The film doesn't exist without a viewer. And the viewer is the most important. The art for art's sake, form for form's sake, falling down under the weight of self talent or sagacity...these aren't things for me. I want to tell a story which touches people.

-Socrates

pronounced SO-CRATES according to ted logan :p

with some exceptions; the Matrix trilogy being one of them :)

Elie Wiesel

L.M. Montgomery

(Beautiful quote. Very enlightening.)

Jeff Foster

(via astraeia)

Uptightness is something you carry within you. Because it is present within you from experience to experience, it isn't caused by something in the world. It has to do with something you are holding onto within, a self-image perhaps.

Therefore you cannot wait for a certain special experience to loosen your uptightness. The only way it will loosen is if you see the knot clearly within.

When someone feels uptight, there is the general instinct to escape. Instead, stay right where you are. Don't run away from the feeling, stare it down. You don't have to do anything like try to conquer it or accomplish anything like trying to push it away. In fact, it is better not to do either as it would exacerbate the feeling. Just don't budge, no matter how strong the feeling is.

Breathe. The feeling may still be there but by observing it directly with your attention, it cannot take you unconsciously and therefore intoxicate you. Slow down and create a conscious space around the feeling of uptightness by surrounding it with your direct attention. Don't think about the uptightness, just feel it, gaze upon it.

Approach it like an experiment, a wish to observe the appearance and effects of this uptightness. Daily meditation will really help this endeavor to become natural to you.

By continuing to do this every time you feel uptight, a gradual space will open up between you and the feeling. Then the moment will come when you realize you can just stop taking it seriously. Usually it doesn't show up much again after that, and when it does its pretty shallow and temporary.

FYI: This technique can be used with most of the feelings we'd rather escape from like awkwardness, fear, heartbreak, anxiety, panic, depression, and so on.

Lazy yogi

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