Hell !

Anyone expecting a literary masterpiece about the eternal DAMNATION that awaits some of us in the life after death will be disappointed. This is just an Arb post and a little weird.

The sight of HELL (or for that matter HEAVEN) would be uncomprehendible for the human mind to process. However everyone has at some stage in their life imagined or have been told what HELL may look like and we have built up our own personal representations of it. Every faith on Earth has some version of Hell were the souls of the evil are damned to an eternity of suffering until they have paid for their sins and are forgiven by God. To the majority of the worlds population HELL is a very real concept where they live daily in situations that for the lack of a better description is HELL ON EARTH. God Bring peace and relief to these people.

Fire and Brimstone contantly raining down, burning wind swepped plains, the sky ablazed, rivers of boiling blood, demons, endless torture and the screams of the damned are what come to mind when we think of hell and its a scary thought. Hell has been portrayed in movies numerous times but for the most part they have been way off the mark. I think the version of Hell in the movie Constantine, was the best ive ever seen so far. Now the movie wasnt great but its portrayal of hell was the closest in my opinion to what Hell may look like.


The suffering of the Damned:



I know that this representation is a far cry from the truth which is probably a milion times worse but for me this may be as close as it gets. The human mind is feeble and we do things without thinking that there may be consequences. We try and do things in secret away from prying eyes so that we dont get caught but we can never escape the vision of God, you cant escape the Omnipresent so we will pay for our sins. However I pray for all that we never find out what it actually looks like in this world and the Hereafter.

John Constantine: Officially, I was dead for two minutes... but believe me, two minutes in hell is a lifetime.

Kuwabara, Kuwabara
The Lone Writer

Introspection where does it takes us

Introspection: - observation or examination of one's own mental and emotional state, mental processes, etc.; the act of looking within oneself.

Introspection is a uniquely human ability which separates us from animals and has been way of looking into an individual's mind through their experiences from the time of Socrates. However I do stand to be corrected by any of the 'lovely people" from PETA or any of the extremist tree hugging/ flower power/ hippie yahoo societies who think that animals are on par with us on every level(I am all for the protection of the environment and animals but some people take it abit too far).

Everyone has their own method of introspection and nobody can say that they havent at some time or the other done that. Introspection being a self examination is very subjective so it's debatable whether it really helps us in anyway because if we cannot recognize a potential problem how can we rectify it. If we manage to detach ourselves for just a moment we may be able to change for the better but only if we are open to the fact that we can be wrong and that it is normal to be wrong. Do we like who we have become? What are we becoming? How have we changed? How do we affect those around us? Questions like these can help us if we answer them truthfully and objectively.

Sometimes introspection can turn into a forensic dissection of ones entire life where we think back on all the things that could, should and would have happened had we done things differently. This in my opinion this is unhealthy and leads to Regret. Expanding on the philosophy Master Yoda, Regret leads to Depression. Depression leads to Fear. Fear leads to Anger. Anger leads to Hate. Hate leads to Suffering and the Dark side follows. It also leads to a very ego centric view of the life where people become desensitized to the fact that even though they may be feeling horrible they are not the only people suffering and that in the scheme of things there problems may be infinitesimal.

"No Regrets they dont work. No regrets now they only hurt" Robbie Williams - No Regrets

However unhealthy this may be (well in my opinion anyway) it does happen and I have fallen victim to this myself. This forensic dissection usually hits people at the worst possible time and actually compounds the problem at hand. Before you know it you cant remember what sparked this contemplation on the past in the first place. People start wondering had they taken a different road in life things may have been better and start asking questions like "Why did this happen to me?" or "What did I do to deserve this?" The answers to these questions don't seem apparent but only we can answer them.

Its amazing that this happens especially since we have been blessed with the power of choice and yet we still make the wrong decisions, or do we ?. What is the purpose of being able to choose if we regret the choices that we have made. Our choices whether bad or good have made us who we are today so why regret them when we should rather deal with the present and only learn from the past. The only reason we fall is to learn how to get up and this is what life is about.

I know its easier said than done trying not to think about "what if" but it doesnt help us and only makes us take for granted what we have presently. Introspection is good when it helps us deal with things and move on but its not when it just tears of the scabs of old wounds, allowing it to fester and become worse.

Kuwabara, Kuwabara
The Lone Writer

The Blogger Bug!

Now I have been blogging for a little over two months and im not the most prolific or intellectually stimualting blogger but together with my work and my love for blogging I'm afraid im going to turn into my friend here ---------------------------->
Sorry if it's abit gory but its really funny and true to the situation that most people who are studying or working find themselves in.I shall call him Bob, Hello Bob

I haven't blogged in more than a week due to my increasing workload and im already getting tremors! Now this may be an indication of my possible addiction to blogging or it may be a symptom of Parkinson's Disease, but the thrill of a new post, the enticipation of people commenting on my thoughts and the general freedom of voicing my opinion on a world wide forum makes having a blog worth it. Have I become a blog junkie or a blog extremist? What exactly am I?

Many of my friends wonder why in the blue hell do I blog? Why do I waste my time writing about things that most people don't give a damn about and only a handful read? I'll tell you why, its because In my opinion blogging is a theraputic experience which I throughly enjoy. Every single day during my studies I'm compelled to write in a formal and ordered way, and trust me I'm not very far away from Bob's heroics with the keyboard (well not exactly like that and im sure you get the point) but blogging gives me the authority to ramble about anything, whether it be coherent or not (well I hope its coherent). Blogging helps me relax, it calms the storm in my mind and gives me the ability to express myself on a platform which is global. Ofcourse I also relax through movies, music, games and going out with friends but sometimes I just have to write. Now this is by no way a paid for by Blogger post trying to indoctrinate people into using blogger in order to relax and no im not some yaahoo/hippie who has had abit of a bad week and is now advocating the virtues of blogology.

What do I intend to acomplish with ramblings? absolutely nothing, as far as im concern its my subjective opinion that has been tainted by my lifes experiences and my perpetual cynicism. If you don't agree with me there will be people who do, thats the beauty of writing there is always different opinions on the subject. If I offend, inspire or downright kill people through bad grammar and boring discourse than so be it whether it be through implication or fact.

People like me, and bob depending on how serious there keyboard injuries are will continue to expand the blog universe with useful tips and personal stories. The blogger bug has bitten me and I have a serious case of blogotitis (corny? yes I know) which I hope will continue for a while to come or atleast until PS3 comes out.

Kuwabara. Kuwabara
The Lone Writer

Proudly South African

A couple of days ago whilst I was checking my favourite blogs I came upon a comment which led me to a very disturbing blog. This blog which is written by a South African portrays South Africa as a vile and sick country, and tells it's South African readers that they should leave the country because it is going to the dogs. The disturbing thing is that this one sided negative view is shared by hundreds of South Africans that have commented on this blog.

I will be the first to say that South Africa is not by any stretch of the imagination a utopian society where people live in harmony and peace with each other. Everyday in the news you hear of murder, rape, robbery, corruption, abuse and other injustices and im afraid that we as a people have become completely desensitized to this madness. The rate and frequency of these events are increasing with each passing day and there seems to be no end in sight. Such is our plight that our homes have become private prisons, where we barricade ourselves from the outside world.

This is a grave and dire situation and we need to take stock of it but we shouldn't only focus on these negatives such as crime because crime is a global problem and not specific to South Africa. Rather we should take time to look at what makes this country the true democratic rainbow nation. We are a free people, freer than our grandparents ever dreamed. Black and White for generations were institutionalized to loathe each and this built a solid wall of prejudice and pre conceived ideas, but today these walls are crumbling and Black and White are working together to build a better nation which is free from the injustices of the past. South Africa stands out as a model for the world showing what can happen when people forget their differences and come together for a common goal.

The South African people are a sturdy bunch which has been plagued by all sorts of crimes and injustices for years whether it was during the apartheid era or now in the post apartheid South Africa. We came through the struggle against racism and oppression and we shall come through this current crime crisis. All we need is some initiative to face the problem head on instead of leaving this country or sitting around and merely complaining about it. We are her children and we owe it to her and to the Thousands that died to secure our future

When I hear our nation anthem my heart fills with passion and I feel a sense of belonging, a sense that I am apart of a truly wonderful nation. I am truly proud to be a South African.

Kuwabara, Kuwabara
The Lone Writer

A girl's best friend?

This is Interesting

Oxygen study says tech gender gap has closed; most women would choose a flat-screen TV over a diamond necklace.

Diamonds are no longer a girl's best friend, according to a new study finding that three-fourths of women would prefer a new plasma TV to a diamond necklace.The survey, commissioned by women-centric cable TV network , found that the technology gender gap has virtually closed, with the majority of women snapping up new technology and using it handily.

Women were found on average to own 6.6 technology devices, while men own 6.9, and four out of every five women felt comfortable using technology, with 46 percent doing their own computer troubleshooting.

"People make the assumption that women are not as advanced as men when it comes to technology, and I was surprised at the parity men and women now have, in terms of technology," Geraldine Laybourne, chairman and chief executive of Oxygen, told Reuters.

The "Women's Watch: Girls Gone Wired" survey of 1,400 women and 700 men ages 15 to 49, which was conducted by market researcher Teenage Research Unlimited, found that given the choice, women opt for tech items rather than luxury items like jewelry or vacations.

The study found that 77 percent of women surveyed would prefer a new plasma television to a diamond solitaire necklace, and 56 percent would opt for a new plasma TV over a weekend vacation in Florida

Even shoes lost out. The study found that 86 percent would prefer a new digital video camera to a pair of designer shoes.

Over the next five years, according to the study, women see themselves increasing their activities in six tech areas: digital cameras, cell phones, e-mail, camera phones, text messaging and instant messaging.

Laybourne said this increasing use of technology among women was expected to continue, with advertisers needing to ensure that they are addressing women's increased usage and knowledge.

"Women don't feel like they have been given credit for what they know and they are condescended to," Laybourne said.

Courtesy Of Reuters

Now I dunno if this is a good thing or a bad thing :)

Kuwabara, Kuwabara
The Lone Writer