Friday, March 7, 2008

Army Men

So for a class I'm in we had to make a video that had no words and no planned acting/actors. Well after a lot of brainstorming and collaboration we decided to make a video about the war and how it's happening and yet we often don't even think about it. Here's what we did:

We bought a hundred or so of those little green plastic army men and set them up right outside the outside entrance to the bookstore:

Well we set up all these little guys like they were in a war. They covered a good area of about 7' square and then we set up a few cameras so they were hidden. Then we left and just watched. It was so interesting to see what people would do. Many would see them, stare a little, then walk around. Others were completely oblivious and would walk through them, kicking them everywhere - some noticed what they did, others were still oblivious even as they were launching these minute militiamen to their doom. We had a few stop and play with them for a little bit and we had a few people who looked around to see if there were being watched and then stole some!

How oblivious we are to what goes on around us - I didn't even know it was elections for BYUSA until 2 days ago. There's a war being fought but because it doesn't directly affect me in anyway days go by that I don't even think about it.


Monday, March 3, 2008

Viktor Frankl

I had a thought as I was walking across campus and just pondering. What is it that defines success in someones life? Some would define it monetarily, others by acclaims, prestige, or awards. Others would say it's found in relationships with other, families, gospel living, or someone's personal conversion level. However you would define it I think how you achieve it is interesting. I had a good friend send me the following quote by Viktor Frankl (if you don't know who he is click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl) about success.

I think it is interesting that he says success is to be found by not looking for it. I think to a large extent this is true - People who genuinely love what they do and get lost in it generally find success. And most of the time it seems that the success they find is appropriate to their own goals. A teacher who loves teaching finds success in affecting the lives of his/her pupils as they get lost in the subject and field they are passionate about. They don't find success as a businessman may define it (monetarily) but they find it as they would define it. I think however you define success, the key to achieving it is to do what you love and what is important to you and success will find you.

"Again and again I therefore admonish my students in Europe and America: Don't aim at success -- the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run -- in the long-run, I say! -- success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it."

~ Viktor Frankl
---Man's Search for Meaning

P.S. Check out this website - the most beautiful pictures I've seen in a while:

http://thefairest.info/top.html

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