Edmonton as a Community

I've always wanted to leave Edmonton. It's not a beautiful city. It has poor art culture. It has an extremely high murder rate right now. It has extremely high statistics for depression. It's known for its long, cold winters - which I personally find quite miserable.

Why would I want to stay here?

But, now I'm thinking of staying here. Maybe I shouldn't desert Edmonton. Maybe all this gloomy city needs is to be brought to life. Maybe Edmonton just needs a little more sunshine, a little more sugar in its cereal every morning. Maybe some hearts need to be stirred, some eyes need to be opened, and some smiles need to be shared.

I've met a lot of fantastic people in this city - people with beautiful stories, identities, ideas, and hearts, just waiting to get the opportunity to do something AMAZING with themselves. So many people are seriously underestimated. Maybe you're one of those people - waiting for the opportunity to shine.. to fly. Whatever cliche metaphor you'd like to insert here. ;P

I don't doubt you. You can do whatever you really and truly believe you can, with passionate conviction.

Maybe all we need is a sense of community! ;D It can be scary being a part of something much bigger than yourself... but that's what life is centred around. You've heard the "people are like puzzle pieces" comparison. You've probably been on a team, been part of some sort of group or club, and you've definitely been part of a family. Maybe it's time that we started having that sense of unity among the human race.

Maybe you're just waiting for an opportunity to come your way, so you can reach out and grab it. Maybe you find that all the opportunities that come your way are always just out of reach.

What you need is a COMMUNITY. You need a place to belong with like-minded, accepting, uplifting people. Sometimes all we need is that one big - or maybe just little - push. And you can get that from people with the same motivations as you. Find people who are similar to you, and you'll find where you fit... like in a machine! Parts of a machine don't work very well unless they're in the right place... if you can find the right place for you in life, in your community, your school... in Edmonton... you'll start to see your potential broaden and grow.

To sum all this disorganized mess up... Edmonton needs to grow a better sense of COMMUNITY - and we can make that happen! Whether it's starting up a movement for something you believe in, putting yourself out there more so that like-minded people can find each other, or just being more open-minded and accepting of others... we can make it happen!!

PAIN: A Form of Matter

I think of PAIN (synonymous with hurt/suffering/sadness/etc) as being a form of matter.
In order for something to be considered matter, it must:

1. Occupy space
2. Have mass
3. It cannot be created (from nothing) or destroyed

So how is pain a form of matter?

1. Pain occupies space in the heart. When your heart is filled with hurt, suffering, sadness, desperation, disappointment, etc… all these things take up space where happiness and peacefulness could be residing.

2. Pain can be a heavy burden on the heart. It can plague your mind. It weighs down on you. When you feel sad, do you not feel heavy-hearted? Your heart and smile are weighed down. Suffering doesn’t leave you very light-hearted. Pain has mass.

3. I don’t think pain is something that is ever created or destroyed - it just exists, and it is spread like a disease. No one causes another person to hurt unless they are already hurting themselves. Maybe you insult someone as a defense tactic because of your own insecurity. Your insecurity is your pain. You just spread it to someone else.
Pain can be conquered, yes, but not destroyed.

^ #3 is why I try to keep myself in check. It’s my theory that people do not feel the need to cause harm or create negativity with others if they themselves are at peace with themselves.
(Peace with yourself = peace with others = peace with the world/environment.)
If I can deal with inner conflict in a positive and healthy manner, it keeps me from having any negativity that I could potentially lash out on others. It seems to work. Whenever I say something negative, I immediately know there’s something going on with me that I need to work through.

^ *That’s also why I think if we could just focus on solving our conflict with our own selves, everyone would be so much happier. If people worked to be more self-aware, and being honest with themselves, and working on themselves until they can be confident and at peace, they would all stop being so cruel to each other. I will fight for this idea, because it’s TRUE. It’s just way easier said than done, since people make their own choices, and I can’t just force anyone to take on my opinions

NON-CONFORMITY.

So, non-comformity usually means refusing to conform to the ways of society. You might think of rebellious teenagers or misfits, when you hear/read that word.

Well, yeeah, maybe sometimes people change how they look, or try to look different, to stand out in society, (swim against the current ;P) to be different from others around them.

But, I think a lot of the time, wanting to change your appearance is more personal than that.

I believe that you are not your body. (WHAT? Is Tempo going crazy? No, this is just kind of abstract now.)

Maybe noncomformity is your mind, spirit, soul.. whatever.. taking a stand against your body and saying, “I REFUSE to change myself in order to fit this appearance!”
It’s giving your spiritual side (the real You, not just the physical, tangible body you inhabit for others to see, touch, taste, feel, smell - interact with) more control, instead of letting it live enslaved/bound to the appearance of your physical form.

That’s how I see it, at least. For example, I dye my hair black regularly because otherwise, when I look in the mirror, I feel weird. It just doesn’t feel right. It’s not me.

AT THE SAME TIME, I DO recognize that it IS important to be able to live with the limits of your body, and love your body for what it is - you were born with it and your body is going to die one day!

I mean, I’m never going to be 6” tall, LOL, and I’ll never be as skinny as a supermodel.
I won’t cry about that.

" We've become so focused on expressing ourselves through our bodies - clothes, shoes, jewellery, piercings, tattoos, wealth, cars, houses, hair styles, make-up, body modifications - that we've been forgetting to develop the person inside that body into someone who actually has something revolutionary, unique, and beautiful to express. ”