that make our world and our lives wonderful, here I share with you one of my three-year-old nephew's amusing creations which took him 3 minutes to draw but takes me a life to enjoy. This is one of his uncountable drawings to which a turn to every time this world looks obscure and seems to devolve and my life becomes so senseless with the daily, monotonous and many times stressing routine in order to stop and see that life is marvellous as long as we give sense to what we do and to what it offers us.
    To tell you a bit about my choice, this representation is special for me because it shows how a child expresses and sees what is worth considering: what means greatness, happiness, protection, unity and love. There's no place for negative feelings.In this case, Ramiro draws some of the most important persons and things in his world: his mother (in the middle), his father (on the right), he himself (on the left), a ball he plays with all the time(under his mother)and his grandparents' car...he loves travelling with them(at the bottom). Through his creations, he teaches me to look at the bright side of things!!

I just love him and his imagination!!!