(THERE REALLY ARE LOTS OF PICTURES FOLLOWING THIS COMMERCIAL BREAK!)
The lyrics go:
"I'm not aware of too many things,
I know what I know if you know what I mean
Philosophy is the talk on a cereal box
Religion is the smile on a dog."
While we're in the video vibe, take a look at this by En Vogue, "Free Your Mind". One small change is necessary, however. Sing to yourself, "Free your mind, your ASS will follow... Carry on!
Let's deconstruct the first song a bit. Most of us would usually read the information written on a cereal box in a very casual, happenstance, sort of "I have nothing else to do while eating my breakfast" manner. An informal, by-chance occasion.
"Religion is the smile on a dog." Is that dog really smiling, and how would you know he is, in fact, smiling. The writer of this song is saying to us, "The 'smile on a dog' is as much of our own perception and opinion (whether the dog is actually smiling, or not) as much as religion is s much of our own perception and opinion."
What being said, I learned in one of my many psychology courses that whether they would actually admit it or not, most people have a combination of several beliefs, rather than an "all or none" take on the subject. Whether they choose to admit it or not, most people have a combination of beliefs.
However - the world would have no diversity at all if if wasn't for the place that those "All or none" people hold. Without those people, the world would be more of a puddled gray color than it is already rapidly becoming.
Please do not misunderstand my intentions. Without the Indian (India) Hindus, we would not have that beautiful temple just a few miles from my home, and I would not have 8 Indian restaurants to tempt me every day of my life. There is so much more to these people than a temple and a wonderfully flavored cuisine. I also share with them many of their core beliefs.
Take Buddhism, for example. Tina Turner credits becoming Buddhist for the change in her life that brought her out of the hideous "Ike / Tina" years to becoming a world superstar, and the best selling female artist of any year that she has ever gone on tour as a solo artists. If Buddhism brings this change in life, where can I get a big bucket of it?
The same can be said for Amish, Hare Krishna, and many more people who can be identified by a way of life. If it were not for the way they live their lives, my life would be drab, indeed. It is the sacrifices these people have (most unknowingly!) made to make my life that much more colorful.
Rather than embrace a new experience (taste, smell, texture, sight, sound - belief!), many people are afraid of these changes. A popular quote from Yoda (Star Wars) comes to mind:
"Fear leads to anger, Anger leads to hate, Hate leads to Suffering."
Take a look at the single word that starts the ball rolling - "FEAR!"
If you never lose your curiosity, avoid laziness like it is the plague, and use your senses to the best of your abilities to continually explore the world around you, your life, and those around you, will greatly benefit from these efforts.
Has anybody ever come back from the beyond to tell you what is going on "over there?" If they did come back and tell you, you should have your own segment on the Oprah Winfrey Show while she was still running, and you had the chance.
The moral of this story: Once we are born, we **all** are going to die. I don't care how much denial you choose to surround yourself with, the fact that those of us that live on this earth are going to die is just that - an unavoidable fact. How you choose to live during your journey is your choice. If you choose to live in a tight, constricted, self-imposed prison, you will pay that price. You will have to take my word for it when I tell you that the results of choosing that life are not pretty. The same results will be accrued by being lazy enough not to fight it off when you see it coming your way!
Let's talk about "Being different."
Before we 'hang a right', and head down this road, I am going to have to ask you to fasten your seat belts, because it is guaranteed to be a bumpy ride!
In vain, I searched for a specific video clip of the movie "Sybil", starring Sally Field as Sybil. This 1976 movie was originally a book written by Flora Rheta Schreiber about Shirley Ardell Mason, otherwise known as "Sybil". Shirley's (Sybil) entire psychosis and the ensuing 16 personalities were formed because her mother was cruel to her, and her father allowed the abuse to happen initially, and to continue. Sybil was forced to become a multiple personality to be able to deal with the abuse that she suffered. She could have avoided 15 of those personalities had she initially come to the conclusion that it is, in fact, perfectly acceptable to hate your own mother. We are taught by **THIS** society that parents, grandparents, etc, are "know all / be all", and that they must be reverenced and respected at all times. This is quite another issue for an entirely different blog, but somebody has to do it, so here goes:
"Love, respect, devotion, friendship, loyalty, and any other attachment that one human being might have for another is **EARNED** and maintained, and is absolutely **NEVER** given by default, no matter who the person (parent, grandparent, etc) thinks they are."
Please understand that the phrase "I brought you into this world, I can take you out." is spoken by Hoosier parents across this country place entirely too much undeserved importance on the very tiny (comparatively speaking!) space that they occupy on this planet, and those folk are sorely in need of education, couth and some class, in general.
If you feel the need to do so, please go back and reread that passage a few times, and allow it to soak in a bit.
When Sybil (Shirley Mason) came to the realization that it is perfectly acceptable, and is, in fact, expected to hate a person that does cruel things to you - either mentally, physically, or both! - she had a life-changing break through.
Shirley Ardell Mason (Sybil):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Ardell_Mason
(and you can find a bit more on Shirley Ardell Mason by doing an internet search on her.)
The movie:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil_%281976_film%29
The "Forgiveness" thing is entirely overrated by people who do not understand it.
Dr Phil: "Forgiveness is for the giver, not the recipient. Why would you give a gift to someone who has horribly wronged you? What type of person does that? Forgiveness is saying, 'I release myself from the oppressive burden that I have allowed you to place on me. I will not wake up one more morning of my life, and place that heavy cloak of pain and anger that your actions (or lack of actions!) have placed upon my back. I will not do it one more day. Not for you. Not for anybody else. I release you from my life, now get the hell out!"
I have performed this very action with most of my own immediate family members - you can do the same with yours!
Oprah:
"Forgiveness is knowing the past will never be any different."
Please note that none of these quotes say, "Forgiveness is saying to the perpetrator, 'Oh, the pain that you dealt me is perfectly OK! I'm thrilled that you chose to hurl it in my direction, and in fact, why don't you toss a bit more my way???"
That quote is no more absurd than believing that forgiving is for the perpetrator.
We are going to land this thing:
Much in the same manner as Sybil's mother told Sybil, "Come and get your cookie!" (while the child was walking down a flight of steps), the child unsuspectingly and trustingly reached out for the bait - the cookie - that she was offered. Then, her bitch of a mother intentionally tripped her, and she fell down the steps.
Segway:
I am here to tell you that if I was Sybil, and in many ways, I can associate with the life that was hurled at her, once I 'came into myself', I wouldn't have hesitated to visit that bitch's grave (her mother's!), and I would have taken a healthy piss on top of that grave right then and there in the middle of the cemetery!
How does this rant tie in with "Being different"?
Like a cat scratching in a cat box to cover up his doo-doo, to cover her 'Pentecostal' tracks and to force it down my throat, my mother would tell me, "It's OK to be different?" Can you believe it? What the hell does she know about being different, other than using 'being different' (the cookie in the above example!) as a weapon, instead of using "Being different" as the reward that it was intended to be.
Consider air. Yes. Air. We all need air. If you go 4 minutes without air, you will have severe brain damage, or death. HOWEVER, if somebody would drag you to a gas station, and stick one of the hair hoses (attached to the compressor!) down your trachea, and push the button, I GUARANTEE you that your chest will explode, killing you instantly. We all need air to survive. Air in this quantity, however, will most definitely kill you.
Consider FOOD. Yes - FOOD! Some less so than others, but we all need food to survive. If, however, a person would strap you to a table, put a funnel in your mouth, and keep pouring it full of food, you will most certainly die!
Do you see where I am going with this? I'm already there! The moral of this story is this:
"Anything that we need to survive can also be used as a weapon against us."
Additional information:
There is a special place in Hell where people will burn extra crisp that choose to use the good things in life as a weapon against the unsuspecting.
Back to the difference, and what most people won't admit:
I am a very spiritual person. I did not say "Religious". There is a vast difference between "Spiritual" and "Religious". A Spiritual person's circle is much larger than a "Religious" person's circle. A Religious person is trapped within that one religion.
My beliefs system consists of Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, American Indian, Wicca (Pagan), just to name a few.
Physically, there are few man-made things that are more beautiful than a Catholic Cathedral - or a Hindu Temple.
Even though I am a pro-amateur photographer, I cannot wholly subscribe to "A picture is worth 1,000 words." Every day that I visit the Missouri Botanical Gardens, the Saint Louis Cathedral Basilica, or I find a breath taking view of another subject, I think to myself, "I wish (fill in the blank) was here with me to enjoy this!" I know many people would take a 'general photograph', and go on about their way. When they get back home, and review the pictures that they have taken, there is something obvious that is lacking from the pictures. Many times, it is 'motion'. When you walk by a large bed of tulips, for example, it is the flickering of the petals that help with the 'moment' you are experiencing. It is also the warm spring sun, the smell of the trees blooming, and a gentle breeze blowing on your face that is assisting with the warm, fuzzy feelings that the tulip bed is giving you. When you get the pictures home, you have only that - the pictures - to convey your preserved memory to anyone who might be viewing them. If your urge is to "just delete them', your pictures cannot stand on their own. The must be able to convey your intended message by themselves - without the gentle breeze, the sun on your face, or the smell of the trees blooming.
In summary, the entire above diatribe says this:
1) Your spiritual or religious beliefs are just that - they're YOURS! They are no better or worse, or more or less legitimate than another persons beliefs. Your chosen beliefs are merely different, and do not hold a higher place than another person's. In the Christian belief system, Catholics are no more legitimate than Lutheran's, and Christians are no more legitimate and are no more important than Islamic, Hindu or Buddhist beliefs - and many others. You are all on the same 'bus' together, you're just in different seats!
2) Being "different" is a 'good thing', and should not be used as a weapon against those who are. I believe that people who choose to use 'different' as a weapon against those of us who actually DARE to be different are going to burn in Hell with the hottest, brightest of flames.
3) I can present you with the best pictures that I know how to take. There is no way possible that photography can do these places of beauty the justice they deserve. You have to "be there" to get the full impact of the scene that I am trying to present to you, and if / when you are there, you have to 'be in the moment' . You can't be thinking about a bill that has to be paid, about a coworker, etc. You have to be in the 'here and now'. Doing so, dear readers, will allow you to live the life you were intended, to the best of your ability.
In doing these things, you become mentally more malleable. (Try to say that without an "M"! ) A building, for example, that was built with a bit more 'flex' will withstand an earthquake better than a very rigid structure. The same can be said for our lives. If you have a bit of 'flex', you become a safe place to fall, rather than a sharp projection to avoid.
I am certainly not implying that one should go about their lives "willy nilly", or in a haphazard, 'Devil may care' sort of fashion. Please do not misunderstand my intentions.
While I am in this arena, I loath the word "Tolerant'. In my mind's eye, "Tolerant" is on the same bus as "Patient". "Tolerant" means, 'I really don't like that, but I will tolerate, or put up with it just to keep the peace." Uh. No, thanks! I don't want anybody to merely 'put up with me'. Either you love me, or you can get the Hell out. There are over 6 BILLION people on this planet. Trust me when I tell you that some are better matches than others, and there are great matches for everybody on the planet. Why the hell should I be around someone who is merely 'tolerant' of me, when that same space can be occupied by someone who LOVES to be in my world?
"Patient". I taught myself how to read music, and fairly well, if I might say so myself. I taught myself how to knit, and I am at a professional level. I also taught myself how to use the graphics programs "GIMP" and "Blender" (both are free downloads). People often tell me, "You must be patient!" In return, I state, "You don't know me very well, do you?" When they look at me a bit puzzled, I tell them, "Patience are for lazy people who sit around and wait for something to happen. PERSEVERANCE is the quality that someone has who 'gets things done. I have Perseverance, and anybody that knows me well enough can tell you that I am the least patient person they know!"
TO THE PICTURES! :
The World's Largest collection of Mosaic Art - you can see the folds in the disciples clothing, and the skin tones change in their faces / hands, and many other details, all depicted in mosaic tile. There is a museum in the basement that chronicles each step of this process, including the building of this magnificent building.
The Archdiocese of the Catholic Church / St. Louis
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
443 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108
The website:
http://cathedralstl.org/site/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
The St. Louis Cathedral Basilica Wikipedia entry :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Basilica_of_St._Louis
(Click on each pic for a larger view!)
This is the first example of "There is no possible way that a picture can do this view justice."
To give you a general idea of the size and beauty of this space, there are 11,000 pipes from the pipe organ in the space behind this shot.
This is the first view you see when you walk through the front doors.
More close-up detail of the mosaic art in this Cathedral. Please note that none of these colors are paint. Some of the mosaics are completed in the "Byzantine" fashion, and others are of Italian influence, but all are composed of tile - not paint.
This sample was of an apostle that is in the cathedral, itself.
The artists rendered this segment of the mosaic tile twice - once for the church, and once for the museum. It was recreated in whole, using the same techniques and materials as the one created for the church.
In the basement museum, there are several photographs of the artist(s) doing their magnificent work to complete this project.
Many of these tiles have a gold backing.
After these tiles were set in mortar, and while the mortar was still wet, a small hammer was used to tap random corners of the tiles, to make them sit uneven in the mortar, to make the gold sparkle when viewed from our perspective.
While the mosaics in the side chapels and sanctuary walls were designed and installed by Tiffany Studios, the mosaics in the main cathedral areas were designed by Albert Oerken. Installation of the mosaics was completed by dozens of artisans, including Hildreth Meiere, Ravenna Mosaic, Inc,. and Emil Frei, Inc., of St. Louis. The narthex of the church depicts the life of King Louis IX of France, namesake of the city and church, the rear dome includes mosaics of significant archdiocesan events, while the main dome by Jan Henryk de Rosen depicts Biblical scenes from both the Old Testament and New Testament.
I had to lay on my back on the marble floor of the Cathedral to get this shot. There is no possible way that my camera can depict the size of this dome!
The Cathedral has a large organ that was originally built by the Geo. Kilgen and Son, Inc. in 1915. Originally, the organ had two four manual (keyboard) organ consoles, one in the gallery with the organ, and another console behind the sanctuary. In 1946, Kilgen put a new organ into the Cathedral. The 1946 organ had 77 ranks of pipes, 14 of which came from the older organ. In 1948, an Echo Organ from Carnegie Hall, New York City was installed in the Cathedral. In 1984, the M. P. Moller organ company refurbished the organ.
In 1997 the Wicks Organ Company of nearby Highland, Illinois began a restoration project. They added more ranks of pipes, which brought the organ to 96 ranks of pipes. The company also added some digital stops to the organ. A new four manual organ console replaced the old Kilgen console behind the sanctuary, and the second gallery console was refurbished. Wicks also updated the organ's electronics.
In the winter of 2002 the gallery organ was expanded, and a new dome division of pipes was added to the organ. The final step in the project, the replacement of the original gallery console (and a smaller two manual console that took its place) with a five-manual console was completed in 2010. The Ragen Organ Console, named for its donor, Professor Brian Abel Ragen, was taken from St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City and completely restored. It is now possible to control every part of the organ from either the gallery console or the moveable sanctuary console.
This picture is the original Kilgen console, which was moved into the basement museum, and can be viewed by visitors.
____________________________________________________________________________
THE HINDU TEMPLE / ST. LOUIS, MO
The Hindu Temple's Website:
http://www.hindutemplestlouis.org/
Please click through the galleries! There are several Indian (India / Pakistani / Middle Eastern) restaurants in the St. Louis area. I don't know if this is a good thing / bad thing, but the proprietors of these restaurants know us (Mark & myself) personally! WE LOVE INDIAN & HARE KRISHNA FOOD!
Happy Adventures!
Remember: Free your mind - your ass will follow!
- Michael
Edie Brickell said it best in this song (within the first 30 seconds):
The lyrics go:
"I'm not aware of too many things,
I know what I know if you know what I mean
Philosophy is the talk on a cereal box
Religion is the smile on a dog."
While we're in the video vibe, take a look at this by En Vogue, "Free Your Mind". One small change is necessary, however. Sing to yourself, "Free your mind, your ASS will follow... Carry on!
Let's deconstruct the first song a bit. Most of us would usually read the information written on a cereal box in a very casual, happenstance, sort of "I have nothing else to do while eating my breakfast" manner. An informal, by-chance occasion.
"Religion is the smile on a dog." Is that dog really smiling, and how would you know he is, in fact, smiling. The writer of this song is saying to us, "The 'smile on a dog' is as much of our own perception and opinion (whether the dog is actually smiling, or not) as much as religion is s much of our own perception and opinion."
What being said, I learned in one of my many psychology courses that whether they would actually admit it or not, most people have a combination of several beliefs, rather than an "all or none" take on the subject. Whether they choose to admit it or not, most people have a combination of beliefs.
However - the world would have no diversity at all if if wasn't for the place that those "All or none" people hold. Without those people, the world would be more of a puddled gray color than it is already rapidly becoming.
Please do not misunderstand my intentions. Without the Indian (India) Hindus, we would not have that beautiful temple just a few miles from my home, and I would not have 8 Indian restaurants to tempt me every day of my life. There is so much more to these people than a temple and a wonderfully flavored cuisine. I also share with them many of their core beliefs.
Take Buddhism, for example. Tina Turner credits becoming Buddhist for the change in her life that brought her out of the hideous "Ike / Tina" years to becoming a world superstar, and the best selling female artist of any year that she has ever gone on tour as a solo artists. If Buddhism brings this change in life, where can I get a big bucket of it?
The same can be said for Amish, Hare Krishna, and many more people who can be identified by a way of life. If it were not for the way they live their lives, my life would be drab, indeed. It is the sacrifices these people have (most unknowingly!) made to make my life that much more colorful.
Rather than embrace a new experience (taste, smell, texture, sight, sound - belief!), many people are afraid of these changes. A popular quote from Yoda (Star Wars) comes to mind:
"Fear leads to anger, Anger leads to hate, Hate leads to Suffering."
Take a look at the single word that starts the ball rolling - "FEAR!"
If you never lose your curiosity, avoid laziness like it is the plague, and use your senses to the best of your abilities to continually explore the world around you, your life, and those around you, will greatly benefit from these efforts.
Has anybody ever come back from the beyond to tell you what is going on "over there?" If they did come back and tell you, you should have your own segment on the Oprah Winfrey Show while she was still running, and you had the chance.
The moral of this story: Once we are born, we **all** are going to die. I don't care how much denial you choose to surround yourself with, the fact that those of us that live on this earth are going to die is just that - an unavoidable fact. How you choose to live during your journey is your choice. If you choose to live in a tight, constricted, self-imposed prison, you will pay that price. You will have to take my word for it when I tell you that the results of choosing that life are not pretty. The same results will be accrued by being lazy enough not to fight it off when you see it coming your way!
Let's talk about "Being different."
Before we 'hang a right', and head down this road, I am going to have to ask you to fasten your seat belts, because it is guaranteed to be a bumpy ride!
In vain, I searched for a specific video clip of the movie "Sybil", starring Sally Field as Sybil. This 1976 movie was originally a book written by Flora Rheta Schreiber about Shirley Ardell Mason, otherwise known as "Sybil". Shirley's (Sybil) entire psychosis and the ensuing 16 personalities were formed because her mother was cruel to her, and her father allowed the abuse to happen initially, and to continue. Sybil was forced to become a multiple personality to be able to deal with the abuse that she suffered. She could have avoided 15 of those personalities had she initially come to the conclusion that it is, in fact, perfectly acceptable to hate your own mother. We are taught by **THIS** society that parents, grandparents, etc, are "know all / be all", and that they must be reverenced and respected at all times. This is quite another issue for an entirely different blog, but somebody has to do it, so here goes:
"Love, respect, devotion, friendship, loyalty, and any other attachment that one human being might have for another is **EARNED** and maintained, and is absolutely **NEVER** given by default, no matter who the person (parent, grandparent, etc) thinks they are."
Please understand that the phrase "I brought you into this world, I can take you out." is spoken by Hoosier parents across this country place entirely too much undeserved importance on the very tiny (comparatively speaking!) space that they occupy on this planet, and those folk are sorely in need of education, couth and some class, in general.
If you feel the need to do so, please go back and reread that passage a few times, and allow it to soak in a bit.
When Sybil (Shirley Mason) came to the realization that it is perfectly acceptable, and is, in fact, expected to hate a person that does cruel things to you - either mentally, physically, or both! - she had a life-changing break through.
Shirley Ardell Mason (Sybil):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Ardell_Mason
(and you can find a bit more on Shirley Ardell Mason by doing an internet search on her.)
The movie:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil_%281976_film%29
The "Forgiveness" thing is entirely overrated by people who do not understand it.
Dr Phil: "Forgiveness is for the giver, not the recipient. Why would you give a gift to someone who has horribly wronged you? What type of person does that? Forgiveness is saying, 'I release myself from the oppressive burden that I have allowed you to place on me. I will not wake up one more morning of my life, and place that heavy cloak of pain and anger that your actions (or lack of actions!) have placed upon my back. I will not do it one more day. Not for you. Not for anybody else. I release you from my life, now get the hell out!"
I have performed this very action with most of my own immediate family members - you can do the same with yours!
Oprah:
"Forgiveness is knowing the past will never be any different."
Please note that none of these quotes say, "Forgiveness is saying to the perpetrator, 'Oh, the pain that you dealt me is perfectly OK! I'm thrilled that you chose to hurl it in my direction, and in fact, why don't you toss a bit more my way???"
That quote is no more absurd than believing that forgiving is for the perpetrator.
We are going to land this thing:
Much in the same manner as Sybil's mother told Sybil, "Come and get your cookie!" (while the child was walking down a flight of steps), the child unsuspectingly and trustingly reached out for the bait - the cookie - that she was offered. Then, her bitch of a mother intentionally tripped her, and she fell down the steps.
Segway:
I am here to tell you that if I was Sybil, and in many ways, I can associate with the life that was hurled at her, once I 'came into myself', I wouldn't have hesitated to visit that bitch's grave (her mother's!), and I would have taken a healthy piss on top of that grave right then and there in the middle of the cemetery!
How does this rant tie in with "Being different"?
Like a cat scratching in a cat box to cover up his doo-doo, to cover her 'Pentecostal' tracks and to force it down my throat, my mother would tell me, "It's OK to be different?" Can you believe it? What the hell does she know about being different, other than using 'being different' (the cookie in the above example!) as a weapon, instead of using "Being different" as the reward that it was intended to be.
Consider air. Yes. Air. We all need air. If you go 4 minutes without air, you will have severe brain damage, or death. HOWEVER, if somebody would drag you to a gas station, and stick one of the hair hoses (attached to the compressor!) down your trachea, and push the button, I GUARANTEE you that your chest will explode, killing you instantly. We all need air to survive. Air in this quantity, however, will most definitely kill you.
Consider FOOD. Yes - FOOD! Some less so than others, but we all need food to survive. If, however, a person would strap you to a table, put a funnel in your mouth, and keep pouring it full of food, you will most certainly die!
Do you see where I am going with this? I'm already there! The moral of this story is this:
"Anything that we need to survive can also be used as a weapon against us."
Additional information:
There is a special place in Hell where people will burn extra crisp that choose to use the good things in life as a weapon against the unsuspecting.
Back to the difference, and what most people won't admit:
I am a very spiritual person. I did not say "Religious". There is a vast difference between "Spiritual" and "Religious". A Spiritual person's circle is much larger than a "Religious" person's circle. A Religious person is trapped within that one religion.
My beliefs system consists of Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, American Indian, Wicca (Pagan), just to name a few.
Physically, there are few man-made things that are more beautiful than a Catholic Cathedral - or a Hindu Temple.
Even though I am a pro-amateur photographer, I cannot wholly subscribe to "A picture is worth 1,000 words." Every day that I visit the Missouri Botanical Gardens, the Saint Louis Cathedral Basilica, or I find a breath taking view of another subject, I think to myself, "I wish (fill in the blank) was here with me to enjoy this!" I know many people would take a 'general photograph', and go on about their way. When they get back home, and review the pictures that they have taken, there is something obvious that is lacking from the pictures. Many times, it is 'motion'. When you walk by a large bed of tulips, for example, it is the flickering of the petals that help with the 'moment' you are experiencing. It is also the warm spring sun, the smell of the trees blooming, and a gentle breeze blowing on your face that is assisting with the warm, fuzzy feelings that the tulip bed is giving you. When you get the pictures home, you have only that - the pictures - to convey your preserved memory to anyone who might be viewing them. If your urge is to "just delete them', your pictures cannot stand on their own. The must be able to convey your intended message by themselves - without the gentle breeze, the sun on your face, or the smell of the trees blooming.
In summary, the entire above diatribe says this:
1) Your spiritual or religious beliefs are just that - they're YOURS! They are no better or worse, or more or less legitimate than another persons beliefs. Your chosen beliefs are merely different, and do not hold a higher place than another person's. In the Christian belief system, Catholics are no more legitimate than Lutheran's, and Christians are no more legitimate and are no more important than Islamic, Hindu or Buddhist beliefs - and many others. You are all on the same 'bus' together, you're just in different seats!
2) Being "different" is a 'good thing', and should not be used as a weapon against those who are. I believe that people who choose to use 'different' as a weapon against those of us who actually DARE to be different are going to burn in Hell with the hottest, brightest of flames.
3) I can present you with the best pictures that I know how to take. There is no way possible that photography can do these places of beauty the justice they deserve. You have to "be there" to get the full impact of the scene that I am trying to present to you, and if / when you are there, you have to 'be in the moment' . You can't be thinking about a bill that has to be paid, about a coworker, etc. You have to be in the 'here and now'. Doing so, dear readers, will allow you to live the life you were intended, to the best of your ability.
In doing these things, you become mentally more malleable. (Try to say that without an "M"! ) A building, for example, that was built with a bit more 'flex' will withstand an earthquake better than a very rigid structure. The same can be said for our lives. If you have a bit of 'flex', you become a safe place to fall, rather than a sharp projection to avoid.
I am certainly not implying that one should go about their lives "willy nilly", or in a haphazard, 'Devil may care' sort of fashion. Please do not misunderstand my intentions.
While I am in this arena, I loath the word "Tolerant'. In my mind's eye, "Tolerant" is on the same bus as "Patient". "Tolerant" means, 'I really don't like that, but I will tolerate, or put up with it just to keep the peace." Uh. No, thanks! I don't want anybody to merely 'put up with me'. Either you love me, or you can get the Hell out. There are over 6 BILLION people on this planet. Trust me when I tell you that some are better matches than others, and there are great matches for everybody on the planet. Why the hell should I be around someone who is merely 'tolerant' of me, when that same space can be occupied by someone who LOVES to be in my world?
"Patient". I taught myself how to read music, and fairly well, if I might say so myself. I taught myself how to knit, and I am at a professional level. I also taught myself how to use the graphics programs "GIMP" and "Blender" (both are free downloads). People often tell me, "You must be patient!" In return, I state, "You don't know me very well, do you?" When they look at me a bit puzzled, I tell them, "Patience are for lazy people who sit around and wait for something to happen. PERSEVERANCE is the quality that someone has who 'gets things done. I have Perseverance, and anybody that knows me well enough can tell you that I am the least patient person they know!"
TO THE PICTURES! :
The World's Largest collection of Mosaic Art - you can see the folds in the disciples clothing, and the skin tones change in their faces / hands, and many other details, all depicted in mosaic tile. There is a museum in the basement that chronicles each step of this process, including the building of this magnificent building.
The Archdiocese of the Catholic Church / St. Louis
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
443 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108
The website:
http://cathedralstl.org/site/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
The St. Louis Cathedral Basilica Wikipedia entry :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Basilica_of_St._Louis
(Click on each pic for a larger view!)
To give you a general idea of the size and beauty of this space, there are 11,000 pipes from the pipe organ in the space behind this shot.
This is the first view you see when you walk through the front doors.
In 1912, installation of mosaics in the interior began. Completed in 1988, the mosaics collectively contain 41.5 million tesserae glass pieces in more than 7,000 colors. Covering 83,000 square feet (7,700 m2), it is one of the largest mosaic collections in the world, and is the largest in any church or cathedral.
More close-up detail of the mosaic art in this Cathedral. Please note that none of these colors are paint. Some of the mosaics are completed in the "Byzantine" fashion, and others are of Italian influence, but all are composed of tile - not paint.
The artists rendered this segment of the mosaic tile twice - once for the church, and once for the museum. It was recreated in whole, using the same techniques and materials as the one created for the church.
In the basement museum, there are several photographs of the artist(s) doing their magnificent work to complete this project.
After these tiles were set in mortar, and while the mortar was still wet, a small hammer was used to tap random corners of the tiles, to make them sit uneven in the mortar, to make the gold sparkle when viewed from our perspective.
Several shots of one of the 2 huge Rosette windows. I couldn't determine which shot I liked the best, so I will post them all.
The Cathedral has a large organ that was originally built by the Geo. Kilgen and Son, Inc. in 1915. Originally, the organ had two four manual (keyboard) organ consoles, one in the gallery with the organ, and another console behind the sanctuary. In 1946, Kilgen put a new organ into the Cathedral. The 1946 organ had 77 ranks of pipes, 14 of which came from the older organ. In 1948, an Echo Organ from Carnegie Hall, New York City was installed in the Cathedral. In 1984, the M. P. Moller organ company refurbished the organ.
In 1997 the Wicks Organ Company of nearby Highland, Illinois began a restoration project. They added more ranks of pipes, which brought the organ to 96 ranks of pipes. The company also added some digital stops to the organ. A new four manual organ console replaced the old Kilgen console behind the sanctuary, and the second gallery console was refurbished. Wicks also updated the organ's electronics.
In the winter of 2002 the gallery organ was expanded, and a new dome division of pipes was added to the organ. The final step in the project, the replacement of the original gallery console (and a smaller two manual console that took its place) with a five-manual console was completed in 2010. The Ragen Organ Console, named for its donor, Professor Brian Abel Ragen, was taken from St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City and completely restored. It is now possible to control every part of the organ from either the gallery console or the moveable sanctuary console.
This picture is the original Kilgen console, which was moved into the basement museum, and can be viewed by visitors.
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THE HINDU TEMPLE / ST. LOUIS, MO
The Hindu Temple's Website:
http://www.hindutemplestlouis.org/
Please click through the galleries! There are several Indian (India / Pakistani / Middle Eastern) restaurants in the St. Louis area. I don't know if this is a good thing / bad thing, but the proprietors of these restaurants know us (Mark & myself) personally! WE LOVE INDIAN & HARE KRISHNA FOOD!
Happy Adventures!
Remember: Free your mind - your ass will follow!
- Michael
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