The transcendency of art

We are condemned to this stupid existence. An existence without God, without Truth, without purpose! An existence full of boredom.

We have "Art and nothing but art! It is the great means of making life possible, the great seduction to life, the great stimulant of life (...) the redemption of the man of knowledge (...) of the man of action (...) of the sufferer (...) where suffering is a form of great delight" (Will to Power, Friedrich Nietzsche)



"Without music life would be a mistake." (Friedrich Nietzsche)

Musicians' anxiety

It isn't easy.
A musician can have two activities: teaching students and playing in concerts.
As far as teaching is concerned, there is no cause of stress besides the stress that comes from the anxiety concertning students' performances.

But when the subject is playing, the dimension is totally different.

Playing for an audience is a pleasure; the muscian makes music and people applaude his work. However, stage fright and anxiety can make a suposelly pleasant activity become a burdon. Why? Because they are so difficult to support.

Symptoms:
fatigue, fluttering or pounding heart, shortness of breath, tremor in the hands and legs, sweating, nausea, diarrhea, pupillary dilation, facial nerve tics, dry mouth, chest pain, stomach aches, headaches

Stage fright mecanism:
(1) I perceive or imagine the presence of significant others who are able to judge me
(2) I consider the possibility of my visible failure at a task
(3) I feel a need to do well to avoid failure
(5) I focus on my own behavior and appearance

Tips:
-be prepared
-practice performing
-perform usually
-know your performance space
-prepare your body: make sure you get a good night of sleep before the performance, take a nap, don't practice for hours the day of your concert, eat well (making sure you have a good breakfast, but don't eat a huge meal before you play, don't play on an empty stomach either), stretch your arms, neck, and shoulders to try to relax physically, breath slow, steady, focused
-stay in the moment
-the audience is your friend
-have fun!

My advice: believe you can do it. Motivate yourself by watching a previous recording in which you succeded.

Check these relaxation exercises

Sources: wikipedia, bloomingdale school of music

Procrastination

Vídeo de Johnny Kelly, © Royal College of Art (2007)

How to overcome it:
-try to praise what you have done
-make an effort to accept compliments with a simple "thank you"
-believe you can do it
-try working 5 minutes on your project, then decide if you want to continue or not
-it's impossible to erradicate all mistakes
-establish time limits: one hour to watch TV, one hour to navigate the Web, one hour to work, etc.

Searching for a meaning

Why do we have to be constantly searching for a meaning for life?
Why can't we just live?
I don't know.
What I do know is what happens if you don't find it.
Imagine you were very occupied before, but then you get some time for yourself. You start to think about these questions. You don't find a meaning. The result: you feel lonely and empty, you get bored to death! Satisfaction disapears quickly, walking starts to be a painful activity requiring too much energy, eating is no longer pleasant, sensuality doesn't drive you... You feel so much tedium in your body that you can't do anything. Even thinking gets difficult.
Please, MAKE IT STOP!

Change the law!

Cannabis sativa is a plant in the Cannabaceae family. It is known for its psychoactive effects, due to chemical compounds like THC.
Evidence of cannabis consumption has been found as far back as the 3rd millenium BC, associated to the Hindu religion, in India and Nepal.
In the 20th century, it was embraced by the Rastafari movement and it became illegal in most Western societies. There are many explanations to this: 1) economic interests of the paper and chemical industry; 2) beneficial effects of hemp would lower the profit of pharmaceutical companies; 3) racism directed to associate American immigrants of Mexican and African descent with cannabis abuse.
Today, recreational use drives a sizable demand for the drug, generating an estimated $36 billion market in the USA. Most of the money is spent not on growing and producing but on smuggling the supply to buyers.
The typical retail price in the streets of Portugal is 5€/gram, one euro bellow the median value in Europe.
Medical marijuana can be used in the treatment of conditions like glaucoma, cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, chemotherapy-induced nausea, arterial blockages, clinical depression, anorexia, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrom and Alzheimer's, but it is still a contorversial issue. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_cannabis)

Reasons in favor of legalization:
-money invested in restraining cannabis could be invested in another areas
-crime is committed to fund the traffic
-there would be more space in prisions
-adulterants in illegal cannabis can be very dangerous for the consumer

I think it should be legal. "The herb is the key to new understanding of the self, the universe, and God. It is the vehicle to cosmic consciousness"

Sources: wikipedia

add: I have just watched a documentary and I want to add a few things to this post.
Well, as you should know, THC, one of the chemical compounds found in cannabis, is believed by some people to have psychotic effects. Recent discoveries show that CBD, another of its compounds, has anti-psychotic effects...

What am I and what can I be?

Well, this is an important question, as it has been bothering me for a long time.
When I was young I was never asked this question nor it has occurred in my mind one single time. I always thought: when I grow up I wanna be this or that, I wanna be like Harry Potter, I wanna look better, I wanna be rich, I wanna be happy. Despite all of this, I didn't become HP, rich or happy... So, I followed a diferent path.
There are two types of characteristics defining us as unique persons: the physical and the psychological.
The physical ones cannot be changed; they develop based in genetics and only a small part depends upon the environment (like acne, etc.). In order to prove my point, see the case of identical twins: they may have the same genetic code but they are still physically distinguishable by a careful observer.
The psychological are still an enigma for me. They are dependent upon the ambient, but are they dependent on the genetics? I think so. I believe that some characteristics come from the brain structure and physiology, which are defined in DNA. But, the majority of our psychological aspects are contingent on the family we were born into, the friends we have got, etc. We can change this: families are dynamic, and friends are chosen.
Now, in a certain point of my life I feel I don't know who I am. I think I may have changed to much and became a different person, one I really am not programmed to be. Is that possible?
How can I meet my true self?

Who am I?

Hello!
I'm a portuguese sixteen-year-old boy who doesn't know what he wants his life to be.
I'll try to compose a flexible blog covering attractive topics related to this subject.
I hope I succeed in this task.
Thanks