Everyone's Doing It!

Everyone’s doing it. Every famous columnist, all the cool blog sites – they’re all writing their end-of-year pieces. Be they Top 10 Lists or run-throughs of their best giggle-worthy jabs at the latest political dimwit. I guess you could say I wanted to jump on the end-of-year-post bandwagon. Thing is, political dimwits do not make me giggle, nor am I all that funny.

2011 was a year sprinkled with some notable personal failures and some incredible professional successes. But above all, I met some beautiful people. And I want to dedicate my year-end Top 10 List to them, an ode to some of the mega super awesome people I’ve bumped into and/or had the pleasure of interacting with this year. This list isn’t simply an ode, but a reminder that the world is a lovely place and with the population growing at such an alarming rate we all need to step up our game and start meeting more people already!

*In no particular order and the symbols don’t have any particular meaning, simply to allow for anonymity and an air of mystery*

!!! - a woman whose life I feel I accidentally walked into, the same way the girl accidentally walks into the guy in a RomCom and they eventually become best friends because they tried dating and it just didn't quite work. She has taught me more than I can express. She helped me discover my truest passions, she taught me how to question myself, how to let go and let it all hang out. She taught me what it means to truly embrace the idea of being an individual.

@@@ - She let me finish my thought, scratch it out in the air with my flailing arms, go over it again, re-articulate, question and let it stew with that awful expression on my face as I wondered if I was right or not. Only then would she spring the hard question and floor me. Thank you.

### - A chance meeting at a party and a very cute friendship ensued. This man, a great artist and student of the world taught me to embrace the incongruent, to speak when not spoken to (and if you can, do it in a foreign language) and how to enjoy sitting on the hard chair instead of the booth in a dinge-y diner.

$$$ – My inspiration, my sister. When shit goes down, she lets it sink it, she rides the wave [like a Blue Crush pro] and then she makes it work. And she grows and learns from it all. I know too many people, (myself included) who falter, skip the learning and simply Rince and Repeat, to overlook how wonderfully graceful she is as she lives.

%%% – this is a young woman who constantly reminds me that there is such strength in the world, that there are good people in every corner and that more often than not – things are real, they’re hard to handle, they can get the better of us, but we can always go on those stealth missions to steal ‘em back!

^^^ – my North Star. For someone as directionally challenged as I am, having him around to gently tug at my shirt and point out that I’m about to hit another large painting in the street (only happened once!) is great.

&&& – The funnyman who inspires me to keep on learning seemingly useless bits of information because, ”Yes, I will tell that ridiculous story about the cats at my next dinner party”.

*** - when I was in elementary school I developed a love for running. But only after I realised just how much fun I had running after boys in the playground and that I ran so much faster if I was running after someone faster and stronger than myself, versus running along a track. This is a man who never ceases to amaze me and is thankfully always a few feet ahead of me pushing me to run just a tad bit faster.

()() – the man with one of the coolest tattoos I have ever seen! His love for his job, his zest for interaction and inter-generational dialogue is what the future is going to be made of.

+++ – a group of people who helped me realise that I do not have to apologize for what I think. Thoughts, concepts, theories – they’re all fluid and if I realise a fault in my most recent brainwave then all I have to do is head back to the drawing board, ponder, reconfigure and scribble all over again.

So my New Year’s wish for you all: that you may have the pleasure of meeting loads more than 10 beautiful people this year and that they each etch a very special place in your life. 

What's Love Got To Do With It?

My dad happens to watch a lot of documentaries and doctor shows, so ever so often the dinner conversation will turn to what Dr. Oz or some ayurvedic guru has been talking about today. This eventually turns into everything is genetically modified, we can’t eat anything, natural only grows on the other side of the equator and we’re all going to die of cancer from eating the very same healthy veggies that are supposed to prolong our lives. 

Great chicken, mom.

It ends on my note where I say we all pick our battles and if everything is going to eventually give us cancer, then how about I focus my time worrying about something else for a bit? What I really want to talk about are diamonds – so what does advice from Dr. Oz have to do with diamonds? I’m simply trying to cover my ass and say I realise there are a slew of issues to think about and there are dozens of consumer products that I buy and companies I buy from that in some way, shape or form contribute to conflict and strife in other countries. But I feel like diamonds are so incredibly unnecessary that eliminating them is actually quite simple. Whereas, taking on sweatshops and clothing and kitchenware, barbies and such ... I’ll admit, I don’t have much of a clue as to how I would start.

For a while now I’ve had an obsession with copper jewellery. My reasons are based on the idea of equality and the relative inexpensive nature of the metal as well as some of the health benefits. The “equality” point is very much related to the reasoning behind the Sikh kara, but that is a separate conversation. So, I like copper - I don’t like diamonds. When I found my copper engagement ring there were questions – there were concerns that the hippie was getting to my head and breaching the blood-brain barrier. But I am quite set on the idea of not having a diamond engagement ring. I think the idea is quite ridiculous and diamonds are delivered dripping with the blood of innocent people who don’t need to die for a section of the world’s population who are convinced they need to demonstrate their “love” (bullshit btw) and monetary fortitude to passersby. Firstly, giving someone an expensive rock to wear on their finger is not an automatic sign, nor is it the only way to convey to someone that you love them and want to be with them for an extended period of time. Oh wait – there – see how I did that? I used words to convey the same message that thousands of people assume a shiny rock will do for them. Ha! (eat my shorts Kay jewellers). And if you feel that the idea of a ring (a solid circle to symbolize eternity, never-ending, everlasting love) is important for the engagement process, and I do, then can you not get a ring that doesn’t have a diamond in it? Like a very pretty copper-blend ring that will match perfectly with a gold wedding band (if that is what you’re in to)...?

Perhaps the first step is getting educated and learning more about the diamond trade and how diamonds make it to the elegant settings on one’s ring finger. Yes, there is a movement to import conflict-free diamonds. My point remains the same – diamonds that contribute to conflict and death in many countries across the globe still exist. The simple fact that many societies still lend so much value and merit to the diamond engagement ring (and the various concepts about love and marriage attached to it) means that the conflict diamond will continue to exist. And fiancées everywhere will still contribute to the plight of people across the globe.

Reject the diamond, because really, what’s love got to do with a shiny stone that people ooh and ahh over?

I dream of the day when people realise how unnecessary the diamond is; I can only hope that this massive collective realization is coming soon. Society as it is is fuelling the market for these blood diamonds. In the same way that environmental organizations demand a value shift and shift in the way we see the earth and our impact on it – we need to start applying the same theory to the diamond industry. Reduce-Reuse-Recycle works at the micro and macro levels. Rejecting the antiquated and misguided ideal of the diamond engagement ring (and other forms of diamond body embellishment) for yourself is all part of the larger ripple effect that will slowly but surely erect change in parts of the world many people know nothing about. I talk about this often; the idea of globalization extends farther than simply discussing our connections via world economies, political alliances and [more efficient] means of communication. We are connected in a human way that I feel many people neglect to acknowledge. Our decisions and choices (positive and negative) affect people in every which corner. That is the true ripple effect. You know that famous quote from Mahatma Gandhi that gets thrown around ALL the time? At every conference, every youth group meeting, every feel-good demonstration, in every sappy article, I’m sure I’ve even seen a few tweets... “Be the change you want to see in the world” Well people, I think it’s time to be the fucking change.

David Robert-style “Peace”.

Society's Martyrs

I’ve been doing some reading and I think I can relate the eastern religions’ concept of bodily transcendence to one who is fighting a larger cause. You lose who you are at a superficial level, you disregard stress and bodily afflictions. You disregard seemingly selfish personal needs – be they sleep, food or personal relationships. Isn’t that the equation for success? You need to think about the bigger picture as opposed to an ego-centric one, right? Do we sell ourselves for a cause? I’ve met people who plan their daily, as well as extended lives based on an overarching humanitarian goal – do we need more of that to collectively bring us down and off of this independence/dog-eat-dog horse many of us are on? Or is this a temporary process; forsake it all to reap the benefits later on in life? The benefits in the case of the pursuit I’m referring to would be different than those of a Hindu ascetic, for example.

Let’s assume it is temporary and all a part of the process – when does it stop, and can you reintegrate at that point? What does reintegrate even mean? Watching mind-numbing episodes of Gossip Girl and indulging in mass consumerism? Or is there a “point of no return”? Can one achieve a true balance or are these people society’s martyrs?