Get yourself a new Door mat.

"Everyone respects you, you know"

Great, isn't it... Everybody just doesn't seem to stop talking about how great you are, how your conscious is clear, how you always behave in a "respectable" manner, never hurting anyone, never getting angry...etc. By saying this, and talking about you like this, they "respect" you.

Guess what? this has NOTHING to do with the reality. Respect, has NOTHING to do with "saying good things about you". Let me explain.

Your reputation is that of a man who's always smiling, rarely loosing his temper, a person who is nice with everyone, who's keen on not hurting a living soul... Is that the reputation of a "respectable" person? Well... No it's not. This is the reputation of a "Door mat".

A door mat that, no matter what you do to it, no matter how you abuse it, no matter how many people step on it, what kind of shoes they're wearing, where they've been before stepping on it... this door mat never complains and always deals with it without ever wanting to set things right.

This door mat IS NOT "respectable".

You can say all the pretty things in the world, you can smile at me every single day, you can pay tributes, build statues, hang photos, make a thousand decoration, but one fact is there: Whenever you had/have/will have the chance to kick me in the head, to throw me from a cliff or to trade my soul for a cookie, you won't hesitate to do it. Why? Because you know that I'm your door mat that never objects... and afterall "it's not personal, it's just business".

Ya3nee, men el akher... Earning your respect means to you having to take up with your continuous back stabbing, hypocrisy, manipulation and heart-breaking never-ending inhumane crimes. The moment I stand up, make a statement and say right in your face, in the mildest way, with the silliest media: "Ya wehesh"; I have "lost" your "respect".

If you really respected me you wouldn't have abused my innocence and easy-going to make whatever you want without minding shredding me into a million piece.

If you really respected me you would have simply had the slightest respect to my goals, my dreams and my work.

But you didn't do that, you "applauded"... You applauded like you always do when you know you're doing something totally immoral, just to give yourself enough confidence to be able to carry on with it. Just like when you applauded when your last voice arrived, just like when you applauded when you threw someone's hard work into the garbage, just like you do every time you want to tell your conscious "yeah, I'm doing the right thing" although you KNOW you're not.
Well... Guess what... If this is your definition of being "respectful", then, let me tell you that I don't want your "respect" anymore. I really don't care about your little fake pathetic "respect".

I can withstand you hurting me in whatever way, I did withstand that for quite a while now... I can afford every single kind of torture you may want to inflict on me. But touch one hair of a beloved one. Touch one hair of a person whose moral values and Human natures will beat yours blindly. Touch one hair of a person whom I REALLY respect and admire. And I won't stay still anymore, I won't just swallow it like I always did. You're not worth it by any means.

And let me tell you something... You never saw my "other side".

The "Make-up" Theory

First of all, and to be clear on this point from the start: I am NOT generalizing... What I'm saying here is definitely not the case with ALL girls. In addition, it also applies to some boys as well. I'm just talking about a general notion, a general observation and a very general analysis that is far from being close to a rule.

I know my opinion may be controversial, feel free to prove me wrong.

Deception...

Like all essay questions should be answered in one of our refined written exams, one should begin by its definition.

What is deception anyway? The encyclopedic definition is molto bellissima. Just take a look:
"Deception is the act of convincing another to believe information that is not true (...)"

Regardless of the intention, regardless of the tools used for that, regardless of its ingenuity, deception is deception. Make no mistake about that.

Self-Deception

"(...) In many cases it is difficult to distinguish deception from providing unintentionally wrong information. One of the reasons for this is that a person or an entire organization may be self-deceived."

Amen...

The Art of Deception

Deception is an artwork by itself. David Copperfield is a majestic deceiver: He turns his deception into an art form, with its own beauty, poetry and refinement. You ENJOY being deceived by him, he convinces you that it's fun to be deceived, and that's an even bigger deception by itself.

Pass me the Paint and glue

What is Make-up?
Make-up is a tool used by a good bunch of girls/women - and yes, sometimes men- to "deceive" their surroundings.

It hides the real person, the real features, the truth, with a multitude of colors, shades, glitter and patterns that only serve to distract the observer's eye from the real deal.

By "make-up", I don't mean "powder and lipstick". Make-up doesn't only involve the face, it involves the entire body, the entire personality, the morals and the mentality as a whole. In all cases, this Make-up is nothing but the tool to camouflage the reality.

It's the magician's left hand that distracts the audience from what the right hand is doing. Why? because seeing what the right hand is doing will spoil the entire show, will sabotage the whole illusion. That's why it has to be shiny, bright, colorful and simply distracting. The audience is blinded by it and is not able to see the truth as it passes by their eyes, the naked truth.

"The Naked Truth"

Well, if the truth was beautiful by itself, if that truth "looked good naked", one would never need to resort to make-up and deception.

When the inner beauty is deficient, girls have no other choice but to resort to their "deception box":
"- How about some "mascara", to hide those squinting eyes?
- oh no, it's not working either, let's go with the big "eye glasses"
- some colors on the hair would be great with my "new-look",
- not working? don't even bother: get an entire synthetic hair mesh to "give your hair volume".
- Still a mess? who said the hair had to look good under a scarf?, after all, this will be a double illusion: "I look good AND I'm pious"... the more the merrier.
- What is that? A zit? oh no, people can't see me like that, Oriflam's cream of foundation is here for that "With a thick protective layer of keratinamide, ZPTO and emulsifying agents, your skin is radiant with "natural" beauty, homogeneous and you shouldn't worry about those little imperfections that make the difference between seeing you or paying a visit to Madame Tusseaud's"
- mmm, something's still missing... oh yes of course, Forever Metallic lipstick from Maybelline with glitter and natural lust is a girl's best friend. 3gm tds and now you're sure your lips will be so shiny people would be blinded before even having the fortune (or the misfortune) to take a look at the face itself.
- The cloth... Now that's a challenge by itself, and I'm up to the challenge aren't I? Colors, shapes, drapes, ribbons, belts, bracelets, giant rings, giant necklaces, giant pins, didn't you hear about this year's new fashion statement? Hand cuffs... Now would you look at that... I look like right out of a Picasso. And yes, thanks to my bling blings I'm in stereo sound...."

And some girls are REALLY good at that... Like I told you, deception is an artwork.

(now you know why it took me so long to write: I had to do some pretty extensive research before writing this. Believe me, it's not easy for a guy to imagine what a "cream of foundation" is made for)

And that's ONLY the outer make-up. Don't even get me started with the behavioural/mental/cultural/vocational/moral camouflage.

The conclusion... What you see has NOTHING to do with the reality. And in order to "decorticate" those layers and layers of paint and accessories, a chisel may not be enough.

Under these layers and layers of deceptive materials and illusion-makers, lies that naked person. With all her human features, all her flaws and imperfections. The real deal.

And here comes the biggest irony, they will only fool the shallow men, the superficials. Because only them will believe that this is how you REALLY look like. The rest of them will either "make you live your own lie" and, although they know your reality, they'll just keep making you feel they are "under the spell".. ya3nee men el akher, hayakhdookee 3ala ad 3a2lek.

And Only a minority of them will let you know they're not fooled, only a minute minority will "denude" you in their eyes and see what's really inside. It may take them some time, but eventually, they'll get to it.

The most embarrassing moment for this girl is when one of her real traits is exposed... This is when her make-up fails her. Usually she cries, panics, and it's a catastrophic moment in her miserable life. The moment her reality is exposed.

And since girls are very concerned with how they look, with how people see them, they actually classify this "exposure" as an act of mal-intent that is aiming at "destroying that girl's image/reputation". Well, if exposing a reality destroys your image, then I'm sorry to say: You really should worry more about how you really look like than about how people SEE you.

The ultimate irony: Although they are aware of their sensitive situation, girls LOVE exposing others (of both sexes)... and, since they fail most of the time to find something "juicy enough", they are EXPERTS in "inventing" realities, this is where they use their imagination to the fullest. They just take a piece of info, analyse it, add some salt and pepper, spice it up, stir it well on "el botagaz" and Voila... A delicious meal for all to enjoy.

Only a girl who has nothing to hide will not NEED to deceive, will not need to use make-up, will not need to distract. Only a balanced person will realize the inner beauty he/she has inside and won't have to "act himself a beauty".

Girls, believe me, most boys are not mosquitoes:

They won't just get distracted by that "shiny light", suddenly stop thinking and head towards it without being able to resist till they get electrocuted.

" Girl, we've got work to do

Pass me the paint and glue...

When one knows the world is watching

One does what one must.

Some minor adjustments, darling

Not for my vanity...

But for humanity.
Each little step, a pose.

See how the breeding shows.

Sometimes it's too much for even me.

But when all the world says, "Yes"

Then who am I to say "No"?

Don't ask a mutt to strut like a show girl. No, girl, you need a pro "

"Keep Moving Forward"

In the first Disneyland construction, it was everyone's "first time" to do everything.

There is a restaurant about Disney's second movie "Pinocchio". In this restaurant, every character of the movie has his own themed room, including, the cat named "Figaro". This is how it looks like:

Now, as you know, for general security measures, a lighten sign saying "Exit" must be placed above every door. While building this room, the Imagineers (Disney engineers), made a calculation mistake and the "Exit" sign ended up being off-center from the doorway.. While it still functioned appropriately as an exit light, it simply looked silly.. So, the imagineers drew a Figaro cat pulling the sign in order to balance things... And of course, it worked:

But Imagineers didn't stop there. When they built the same style restaurant in Disneyland Paris many years later, they remembered to get that exit sign right. And, to celebrate that lesson learned, they painted Figaro giving a big thumb's up.

The message is about learning from one's mistakes and moving forward (indeed, that is the central message in Pinocchio, Meet the Robinsons and other Disney wonders). When we say making mistakes, we don't mean misconduct. "Misconduct" is about immoral, unprofessional, or incompetent behavior centered around mal-intent. "Making mistakes" is about incorrect, unwise, or unfortunate behavior caused by bad judgment, lack of information or simply, bad luck.

One must learn from his own experiences and move forward. He cannot dwell long on the past, nor can he be punitive as he learns what he needs to do in moving forward.

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

Walt Disney

Adapted from "Keep Moving Forward: From Figaro the Cat to Meet the Robinsons, by Jeff Kober.

Convincing...!!!

People say I'm convincing, and most of them look at it as a super-power or something.

But what does it mean to be "convincing"? I mean, do they really think of it as if I manage to hypnotise the people around me, enter into their brains and make them agree on what I'm saying?

The matter is very simple to tell you the truth. Once I believe in something, and I want someone to really understand my point of view. I just present my "reasoning". I just tell him how I thought of it, and how I reached this opinion.

If this works, it means that they don't have a better reasoning or that they are really convinced with what I'm saying. So far so good.

But apparently, it's not as simple as is. By trying to communicate my opinion, by reaching the outcome of "convincing" someone with my argument, I subconsciously take the responsibility of making sure this argument withstands time and proves to be right. My "opinion" becomes a "commitment". And this opinion turning out to be not so right becomes "a failure".

Yes, I am condemned at a lifetime of being obligated to very carefully choose my words and opinions. Because, having a weak argument isn't only my own problem anymore. I learnt this the hard way.

You see, this is what I call "responsibility being thrown into your lap without you even wanting it".

Look through my eyes

At one point in my life, I started adopting a policy in my judgment that I turned very proud of later. I used to summarize this policy in one sentence " There is no such things as a "bad person"".

By minimal experience, I learnt to always give excuses to others, to always try to see things from their point of view, and stretch the most incomprehensible actions they take till they become quasi-comprehensible to me. By this, I reached a certain degree of peace of mind and harmony with the external world (the internal one being the world of my own). By this, I learned not to judge, and to always see the good in people, to neglect the ugly side, to make an effort not to see it, to do my best promoting those people into only showing their good side, till the bad one actually vanishes by time. And, it worked... it actually did miracles.. I taught me how to see beyond the external look of things and persons, and see what's inside. Because that is what really counts.

In reward, I was blessed with the most valuable treasures anyone could ever have.

The deepest most powerful friendships anyone could ever dream of having.

And THAT is something I bet most people will never have the chance to even see in their lifetime..

You see... We all see people every day, every minute.. walking around, talking, running, sitting, reflecting, assuming, judging and deciding. But the problem is, everyone of us seems to live in this world as the center of his own universe. The leading actor of his own play. And all the people around him, all the events surrounding him do not exceed the role of props, backgrounds, decorative elements, "the media". People are just "moving objects that play the role of "people". Nothing more, people are people... if you replace the people you see in the street everyday with completely different people, you won't notice a thing.

That's normal, you say? Well.. It's common, if that's your definition of normal.

For me, this is what makes the difference between watching the movie Cendrilla, and actually being in front of the real Cendrilla castle in Disneyland... This is what I call "Depth".

You see, most people are two dimensional to you. When you look at them, you only see their height and their width, nothing more. They're just a moving piece of paper, walking around in your life... They have no depth. Yet, you don't realize that. Why? well, simple, because you ONLY look at them from in front. You only see their frontal view. This is the only view you see. You never tried to look at them from a different position. And of course, they only show you their "apparent", "front" view, after all, you shouldn't expect them to turn 90 degrees and make you look at them differently, simply because they know very well that they are 2 dimensional to your sight. They're a piece of paper, if you look at it from its side, you might not even see it.

But when you learn to stop being fooled by what you see from your first, rapid shot at them, when you learn that the only way of making those people real, is to look at them differently. When you give yourself the chance of putting those magical 3D glasses, life just pops up instantly, and you suddenly see your entire world in 3D...

A person might look aggressive, intimidating, violent and immoral. Why, this impression might even be the one 99% of the people have about him. Give yourself the chance to see what's inside, put your 3D glasses, and you'll discover something totally different. A whole new depth. Or, another person may be very impressive to most people, you put on your 3D glasses, and you realize that this fellow doesn't even have a 3rd dimension, he is 2D EVEN with the glasses on...

And once you've seen that, they will see it too. Your magical 3D glasses will show you life's wonders day after day. You'll be blessed with crystal clear souls, with sincere and benefit-free relationships that you would be proud of for the rest of your life. You'll be with REAL 3 dimensional people you can count on and trust forever.

And if you're lucky, not only would you be having this golden hearts shining along to light your way, but you might as well be blessed with the best feeling anyone can have: The feeling of actually making a difference, even a tiny one, in someone you love.

For that my friends, is what I have. For that is my real trophy.

The Crowd - La Foule

Here it is, the city, filled with ecstasy and delirium,
Suffocating under the crowd and the noise.
And I hear with the valsing music,
those laughters that burst and bounce around me.

Lost amongst those people that keep pushing me.
Disoriented and scared, I freeze in place.
Then suddenly I turn around, and look above my shoulder
and the crowd throws it and puts it in my embrace, just close to my heart.

Carried away by the crowd that pushes,
the crowd that carries,
the crowd that presses us till we become only one,
And the flow pushes us, bound together with mere effort,
and leaves us rediscovered, intoxicated and blessed with happiness.

Carried away by the crowd that turns,
the crowd that danses,
the crowd that valses one crazy valse,
our fates remain joined together.
And sometimes our two tired bodies fly into the air altogether
and fall on the ground rediscovered, intoxicated and blessed with happiness.

These joy and happiness that I got, penetrates my body and shines from within.
But suddenly, I give a scream between those laughters,
when the crowd takes it back from my embrace.

Carried away by the crowd that pushes,
the crowd that carries,
the crowd that separates us from each other,
I fight and I struggle.
But the sound of my voice gets lost between others laughters,
and I scream in pain, in anger, in despair, and I weep...

Carried away by the crowd that turns,
the crowd that danses,
the crowd that valses one crazy valse,
I get carried away.
And I grasp my fist, cursing at the crowd that took from me.
The air of my lungs, the joy of my life that it once gave me
and that I'll never get back again...

Je revois la ville en fête et en délire,

suffoquant sous le soleil et sous la joie.

Et j'entends dans la musique les cris, les rires,

Qui éclatent et rebondissent autour de moi.

Et perdue parmi ces gens qui me bousculent,

étourdie, désemparée, je reste là.

Quand soudain, je me retourne, il se recule,

Et la foule vient me jeter entre ses bras...

Emportés par la foule qui nous traîne, nous entraîne,

écrasés l'un contre l'autre,

Nous ne formons qu'un seul corps.

Et le flot sans effort nous pousse, enchaînés l'un et l'autre,

Et nous laisse tous deux épanouis, enivrés et heureux.

Entraînés par la foule qui s'élance,

et qui danse une folle farandole

Nos deux mains restent soudées.

Et parfois soulevés, nos deux corps enlacés s'envolent

Et retombent tous deux, épanouis, enivrés et heureux...

Et la joie éclaboussée par son sourire,

me transperce et rejaillit au fond de moi.

Mais soudain je pousse un cri parmi les rires,

quand la foule vient l'arracher d'entre mes bras...

Emportés par la foule qui nous traîne

Nous entraîne, nous éloigne l'un de l'autre,

je lutte et je me débats.

Mais le son de sa voix s'étouffe dans les rires des autres.

Et je crie de douleur, de fureur et de rage Et je pleure...

Entraînée par la foule qui s'élance,

et qui danse une folle farandole,

je suis emportée au loin.

Et je crispe mes poings, maudissant la foule qui me vole

L'homme qu'elle m'avait donné et que je n'ai jamais retrouvé...

Hitler, you lucky bastard...

Now I know how Hitler must have felt just before he killed himself.

It may be true he was responsible for the death of at least 42 million human being.

It may be true that he caused the destruction of cities, cultures and entire populations.

It may be true that his whole ideology was about eradicating any other "non-supreme race".

BUT... The man believed in something. He believed in it with all his heart. His belief was so powerful, that he transmitted it to an entire country. He pursued his belief till the end. Doing EVERYTHING he can to reach his dream, no matter how crazy it was.

The last days of his life, he saw his whole dream collapse in front of his eyes. He saw his entire system of belief, goals, wishes and ideas fall into ashes. He witnessed the death of the plant he was growing for the most part of his life.

By the death of his dream, he had died already. By the fall of everything he has created, his soul was already buried. The suicide was only the documentation of his death.

What did he do wrong? well, I'll tell you: He wasn't selfish enough...

OH YES, hear me out: He didn't seek HIS best interest like most human beings on this earth. He didn't devote his entire life to get money, a wife, a dog and a house by the sea. The guy sacrificed all his efforts to create what "he thought to be" the good for his community, his country and the entire world.

On that last day of his life he must have thought... "I sacrificed everything, including my image and my name that has become associated with crime, tyranny and murder. Later I found out that other countries didn't believe in my cause, I was ready to fight them for the sake of my own country and the countries that believed in this cause.I've been doing something FOR the world, and now I realize the entire world DOESN'T even want it.. So, what's the point?"

Hitler should have been more selfish in his life, to only think of HIS OWN profit.

Hitler was lucky, at least his country stood by him till the end.

Hitler was VERY lucky, he killed himself with his own hands. At least, among the pains he must have felt, he didn't feel the pain of his friends' rusty knifes penetrating his back.

The autumn leaves

"Once upon a time there was a tavern,

Where we used to raise a glass or two.

Remember how we laughed away the hours,

and dreamed of all the great things we would do."

Without even realizing it, these day to day memories were nothing but the bricks of the new place we later called "home". The "home" we've all been dreaming of. The "home" we built ourselves. The "home" we were proud to show to everyone and invite new people into our "family" to live with us in it. They did like our "home", they actually liked it so much to the point that they wanted a permanent stay in it, and, pretty soon, the lucky ones of us where "the guests" and our "home" wasn't "ours" anymore.

Just tonight I stood before the tavern.

Nothing seemed the way it used to be.

In the glass I saw a strange reflection.

Was that lonely man really me?

What could I say, the best days of my life? For sure. They were too short? Oh yes definitely.
Creation is extremely enjoyable. Creating with your friends is the most enjoyable thing ever. Creating a common thing while creating lifelong common friends, that's even more enjoyable. And don't get me started with "creating memories with your real friends". That's just priceless. That alone is worth the while.

Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle.

Tu vois, je n'ai pas oublié...

Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle,

Les souvenirs et les regrets aussi.

Whether we left in glory or in shame. Whether we left in peace or in pieces, all of this doesn't matter. We knew this day would come. We knew it wasn't gonna last.

We were just too swept into the idea of "our home",

to the point that we forgot it was actually nothing but a hotel room... Checkout at 11:10.

Try looking at tomorrow, not yesterday
and all the things you left behind.
All those tender words, you did not say,

the gentle touch you couldn't find.

In these days of nameless faces,

there is no one truth but only pieces.
My life is all I have to give.

DARE to live, until the very last.

DARE to live, forget about the past.

DARE to live, giving something of yourself to others.
Even when it seems there's nothing more left to give