Power and the right to wield it

Two sides of the same coin, when it comes to the question of wielding
power:
1. Can you do it?
2. Should you do it?

While they are not mutually exclusive, they're not always inclusive
either. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.
Just because you should do something doesn't mean you can.

One is a question of ability.

Can you do it? Are you physically capable of performing a feat? Are
you able to perform that action without fear of reprisal?

The other is a question of judgement and morality.

If you perform said action, what is likely to happen? Is it morally
and ethically right to do it?

In the end, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you
should.

Walls

Do you ever get the feeling that no matter how much you push and push,
the walls that surround you won't give in?

Inevitability.

That's what it's all about. The french say "c'est la vie".
Americans proclaim "shit happens". Axl Rose proclaimed
"welcome to the jungle".

The immovable object.

Frustration eats at you from the inside. It's a force of self-defeat.
Much like the serpent that swallows its own tail. Evil feeds on
itself. Frustration feeds on you, its ironic origin.

So now what?

You push and push and push...

...and nothing gives.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, right?
Wrong. It's a straight line only if that line can be traversed.

Don't push.

Many of the martial arts advocate circular movements. You don't meet
force with force. You absorb. You redirect. You avoid.

Go around the wall.

Fading taillights

Last night, as I watched you drive away in your Accord, I had a sudden flashback. A white Ford Probe disappearing into the distance, red taillights gleaming in the midnight darkness. Red taillights...

A word on the WTC tragedy

The WTC tragedy was definitely an eye opener for me. No, I didn't lose
anyone. Nobody I know was hurt or killed. In fact, it barely affected
my directly at all.

However, one point it did bring to my mind was the transient nature
of life.

Here I am complaining and whining because I broke up with my
girlfriend. Look around! Look at all the thousands who have just lost
their loved ones. I can always pick my butt off the ground and get a
new girlfriend (OK, easier said that done). But those who lost
friends and family, they will never be the same. You can't just find
another father or brother or mother or sister. You simply cannot
replace that kind of loss.

For those of you who lost friends and family, my heart is with you.
There's not much else I can do to ease your pain.

And for everyone, appreciate those around you. They won't be around
forever.

A word on breaking up

" ... it is what it is, it's not what it should have been, notwhat it could have been, it is what it is ... "- Anthony Kidman, Nicole's father, psychologist

My current inspiration and one more way to heal my pain.