Inna 'Skaya

WHY AM I HERE?

2011-11-12T20:41:00.000-08:00

I'm not here to protest the success of hard-working people, nor to suggest that there's anything inherently evil about financial prosperity. I applaud responsible decision-making, innovation, creativity and hard work leading to success. Consumerism? Unethical business practices? I think those are our responsibility... if you don't want to support a business, don't buy their product. Don't be a mindless consumer. I will protest/endorse with my spending (not camping out). But when government allows financial institutions and big industry to manipulate markets, oppress people and to ravage the planet in pursuit of profit, when business using sustainable ethical practices can't compete, when institutions that I'm forced to deal with are corrupt and not held accountable? That I protest!

The Knife - Heartbeats ( OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO W/ SOUND )

2011-02-10T18:32:00.000-08:00

Fun New Trend of Single Page Website Design

2010-11-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Really great inspiration for 1 Page based design. There is something very loose and interesting about some of the full bleed designs.

PSD Layout Design

Lennart Basler

Kinoz

Mitxel

Fish Marketing

Tomas Pojeta

Nofrks

Creative People

James Lai Creative

Jason Reed

Gotta Get to FOWA

PickaBoo

We Are Sofa

Salon-la Folie

Kretivia New Media

Basil Gloo

Designed by Dave

Red and White Sale

Peter Pearson

40 Great Minimalist Websites for Web Design Inspiration

2010-11-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

I am working on a new project to depict Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, in the form of a web site. This is a list that I found for inspiration of great minimalists websites.

Simple Bits

Theme Magazine

Zurb

Finch

Post Machina

Martha Kelly

Site Inspire

FeedaFever

deCode

deCode

Carl de Keyzer Photography

Carl de Keyzer Photography

Derek Bender

Naked and Angry

Guzzle

Pixel Umbrella

Hermes Paris

The Creative District

Voce Antica

Natalia Devalle

Natalia DeValle

Astheria

Envento Website Design Studio

Frieze Magazine

BKWLD

IconShoppe

Typographica

Authentic Style

Mayo Interactive

Purple Raincloud

DesignMe

Mark Boulton Design

Max Voltar

Think Orange

Upstruct

Annie Lennox

Huge

Creative Suitcase

Green Circle Shopping Center

NonSuch Records

Satellites

Geeksphone

Midas Studios

34 Typographical Sins

2010-10-27T07:40:00.000-07:00

Adobe After Effect animation..interesting in a doable way

2010-10-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Amie Zukowski's Animation Reel from Amie Zukowski on Vimeo.

Walk cycles

2010-10-13T15:31:00.001-07:00

EL835 Walk cycles University of Kent computer Animation from Thomas Lauterjung on Vimeo.

Vízenjárás - Walk on Water

2010-10-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

Some great Portfolio Websites

2010-10-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

The website portfolio of a designer can be a great source of inspiration for unique, creative and exciting design styles. Since this is a designers best advertisement to attract new clients, the portfolio is a good place to get an idea for their talent, creativity and skill.

It takes a lot of creativity to pull in someone and have them actually enjoy going through your portfolio. By adding in detailed and interactive elements thereby making your work unique, creates a user experience that showcase your abilities as a designer.
Today lets take a look at 30 of the most creative and inspirational designer portfolio websites.

Thibaud

Douglas Menezes

Yaron Schoen

Guillaume Pancheco

Hugo Mendes

Adhemas Batista

Marko Prlijic

Electric Pulp

Serial Cut

Snopp Media

Two24 Studios

Alberto Rosado

ColourPixel

Hugs for Monsters

SUSANNE PASCHKE

Fatihtanriverdi

Established 1986

Mitxel

Kidd81

Alex Swanson

Pikaboo

Edwin Tofslie

X Graphica

James Lai Creative

Marc Anton Dahmen

Eric Steuten

Juan Diego Velasco

Wing Cheng

John Ruppel

Foxie’s Graphic Design

Thanks to DesignTuts4u

Living inside a Pollock After effects animation

2010-09-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

Many ways to showcase yourself online

2010-09-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

If you want to get some exposure for your design and build up an online presence. The following is some of the best websites to show your work:

Behance.net
Pros: The Behance Network works through collaborative circles so designers can join forces. It has a great, clean design and easy-to-use social networking tools. If your work’s on here, the members-only rule means you’ve already got some props.
Cons: User profiles are a little sparse. Although the JobList feature is great, it’s only useful if you’re looking for work in the US.
Best for: All creative areas

Flickr.com
Pros: Flickr’s many useful tools include tagging, search engine optimisation, image editing and a massive social network. You can also use an API to embed your Flickr portfolio into your own website through flickrSLiDR.
Cons: It’s always going to be hard to be noticed in a crowd like Flickr. 100MB per month size limit on free accounts could be a problem.
Best for: Photography and graphic design

Vimeo.com
Pros: Clean design, original content, and it accepts lots of different file formats for upload. Offers Simple and Advanced API and oEmbed tools.
Cons: Its Community Guidelines ban “commercials, infomercials, or demos that actively sell or promote”. Free account upload limit is 500MB per week.
Best for: Motion graphics

Carbonmade.com
Pros: Simple to set up, these portfolios are clean and easy to navigate. Over 72,000 portfolios cover 45 creative categories, although the focus is on illustration.
Cons: The free service offers 35 images or five projects. 50 projects, 10 videos and 500 images costs $12 a month.
Best for: Illustration, photography

Portfolios.deviantart.com
Pros: The site’s Portfolio tool gives you a free custom domain name, up to four galleries for 18 images, and a portfolio storage area.
Cons: Basic-looking portfolio layout. You get your own URL so your portfolio isn’t shared, but it’s a free site.
Best for: Illustration, fantasy art, 3D

Flavors.me
Pros: Creates a slick-looking site that draws together information from many different sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Vimeo and Netflix. Multiple backgrounds, colours and fonts to choose from. Great way of introducing yourself personally to potential clients.
Cons: Creative work can take a back seat to tweets and blogs.
Best for: Creatives with a serious social networking habit

FigDig.com
Pros: FigDig’s 1224x792 high-def resolution really makes your work stand out. The PDF profile tool lets users download a sample of your work as a memorable leave-behind, and it’s great publicity if you make it into the FigDig Hall of Fame.
Cons: Non-customisable template, lots of advertising.
Best for: Illustration, general graphic design

NOTCOT.org
Pros: NOTCOT works by showcasing one image and providing a link to your portfolio; this cut-down format works well for the visitor, providing multiple hits of inspiration, as well as a cure for creative block.
Cons: With just one image and a link to your site, that image had better be pretty good to attract attention.
Best for: All creative areas

Coroflot.com
Pros: Free online portfolio and networking site aimed at creatives from architects all the way through to print designers. Claims to be the largest and longest established site of its kind, plus unlimited uploads.
Cons: There’s no way of customising your portfolio page, limited to set templates, large amount of competing work can make it easy for your folio to get lost. Job search is very US-based.
Best for: All creative areas

Squarespace.com
Pros: 60 templates with hundreds of design variants and multiple navigation options. There’s a great suite of management tools, including easy to follow analytics reports, plus 24/7 support.
Cons: It’s pricey – there are free alternatives, whereas the lowest pricing option for Squarespace is $8 a month.
Best for: All creative areas

PimpArtworks.com
Pros: PimpArtworks offers free profile portfolio pages and social networking. It also sells work on canvases, acrylic frames or as framed prints, charging a base price for production, and the user sets the commission.
Cons: Great idea, but limited to one style.
Best for: Street art, illustration, photography

Society6.com
Pros: Society6 portfolios are free to create, simple and effective. Offering Flickr-style templates, a growing creative community promotes each other’s work. No ads to clutter things up, and they also sell Giclée prints.
Cons: The template leaves all portfolios looking samey.
Best for: Illustration

CargoCollective.com
Pros: Evolving out of the system behind the SpaceCollective community, Cargo offers easy-to-use, free and well designed portfolios with no advertising getting in the way. The ‘follow’ feature enables visitors to keep tabs on favourite work.
Cons: The Cargo site is still under development, so basics may change. You’ll need to apply for an account.
Best for: All creative areas

Mojizu.comPros: An easy-to-use site for character designers. Users can create their own profiles, have their characters rated and even battle them against each other. Mojizu also sells character design T-shirts.
Cons: Lots of adverts. Users assign ‘non-exclusive limited rights’ when uploading an image, so Mojizu has the right to sell merchandise featuring their characters – with profits split between the creative and the site.
Best for: Character design

5oup.net
Pros: Free, simple, easy-to-use site offering one image per page layout, with minimal information to let your work do the talking. Unlimited image and video uploads, and no adverts, plus a Fresh List feature to highlight the best work.
Cons: Non-customisable templates.
Best for: Illustration and design, especially students and new graduates

via Computerarts

These were some of the predictions for Web Design trends in 2010

2010-09-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Have they come true, what do you see so far?

Inventive Interaction

Check out any of these sample sites, and you’ll be drawn in right away by the interactive relationship between you (the user) and the site. I think we’ll see more of this as web design becomes more sophisticated and as old browsers (IE6) die out. As time goes on, web design won’t just be about making the page look pretty and a user-friendly navigation. It will also be about engaging the user by creating a relationship between the user and the site.

80s Inspired

The 80s are back, in a serious way. Movies have been feeding us 80s flashbacks for years, and now it’s finally hit full-force in the fashion industry. You hear 80s inspiration in new music, and see the makeup, jewelry, and hairstyles returning as well. Why wouldn’t design be part of this revival? Look for diagonal lines, simple shapes and patterns, and bold color statements in 2010. Whether the overall look is punk or yuppie, it won’t matter — as long as it’s totally 80s.

Video

Video is going to be huge in 2010. You’ll see it used as an effect (like in the samples below), and also as part of the site content. Videos will be integrated to illustrate a point, demonstrate an action, or explain a complex idea. Especially creative designers will use video to engage and interact with the user. Having no video experience myself, I’m especially interested to see how this trend develops.

More Interesting Typography

It’s a beautiful thing. Little by little, web designers are giving exceeding time and attention to typography within their designs. And as coding languages evolve, designers will have even more opportunities to be creative with their type. Not only do I think creative typography will be a huge trend in 2010, I also think that text-only sites will be in vogue this year.

Full-Screen Images

As far as images are concerned in 2010, the bigger, the better. Images are stretching all the way across my 24″ monitor, creating a lovely work-around for varying screen resolutions, and packing a big attention-grabbing punch. I’m expecting to see a LOT of this trend in the coming months.

3D Elements & 3D Text Effects

3D effects will blow up in 2010. Expect to see plenty of 3D type effects, and also 3D elements within the web page. Three dimensional shapes, wrapping elements, and tilted edges will give users the feeling of space and depth. Flat is out — stacking, layering, and popped or pushed elements are in.

Organic Layouts

I predict that 2010 will be the year to break out of the grid and create more organic web layouts. I think we’ll see some literal “outside the box” thinking as web design starts to take on some of the characteristics of print. There will be a long trial-and-error period, with some designers finding success, and others moving back toward the traditional grid-based design, but there will be an obvious growth toward a freer, more organic page.

Minimalist

Another trend that I expect to take off in 2010 is minimalist design. These designers will choose to focus on the content by giving it space to breath, rather than dressing it up with color and graphics. Although they appear simple at first, minimalist site design is actually quite sophisticated — a delicate balancing act between content and white space.

TypographyResources

2010-09-11T17:23:00.000-07:00

While researching for other projects, I stumbled upon a pretty neat set of PDFs for typography education, nicely designed and featuring articles by Erik Spiekermann, the world-famous typographer. They are all free to download. I just wanted to share this info.

Please check out http://www.fontshop.com/education/

Inna's New York Skyline Modification Project: Part 1

2010-05-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

Children Dental Hospital logo designed by me. Live since May 2010.

Can be viewed at 2120 Ocean Ave., Brooklyn, NY
www.kcdh.com

Taste the Kittles

2009-03-20T14:36:00.001-07:00

Taste the Kittles, originally uploaded by innasokolskaya.

I love playing with all sorts of effects and looks for fresh ideas when something will come up to fit them.

Prepare.. then you don't need to work as hard when the time comes. And the process is more fun when you have time to indulge in it.

The Men Series

2009-01-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

#1 Didac

#2 Josef

#3 Pau

#4 Jason

#5 Omari

#6 Felix 2

#7 Felix 1

#7 Seba

Session Two

2008-06-08T05:54:00.000-07:00

Dance, when you're broken open.
Dance, if you've torn the bandage off.
Dance, in the middle of the fighting.
Dance, in your blood.
Dance, when you're perfectly free.
Struck, the dancers hear a tambourine inside them,
as a wave turns to foam on its very top, begin.
Maybe you don't hear that tambourine,
or the tree leaves clapping time.
Close the ears on your head that listen
mostly to lies and cynical jokes.
There are other things to hear and see:
dance-music, and brilliant city inside the Soul.

- Rumi

Next to my latest piece...

2008-05-04T09:15:00.001-07:00

DSC01885, originally uploaded by innasokolskaya.

¿Puedes decir que heringuilla sera la proxima en infectarte?

2007-12-03T09:00:00.001-08:00

¿Puedes decir que heringuilla sera la proxima en infectarte?, originally uploaded by innasokolskaya.

Poster, 70cmX100cm

Millions of people in the world inject drugs. People who inject drugs imperil their health, but if they become infected with HIV or Hepatitis C they also imperil their needle-sharing partners, sexual partners and offspring as well. One-third of all AIDS cases are linked to injection drug use. For women, 64 percent of all AIDS cases are due to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject drugs. Injection drug use is the source of infection for more than half of all children born with HIV. Around the world and numerous locations in Spain, needle exchange programs exist to address drug injection risks. This poster is an attempt to bring more awareness to this and can also be incorporated into an advertising campaign for a needle exchange program.

Millones de las personas en el mundo se inyectan drogas. Estas personas pone en peligro su salud, pero si se infectan por VIH o Hepatitis C también ponen en peligro las [personas con quien comparten agujas, sus parejas de relaciones sexuales además de sus descendientes. Una tercera parte de todos los casos de SIDA esta relacionada con el uso de drogas de inyección. Para mujeres, el 64 por ciento de todos los casos de SIDA es debido a uso de drogas de inyección o sexo con compañeros que inyectan drogas. El uso de drogas de inyección es la fuente de infección para más de la mitad de todos los niños nacidos con el VIH. Alrededor del mundo y en numerosos lugares en España, existen programas de cambio de jeringas cuya función es de disminuir los riesgos relacionados con inyección de drogas. Éste cartel es un intento de aumentar la conciencia respecto al tema. También puede ser incorporado en una campaña publicitaria para un programa de cambio de aguja.

Identity project, Babel Tower

2007-12-03T08:59:00.001-08:00

Identity project, originally uploaded by innasokolskaya.

Acrylic on canvas, 70cmX100cm

Model Painting

2007-12-03T08:57:00.001-08:00

Model Painting, originally uploaded by innasokolskaya.

Acrylic on metal, 30cmX50cm

MOdel drawing

2007-12-03T08:56:00.001-08:00

MOdel drawing, originally uploaded by innasokolskaya.

Ink on paper, A5

what we do best...

2007-12-03T08:21:00.001-08:00

what we do best..., originally uploaded by **l a g r a n hermana..

Girls will be girls!!

For matters of the Light..

2007-09-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to hear the Dalai Lama speak in Barcelona at Palau Sant Jordi. I will upload photo to the post later. This is a relatively new stadium that was built for the Olympics.

I want to reiterate the points that the Dalai Lama made. These are fairly typical spiritual `truths,´ but I think it´s important for everyone to be aware of them.

While hearing him speak, I had some conflicting feelings about what he was saying. Not many, just some thoughts of hearing an idealist, though it might be due to limitation of my own experiences. Let me know what you think, I am very curious.

But first, an aside - Dalai Lama said that he met George Bush, and he really likes him as a person. To me this reminded me a bit of hearing about the `no plane at the Pentagon theory´ from a friend -- Sue knows what mean ;) -- but I got over it.

TENZIN GYATSO THE FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA:

The purpose of life

One great question underlies our experience, whether we think about it consciously or not: What is the purpose of life? I have considered this question and would like to share my thoughts in the hope that they may be of direct, practical benefit to those who read them.

I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. I don’t know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.

How to achieve happiness

For a start, it is possible to divide every kind of happiness and suffering into two main categories: mental and physical. Of the two, it is the mind that exerts the greatest influence on most of us. Unless we are either gravely ill or deprived of basic necessities, our physical condition plays a secondary role in life. If the body is content, we virtually ignore it. The mind, however, registers every event, no matter how small. Hence we should devote our most serious efforts to bringing about mental peace.

From my own limited experience I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion.

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. This helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the ultimate source of success in life.

As long as we live in this world we are bound to encounter problems. If, at such times, we lose hope and become discouraged, we diminish our ability to face difficulties. If, on the other hand, we remember that it is not just ourselves but every one who has to undergo suffering, this more realistic perspective will increase our determination and capacity to overcome troubles. Indeed, with this attitude, each new obstacle can be seen as yet another valuable opportunity to improve our mind!

Thus we can strive gradually to become more compassionate, that is we can develop both genuine sympathy for others’ suffering and the will to help remove their pain. As a result, our own serenity and inner strength will increase.

Our need for love

Ultimately, the reason why love and compassion bring the greatest happiness is simply that our nature cherishes them above all else. The need for love lies at the very foundation of human existence. It results from the profound interdependence we all share with one another. However capable and skillful an individual may be, left alone, he or she will not survive. However vigorous and independent one may feel during the most prosperous periods of life, when one is sick or very young or very old, one must depend on the support of others.

Inter-dependence, of course, is a fundamental law of nature. Not only higher forms of life but also many of the smallest insects are social beings who, without any religion, law or education, survive by mutual cooperation based on an innate recognition of their interconnectedness. The most subtle level of material phenomena is also governed by interdependence. All phenomena from the planet we inhabit to the oceans, clouds, forests and flowers that surround us, arise in dependence upon subtle patterns of energy. Without their proper interaction, they dissolve and decay.

It is because our own human existence is so dependent on the help of others that our need for love lies at the very foundation of our existence. Therefore we need a genuine sense of responsibility and a sincere concern for the welfare of others.

We have to consider what we human beings really are. We are not like machine-made objects. If we are merely mechanical entities, then machines themselves could alleviate all of our sufferings and fulfill our needs.

However, since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. Instead, we should consider our origins and nature to discover what we require.

Leaving aside the complex question of the creation and evolution of our universe, we can at least agree that each of us is the product of our own parents. In general, our conception took place not just in the context of sexual desire but from our parents’ decision to have a child. Such decisions are founded on responsibility and altruism — the parents’ compassionate commitment to care of their child until it is able to take care of itself. Thus, from the very moment of our conception, our parents’ love is directly in our creation.

Moreover, we are completely dependent upon our mothers’ care from the earliest stages of our growth. According to some scientists, a pregnant woman’s mental state, be it calm or agitated, has a direct physical effect on her unborn child.

The expression of love is also very important at the time of birth. Since the very first thing we do is suck milk from our mothers’ breast, we naturally feel close to her, and she must feel love for us in order to feed us properly; if she feels anger or resentment her milk may not flow freely.

Then there is the critical period of brain development from the time of birth up to at least the age of three or four, during which time loving physical contact is the single most important factor for the normal growth of the child. If the child is not held, hugged, cuddled, or loved, its development will be impaired and its brain will not mature properly.

Since a child cannot survive without the care of others, love is its most important nourishment. The happiness of childhood, the allaying of the child’s many fears and the healthy development of its self-confidence all depend directly upon love.

Nowadays, many children grow up in unhappy homes. If they do not receive proper affection, in later life they will rarely love their parents and, not infrequently, will find it hard to love others. This is very sad.

As children grow older and enter school, their need for support must be met by their teachers. If a teacher not only imparts academic education but also assumes responsibility for preparing students for life, his or her pupils will feel trust and respect and what has been taught will leave an indelible impression on their minds. On the other hand, subjects taught by a teacher who does not show true concern for his or her students’ overall well-being will be regarded as temporary and not retained for long.

Similarly, if one is sick and being treated in hospital by a doctor who evinces a warm human feeling, one feels at ease and the doctors’ desire to give the best possible care is itself curative, irrespective of the degree of his or her technical skill. On the other hand, if one’s doctor lacks human feeling and displays an unfriendly expression, impatience or casual disregard, one will feel anxious, even if he or she is the most highly qualified doctor and the disease has been correctly diagnosed and the right medication prescribed. Inevitably, patients’ feelings make a difference to the quality and completeness of their recovery.

Even when we engage in ordinary conversation in everyday life, if someone speaks with human feeling we enjoy listening, and respond accordingly; the whole conversation becomes interesting, however unimportant the topic may be. On the other hand, if a person speaks coldly or harshly, we feel uneasy and wish for a quick end to the interaction. From the least to the most important event, the affection and respect of others are vital for our happiness.

Recently I met a group of scientists in America who said that the rate of mental illness in their country was quite high-around twelve percent of the population. It became clear during our discussion that the main cause of depression was not a lack of material necessities but a deprivation of the affection of the others.

So, as you can see from everything I have written so far, one thing seems clear to me: whether or not we are consciously aware of it, from the day we are born, the need for human affection is in our very blood. Even if the affection comes from an animal or someone we would normally consider an enemy, both children and adults will naturally gravitate towards it.

I believe that no one is born free from the need for love. And this demonstrates that, although some modern schools of thought seek to do so, human beings cannot be defined as solely physical. No material object, however beautiful or valuable, can make us feel loved, because our deeper identity and true character lie in the subjective nature of the mind.

Developing compassion

Some of my friends have told me that, while love and compassion are marvelous and good, they are not really very relevant. Our world, they say, is not a place where such beliefs have much influence or power. They claim that anger and hatred are so much a part of human nature that humanity will always be dominated by them. I do not agree.

We humans have existed in our present form for about a hundred-thousand years. I believe that if during this time the human mind had been primarily controlled by anger and hatred, our overall population would have decreased. But today, despite all our wars, we find that the human population is greater than ever. This clearly indicates to me that love and compassion predominate in the world. And this is why unpleasant events are “news”; compassionate activities are so much part of daily life that they are taken for granted and, therefore, largely ignored.

So far I have been discussing mainly the mental benefits of compassion, but it contributes to good physical health as well, According to my personal experience, mental stability and physical well-being are directly related. Without question, anger and agitation make us more susceptible to illness. On the other hand, if the mind is tranquil and occupied with positive thoughts, the body will not easily fall prey to disease.

But of course it is also true that we all have an innate self-centeredness that inhibits our love for others. So, since we desire the true happiness that is brought about by only a calm mind, and since such peace of mind is brought about by only a compassionate attitude, how can we develop this? Obviously, it is not enough for us simply to think about how nice compassion is! We need to make a concerted effort to develop it; we must use all the events of our daily life to transform our thoughts and behavior.

First of all, we must be clear about what we mean by compassion. Many forms of compassionate feeling are mixed with desire and attachment. For instance, the love parents feel of their child is often strongly associated with their own emotional needs, so it is not fully compassionate. Again, in marriage, the love between husband and wife - particularly at the beginning, when each partner still may not know the other’s deeper character very well - depends more on attachment than genuine love. Our desire can be so strong that the person to whom we are attached appears to be good, when in fact he or she is very negative. In addition, we have a tendency to exaggerate small positive qualities. Thus when one partner’s attitude changes, the other partner is often disappointed and his or her attitude changes too. This is an indication that love has been motivated more by personal need than by genuine care for the other individual.

True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason. Therefore, a truly compassionate attitude towards others does not change even if they behave negatively.

Of course, developing this kind of compassion is not at all easy! As a start, let us consider the following facts:
Whether people are beautiful and friendly or unattractive and disruptive, ultimately they are human beings, just like oneself. Like oneself, they want happiness and do not want suffering. Furthermore, their right to overcome suffering and be happy is equal to one’s own. Now, when you recognize that all beings are equal in both their desire for happiness and their right to obtain it, you automatically feel empathy and closeness for them. Through accustoming your mind to this sense of universal altruism, you develop a feeling of responsibility for others: the wish to help them actively overcome their problems. Nor is this wish selective; it applies equally to all. As long as they are human beings experiencing pleasure and pain just as you do, there is no logical basis to discriminate between them or to alter your concern for them if they behave negatively.

Let me emphasize that it is within your power, given patience and time, to develop this kind of compassion. Of course, our self-centeredness, our distinctive attachment to the feeling of an independent, self-existent “I”, works fundamentally to inhibit our compassion. Indeed, true compassion can be experienced only when this type of self- grasping is eliminated. But this does not mean that we cannot start and make progress now.

How can we start

We should begin by removing the greatest hindrances to compassion: anger and hatred. As we all know, these are extremely powerful emotions and they can overwhelm our entire mind. Nevertheless, they can be controlled. If, however, they are not, these negative emotions will plague us - with no extra effort on their part! - and impede our quest for the happiness of a loving mind.

So as a start, it is useful to investigate whether or not anger is of value. Sometimes, when we are discouraged by a difficult situation, anger does seem helpful, appearing to bring with it more energy, confidence and determination.

Here, though, we must examine our mental state carefully. While it is true that anger brings extra energy, if we explore the nature of this energy, we discover that it is blind: we cannot be sure whether its result will be positive or negative. This is because anger eclipses the best part of our brain: its rationality. So the energy of anger is almost always unreliable. It can cause an immense amount of destructive, unfortunate behavior. Moreover, if anger increases to the extreme, one becomes like a mad person, acting in ways that are as damaging to oneself as they are to others.

It is possible, however, to develop an equally forceful but far more controlled energy with which to handle difficult situations.

This controlled energy comes not only from a compassionate attitude, but also from reason and patience. These are the most powerful antidotes to anger. Unfortunately, many people misjudge these qualities as signs of weakness. I believe the opposite to be true: that they are the true signs of inner strength. Compassion is by nature gentle, peaceful and soft, but it is very powerful. It is those who easily lose their patience who are insecure and unstable. Thus, to me, the arousal of anger is a direct sign of weakness.

So, when a problem first arises, try to remain humble and maintain a sincere attitude and be concerned that the outcome is fair. Of course, others may try to take advantage of you, and if your remaining detached only encourages unjust aggression, adopt a strong stand, This, however, should be done with compassion, and if it is necessary to express your views and take strong countermeasures, do so without anger or ill-intent.

You should realize that even though your opponents appear to be harming you, in the end, their destructive activity will damage only themselves. In order to check your own selfish impulse to retaliate, you should recall your desire to practice compassion and assume responsibility for helping prevent the other person from suffering the consequences of his or her acts.

Thus, because the measures you employ have been calmly chosen, they will be more effective, more accurate and more forceful. Retaliation based on the blind energy of anger seldom hits the target.

Friends and enemies

I must emphasize again that merely thinking that compassion and reason and patience are good will not be enough to develop them. We must wait for difficulties to arise and then attempt to practice them.

And who creates such opportunities? Not our friends, of course, but our enemies. They are the ones who give us the most trouble, So if we truly wish to learn, we should consider enemies to be our best teacher!

For a person who cherishes compassion and love, the practice of tolerance is essential, and for that, an enemy is indispensable. So we should feel grateful to our enemies, for it is they who can best help us develop a tranquil mind! Also, it is often the case in both personal and public life, that with a change in circumstances, enemies become friends.

So anger and hatred are always harmful, and unless we train our minds and work to reduce their negative force, they will continue to disturb us and disrupt our attempts to develop a calm mind. Anger and hatred are our real enemies. These are the forces we most need to confront and defeat, not the temporary “enemies” who appear intermittently throughout life.

Of course, it is natural and right that we all want friends. I often joke that if you really want to be selfish, you should be very altruistic! You should take good care of others, be concerned for their welfare, help them, serve them, make more friends, make more smiles, The result? When you yourself need help, you find plenty of helpers! If, on the other hand, you neglect the happiness of others, in the long term you will be the loser. And is friendship produced through quarrels and anger, jealousy and intense competitiveness? I do not think so. Only affection brings us genuine close friends.

In today’s materialistic society, if you have money and power, you seem to have many friends. But they are not friends of yours; they are the friends of your money and power. When you lose your wealth and influence, you will find it very difficult to track these people down.

The trouble is that when things in the world go well for us, we become confident that we can manage by ourselves and feel we do not need friends, but as our status and health decline, we quickly realize how wrong we were. That is the moment when we learn who is really helpful and who is completely useless. So to prepare for that moment, to make genuine friends who will help us when the need arises, we ourselves must cultivate altruism!

Though sometimes people laugh when I say it, I myself always want more friends. I love smiles. Because of this I have the problem of knowing how to make more friends and how to get more smiles, in particular, genuine smiles. For there are many kinds of smile, such as sarcastic, artificial or diplomatic smiles. Many smiles produce no feeling of satisfaction, and sometimes they can even create suspicion or fear, can’t they? But a genuine smile really gives us a feeling of freshness and is, I believe, unique to human beings. If these are the smiles we want, then we ourselves must create the reasons for them to appear.

Compassion and the world

In conclusion, I would like briefly to expand my thoughts beyond the topic of this short piece and make a wider point: individual happiness can contribute in a profound and effective way to the overall improvement of our entire human community.

Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister. No matter how new the face or how different the dress and behavior, there is no significant division between us and other people. It is foolish to dwell on external differences, because our basic natures are the same.

Ultimately, humanity is one and this small planet is our only home. If we are to protect this home of ours, each of us needs to experience a vivid sense of universal altruism. It is only this feeling that can remove the self-centered motives that cause people to deceive and misuse one another.

If you have a sincere and open heart, you naturally feel self- worth and confidence, and there is no need to be fearful of others.

I believe that at every level of society - familial, tribal, national and international - the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology. All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities.

I try to treat whoever I meet as an old friend. This gives me a genuine feeling of happiness. It is the practice of compassion.

Status quo.

2007-09-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

I am in my flat in Barca and hungry... please send non-perishable food items.

Sarre's 3th* favorite topic...

2007-09-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

...Planes.

On my flight from Nuevo York to Dublin stopover (on my way to Barcelona), I managed to sleep though the entire flight. So much so that I was woken up by the flight attendant after every passenger left the plane and the passage to the baggage claim was closed. Of course this was a heavily doctor-prescribed Ambien CR induced sleep, but non-the-less, never before have I managed to sleep through an entire flight to Europe without so much as coming up for food, drink, or air.

As I stumbled out of the plane, I remembered the fact that in a semi-comatose state I managed to take a second Ambien "mid-flight" because the first one has wore off. As it turned out, it was very close to the arrival time.

So in something that looked like a scene from the Dawn of the Dead, I managed to crawl out of a hole that apparently I was not supposed to be in. This led to being ushered back in and led though the correct exit, once it has been opened back up for me since all the other passengers have long gone.

At that point since my connecting flight was not for another hour and 1/2, and I have not eaten from 20:00 New York time until 12:00 Dublin time (somebody else count that, because I can't right now), I got this following, very pretty thing because it could be eaten on a not-usual-for-airports comfortable sofa (one of the sandwiches was already eaten in the pic):

There's a lot of hyphens in this post - whoever can count them all gets a post card.