"Life is like an art masterpiece, and yet so few stop to enjoy it”
-unknown author

If your life was a painting, what would it look like? What colors would prevail? Would it be abstract, impressionist, realistic, pop art? Is it still life or is it a defined image with a subtle background?

True, we may not all be Van Goghs and Picassos but we all hold the paints, brush, and blank canvas necessary to manifest out deepest expressive and conceptual intentions. motivated and stirred by our (and even possibly others) daily occurrences, we have the ability and talent to craft striking works of art with our individual strokes and shades. Every day we create new knowledge, skills, and experiences to attach to the final masterpiece.

It’s your challenge in life to make sure that the ultimate piece is as you see fit; if you’re not pleased with what you see on the canvas at this current point in time, it’s up to you to spice it up with something innovative and brand new, or to tone it down with some more subtle ‘tones’. You’re in command of the limitless color selection and styles sporadically splashed or meticulously streaked across the palette. You decide what actions to take, what hobbies to entertain yourself with, who to associate yourself with, and what experience you will pursue. Such choices will lead you toward the finishing work of genius you aspire to fashion.

Oftentimes, you don’t have any clue what the end result will be; and frequently, you’ll get aggravated at the process of finding what you hope for, what you deserve and what you really want. As a little word of relief though, don’t fret…no one honestly has a true clue of what we are doing. All you can do is enjoy the steps, frolic along the always winding paths, savor every experience, and take pleasure in ‘painting’ your masterpiece. As Danny Kaye once so brilliantly advised, “Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it you can.” And if that’s not enough to hearten you, always remember, "...godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come" (Timothy 4:8).

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

~Berthold Auerbach

Medics regularly claim that music can be a powerful healing aid with patients having any given issue ranging from depression to cancer. As stated by Cheryl Dileo, a professor of music therapy and director of the Arts and Quality of Life Research Center at Temple University in Philadelphia, “Music therapy is an evidence-based practice that can affect changes in physical, psychological, social and cognitive domains.” So does music really have the ability to touch us on a deep, subconscious level, and heal us in ways beyond how any physically medicinal treatment ever could?

Well since 1944, when its current form developed in the United States, music therapy has been researched and studied and many times over has proven to be a noteworthy mood-changer and reliever of tension and stress, functioning on many levels at one time. It is the medical and evidence-based application of music to achieve individualized objectives and to establish a healing relationship between patients and professionals. It has been shown to improve motor skills, social and interpersonal progress, cognitive growth, self-awareness, and spiritual enrichment. It is now considered an official health service categorized with occupational and physical therapy. Music therapy offers a chance for a reprieve from pain, anxiety and stress reduction usually accompanying sicknesses and disease, helps create positive transformations in both mood and emotional conditions.


Countless professionals propose that it’s the beat of the music that has the soothing effect on us even if we may not be entirely aware of it. Experts point out that when we were babies in our mothers’ wombs, we most likely were influenced by the heartbeat of our mother. We react to the calming music at later phases in life, conceivably relating it to the secure, comforting, protective atmosphere of the womb.

One of the initial stress-fighting changes that occur when we listen to a song is an increase in deep breathing. With this, the body's fabrication of serotonin also accelerates. Music has been found to decrease heart rates and to encourage higher body temperature - a sign of the beginnings of relaxation. Merging music with relaxation therapy has become a much more valuable tool in the world of medicine than simply exploiting relaxation therapy or medicinal treatments alone. As John A. Logan said, “Music's the medicine of the mind.”

"Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

In today’s society, cultural heritage is not restricted to material manifestations, like monuments and objects that have been preserved through the years. This idea also encompasses existing expressions and the traditions that myriad groups and communities all around the world have inherited from their ancestors and continue to pass on to their offspring lack This intangible cultural heritage is the mainspring of our cultural diversity and its upkeep is a security of our enduring creativity.

Through oral traditions and expressions, the performing arts, social practices such as rituals and festive events, traditional craftsmanship, and the transmission of knowledge and practices, our musical cultures continue to strive and keep alive the heritage of those before us. In this way, we are carrying on in their footsteps and keeping alive that which makes us who we are.

Music is constantly recreated from generation to generation and between changing/growing groups and communities. In response to environment, a groups’ interaction with nature, or their history, music gives a people a sense of identity, security, and permanence and promotes a true respect for differences and self-expression.

As times change, however, multiple aspects of the intangible cultural heritage behind the beauty of music is becoming more and more endangered, due to effects such as globalization and uniformity. The old appreciation and understanding of truly wonderful music seems to be morphing into some new form, certainly unrecognizable to me.

As a united culture, we need to realizethe purpose and truly priceless worth of cultural expressions and practices. Such elements have opened the door to new methods to the understanding, protection and respect of the cultural heritage of humanity (and it’s invaluable musical traditions). This living heritage provides every bearer of such wealth a sense necessity and meaning, insofar as he or she takes ownership of them and constantly recreates them. So in the words of pop singer Rhianna, “Please don’t stop the music”.

"Music speaks what cannot be expressed

soothes the mind and gives it rest

heals the heart and makes it whole

flows from heaven to the soul.”

-Unknown Author

Having been a concept since the beginnings of time, music is an expression of the pure essence of a person through the exploitation of various instruments and beats; whether you utilize what is typically defined as an instrument or merely slap your leg and clap your hands, music is an individual means of communicating one’s deepest emotions to the outside world.

With instrumental tunes, music is a way to “converse” without actually having to employ the too often baffling and exigent exploitation of the spoken word. And with lyrical melodies, musicians (meaning those average people who simply love to belt out a song, all the way to the professional artist signing a recording contract) anyone can articulate something they found just too tricky to plainly say in the standard day-to-day prose.

From culture to culture and person to person, music tastes vary drastically from strictly structured compositions to improvisational to those random pieces composed through the application of chance. Yet, somehow, from culture to culture, person to person, music has always been a way for people to connect; whether two people bond on a favorite band or disagree over a preferred genre, music is always a successful conversation generator. Oftentimes in a culture, the music of a people can even come to define who or what that society is. Ask anyone about New Orleans, Louisiana, and what genre is most frequently thought of? Most likely the response is Big Band blues and jazz. How about Latin America? Probably the reply will be salsa and meringue. And Jamaica? Reggae and Bob Marley certainly would pop up in my mind. To any given individual, music can be used to energize for the big game or to relax into a deep slumber. While a certain song may make one person weep in profound emotion, it could make another want to leap up and dance around in utter ecstasy.

In our everyday lives, music has become somewhat of a habitual tradition. The instant you turn on your television, every program and commercial is set to some jingle; when you go to a store there’s always music to hum along to as you peruse; go to the movies and there is a score for nearly every scene; go on the internet and an add pops up with a catchy beat. Music is a facet of life at every turn. So go ahead and sing along to the beat.

“Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.”

-John F. Kennedy

On March 20, 2003 the continuing conflict of the Iraq War, also referred to as Operation Iraqi Freedom or the occupation of Iraq, began with the United States-led invasion of Iraq by a multinational coalition made up of troops from the United States and United Kingdom and backed by smaller troops from Australia, Denmark, Poland, and other nations.

At the commencement of the conflict, officials stated reasons for the invasion to be as follows: in concern of the Iraqi people and the abuse of their rights under a failing government, to extend democracy, and for the protection and securing of Iraqi oil reserves. And in his pre-election State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush elucidated on his key reasons for occupying Iraq, stating that Saddam Hussein had supposed "weapons of mass destruction-related program activities" (WMDRPA). They were buried everywhere... And any day now, proof of such weapons is bound to turn up somewhere, right?

The Bush administration’s grounds for the Iraq War have faced weighty criticism from innumerable sources both within and outside of the U.S. As stated by the Center for Public Integrity, President Bush’s administration made a total of 935 false statements between 2001 and 2003 about Iraq’s supposed risk to the U.S.; in only two years, the administration in control of our country (and, essentially, our lives) made nearly a thousand slip-ups. Now I don’t know about all of you out there, but that sure makes me feel just oh so pleasantly safe and sound. Both advocates and adversaries of the occupation have also condemned the actions of the war effort along a number of other lines. Most notably, proponents have attacked the Bush administration for not assigning enough troops to the mission, while opponents have assailed the administration for not efficiently preparing and planning for the problems that would undoubtedly be posed in a post-war zone Iraq and for allowing (and oftentimes even being the cause of) insidious human rights exploitations. As the war continues, critics have also found both lofty human losses and soaring financial costs to be a topic of highly-legitimate concern.

An estimate of the number of people killed varies from over 150,000 to more than 1 million in all. The financial cost of the war has been over $845 to the United States alone, and more than $9 billion to the United Kingdom and other nations. As of yet, total costs to the United States economy are estimated to be at around $3 to $5 trillion. Talk about being in debt, eh? I definitely don’t see the U.S digging themselves out of this hole any time soon.

Personally, I do not see what people deem as “success” happening anytime soon in this war effort. Yes, it is true that we have accomplished some of our goals such as removing the Saddam Hussein from power, giving aid to Iraqis in need, and securing the nation’s oil fields; at this point, however, I think the Bush administration has covered their eyes and ears to the screams of the people and is now more concerned in protecting their foreign interests in the oil industry. The Bush administration has to take a step back and really decipher the catastrophe that has been fashioned from this war. Too many lives have been lost, too much money has been wasted, and there are too many other local problems that should be taken care of at home in the U.S. before we take on the troubles of our neighbors (although it’s a little late to go back on our word and abandoning the chaos we’ve created in Iraq). If we don’t terminate this conflict soon, it will undoubtedly only escort us to an existence of yet more misery and obliteration.

"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."
-Samuel Johnson

Not everyone is as optimistic as the feelings expressed in my previous post, however,when speaking of patriotism.

Advocates of "patriotism as the last refuge of a scoundrel" believe such a theory not because there is no such thing as genuine patriotism, but more owing to the fact that its meaning and utilization tend to get obscured with all of the garbage out there on the topic. More often than not, people appeal to patriotism to justify principles that they can't reasonably support by any other means.

It is my belief that patriotism is an “allegiance” (if I may) to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one deems (in their personal opinion) to be the finest (for their particular situation) in the world but which most have no wish to force upon others. When defined as “a love for and dedication to one’s country”, patriotism can only work to make us stronger as a united nation.

The national government may have the ability to speak for a country but it is the duty of a nation's citizens citizens to speak out when convinced that their country is following a foolish or unjust action. One must not conform to all of government’s policies and actions simply because they are the norm.

I consider true patriots to be those individuals willing to fight against those who pilot us (the people) down a slippery slope to losing liberty, those brave enough to fight for what’s right for the people when the government has no clue. Others are only the cowards who follow the path of least resistance and naively assume that all is well.

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.

-Mark Twain

At one time, patriotism meant possessing the enthusiasm and courage to challenge government rules and regulations regardless of fashionable opinion. Today, though, the meaning of patriotism has become a vague subject.

Americans like to think of themselves as patriotic. Women and men, old and young, rich and poor, whites and blacks, urbanites and farmers: nearly everyone agrees that they are “patriotic”.

But really how frequently do you hear someone actually elucidate on what they mean when they pronounce themselves as patriotic. The meaning of patriotism has always been somewhat of a moving target. It has different connotations for different people at different periods throughout history. It is ceaselessly open to reinterpretation, and has been a loaded term called upon to make the case for a variety of issues such as military sacrifice, unity and opposition, inclusion and exclusion, anti-Communism, anti-Catholicism—the list could go on and on.

To some patriotism merely signifies a love and dedication to one's country, being strictly devoted to something and trying to do what is good and right. Patriotism doesn’t necessarily need to imply that we are superior to everyone else; it just means that we are extremely proud of what we as a nation have accomplished and that we have no plans of giving any of it up. It is understood that most of us wish for “world peace”, but furthermore the recognition that there are also those few who want to do us harm and that we must guard ourselves and protect each other from such confused people. As patriots, we are aware that our liberties come with responsibilities and, if necessary, we must defend those rights.

Patriotism does not have to entail nationalism; it is not a religion, nor is it politics. It isn’t limited by time or space, and (although often depending on the subtext) has no correlation to individual gain or personal pain. It is a feeling, a sense of a bond with, and a love for something that is, at once, both deeply your own and legitimately of equal value to all. True patriotism is a piece of one’s soul and one’s conscience, a sense of belonging to something greater than one’s self.