One year ago

  By these days last year I started this blog, and it has been a very gratifying experience. Now I'm about to start a different project. It will have a book format and hopefully it will hit the libraries. Nevertheless I will keep posting entries in this blog, but not regularly. 

Thank you for your support throughout 2013-  Best wishes for 2014!

MB

"Life as a tree"

Washed pen and watercolor, 13 August 2008

Carthage

   

 "Carthage's last sunset"

Watercolor on paper, 30 Aug. 2008

 

  Carthage has been one the most interesting empires of all times. Founded by the Phoenicians in 814 BC., Carthage dominated the Mediterranean for more than six centuries until its demise in 146 BC. The Carthaginians were the best civil engineers, sailors and warriors of their time. Their home town was a wonder of modernities such as fresh water supply in the entire city, an efficient sewage system and a secure port able to harbor hundreds of ships. 

  Why Carthage did not become the builder of western civilization, as Rome was? It was certainly strong and rich, but it lacked a sound political organization, and had no values to transmit. Carthage had inherited an oriental-type dynasty system that could not prevail over the much stronger Rome's republican organization, its legal system and its democratic representation. 

  After being allies against Greece, Carthage defied Rome's rising power more for a hurt sense of pride and fear of losing its commercial hegemony than for real danger. After a long siege, the Romans finally broke into the city, tearing down every building and selling the survivors as slaves. Carthage would be  from then on another province of the Roman Empire.

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Self choice

  It's my intelligence really me, or is it just an instrument that I use?

   
  Let's consider the two circles above: The one in the left contains eight bars, four stars and an small circle, randomly distributed. The one in the right contains the same objects in a geometric simetry. Please watch freely the two images until you feel that you really know everything about them.

............    ...........   .......    ....   ..........     .........


   Now that these two images are familiar to you, please answer these 3 questions (there is no right or wrong answers): 

1) Which image represents me best? 
2) What image I like the most? 
3) What image is me?

There is two possible answer combinations:

1) You answered equally the same questions. In this case, if you answered three times "left figure", your self is centered more in biological aspects and emotions; Right-brain activities are most important. Intelligence is an instrument that I use.

 If you chose three times the "right figure", you are more prone to left-brain activities, logical thinking is above any other consideration. I am my intelligence.

2) You answered 2-1, either two left and one right, or viceversa. In both cases you are close to a healthy balance between both brain hemispheres. You are prone to reconcile means and objectives, and therefore you have more probabilities to reach success in what you do.

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Sketchy worlds

"Sketchy worlds: Sunset"

Watercolor on paper, 16 June 2006

Love comes to you and you follow

Lose one, on to the Heart of the Sunrise

SHARP-DISTANCE

How can the wind with its arms all around me

Lost on a wave and then after

Dream on, on to the Heart of the Sunrise...

 YES, "Heart of the Sunrise"

"Sketchy worlds: Roundabout"

10 October 2005

 Go closer hold the land feel party no more than grains of sand

We stand to lose all time a thousand answers by in our hand

Next to your deeper fears we stand surrounded by a million years

I'll be the roundabout

The words will make you out 'n' out

YES, "Roundabout"

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Homo homini lupus

 
"Wolf and sheep"

Watercolor on paper, 3 May 2004

  In his work Asinaria greek writer Plauto (ca. 200 bc) described man as "a wolf for man". English philosopher Thomas Hobbes used this concept to illustrate the need for a "social contract" among men to get over the animal, natural tendency to survive that moves individuals to behave as wolves for their fellow beings, moved by their fear to fail to survive, or perhaps other real or unreal needs.


  Among the many social classifications that we humans are fond to make, there is one that does not appear in the statistics: How many of us, how often and when do we behave as wolves and when as sheep. Not even each one of us could make that study for himself. Just keep in mind, though, before you act, what skin are you wearing. You will be surprised.

Untitled

Watercolor on paper, 24 June 2004

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Acts of God

 "The Flood"

Watercolor on paper, 27 Oct 2005

  There's four kinds of people who believe in God: 

  To the first belong those who thank God for the blessings they received, and pray that evil may not reach them.

  The second kind groups those who blame God for not receiving the same blessings that others have received, and for all the evil that has reached them.

  The third kind is formed by those who say they don't believe in God, to avoid any responsibility with themselves and with their fellow beings. Their blessings, they think, are the consequence of their own efforts, not so their evils.

  In the fourth group are those who do not officially believe in God, but recognize the need of His existence to complete deep scientific theories, or just administrative work. Insurance companies, for instance, define natural disasters like tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, falling meteorites, etc., as "Acts of God". As mountains, rivers and lightning, those are the consequence of deterministic laws that cannot be changed, not even by God. They don't have a purpose or a meaning, except for those who belong to the second and third groups.



 

"Puerto Principe"

(After the earthquake that destroyed Haiti)

Watercolor on paper, 19 Jan. 2010

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Inner Worlds II

"Inner Worlds II"

Watercolor on paper, 29 March 2013

  There's 33 years between Inner Worlds and Inner Worlds II. What has changed? Those worlds that were not born yet in 1980 now they are flowing up, fully free and colourful. They have become one as a group but still diverse, instead of being lonely entities tied together. That's how feel now about myself and my fellow living beings, human and not human (for instance, my cats)

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Far Beyond Myself

"Far Beyond Myself"

Washed ink on paper, 7 July 1977

    Our mind works on expectations. We go to work because we expect to be paid for it. We go to cinema because we expect to have some fun and entertainment. We wish to marry because we expect a better life full of good experiences. We don't actually know the outcome of our actions, but we are confident that our expectations will be fulfilled if we do the right things at the right time, generally with the life of others as a model. Uncertainty is our constant companion, we cannot know anything for sure becasue our mind is not prepared to compute absolute truth- Even if we had it in front of us we would doubt it. We just trust that the information we have is true enough.

   Is that all? May be not. Although we don't know many things about this world and this Universe, the tendency is to ample our knowledge by constant discoveries and revelations. Science is full of wonderful findings that didn't come from pure deduction and analysis, not talking about music and other arts. Certainly those discoveries and masterpieces took place while dedicated people were at work, but still there are unknown factors involving those achievements.

  Constant revelation is at reach for all of us. We are too busy to feel it, as we move mostly in a Beta-wave state of mind. We tend to move away from the relaxing Alpha-wave states, seen today as unproductive, lazy moods. Just a step between awake and asleep. Pity.

  That said, now comes a message for those who are interested in revelations while relaxed and even unconscious states: Life is a continuous state of mind. Death is just a change of vehicle. Actually the expression "Life after death" is an oximoron, as Life has no end.  The body has a due date, as our car or our shaver. But we don't. Our conscience is permanent, indestructible, as Life itself.

 For those who are interested in this all-important topic, please check this book:

  This is the point of view of an scientist on his own "After death" experience. As there's no way to prove this story, or any other thing by the way, you will need to trust your instinct and receive your particular revelation and testimony of it.

  It takes a lot of faith to believe in nothing, more than believe in something :) (This one is mine) 
Be happy.

http://www.lifebeyonddeath.net/

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Simple Truths

"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple"

                                                                                                Oscar Wilde

"Preliminary design: Sunset"

Watercolor on paper, 15 August 2005

"Preliminary design: Winter garden"

Watercolor on paper, 15 August 2005

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Out of focus

"Out of focus"

Watercolor on paper, 28 March 2013

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It's dawn again

"It's dawn again"

Watercolor on paper, 25 March 2013

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Fragile II

"Fragile II"

Watercolor on paper, 25 June 2004

  Life is very fragile, behind the appearence of strength and versatility. Species have come and gone naturally through time. But it would be a shame for us that species are gone because of our negligence. Let's be aware of other species' fragility as we should be aware of ours. We must, because we can.

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The Oracle

"The Oracle"

Watercolor on paper, 1 March 2007

"I have questions for all your answers..."

Woody Allen                             

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The force of the dragon

"The dragon rides with the force of the clouds,

 But without the force of the clouds,

 The dragon is only a worm."

Han Feizi (280-223 bc.)

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Fall Leaves

"Leaf 1"

Watercolor on paper, 14 Jan 2006

"Leaf 2"

Watercolor on paper, 26 Dec 2005

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