The five o five: Saturday, October 27, 2007

Who will save us?

What is your definition of a hero? Think about it for just a second and then give me a complete

H E R O E S
“
Even though we have yet to explore the vast depths of the ocean, the immense breadths of the polar arctic or even the complex makeup of our own minds we are now pointing our shiny NASA death bullets at the planet Mars and beyond with prospects of colonization even before we have stepped one grimy Neanderthalic foot on its dusty red surface.
”

and honest answer. What comes to mind the moment this simple four letter word is muttered amongst the masses? Close you eyes and visualize what a hero looks like and what a hero’s job description might be. Think about what types of questions you would ask a hero in an interview and what qualifications and references you would expect from them before they could be officially hired. Now look around and count (out loud) how many heroes you personally know. (You can stop reading this blog for just a second to do that... Oh you're done already? Just as I suspected...)

The problem (and I suppose benefit) of human existence is that we are always looking for something that is bigger and better then what we already know [See the post I did about optimists]. Even though we have yet to explore the vast depths of the ocean, the immense breadths of the polar arctic or even the complex makeup of our own minds we are now pointing our shiny NASA death bullets at the planet Mars and beyond with prospects of colonization even before we have stepped one grimy Neanderthalic foot on its dusty red surface. Where are you going so fast? Why is it that the things we presently have or the world that presently entertains our curiosity seems to be the dullest thing that god could have ever devised to occupy our time? Why is it that something as magnificent as a sunrise, majestic as mountain range or miraculous as childbirth can not hold our muse long enough to be sung about, written about or blogged about on a daily basis. Instead our minds are being poured glasses of filth and nonsense. Glasses filled with gossip, violence and pornographic material all the way to the brim. Mental drinks are being mixed with Iraq and Kevin Federline (the equivalent of Vodka) as the base and The Dallas Cowboys, Barak Obama and Bill Gates (the sweet chaser) all blended into a toxic elixir which distorts our reality just the same as alcohol does. We closely monitor the intake and distribution of alcohol so why not the other crap (Brittney Spears, Paris Hilton, President Bush, Michael Vick, Steve O etc, etc...), Isn't it just as intoxicating?

So back to my initial question, "How many heroes do you know?" Modern society would have you think (with its' big budget Hollywood films with their elaborate plots and expensive special effects) that heroes are those individuals or beings that are gonna descend from upon high down to save us from who we are internally. Who comes to your mind when someone says "Hero". For some of us we think of that popular television show on ABC which tries investigate the idea of what it would be if Heroes (of the "super" variety anyway) really walked amongst us and how the whole of humanity respond to their presence. It does an ok job but it really just boils to down more special effects and a story about discrimination as usual. Why are our heroes are always freaks of nature? Spider Man got bitten by a radioactive spider. Superman is not even from here. The X Men are mostly all genetically superior to the rest of the human race and Fire Man... Ummmm Fire Man just saved some guys house from burning down.

Who is Fire Man you ask? Well he is just who he signed up to be, a distinguisher of fires too large for your kitchen fire distinguisher to distinguish. I know the people in California appreciate him. What about Police Man and Garbage Man? What about Dr. Man or Volunteer Man (I'm stretching it now). Why don't they have big budget films where they do what it is they really do? Is it because they don't wear capes? Is it because most of them won't look very attractive wearing spandex tights and brightly colored boots? Where are their trading cards? Didn't some of them die saving people in the world trade center and aren't some of them risking their lives everyday to protect us from us? Why is it that in Hollywood the "Spandex and Caped ones" have no respect for them tossing them aside so they can do the job of us regular heroes? Where are these flying freaks in real life? Are they in Iraq? NO! Are they fighting the fires in California? NO! Did the go down to Jena Louisiana to help protest the unjust system of racism in America? NO! So where the hell are they?

H E R O E S
“
The way they tell it even Jesus will be wearing a cape on his return but I for one hope he doesn't (capes if you haven't noticed are utterly tacky and distracting).
”

I'll tell you where they are. Go to your local school and peek into a classroom. Do you see that person standing in the front of a room full of restless and energetic pop and candy addicted adolescents? She's one of them. Now come with me into any random modern American living room after 7pm. Do you see that woman cooking dinner while on her cell phone picking up toys and entertaining the children at the same time? (Don't worry, she can balance that pot, math, and check book at the same time). She's one of them. Now follow me thorough this door here and over to this dimly lit food storage warehouse. You see that guy over there loading food pallets onto the back of that old roughly painted truck? How much do you think he makes an hour? Less than minimum wage I bet? He's one of them. Now turn in a full circle and visually take inventory of every other person in the room. Have any of them ever saved someone’s life (even in the most subtle of ways)? Has any of them taught a child to read, bought someone a cup of coffee, sat there and listened to someone talk about their day? Have any of them risked their own life to make a difference? Have they sacrificed their last dollar to satisfy someone else's needs. Now ask yourself do any of them wear a cape? Have you seen any of them fly down from the sky? How about superhuman strength, can any of them life a standard SUV? No. Well that's what a hero is. A regular person who cares to make a difference. Can't we just appreciate that without all the glitz and glamor? The way they tell it even Jesus will be wearing a cape on his return but I for one hope he doesn't (capes if you haven't noticed are utterly tacky and distracting). Maybe heroes don't need praise but they surely deserve it. I hope “I” in some way am praising the "Everyday Hero" with this blog. You guys are great. Thanks, from all of us.

The five 'o five: October 26, 2007

Am I dreaming?

D R E A M S
"
Maybe dreams are here only to fill the cold quiet nights with sounds and colors so we can remember who we are in the morning. Something like mental screen savers to prevent brain burn in.
"

I used to think that dreams were the by products of our waking moments. A mental reconfiguration of unresolved emotion, activities and incomplete thoughts. The scraps of a day gone by. I used to think that in the world of sleep there were no real danger or no real truths to behold. After last night though I think I'll change that theory.

I experienced a dream that resorted the people I know and the situations I have been through but in a seemingly peculiar fashion. The dream almost seemed to make mockery of a few of my unexamined insecurities. It involved a brief incident where a younger man who was attracted to my fiancé now pursued her more fervently which eventually morphed into some sort of casual orgy. Dreams sometimes don't follow any logical time line but I do clearly remember the rage that finding "love bites" on my woman's body by this other guy (in the dream of course) produced. It was a strong burning rage much like I had experienced before when I suspected an ex girlfriend of mine was cheating and discovered it was true. It was a rage unusual for a man so calm such as I. This rage turned into a sharp welded sword of drawn fist and curse words but the little punk ran. He ran from me in a dream!

Dreams are supposed to explain the real world and not confuse things, but this one did. Maybe dreams are here only to fill the cold quiet nights with sounds and colors so we can remember who we are in the morning. Something like mental screen savers to prevent brain burn in. Maybe the reshuffling and resorting serve the purpose of allowing us to examine our mistakes and successes in order to formulate the new day's itinerary before we wake.

But what if it goes even deeper? What if our dreams connect us all together? Most of us hardly ever discuss our dream (less the more vivid recounts) let alone remember them so what if our dreams all take place on the same plain of consciousness. What if every time we lie down to sleep we are plugged in to the subconscious internet like the MySpace of the mind? What if dreaming is our way sharing what we have learned with other who might benefit from our experience? I mean think about it? How often have you had a dream where you were the only one present? How often have you had a dream where the only activity you were doing was sleeping? We plan to travel the entire spans of the universe without even understanding the simplicities of our own human existence? What if our dreams can get us there faster? Everything you can imagine can become real so what if by collective dreaming we are designing the world in which we live. The images on the news. The people at our work and school. Can we simply dream a better existence or will it take a bit more than that?

This is almost a complete thought. Its beginning to fade now that morning is growing older. You can piece this together the best you can. Let me know what you think about what you understand though. What do your dreams mean to you?

Explaining the five 'o five

The fiveofive [updated 11/06/2007]

The Orgin

T H E 5 : 0 5
"
Early Morning Random Blog Ramblings of an Overactive Mind Held Hostage by a Restless Spirit.
"

One morning after awakening exactly at 5am I was compelled to record my first waking thoughts somewhere and somehow and so I started a blog. It was initially posted as the 5am report but that sounded to news like so I tweaked the name a little. The idea soon developed into a series of morning thoughts and other unscrambled dream data to produce what I now call the fiveofive (and this is all in the course of a day). It is called the fiveofive because (for the most obvious reason) that is the time when I normally make it downstairs to my computer in order to type it out. I plan on waking every (possible) morning to post something at sometime after 5am. I'm not sure if has been done yet but if I'm the first then that is all the better.

The Process

After my alarm rings, promptly at 5am, I spring from my comfortable bed and skip merrily down the stairs where my Gateway Convertible CX210X is patiently awaiting my cold rigid morning fingers to grace its warm plastic keyboard. Once I sit down in front of the brightly glowing screen (turning on a lamp or two so to avoid eye strain) I reflect on the first smidgen of a thought rattling around inside my mind. The moment I access the thought and begin typing I push forward without preparation, planing or provision (using a freestyle, free flowing, non fiction equivalent of "stream of consciousness" ). So far this method has produced all of the entries you read here in the five o five without incident, but I already have a plan in place in case my mind is totally blank.

The Plan

If you don't have any ideas in your head first thing in the morning then there are ways you can kick start your creativity and imagination.

• ~I take a brief glance at one of the day's top story's and then blog about what it means to me or how I relate.
  
• ~I look around my house and think of some of the memories that dwell within my living quarters.
  
• ~I reflect back on the day (or week) before and think of any hot topics that would interest my audience.
  

There are some other online resources you can use to get that creativity going and a few are listed below, check them out for some ideas and please message me if you have any others I can add.

• ~So, You Want To Write!
  

The Protocol

Because I live such an unpredictably active life I decided to develop a protocol in order to revise this blog in passes that will also allow the reader to know when a post is complete and ready to read without having it sit in draft limbo until it is good looking. The five o five blog revision protocol [brb] is a method of posting that allows the author to create post including supportive content and visual aides in an uninterrupted process or edit notes and link leasing. The protocol allows a blog author to post an unedited blog post with simple notation describing to the reader how much more the author has left to do and allows the choice of perusing the raw material or returning when the final edits are made and the blog is at its prettiest. This method is beneficial in that it gives the reader options based on their personal preference.

[#] <- What's This?

A number in brackets represents the stage of editing. The numbers count down from 3, which is the raw unaltered post with edit notations, to 1, which is the final aesthetic incarnation of the post.

Edit Notations: Edit notations are a temporary place holder for extra material including links, images, music, and references. Edit notations themselves usually appear in brackets and can be as simple and general as a note *[see cats] or may even be an unedited link reference *[insert google.com link].

Revision Stage:
Below is the brief description of what each number in the brackets represent.

[3] Raw unedited original
[2] Ascetically edited post with images and pull quotes
[1] Final edited post with aesthetic modifications and contextual links and references.

If you have any questions or suggestions for how I can improve this system please contact me via email, IM, or comment. You are free to use and improve upon this method without permission but I do ask that you send me a link so I can see what you have done with it and reference you in this post.

The Principal

Below is my personal pledge to keep the five o five fresh and un-commercialized by following a simple protocol and procedure for every post. If you decide to follow my model you can either use this preset structure or design your own. The bottom line is to make it yours.

On my honor:

1. ~I will not alter nor falsify any time codes on post entry's nor will I make any excuses for missed days (sometimes we just oversleep or sleep in - you understand).
2. ~I will not plan or sketch out ideas for the next morning blog the day (or days before).
   
3. ~I will not alter nor change the core content of any published post once it is live.
4. ~The only changes I will make upon publishing are aesthetic and grammatical.

I hope that this experience produces deep conversation and great debates. I hope it reaches, not out to the masses, but into them. That's where I want to go. That's what I'm all about.

Tigga76 (Jermaine Antonio Young)

The 5am report

Maybe this is what its all about. Scientist are always out to discover what makes the world go round but this one hits closer to "my" world then all the rest. Optimism is my fuel. Optimism is my "Warp Core Engine" revving at full throttle. Optimism is what drives those few creative individuals to wake up at 5am (despite their partners whines about how tired they're gonna be later on)

O P T I M I S M
"
I believe optimism may be a form of extreme depression. A coping mechanism that the mind engages in order for us not to spiral into a ball of pity whenever something doesn't work out.
"

with enough drive and vision to project that today is gonna be a great day even if it doesn't turn out that way. I consider myself part of that breed. Are we disillusioned? Are we the one's who are the true "crazy's"? The ones who should be really locked away in padded cells with the little white coats that tie up in the back? I believe its a means to survival and advancement of the human race. Imagine if all this stuff about dinosaurs and cavemen really did happen the way it is told to our young mystified, impressionable children. Imagine that back in those utterly dismal times full of ravenous blood-thirsty monsters and incomparable heat and cold that our "ancestors" (the cave dwellers) decided that life in the cave was much safer and that no good would come to them on the outside. Imagine that that was the final decision on our fate? What type of existence (if any) would we now have? What would our quality of life be? Would be the pets of a super advanced race of "Lizard People" or the snack or the dominating "Ape Species".

Optimist are the ones that make it happen (whether on purpose or totally by accident). We are the ones that fight against impossible odds like Shaka Zulu or the Sparta 300. We are the one that never stay down like the Japanese army or African slaves. We are the Bill Gates', The Malcolm X's, The Adolf Hitler's, The Mahatma Gahndi's, and we are even the George Bush's and the Barak Obama's. We are the ones that can't be told no because we can imagine that their must be a yes buried somewhere in the improbable odds. It doesn't mater whether an optimist Succeeds or fails. It's about trying, doing, wanting, wondering, wishing. It's about exhausting every possibility that it "Can't be done" only to look for another way to do it.

I believe optimism may be a form of extreme depression. A coping mechanism that the mind engages in order for us not to spiral into a ball of pity whenever something doesn't work out. It is what actually makes us the dominant race. All other small creatures (birds, squirels, cats, rabbits, etc) can only see the danger in every scenario. "When a human walks up, he's gonna hurt you". But us humans will stand stark in the middle of a hurricane and curse god that he interrupted our chess match.

We are the winners. We are the champions. We are the elite. Or are we just full of it?

Scientist always think they have the answer. What do you think?

Reposted from The 5AM Report

>>>Brain regions responsible for optimism located on Yahoo! News

Blogged with Flock