A confusion of faith and one possible solution to happiness

albert einsteinI have faith in many things. I believe laughter is the best medicine and there’s nothing wrong with a good ol’ cry. I’m certain that life is worth fighting for and that if we all loved our neighbours there’d be a lot less wrong with the world. I believe it’s my paternal duty to try to leave Earth in a better shape for my boys than it is now. I also know that I can positively affect the big picture by concentrating on the small one. Each interaction we have in life, ripples.

I’ve got no idea if the Bible is fact or fiction – some aspects of it I find confusing and contradictory. Other aspects, like the fruitages of the spirit, are truly beautiful. Some theologians suggest the Bible is open to interpretation. Perhaps they’re right – it would be arrogant to think us mere mortals could understand God and all of his infinite wisdom. ‘God is love’. That is what the Bible says and perhaps that’s all we need to know. It makes it easier for me to believe in him anyway.

Someone who understood life a lot better than me and who seemed to have a much deeper understanding of faith than most wrote the following:

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the ‘Universe’ —a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts, and feelings, as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Einstein’s words are a blueprint to happiness. Cut and paste them into your own life and see what happens.

 

Jonathan K Benton.

A piece on laughter and my two ‘all-time’ favourite jokes – Jonathan K Benton

laughterCatch 22 is one of my favourite books. It’s also one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Colours and shades, tears and laughter. The saddest stories have the funniest scenes, as the author takes you on an emotional roller coaster.

Laughter saves lives – just ask the Clown Doctors. It pierces bubbles of sadness. It can also lift you up after hard times. Trust me, I know. I love getting the giggles, especially with my brother and sister. We think alike, you see. A simple look can summon uncontrollable laughter.

Laughter brings a sense of perspective to this crazy world. War might not exist if everybody could laugh just a little bit more. This Monty Python skit sums it up perfectly.

Sometimes laughing will be the last thing on your mind, but never forget how to, and try not to take yourself too seriously.

My two favourite jokes.

My cousin told me this ‘knock knock’ joke when I was five years old:

– Knock knock

– Who’s there?

– Bumblebee

– Bumblebee who?

– Bumblebee cold if you don’t pull your pants up.

The next joke was voted the second funniest of all time by a panel of experts. It’s my favourite:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson were going camping. They pitched their tent under the stars and went to sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night Holmes woke Watson up and said: “Watson, look up at the stars, and tell me what you see.”

Watson replied: “I see millions and millions of stars.”

Holmes said: “and what do you deduce from that?”

Watson replied: “Well, if there are millions of stars, and if even a few of those have planets, it’s quite likely there are some planets like earth out there. And if there are a few planets like earth out there, there might also be life.”

And Holmes said: “Watson, you idiot, it means that somebody stole our tent.”

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Let me know your favourite jokes, and please keep them clean.

Jonathan K Benton

Politics – it's a touchy subject. Jonathan K Benton

campbell newmanThe recent pay rises given to Queensland MPs is disgraceful. This is not an article about left/right politics. All sides of the political spectrum in Australia have, at one time or another, proven themselves inept. It’s easy for the opposition to declare that they’ll donate the increased portion of their salaries – until I see evidence that this is consistently happening then, to me, it’s just a political stunt.

Politicians are meant to serve the people. They are supposed to have strong wholesome ideals and an unwavering ability to do what’s right. Whatever way I look at it, and whatever side of the political spectrum my leanings might be, the pay rise ‘handed down by the independent commission’ (the pollies keep repeating this, as though it’s some sort of defence) is wrong. Cost of living is sky rocketing – good people who work long hours might not even receive a rise this year. The Queensland Government have made a bunch of people redundant in the name of saving money, and those public servants who managed to keep their jobs will be lucky to receive a 2 per cent pay rise.

Premier Newman’s 22 per cent pay rise (or 68k) is enough to put one more police officer on the street or another teacher in an overcrowded school. Surely he can live on his previous salary of 311k plus perks. Some might argue that we need to pay our politicians top dollar to attract the best. Politicians are already paid well, and I would like to believe most of them enter politics to make a difference. Or is money their only true motivator? If it is, we’re lost.

Writing tip – Show don’t tell.

Politicians need to learn this one too – in a different way. ‘Show don’t tell’ is writing 101. I found this link because I’m strapped for time. Read it and be reminded. Telling is okay, by the way. Sometimes it’s necessary to maintain pace. Just don’t ‘tell’ the important parts.

A Tale of Two Presidents – Jonathan K Benton

presidents

A Tale of Two Presidents

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of life-saving medical advancement, it was the age of life-taking weapons of mass destruction; it was the spring of freedom of choice, it was the winter of poverty and oppression. It was the weekend when a group of kids got together to celebrate my boy’s fifth birthday, it was the weekend when Vladimir Putin called Barack Obama to discuss World War Three.

You, me, us. We need to stop the shit so that every child on this planet can enjoy every birthday to a ripe old age.

party

 

Jonathan K Benton

 

 

 

 

Please note: Charles Dickens’s brilliant first paragraph in A Tale of Two Cities (read it here) kicks all other opening paragraphs out of the literary ball park.  His words are as a relevant today as they were 200 hundred years ago.

Sometimes it's important not to write – and my thought for the week. Jonathan K Benton

lonely writerWriting tip:

Yesterday was one of my most productive days yet, and I didn’t write a single word. I sat in a café with two extremely talented individuals discussing our respective manuscripts. Discussing ideas is important – I now have a fresh and exciting twist on a new demon world. One of my main protagonists has been dressed appropriately, taking into account her personality, and her needs. Parts of the dialogue will be strengthened too. A fresh set of eyes and a different perspective – these things are invaluable when writing a manuscript. Don’t be too precious about your work. Share ideas and the manuscript will grow.

 Thought for the week:

This is worrying. Click here. Many theories are disproven. Some theories become fact. Population is a problem. We don’t yet have the technology to support our burgeoning numbers. I believe we’ll work something out. We’ve proven ourselves to be remarkably resourceful, as the astronauts of Apollo 13 showed on their dramatic return to Earth. The fact they left Earth at all earns us a gold star in ingenuity. Let’s not wait until we’re forced to save ourselves, though. Let’s do something about it now.

 

Jonathan K Benton

Writing tip No. 2 and my thoughts for the week

once upon a timeMessy writing

Two weeks ago I enjoyed another exhausting day pouring through my half-finished manuscript with Joelene, the talented young woman helping me with my writing. I also had the pleasure of reading some of her own exciting work. She mentioned the term ‘messy writing’. I think it’s something all writers should know about. Messy writing makes the story believable. It’s the character driving the plot, rather than the protagonist being dragged along by a series of set pieces.

Example 1:

Barry loved taking his dog, Boof, for a walk. Boof needed a leash because he loved chasing other dogs. He liked chasing humans too. Then the leash broke forcing Barry to drive to the local pet shop. The pet shop had sold out. The owner suggested that Barry should make the trip to Sid’s Pet Bizarre in the next borough. Barry drove to the bizarre and bought a perfectly good leash.

Example 2:

Barry loved taking his dog, Boof, for a walk. Boof needed a leash because he loved chasing other dogs. He liked chasing humans too. Then the leash broke forcing Barry to drive to the local pet shop. The pet shop had sold out. The owner suggested that Barry should make the trip to Sid’s Pet Bizarre in the next borough. Frustrated that the pet shop had sold out of leashes, and knowing that a drive to the next borough would swallow a large part of  his day, Barry decided to ask his beautiful neighbour, Karen, if she had a spare leash. Karen loved dogs – she owned two huskies. Perhaps they could walk their dogs together.

In example two, Barry took matters into his own hand. He didn’t do what the pet shop owner suggested. He used his initiative. This opened up opportunity. Let’s hope Barry and Karen fell in love and lived happily ever after, until the end of time!

Messy writing takes the story in unexpected directions driven by the choices made by the protagonist. The protagonist’s personality should be considered when making these choices.

Thoughts for the week:

Ukraine. I still believe that most people want to live peacefully. Click here. Sometimes, however, it seems like humanity is self-destructing. Is it just the media, or are world leaders sabre rattling rather than throwing their collective wisdom into helping the citizens of Ukraine achieve a peaceful resolution? I’m sick of bullies – the people of Ukraine are suffering.

 

Roger Federer. Federer won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships last night. Check out this gorgeous Federeresque (surely this word deserves a place in the dictionary) drop shot. He makes it look so easy. Click here.

Thoughts for the week – a little jewel on writing too

climate changeWriting

Authors will likely stumble upon the phrase ‘unpacking a sentence’. I did recently. Writing can be arduous.  A lot of thought goes into a story. It’s easy to grow careless and write a sentence that ‘tells’ the reader something but doesn’t ‘show’ them much. I found this article that outlines how to unpack and transform dull, but necessary, text. If the text isn’t necessary, delete it. Click here.

Climate change

Global warming. We all know about it: ‘Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities,1and most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position’. This information is provided by NASA. Click here.

Some climate sceptics may hang onto the words ‘very likely’. They might say it doesn’t mean definitely. In fact they could somehow interpret these statistics to mean ‘definitely not’. If I went to 100 doctors, and after a rigorous physical examination 97 % of them agreed that I needed to take action or my health would deteriorate rapidly, I would take their advice. To use this analogy, some climate sceptics wouldn’t. Good luck to them.

Current Events that I found interesting

Rather than calling someone a ‘drug kingpin’, I prefer the term drug dealer. Let’s not rank the filthy scumbags. They’re all the same. Click here.

I love this article – perhaps humanity is truly beginning to realise that beauty definitely isn’t skin deep. The younger generation frequently nudges evolutionary changes in perception in the right direction. Well done, young’uns. You’ve got my vote. Click here.