philosophy

Countdown till Christmas – 9 days to go!

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After remembering I had recently learned that space shuttles and space stations are powered by solar energy, I decided it was time to learn more about this, not only for myself but for future generations so a planet can be left for them to be a part of and enjoy. I see my nephews loving nature right now and I only hope it will be preserved for their children and so on.

Many people, including myself, can get very confused about the global energy situation. Each story tells something different and it’s difficult to find straight answers to one’s questions. It’s even more difficult to decipher whom to trust.

So today I went on a mission to learn about energy sources in an effort to offer my readers some quality material to research and peruse, as well as some food for thought.

I wondered how a space shuttle could be powered by the sun and yet our homes are not? Why are we so stressed about coal and oil for energy when we have nature’s magnificent energy source right around us?

I am of the philosophy that most answers lie in nature. That is my religion and basis of my spirituality. How I didn’t think about this before, I’m not sure, but I’m thinking about it now…

I learned Elon Musk’s company Solar City is one of the largest solar energy providers out there and it’s exciting to see the work he is doing.

I posted something on my Facebook page today in hopes of getting a quality discussion about this going and that’s fortunately what happened. (You know how these things can quickly go sour!) The vibe I got was that there is already a large infrastructure in place in the US so going solar would take a new way of thinking and a large upfront cost. With crony capitalism, this would very likely become corrupt and manipulated. A truly free market would be ideal to let this grow but is that a real possibility?  And perhaps that is the reason it hasn’t grown nearly as fast as it could have?

Well, at least Musk appears to be doing something – trying to use the marketplace to sell his products while also making use of the greatest source of energy, which is right around each and every one of us. Capitalism with a conscious, if you will.

If you have any knowledge on this subject matter, please comment below!

And thanks for reading! Tomorrow will be a little more lighthearted, I promise :)

Countdown till Christmas – 10 days to go!

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I’ll be straight with you right out of the gate. Christmas is not a religious time for me. I understand its roots lie in Christianity with the birth of Jesus Christ and I acknowledge that but for me, I choose to celebrate this time of year by spreading love and being with those who I care about.

And keeping in the spirit of helping others, I decided to write a ten-day countdown to Christmas where on each of the ten days I will attempt to learn something new in the name of giving, joy and love, all in an effort to be of help to others.

Today, I decided to catch up on politics and I noticed a bunch of stories about a “fake news” epidemic. After I wondered how this FINALLY got to be acknowledged, I researched more and began to see that it was all about the dissemination of fake news and not the actual fake news itself!

So, in an effort to help promote integrity in journalism, I would like to share a video of a reporter who is reporting on Aleppo and is actually there and witnessing what is occurring. With the vast amount of dishonesty in journalism, it is getting increasingly more difficult to find honest news and we desperately need it. Aleppo is getting chewed up by the news media and my search for trustworthy news about it was quite difficult… But I found one and would like to pass it along in an effort to help others search for honest news among the sea of deception that is out there…

 

You may have been born in 1977 if…

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any of the following rings a bell, applies to you and/or you can relate:

  1. VHS was a very real thing to you and you may have even created a mix of films taped directly off the television or HBO if you were lucky. 6 hours baby. That’s three movies.
  2. Landlines was not a word. We had phones with cords, long ones for mobility. And some of us even had beepers. (FYI I was not one of them.)
  3. “TGIF” was cool.
  4. “Beverly Hills, 90210” was the real deal. Remember when Brenda took a pregnancy test?! I nearly lost sleep…
  5. A foam rectangle called The Step was neon and popular as hell.
  6. Speaking of neon, 25% of your wardrobe was in that color scheme.
  7. You remember the numbers on McDonalds “Burgers Sold” climbing to a billion….
  8. Smoking sections existed. And they were everywhere.
  9. You dreamed of Kirk Cameron taking you to prom. Or maybe Alyssa Milano?
  10. The Internet came about somewhat quick, at least it seemed that way since you were busy finishing high school and trying to make sense of what the hell to do next.
  11. You never got a trophy for being adequate. But then again, you never really cared about trophies to begin with.

Yin and Yang

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Yin and Yang. Opposite forces working together. I often think of this when I come across pessimism, which sadly, seems to be a lot these days.

I’m a filmmaker, as my readers know, and I’ve been in the throws of finishing my latest short film. This past year has been insane for me. I, in all seriousness, got married, changed jobs, directed/produced/edited my seventh film to date and moved – all within the past twelve months.

I’m not complaining. But I am proof that people can do what they need to do if they believe. There will ALWAYS be a thousand and one obstacles and reasons why something will be hard and/or challenging or have 1/100 odds.

But that’s the good stuff. That’s the gooey part of life that tests us. That shows us what we’re made of. That makes you either believe in yourself or think you aren’t good enough.

And lately, I’ve been thinking about this.

When other people tell me that I shouldn’t try for Sundance, I’m truly baffled. And I kid you not, I’ve had more than one person say there’s no reason to go for it. I don’t know anyone there… They’ve already decided… The fee is expensive… And blah, blah, blah….

Look, I know the odds are against me. I know every filmmaker and their mother wants to screen at Sundance because it makes careers. I understand it’s late in the game.

But I also know I wrote a letter to the programmer asking for an extension because I wanted my film to look its best and I was given one. I know that when you bet against the odds, the rewards are much greater. I understand that not everyone will like my film but I’d be a fool not to try to get it in front of as wide of an audience as possible. I believe in it. I believe in me. I believe in my work.

And when people tell me I’m a fool for going after something that only a few achieve, I use it to balance my belief that if you don’t try, then you can never achieve it. (Explains a lot of the frustration in the world, no?)

Yin and Yang.

Without darkness, there would be no light.

But it’s up to us to choose on what to focus….

Spirituality

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I went camping in Yosemite for three nights, four days and had a spiritual experience.

When I’m asked what religion I am, I say I’m agnostic. I don’t know if a God exists one way or another as I don’t have tangible proof of either. And I don’t presume to know what others should or should not believe in, but I do find that my religion is found in nature.

Spirituality is the state of being spiritual, and being spiritual mostly relates to religious matters of the spirit. (At least for purposes of this blog, these are the definitions I’ll be using…)

I’ve struggled all my life with how organized religions often preached love yet they’re in fact some of the most intolerant and evil-minded organizations out there, and they often believe that others must believe as they do.

I couldn’t imagine this was religion. So I shunned it. For many years. But as I got older, I began to truly question it and my search through theology and philosophy and experience led me to finding a religion that made sense to me. That I could see in front of me. That I could experience the truth of.

Nature.

Natural forces don’t care about your feelings and sorry to say, but they don’t care about your religious beliefs either. They are Cause and Effect. They are life.

Answers can be found in nature. Causality. The Food Chain. Life. Death. Family.

“The world is emblematic. Parts of speech are metaphors, because the whole of nature is a metaphor of the human mind.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Determination

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The other day, I was working my normal lunch shift, waiting tables in Silicon Beach, when something happened that happens about twice a year and reminds me of why I do what I do.

As I approached a table, I recognized one of the two women. She had been a regular of mine at a restaurant I worked at many years ago. She was startled that I remembered her but she remembered me as well.

We briefly caught up before she told me she was here celebrating her friend’s birthday. Knowing that, I went out of my way to add additional touches so their meal would be extra special. (See, it pays to be cool to your server…)

Throughout their lunch, we chatted a bit and it was lovely.

As their meal came to an end, the woman who I had recognized, said, “Tell me, Christina, what is it you really do? I know it’s not this.”

She said it with such certainty that she wasn’t worried in the slightest if that offended me. I told her she was right – I’m a filmmaker/writer. She asked about my work. I gave her my card and told her a couple of my shorts are available on Amazon. She told me she’d be looking for them.

Sometimes it’s difficult to pursue a career where only a very small percentage of the population succeed at it on a financial level. Not to mention how many people and dollars one needs to helm such a project.

But when someone like this guest takes an interest in me based on our conversation and genuinely wants to see my work because of it, I’m reminded that waiting tables is a means to an end and it’s that end I’m determined to reach…

(Picture above is me shooting a short documentary on my honeymoon #justmarried – shot on my iPhone! @parisiprods)

 

Marriage Lesson #108

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I’ve learned a lesson recently in marriage. After living alone for seven years and not really dating for five of those years while I made films back to back, I should have known this was bound to happen and stop it but… well, I did it anyway.

But allow me to start at the beginning…

About a week ago, my husband and I realized the blinds in our new apartment were malfunctioning, including the patio door vertical blinds. I went back and forth a bit with our landlord and soon realized my husband was not very happy about it.

At first, I wondered what his problem was and why he wasn’t on my side. After all, I was trying to make our apartment as great as can be! But after a terse interchange, I began to see the reason why he was angry…

I shot off those emails, signed by both of us, without even consulting him. And my approach is direct and to the point while his is a bit more…. what’s the word…forgiving? Yeah. Forgiving.

He let me know that we are a team and I should consult him when doing things in our name together.

And you know, he was absolutely right. And I did apologize after I recognized that. And have since changed my behavior.

I was so quick to revert to old habits of doing what I wanted, when I wanted. But marriage is a team. And when something involves the both of us, than we both should handle it. As a team. And if we disagree, we talk about it and form a compromise.

Yet another lesson in marriage.

#justmarried

And stay tuned for my upcoming short documentary, shot on my honeymoon where I turned the camera on myself and new husband :) More information can be found here!

 

 

11 Reasons Age Does Not Matter

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Yes, I know. There are reasons age matters, like the fact we are mortal and our bodies wear down. And children. They have different rules. But among adults, it doesn’t really matter much…

Who among us hasn’t met a twenty-year-old who was way more mature than say, a fifty-year old? And doesn’t wisdom come from experience, not simply age? A thirty-year-old could be wise in their years while a seventy-year-old could be mean and well… not wise.

So, yes, there are exceptions when age does matter.

But here, I want to talk about 11 reasons it doesn’t. As I near my thirty-ninth birthday, I’ve found myself thinking about age. Honestly, I had thought I’d be farther in my filmmaking career by now. But when I started to get down about it, I quickly slapped myself and realized, who cares, age doesn’t matter! I can make films now and I can make them in twenty years. I can write now and I can write in thirty years. (Of course, all this dependent on the Universe keeping me around ;)

And in that vein, here’s eleven more…

11 Reasons Age Does Not Matter

1. Life is bountiful.

2. Friends see no age limits.

3. Eyes can open at anytime.

4. Love is always discoverable.

5. Food comes in all sizes, textures, shapes and flavors. Bash limitations by adding inventive new foods to your diet.

6. You’re only as old as you feel. As Satchel Paige asked, “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?”

7. Age does not equal wisdom. It equals how many times the sun has moved around Earth since you’ve been on it.

8. You can take a risk however old you are.

9. Laughter is ageless.

10. The only time “It’s too late” is when you are no longer breathing.

11. Every day is a gift. Fight the darkness with light. Spread love and honesty. BE YOU.

 

Love IS The Answer

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The mass shooting of the LGBTQ community in Orlando, Florida, is deeply disturbing but it’s also indicative of the world we live in.

There can be no such thing as a utopia until there is no hate in the world and speaking realistically, is that ever possible when man has the choice to be both good and evil?

I don’t think so. Man is imperfect and we must deal with that.

The knee-jerk reaction is to take away guns, impose mass restrictions and preach love. But seriously, what good is that going to do? People who want to kill will find a way (the black market is probably better than the legal market) and hate does not listen to restrictions or preaching.

I think it’s fair to say that more often than not these horrific, senseless shootings are done out of anger and misguided religious beliefs. When one hears Christians claiming homosexuality is wrong simply because they believe it so and despite all evidence contrary, it’s enough to make you pull out your hair. When Muslims take their own lives ALONG WITH OTHERS in the name of their Koran, we try to fight fire with fire. When Scientologist’s force family members to shun their “non-believing” family members, one wonders how anyone can do that.

But religion is belief and there is no arguing with it as it is not rooted in fact.

Personally, I’m agnostic. But I can’t imagine any God wanting someone to hurt another simply because they’re different.

Why are people so fearful of differences?

Why can’t we all live together in peace?

What were those club-goers doing that made this killer so angry? Why are so many people so angry at others who disagree with them but cause them no injury?

Why are so many people unhappy?

Perhaps if we stopped paying attention to pop culture and turned to philosophy, we could start to learn how to live together in peace….

This is a people problem, not a regulation problem.

#loveistheanswer #natureisreligion

 

Breathing

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Some days are just plain stressful. Maybe it’s coming from your career. Maybe it’s of a personal nature. Maybe it’s both – gasp! Wherever the stress comes from, it hits you sometimes, right? I mean, who among us hasn’t had a day you just wanted to make go away?

This month has been rather intense for me. From having deadlines with film and writing, to being forced to move and find a new place to live, to switching my work schedule back from night to day, I’ve been juggling a lot of balls in the air and it hasn’t been the easiest of times.

That said, it hasn’t been the hardest either. Just stressful. And yes, stress is part of life but that doesn’t make it any easier.

Nature speaks if one is listening though and the other day, it sent me a message with a way to help make it easier…

First, a story:

My husband and I were shopping at our local grocery store and we were both not feeling very well. Cough and congestion. While he was picking out some veggies, I strolled around. It’d been a stressful week and I was running the list of things I had to do in my head as I aimlessly drifted in and out of the aisles.

And then I saw nectarines.

I was craving them earlier and was happy to see they were on sale. I stopped at the large aisle bin and started to notice my breathing, as I took in the sweet smell of a fruit I adore.

I wondered about my breath. Had I even been breathing this past week?

Sure, I know, it’s automatic. Thankfully, the mind and body kick in and focuses on it despite its owner’s lack of attention.

But at that moment, I was paying attention as I breathed in deeply. Focusing on air going in and out, I saw my husband checking out celery and I felt a wave of happiness come over me.

Why is it that we focus on what’s hard or what’s wrong rather than what’s great and what’s right?

Thank you universe, for the wonderful reminder of how to reduce stress:

Breathe. And see the good.

#claritycomeswithbreath