in the beginning was the word

published in 2014 on my tumblr In the beginning was the Word is probably one of the few phrases of the Bible that I wholeheartedly believe. I do not doubt for a minute that words have the power to shape the world and that it was words that have always done so. Words that have struck a chord, that have lighted a spark, that have lit up inspiration, have brought about enlightenment or unleashed fear – but always words. And it is always words that shape who we become as people – or lack thereof. It is the praise, the scolding, […]

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the prick of envy (and its side effects)

published in 2014 on my tumblr I learned early on what the prick of envy feels like. It feels like a rose thorn. It was at the end of first grade, I was merely seven and driven by that insane need to perform and outperform and not disappoint, so I had come out top of the class. And during the year end ceremony, the teacher had me stand in the front row because of that, which promptly made the girl behind me prick me with the thorn of a rose in her bouquet. So another layer was added to my […]

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the fucks i give

published in 2014 on my tumblr Sadly, the above photo is just wishful thinking. Nope, I do not have any kinky fantasies involving nuns, not even hotter looking ones than the granny there. I do have a really hot fantasy of myself not giving a flying fuck though. Figuratively speaking, of course, for there are also some fantasies about giving a flying fuck, literally speaking. Major chapter in the Great Book of Obvious coming up: all the stupid mental torment that doesn’t let me sleep at night is pretty real, but also pretty made up – by me, my stupid […]

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no pain like this body

published in 2014 on my tumblr I know that virtually every human being that walked this earth since self-awareness is in trend has probably had some sort of issue with the shell they carry around. No one is ever fast, beautiful, tall, short, slim, strong enough, everyone has had the wrong type of hair or color of eyes at some point. What might have been an issue of survival or mating once, is now a major source of emotional distress and anxiety more than anything else. It seems that the more science and evolution free us from the constraints of environment, […]

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rewiring

published in 2014 on my tumblr According to my rather modest but usually accurate knowledge of psychology (actually, it’s more like an intuitive grasp), the story goes like this: once you identify that you have been programmed to act, think and feel a certain way through education, and even more, when you recognize when and how it happened, you perceive the mechanisms of your own social conditioning. Then you are actually in a position to consciously distance yourself from that training. You can knowingly choose to behave otherwise than ingrained. You can trust your reasoning without second-guessing it, dismissing your […]

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adrift

published in 2014 on my tumblr Some might argue that it is too early for me to be old and they might be right. On the other hand, thirty two might as well be halfway to death, for all I know. And when you’re halfway there, you’re usually not livin’ on a prayer, as the song goes, but rather living at a good point in time to look back, draw a line and check the direction you’re heading in. There are lucky people out there who can nod smugly and keep moving in the same direction. There are less lucky […]

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shadows of fear

fear

published in 2014 on my tumblr I have been living in the shadow of fear my entire life. It sounds like a truism and maybe it is. It also sounds a bit cliché and I suppose it is that, as well. I’ve had a good childhood and a good life. I still do. I have a loving family, I have great friends and a good job. I earn well, I get to travel and go to concerts and read good books and everything is swell. And still, the shadow looms. It creeps in at night and echoes my every thought. […]

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i want to reach out and touch the flame

It seems like a lifetime ago that I first discovered music through the blessing that was at that point in my life MTV. In many ways, it *is* several lifetimes ago. Like it happened to another version of me. It was a cultural shock of sorts. It not only blasted at me the music and videos of some legendary artists. For many aspects, it was also the first contact I had with the way life was happening for teenagers that had not grown up behind the Iron Curtain. Accepting and embracing wildly different world views is not that hard at […]

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don’t bend; don’t break; baby, don’t back down

If I were to improve just one thing about myself… That is one of those uncomfortable self-assessment questions that I hate. Because in order to truly answer it, you must look in a really unpleasant mirror. Most of the times, I single out my willpower for the “needs urgent improvement” award. But now that I think of it, it is not really that. I can get my act together, if I find sufficient reason to do so. My real issue is that it’s just a bright blaze that burns out quickly. I am not a long distance runner. I want […]

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