We are not in control of what people remember... but we are in control how we react!

I'm not long back from my we'ans' Easter show at their school. Thoroughly enjoyed it... but something stood out in addition to Dayna's version of "We'll meet again" or Miriam's shadow-boxing to "Eye of the tiger"... a couple of the songs caught my attention.

One of the years sang along to two tracks from the Bee-Gees' soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever: "Night Fever" and "Stayin' Alive".

Now... I love the soundtrack and I'm not criticising the choice in anyway... they are tracks that define the 70s and are miles ahead of ABBA, imho.

As always... the songs got me thinking... what was once controversial becomes bland through the co-opting of the mainstream.

Consider this:

"Two theatrical versions of the film were released: the Original R-rated version and an edited PG-rated version.

The R-rated version released in 1977 represented the movie's first run, and totaled 118 minutes.

After the success of the first run, in 1978 the film was re-issued to a PG-rated version and re-released during a second run to attract a wider audience. The R-rated version contained profanity, nudity, drug use and an attempted rape scene, all of which were de-emphasized or completely removed from the PG version.

Saturday Night Fever :: Wikipedia

The film was watered down to appeal to the mainstream. What was once controversial has now become definitive of a time and place... so much so, Primary School children sing-a-long to tracks from the soundtrack.

I see examples of this all the time... something once powerfully subversive becomes assimilated into the mainstream. I guess this is progress. We become acclimatized or, dare I say, calloused to that which was once shocking.

I was told once that the only difference between a good hair cut and a bad one was time... and it is time that heals and it is time that helps us forget the controversy.

When you consider the whole hubbub that has surrounded the release of Rob Bell's recent book :: Love Wins :: can I suggest that, through time, this controversy will blow over?

It will blow over because people will actually read it... and the offended will move onto to something or someone else. There is always the next thing... which, in evangelical circles, usually means another book from Brian McLaren.

Or it will blow over because his writing is deemed irrelevant... and, as such, will wither and die... because it lacks meaning and significance to people... failing to connect.

I guess this is why patience is a fruit of Spirit... rather than shooting-from-the-hip... because worth isn't always seen in the moment.

Now... please note... I haven't finished Love Wins and am not in a place to venture an opinion yet... but I will say that I think the subject matter contained within the book will last... because it isn't a new argument... its just been refreshed.

Can I also suggest that the damage left by those who were offended... who reacted in a manner  diametrically opposed to grace and love... will last longer than the content of their opinions or their arguments? The internet isn't archived.

I guess this is where the learning is... whilst opinions change, people move on and the mainstream co-opts... our words now remain... forever... on the internet.

This is why we need patience, grace and love more than anything... we should be known for our love. We should be quick to love... to listen and to understand... and slow to react with anger.

We are not in control of what will last or will be remembered. Can you imagine telling John Badham... back in 1977... that in 2011 his film will be remembered through key songs from his film's soundtrack being sung by Primary School children? He'd have laughed...

We are not in control of what people remember... but we are in control how we act or, more importantly, react at each moment of each day.

Take it seriously! We need to live a life of love... every single day.

Tx

April 2011's Calendar

April is nearly here... and when it came to creating a wallpaper... I only thought of this pic :: taken at a wee Photosafari to the Lighthouse... from where I was able to snap a pic of a part of Glasgow's skyline... and then later tweak it in Lightroom to emphasis the sky and, in doing so, create a nice colouring of the buildings.

Usual flavours are included below...

Oh and thanks to everyone who let me see last month's wallpaper in situ... was a sweet sight indeed! Your desktops are far tidier than mine.

Tx

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Photosafari to a Parish Church in Govan

Six colleagues and myself took the clockwork orange to Govan at lunchtime today... to have a wee donder around an old Parish Church's graveyard.

Thoroughly enjoyed the company, the banter and the ability to bounce ideas off my fellow photographers.





The full set are available here.
Tx

Sparrowhawk... in our back garden

This bad boy was spotted this morning on the fence in our back garden. It isn't a brilliant pic... but then what do you expect when you've jumped out the shower, thrown on your housecoat (soaking wet) and grabbed the first camera you could. If he returns tomorrow then I will be ready... with my tripod and the Canon with the 300mm lens.



It truly amazes me the wildlife we get around our house in Motherwell... bats, foxes, loads of wee birds, and now... a Sparrowhawk. He'd better not be after our resident family of Blue Tits or there will be trouble.

Awesome!
Tx

"iPaditis" by BBC Comedy

This is too close for comfort... I recently double-clicked a word in a book to get the dictionary definition like in the Kindle app. Oops!

Tx

"Radio Fan Speaks Out" by BBC Comedy

Very funny... very funny indeed!
Tx

Seven questions... with Circadian Eyes

I've been a huge fan of Bryan Collins' work ever since I picked up his rain ep many months ago. His latest album :: who we were :: is my kind of awesome... a beautiful blend of ambient and post-rock soundscapes with an emphasis on the piano rather than the guitar (although there are guitars!!!)... so much so I broke my consumption fast to pick it up and listen to it. Whilst I feel a wee bit guilty... I also feel the delight that comes with hearing music that is so wonderfully me its a joy.

I've been friends with Bryan via Twitter for a wee while and have been following the build up to his album release. I caught up with him after it dropped and asked him my seven questions...

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1) Who are you and what do you do?
I'm Bryan Collins, a 22 year old college student who writes piano music under the name Circadian Eyes.

2) What are you working on at the moment?
I just finished my debut full-length album "who we were" and now I'm promoting it across the internet!

3) Who inspires you?
- Name an artist who has inspired you.
I had been tinkering around with the piano for a few years, but it wasn't until I heard Olafur Arnalds that I decided to take it more seriously. He is only a little bit older than me and he writes these beautiful pieces, so I wanted to try something in a similar style.

- Name place that has inspired you.
Most of my music is based around childhood memories so I have taken a lot of my influence from my childhood 'homes' and the experiences I had there.

- Name some "thing" that has inspired you.
I take influence from the simplicity of nature, like open fields, quiet forests, things like that. I like to visualize nature scenes while writing music.


4) What drives you to do what you do?
I am a huge fan of music in general and I wanted to try and create something that I would like to listen to, and that I could express my emotions through. The piano is a very beautiful instrument and I have found that it's the easiest instrument for me to get the emotions in my head into musical form.

5) What values do you wish your creativity to express?
Hope, Nostalgia, a general sense of calm. I'm a very optimistic person and I try to create music that reflects that. I hope that when people listen to my music they can be less stressed, and maybe take their mind to a good place.

6) What role does community play in what you do?
The online community has played a huge role in Circadian Eyes. I released my first EP a little less than a year ago and I didn't really expect too many people to pay attention. But I did the best I could using self-promotion tools and the response I have gotten since then certainly surprised me. Thanks to the internet, the music written in a dorm room in a small town in New York has been heard in several countries around the world, and that still amazes me.

7) What is next for what you do?
Promoting the new album and getting the word out about my music is my main focus right now. I'll be finishing up college in the next few months, so I'll pretty busy doing that. But I'm always writing ideas for new material and I certainly won't stop creating music anytime soon!

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Thanks Bryan! Please check out who we were and support truly independent music... it is a beautifully constructed and well thought through album... that is well deserving of the minimum asking price of $3.

Tx

Please don't assert your own self-asserted grandiose orthodoxy on me!

"...fundamentalism is the more terrible and destructive heresy than the thoughts of some doctrinal revisionists, as the fundamentalists (in heretical fashion) assert their own self-asserted grandiose orthodoxy on others, dividing the body where it ought not to be, all for the ironic sake, in a paranoid frenzy, trying to find the inauthentic believer, to root out the snake in the grass, the wolf in sheep's clothing that does not truly believe in the true fundamentals of the faith and will ultimately harm the flock!

Rob Bell, Love Wins, and Forgetting the Rule of Faith :: after orthodoxy? via @diecast with thanks.

When it comes to matters of faith... I don't like to be told what to think. I believe God gave me a brain for a reason... and whilst it does contain too many lines from Bladerunner and displays a fondness for Bon Jovi lyrics... it does work.

This quote is taken from a very helpful blogpost... that articulates some of the thoughts I have had of late concerning the approach of certain folks regarding Rob Bell's latest book.

I don't appreciate being told what to think... and I hope my friends (both those who hold to faith and those who don't) will testify to this.

So to all the Fundamentalists out there who may read this... please don't assert your own self-asserted grandiose orthodoxy on me! Let me think for myself.

Tx

The thrill of winning and the need for joy that lasts

I asked the question in the previous post because I experienced a real sense of elation as the project I worked on won an award at our division's annual award ceremony. The award was for "Business Breakthrough" and recognised the project that had the biggest positive impact on the wider (not just Technology) business community within my work. It was, in my opinion, well deserved - we rolled out an organisation-wide intranet for 10,000 people within 9 months.

I was delighted. It was nice to win.

But I was sad too.

Sad because I didn't win the individual award I was shortlisted for. It went to some more deserving.

This kind of joy is a fickle mistress... it gives you a buzz but does not provide enough to last. It is fleeting... momentary... temporary... enough to know its no longer there when it is gone.

Its like praise or the adoration of fans... and like all mistresses... it is addictive. We want and crave for more... and don't appreciate what little we have.

There is a need to cultivate a joy that lasts... to take pleasure in a job-well-done... to find the appreciation of something beyond ourselves... to be grateful for what we have rather than hankering for what we don't.

St Paul says in his letter to the Philipians (4v8)...

"...do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse."

Lasting joy comes with the best of all this world can offer... not the worst.

Being recognised by my peers is something worthwhile indeed and something to be proud of... I didn't need to win. I had already won... in a sense. But still I wanted to win. The recognition of the shortlisting wasn't enough. I wanted the trophy. I wanted my time in the spotlight. I wasn't grateful for what I had.

This is the ugly side of competition... the craving for more... the lack of contentment... the inability to feel full... the lack of gratitude.

I can and will move forward by putting this disappointment behind me... and focussing on, and being grateful for, the real and true elements of success - the collective success of the project and the recognition of my individual efforts - this is enough.

In fact, this is more than enough.

I am very grateful.

Tx

Question: What brings you joy?

What brings you great delight... the sense of elation & keen pleasure?
Tx

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