România este extremista
Da, traim intr-o tara extremista. Vedem si auzim extremism peste tot… pe strada, la televizor(cine se mai uita), la radio(cine mai asculta), in ziare(cine dracu le mai cumpara…probabil de-aia le gasim gratis la metrou), pe net(mai ales), pe telefonul manelistului de serviciu din tramvai. Suntem inconjurati de extremisti. Ce sunt extremistii? John Cleese ne explica :
Daca nu observi nici o asemanare intre descrierea de mai sus si oamenii din jurul tau inseamna ca esti “unul de-al lor”.
Your worst nightmare
You had it all. Friends, family, wealth, health… The ground was fertile for the seeds of success. Life was worth living. Every breath of fresh air was the best thing that ever happened to you. Everywhere you looked you could see only pretty faces smiling, people wanting to shake hands with you, kids looking at you with curiosity and admiration, rivals with envy in their eyes, old people with compassion and good will…
Then life bitch slapped you. You got sick. Very sick. Then you healed. But the scars were deep and after you healed… you were not the same. Well, of course you were the same… inside your head. But on the outside, in other peoples’ heads you were not. The smiles turned into tears or sad faces or arrogant laughs. Good will and compassion turned into indifference. No matter how much you shouted “hey you motherfuckers it’s still me, what’s wrong with you???”…you would get the same answer… you were tagged, labeled, dubbed “obsolete”, trapped in a vicious circle of prejudices. And you knew in the back of your head that it all made sense in a way. You knew that before your little “accident” you were just a worthless snob that played with peoples’ feelings using your glamor and sex appeal. You were empty on the inside… no substance, no significance. You had nothing to show but superficial appearances. People despised you for that. But your pure and innocent appearance counter weighted their contempt and the result was just a fragile balance on which you could rely… until now. Oh you fool… if only you knew what was coming to you. If only you changed while you had the chance.
As time went by it was becoming clearer and clearer that there is no way back and no way out of this mess. You were stripped naked of your fancy suit and now all your rotten filth was exposed for the whole world to see, judge and reject. All you could think of was the good days, when you still had a chance, when doors were not being slammed in your face. Looking ahead, all you could see was darkness, uncertainty and pain… lots of pain. There was nothing that could fill this void. You had to face it, look deep into it and get used to it. There was no freedom for your thoughts. You were trapped somewhere between meaningless dreams and unsatisfied desires.
You started questioning your sanity. “Am I going mad?” you said to yourself. You started to think about how much time you got left. “Am I dying slowly? Will I die young? Will society kill me for being unfit?” And then IT hit you… rage, fury, boundless hate for everything that is born, that grows, that lives and then dies. “Who are you to decide my fate? Who are you to decide my fitness?” you said to the world. “I don’t need you! I don’t need anybody! I can be whatever I want, whoever I want, whenever I want! I don’t care what you all think or say!” And after all this ruthless rant against the world you would grow tired and lay down. You knew that there was no one there to listen. You knew that you were talking to yourself. But at least you made a point. Not a very strong one, but one that would help you look forward, beyond the deadly void and maybe find some new hope.
Fueled by this new hope, you started to look around with cold eyes, you started to observe, analyze and draw conclusions. You tried to make sense of everything and maybe find a way to change things according to your will. You became ambitious and hard working. You inspired people with your views and attitude. Your innovative and energetic way of dealing with things crossed cultures as you traveled around the world. For the first time in your life you felt like you were going somewhere, fueled by this strange energy that seems to come out of nowhere.
After some time, you started making your checks and balances. After you drew the line the result was grim. You realized that all your achievements were mere failed attempts to create something of questionable utility. All the people that you have inspired were uncompetitive mediocre losers and yes-men guided in life by greed and an almost mechanical survival instinct. You had no friends just acquaintances, no achievements just failed attempts, no hopes just illusions. You were back from where you started. The void was starting to show up again at the horizon. You resisted it again with the same rage and fury that got you this far in the first place. You started to blame society and nature for the wicked and random ways in which peoples’ fates are decided. You wanted to use radical means to change the world into an idealistic place where every dream can be materialized. But at the same time you knew that such attempts have been tried before and have generated countless numbers of innocent victims and world wide conflicts. You knew that the peaceful world you were living in still recalled the horrors of its dreadful past and that it would reject anything that would even seem to be radical. You couldn’t change it by peaceful means and you didn’t have the power to do it forcefully. You could only dream of that post apocalyptic scenery in which civilization is destroyed and everything would have to be rebuilt from scratch. Only then would you have a greater chance of prospering and fulfilling your ideals. But doom’s day would not come by itself… not without your help. You wanted to destroy the world as we know it. You wanted to make world destruction plans that would fulfill your sick dream of rebuilding the world from its ashes and make it just the way you like it. At the same time, memories from your childhood came to your mind. You remembered all the comics that you used to read, all the movies that you used to watch, all the news about murders and rapes and wars and genocide. You remembered all the bad guys… the killers, the rapists, the terrorists, the evil dictators. You remembered how you used to wonder about how all these bad guys became so bad in the first place. And then it came to you that you were turning into one of these guys yourself. You realized that all you had to do to understand them was to look back at your own life. You were sad and confused… you saw yourself forced to become what you always feared of becoming. You realized that you have turned into your worst nightmare.
Despre mine
Salut! Ma numesc Tiberiu si sunt o alta persoana in fiecare zi. Asta inseamna ca ceea ce scriu acum despre mine s-ar putea sa nu fie valabil maine sau poimaine sau altadata. Viata nu mi-a oferit prea multe dar nici eu n-am oferit prea multe vietii asa ca suntem kit…intr-un fel…cred. Imi place frumusetrea fara mister(adica nu-mi place kitschul – merci pentru definitie Stefan), imi place aventura, imi place sa caut chestii, sa dezleg mistere, sa rezolv probleme, sa schimb pareri si mentalitati, sa-mi schimb parerile si mentalitatile, imi place sa iubesc sincer, pe moment si in felul meu propriu, fara sa emulez povesti de dragoste adolescentine, imi place sa fiu eu insumi dar imi place sa si inteleg oamenii, imi plac femeile frumoase dar si femeile mai putin frumoase care imi pot face viata mai frumoasa, imi place natura, imi plac copacii, verdeata, pasarile, animalele, cerul, norii, stelele, imi plac cartofii prajiti, ciorba de vacuta, supa de fasole verde si mancarurile asiatice. Nu-mi place sa sufar fara rost, nu-mi place sa-i fac pe altii sa sufere fara rost, nu-mi place sa-i vad pe altii suferind fara rost, nu-mi place ipocrizia, nu-mi plac orgoliile nemasurate, nu-mi place forta bruta, nu-mi plac ideile fixe si mentalitatile limitate, nu-mi place minciuna, nu-mi place salata de boeuf, nu-mi place sushi. Vreau sa iubesc, apoi sa schimb lumea, apoi sa mai iubesc putin, apoi sa schimb din nou lumea, apoi iar sa iubesc si asa mai departe. Nu sunt nici roman, nici european, nici ploiestean, nici prahovean, nici bucurestean, nici taran, nici orasean, nici ortodox, nici catolic, nici crestin, nici musulman, nici budist, nici ateu, nici agnostic, nici liberal, nici democrat, nici lebral-democrat, nici social-democrat, nici socialist, nici comunist, nici fascist, nici national socialist, nici nationalist, nici patriot, nici materialist, nici spiritualist, nici existentialist, nici naturalist…eu sunt Tiberiu, incantat de cunostinta 
I want to help
Nimic si nimeni nu este perfect. Dar orice si oricine este perfectibil. Am citit undeva chestia asta : idealurile sunt ca stelele, s-ar putea sa nu le atingem niciodata dar ne pot calauzi in viata. Da, sunt un idealist…dar unul moderat, cu simtul masurii. Ma uit atent pe cerul noptii si vaslesc impotriva curentilor inselatori. Vreau sa iti ofer ceva frumos. Vreau sa te ajut sa gasesti ceea ce iti doresti. Dar pentru asta am nevoie de ajutorul tau. Priveste atent in jurul tau si adanc inauntrul tau si incearca sa vezi ceea ce altii nu pot sa vada. Apoi spune-mi ce ai vazut pana reusesc sa vad si eu. Apoi spune-mi ce iti doresti. Iar eu iti voi spune unde sa cauti.
Părerea mea
Opiniile nu fac rău nimănui. Unii ar spune că efectul pe care anumite opinii îl au asupra maselor poate genera nelinişte socială, ură inter-etnică, inter-rasială etc. Drept urmare ei considera că opiniile în sine sunt periculoase şi că este necesară o oarecare reţinere(sau chiar o abţinere totala) în exprimarea sinceră a propriilor opinii dacă acestea ating nişte subiecte “sensibile”. Cu alte cuvinte, dacă nu ne convine efectul hai sa combatem cauza. Ei bine, exprimarea opiniei în sine nu este cauza neliniştilor sociale generate ci poate fi văzuta mai degrabă ca un “catalizator” al unui proces mai complex care are la baza manipularea, lipsa de educaţie şi lipsa de responsabilitate.
De exemplu : dacă o mulţime furioasă linşează un individ X pentru ca el este de acord cu o opinie a individului Y, nu este de vină mulţimea furioasa ci individul Y pentru că şi-a exprimat o opinie cu care a fost de acord X, deci hai să-l cenzurăm pe Y ca să nu mai avem victime ca X…cam asta e mentalitatea maselor din ziua de azi. Şi asta pentru că din sistemul lor de valori lipseşte un lucru esenţial : responsabilitatea pentru propriile fapte…adică, în concepţia lor, nu sunt eu vinovat pentru că l-am linşat pe X, este de vina Y pentru ca a vorbit prostii şi “m-a făcut” să fac ceea ce am făcut.
Fiecare individ este responsabil pentru propriile sale fapte…nu este cinstit, corect şi logic să arunci vina pe o opinie(oricât de radicală ar fi ea) pe motiv că ea a determinat anumiţi oameni să comită anumite fapte. Vina trebuie aruncată pe lipsa de responsabilitate şi de educaţie transmisă din generaţie în generaţie de către părinţii indiferenţi.
Not giving a fuck
‘Not giving a fuck’ or ‘fuckitol antidepressants’ is a clever way of being happy by giving your best shot at life and not giving a rat’s ass about what people think about it. Pain is gain and gain is pain, you do what you have to do, you do it your way not someone else’s way. Just like Sid Vicious did…dumb bloody fucker…he got the best of it…
My review of Twitter
I have been using twitter for some time now and, although it hasn’t changed my lifestyle in a spectacular way, it gave an interesting touch to my online experience and looks like a promising internet paradigm for the future.
*Features*
The most common question that people ask about twitter is : What is it good for? At a first glance it looks like a cheap web-based rip off the old fashioned IRC. The equivalent of the IRC channels would be the # topics. But at the same time it has some blog-like features. The “twitts” that you post don’t have to belong to a certain topic and they are available for everyone to see. But if your profile is private then only the authorized followers can see your twits. And this gets us to another feature that we’ve seen in social networking applications like FaceBook, MySpace and the like : followers and people we are following. And another original feature is that twitts are limited to only 140 characters(the maximum length of an SMS message) to allow people to post twitts from their cellphones, thus making twitter a international SMS hub. But, the question is still standing : what is it good for?
Well my answer would be : it depends on what you want to do. All that twitter is doing is giving you some simple tools and, at same time, forcing you to use your creativity to come up with something useful and interesting to do with them. I decided to classify the uses of twitter into two main categories : collective and personal.
*Uses of twitter*
Collective uses come into play when more than one person is involved in the use of twitter. And these persons have to interact using twitter. The 140 character limit is forcing you to be as concise as possible when you phrase your ideas(although you can sneak in a link to a page with a richer content). This conciseness guarantees a fast interchange of ideas. No more introduction-content-ending patterns…just a few words and you know what everything is about. Squeezing your ideas in just a few words can also be a good exercise of communication which could help you improve your writing skills by being more expressive. This limitation can also be an advantage for advertising. Just a “magical” combination of words plus a shortened link to your site and you got it made. You decide the end, twitter offers the means.
Personal uses come into play when only one person uses twitter for his/her own personal benefit. One use i have thought of is to use twitter as a personal “thought tracker”. Each twit is a recorded thought(or mood or feeling or whatever) at a moment in time. Keeping track of your thoughts can be very helpful. If something is wrong with the way you are living your life you can always look back to your past thoughts and try to figure out when your life started to take a wrong turn and what you can do to get back to that crossroad in time. If things are going great in your life and you want to know where you are headed in the near or far future, you can always look back in time and do some planning for the future based on your past experiences. As Steve Jobs once said in a speech at Stanford University : “connects the dots looking backwards “. And, of course, you can also keep track of other things like : your weight, your daily spending, your productivity at work, your stress level, the distances you cover while jogging…you name it. And if you want this data to be private you make your account private.
Another use I have thought of is to use twitter as a bookmark manager. You make a twit containing a shortened link followed by a short(and suggestive) description of the site and you have a bookmark. To separate bookmarks from other data that you’re keeping track off you can use topics. For example I can use #BookmarksOfTibi as a topic containing all the bookmarks that i want to save.
These were just a few examples that I have thought of. There can be as many uses as there are people using twitter. And this is the new thing that twitter brings to the online world : stimulating user creativity not only to generate content but also possible uses. Give the users some simple features, give them some examples on how to use them and then let them figure out what other uses they can find by mixing these features. And to make things even better, the guys at twitter offer you an API with which you can develop you own twitter-based applications if you’re the nerdy type.
*The future of twitter*
Although it’s still not clear to me how twitter is making any profit, we can safely assume that it has made the first giant step into becoming a successful online business by gathering a large audience of enthusiastic users. From here on the possibilities are endless(well…almost)… advertising, software patents, consulting, paid features, joint ventures etc. But these things can only be possible if people continue using it. And because I am a fervent opponent of blind conformism and manipulation, I encourage people not to use twitter because it’s “cool” or because “other people use it”(including celebrities), instead use it to see if it’s worth using, to see if it suits your needs and to see if you can come up with new ideas of using it that might be useful to other people as well. To sum it all up in a single sentence : It’s just a tool!
Vise
Rareori avem ocazia sa percepem adevarul la toate nivelele fiintei noastre, in viata de zi cu zi, cand “galagia” cotidiana ne orbeste, ne ameteste si ne arunca intr-o transa consensuala, intr-o inchisoare a epocii in care traim. Numai atunci cand visam atingem acel nivel de relaxare si in acelasi timp de concentrare asfel incat sa putem face un bilant calitativ si cantitativ al zilelor, saptamanilor si anilor care au trecut. Binteinteles ca nu toti pot interpreta obiectiv acest bilant. Unii il pun in seama supratanuralului interpretand visul ca pe un mesaj din partea unei inteligente superioare sau a destinului. Altii il arunca in sfera nonsensului neacordandu-i nici o atentie. Eu intotdeauna gasesc conotatii si denotatii ale experientelor trecute in visele pe care le am. Insa adevarata “putere” pe care o au visele este de a readuce in foreground acele experiente care au ramas uitate in memoria de lunga durata sau in background. Aceste mici detalii sunt redate cu o asemenea fidelitate si intensitate incat timpul pare sa stea in loc pentru cateva momente, apoi sa-si inverseze sensul de desfasurare si sa ne poarte inapoi spre acel moment in care s-a petrecut ceea ce visam. Si dupa ce ajungem acolo, ne amintim alte detalii care fac referiri la alte momente din viata noastra care la randul lor fac alte referiri…iar acest lant al referirilor continua punand in desfasurare un scenariu aparent misterios care se deruleaza pana in momentul in care ne trezim.
I am something else
Privesc adanc inauntrul fiintei mele si nu gasesc nimic…decat o liniste cutremuratoare. Faptele nu imi mai spun nimic. Cifrele nu imi mai spun nimic. Totul tace si se petrece in tacere.
In ultima vreme m-am distantat foarte mult de semenii mei. Nu stiu sigur daca am facut-o in mod voit sau involuntar, dar cu fiecare zi care trece pe langa mine devin din ce in ce mai sigur ca nu prea mai exista cale de intoarcere. Sa imbratisez mediocritatea doar ca sa am cu cine bea o bere…e un pret prea mare. Tot aud in jurul meu ca daca nu savurezi placerile vietii e ca si cum ai fii mort. De parca daca tanjesti mecanic dupa aceleasi si aceleasi placeri marunte toata viata esti mai viu…
De cand suntem mici mancam acelasi rahat zi de zi, ora de ora. Trebuie sa faci ceva cu viata ta…adica sa te casatoresti, sa intemeiezi o familie, sa torni cateva odrasle, sa te indatorezi pentru urumatorii 30-40 de ani ca sa locuiesti intr-o casa frumoasa si dupa ce mori sa le lasi plozilor tai drept mostenire un teanc gros de facturi neplatite. Frumos vis. Cu totii ne dorim sa ajungem acolo…dar e greu, e foarte greu! Sunt multe etape peste care trebuie sa trecem si timpul zboara prea repede. Trebuie sa facem ceva, orice. Nu putem lasa un asemenea paradis sa ne scape printre degete.
La inceput ii uram, nu le suportam moacele pline de lacomie si in acelasi timp de speranta. Eram si eu unul dintre ei si ma uram pe mine insumi chiar mai rau decat ii uram pe ei. Simteam putreziciunea din sufletele lor dar nu reuseam sa o vad clar, sa o identific, sa o inteleg pentru ca in final sa o resping in mod rational, argumentat. Daca vrei sa urasti un lucru cu rost trebuie sa-l intelegi mai intai. Altfel ura devine difuza si se poate indrepta impotriva cui nu trebuie. Energia aia vitala care le era pompata prin vene alimenta o masinarie conceputa gresit din start. Am cunoscut ipocrizia si patetismul in cele mai variate forme. Am vazut oameni in cele mai josnice si revoltatoare ipostaze…cu chipurile smerite, cateodata cu un zambet pervers in coltul gurii de parca erau imuni la orice repros, la orice intrebare incomoda care le-ar putea fi pusa. De multe ori mi-am dorit sa-i crap unuia teasta sa vad si eu cum arata un creier alterat.
Vad oameni care plang la filme despre sfarsitul lumii. Vad oameni care sufera din dragoste sau care se emotioneaza cand asculta manele pe telefon fara casti. Vad copii care se roaga de parinti sa le cumpere un bilet la concertul lui Salam.Vad afise electorale cu injuraturi sau stropite cu smoala, coji de seminte in tramvai si pungi de aurolac trantite in mijlocul soselei. Vad femei nebune in statia de metrou care tipa si repeta frenetic aceleasi cuvinte. Ma vad pe mine in mijlocul lor…
Totul se intuneca si ma inchid tot mai mult in mine. Privesc cu ochi de gheata durerea si suferinta altora. Imi vad de banda mea de drum si calc in picioare tot ce-mi iese in cale. Zilnic ma uit in oglinda si ma intreb…”Cine esti tu?!?”. Nu ma mai recunosc. Ma schimb, ma transform, ma metamorfozez dureros in…altceva. Ceva mai bun sau mai rau? Nu stiu…timpul va raspunde la intrebarea asta.
Mărturisire
Aveam planuri mai pentru blogul ăsta. Speram să pornesc o adevărată revoluţie a gândirii. Şi nu una cu pietre, gloanţe şi cocktailuri Molotov sau, eu ştiu, cu huiduieli, atacuri la persoană şi înjurături. Ci una cu idei, imagini, sunete, cuvinte care să le arate oamenilor ce este în neregulă cu tot ce se petrece în jurul nostru şi ce am putea face pentru a trăi într-o “lume mai bună”(voi explica în alt articol la ce mă refer când spun asta).
DAR, navigând pe internet printre bloguri, forumuri, reţele sociale şi alte siteuri de genul ăsta , am observat cu sunt destui oameni care mi-au cam luat-o înainte… lucru care nu mă deranjează în mod deosebit ba din contră, mă mulţumeşte şi îmi dă un sentiment de uşurare pentru ca am fost scutit de un efort considerabil. Aşa că în loc să-mi etalez eu de unul singur înţelepciunea mea nemărginită în acest spaţiu virtual al meu, am să enumăr în continuare câteva linkuri către spaţiile virtuale ale unor oameni care “mi-au luat vorba din gură” şi cărora le mulţumesc pentru că au verbalizat cum nu se putea mai bine ceea ce eu gândesc şi intuiesc de ani de zile :
Regulile polemicii civilizate – un articol necesar;
Logical fallacies – in traducere, greseli de argumentare;
Despre nesimţire – psihologia nesimţirii;
Manifestul deprimist – agresiune şi digresiune -un articol despre cum ar trebui percepută literatura şi arta în general în societatea contemporană;
Jurnalul răului – un exemplu de literatură contemporană;
Serialul căcat – un “serial” dedicat fenomenelor paranormale;
De asemenea mai menţionez şi câteva canale de youtube care merită vizitate :
Thunderf00t
potholer54
cdk007
ZOMGitsCriss
Voi mai actualiza lista pe măsură ce găsesc lucruri noi şi interesante.
