Finding myself through poker.
12-05-2015
, 06:02 PM
Ping Pong: the Animation with spoilers
Ping Pong: the Animation is an anime created by Masaaki Yuasa, the director behind The Tatami Galaxy. It centers around Peco, a bright-eyed table tennis superstar, and his friend Smile, the stoic nihilist who sees life as a pointless endeavour. While the subject matter is simple, the game of table tennis, it serves to illustrate larger themes in life, including the gift and curse of talent, the futility of chasing the wrong dream, and the apex point where talent and hard work meet. While the crude animation can be grating for some, its loose style allows for excellent depictions of the characters’ emotions.
While characters in other animes are often flat and one-dimensional, none of the characters in this show serve as props. Every character is built with love and has a believable humanity driving him. They all have nuanced desires and fears that motivate their actions. Because of this, we as an audience can empathize with the characters and reflect on the show’s themes on a personal level.
“Hard Work is for chumps with no talent”
The story starts out simple. Confident but cocky high-school table tennis player, Peco becomes complacent with his perceived top position. He believes his talent alone will allow him to coast along to the Olympics; his work ethic becomes weak. Smile, his childhood friend, whose nickname was given to him perhaps ironically for his propensity to never smile, starts to worry because table tennis has begun to become unnecessarily complicated. They have both entered their high-school, Katase High’s, team as freshmen, and while Peco’s talent is known throughout the school, Smile’s is less recognized. The team’s coach, Koizumi, immediately sees Smile’s incredible untapped potential and starts to take special interest. He also notices another peculiar detail - Smile, whether consciously or unconsciously, purposely loses against Peco.
At another school, ex-Chinese national team player Kong arrives to coach its students. Peco and Smile visit his school to check him out. Kong challenges Peco and demolishes him, making him question his skills.
“Smile is a robot”
With his humiliating defeat, Peco starts to withdraw from table tennis. Without Peco there to draw Coach Koizumi’s attention, he devotes all his energy to Smile. He begins badgering him to take extra practices with him in the morning. Smile is uninterested as he only plays the game to pass the time and sees no reason to take the game seriously. With enough needling, Koizumi finally breaks Smile and unleashes his true potential. Without empathy holding him back, Smile starts ruthlessly going after his opponents’ weaknesses, crushing them left and right.
“Staking your life on table tennis is disturbing”
Their presence is felt before they get to the tournament. Kaiou, the prestigious table tennis academy, has a history of sweeping every inter-highschool tournament in Japan. Every year, each of its members fill the final four bracket. Their team captain, Kazama, is known for his pragmatic but ruthless approach to table tennis. He holds Kaiou’s reputation above everything else, even himself. To maintain this, he is willing to cut ties with his teammates, forsake romantic relationships, and even isolate himself from his widowed mother. Before every game, he spends most of the time in a bathroom stall, alone.
Smile breezes through his first opponent, beating him mercilessly and leaving him without any dignity. It is clear this is a new Smile, one whose compassion has been stripped away.
Smile and Peco share a short conversation sitting on the stairway. Smile asks Peco if he believes in a hero, a hero who could save him in any pinch. Peco replies that heroes only exist in comic books. Smile reveals that he’s been waiting for a hero this whole time.
Kong, Peco’s reckoner, faces Smile in the second round. Kong has amazing respect for Smile’s game, as does Kazama, who has been trying to recruit Smile to Kaiou ever since he’s scouted him at a middle school tournament. Kong takes an early lead in the match but Smile slowly adapts to his aggressive style and begins to dismantle him . He takes full control of the match, leaving Kong with no openings. As the walls close in, Kong starts to panic - if he loses this game he will not be able to return to China. His coach starts to pressure him in an aggressive manner, setting Smile off. Smile’s weakness, compassion, veers its head again. He purposely ends up losing the match as a middle finger to Kong’s coach and the system as a whole, the system that pigeonholes people’s humanity to a single value, their performance at table tennis.
Meanwhile Peco faces a long-time rival, Sakuma. Sakuma is a player Peco used to clown against as kids. However, having been recruited to Kaiou, Sakuma has learned a few tricks to use against Peco. Playing a hyper-defensive style, Sakuma depletes Peco’s stamina and beats him decisively. His parting words to Peco are condescending, encouraging him to quit if he’s not willing to take table tennis seriously.
“Sakuma”
After winning the inter-highschool tournament and the Youth Olympics, Kazama calls for Kaiou’s need for new recruits. Specifically, he names Smile. He expresses concern for Kaiou’s falling reputation. Annoyed by Kazama’s lack of faith, Sakuma seeks out Smile to prove himself. He challenges him in an unofficial match, an act punishable by exile from Kaiou Academy if he happens to lose. Smile beats him easily. Sakuma explodes. Why not Sakuma, who has practiced until his knuckles turn white, why not Sakuma, who has spent day and night thinking about table tennis, why not Sakuma, who has given his life to table tennis? Because, Smile replies, Sakuma lacks the talent in table tennis.
“Everyone in class wanted to be you. To us, you were..”
Having forsaken table tennis, Peco loses himself in the world of hedonism. His hair becomes long and unkempt, his skin brown, and his weight unchecked. He becomes a wanderer, as much of a wanderer a high-school student can be, checking into his old table tennis academy every so often, like a ghost with unfinished business. Meanwhile, Smile exponentially rises to new heights. He becomes a phenom, the machine that can’t be beat. While his table tennis skills increase, his already poor ability to form relationships with others breaks down even further. He loses the ability to see people beyond their function, tiring out his elder coach during practices and coldly criticizing his teammates when they do not play up to par.
On one random day, Peco walks in his old dojo only to be greeted by Sakuma. The two childhood friends share a moment on the bridge. Sakuma, who has had his blinders taken off, can see clearly now. No longer crushed by his insecurity regarding table tennis, Sakuma can take a step back and appreciate talent without jealousy. He urges Peco to return to table tennis because he has immense talent in the game. Peco, uncomfortable with the vulnerability, shrugs Sakuma off. He jumps off the bridge, attempting to fly.
After saving Peco from drowning, Sakuma advises him to play table tennis until he pukes blood, because he’ll feel better than he does now.
“What he’s after isn’t money or success. Those aren’t the only reasons to play table tennis.”
It’s been a year since the last inter-highschool table tennis tournament and Kazama makes one last attempt to recruit Smile. He brings along Kaiou’s advisor to Smile’s school, and with Koizumi’s permission, he approaches Smile with an offer. Kaiou can provide Smile with a top of the line training facility, state of the art equipment, analyzable videos of players all around the world, and health specialists to ensure optimal performance. Kaiou, not Katase High, is the perfect place for Smile to grow and prosper as a table tennis player. Smile politely refuses. Kazama cannot understand Smile’s decision, but he respects it. The two part ways and begin training in their own ways for the upcoming tournament. For Smile, he continues practicing with his school’s shoddy equipment with coach Koizumi, building a relationship with him along the way. For Kazama, he continues practicing in isolation, attempting to find certainty within the state of the art machines Kaiou’s top of the line training facility provides.
“Do you remember? The first time you played me, you couldn’t take one point off me.”
The inter-highschool tournament has a different air in the atmosphere than last year. Kaiou’s victory is not seemingly inevitable as it was before. For one, there is Kong, a player that has been surely improving since last year. Two, Kaiou’s roster has stagnated; they do not have any up and coming stars. Three, there is Smile. Players openly discuss about the possibility of Kaiou’s second in command, Sanada, losing to him in the third round.
The matches go on their way and Kong, Kazama, Smile, all win their first matches, as expected. Smile plays an relatively unknown player for his second round match. While Kaiou’s advisor is focused on Smile, marveling at his perfectly efficient movements, stroke variations, control, and speed, Kazama’s attention is elsewhere. He quietly watches Kong play his second match. Kong is about to lose. A new and improved Peco is giving him a lot trouble.
Smile pauses in his match to briefly watch Peco play. He welcomes back the hero.
After being saved from drowning, Peco had returned to the dojo. In the empty dojo, he found a childhood picture of Peco, Sakuma and Smile, each posing on their respective platforms after a table tennis tournament. Peco noticed something peculiar about the picture - Smile was smiling. A rejuvenated Peco begged Obaba, his long time mentor, to teach him to play table tennis again. She agreed only if he was willing to give it his all. At a premier table tennis academy, Peco had begun training furiously.
“Chant this three times in your mind! Enter the hero! Enter the hero! Enter the Hero! If you do that, I will come for you.”
For Peco, table tennis had been simply a game that he loved. It was a game that he played as soon as he was able to walk. There was nothing complicated about it, he played the game because it brought him joy. It allowed him to reach new heights in experience, transcending the material world into a realm of pure ecstasy. To him, table tennis allowed him to fly. This ecstatic joy was contagious to others. Smile was given his nickname, not because he never smiled, but because he smiled whenever he played the game. Somewhere along the way Peco had forgotten about that. His play had gotten lame, and Smile stopped smiling. It was only until he had seen the old picture hanging in the dojo that he remembered why he had played the game in the first place.
This is precisely the reason Peco has to face Kazama now in the third round even with his damaged knee - a damaged knee caused by overtraining. Despite his coach’s plea to sit out and wait for next year, Peco has to continue pressing forward. Smile is waiting for him in the finals. When asked if he is playing table tennis for Smile, Peco replies that he is playing because he’s the hero.
“You’re the hero, aren’t you?! Aren’t you going to fly? Aren’t you going to save everyone?”
Kazama starts the game aggressively, unwilling to acknowledge Peco’s skills. He pushes Peco back, denying him any opportunity to utilize his greatest asset, his speed. As the match progresses and his lead gets further, Kazama begins to outwardly express his anger toward Peco. He mocks his reputation as a hero, asking him to fly.
Ever since his father committed suicide jumping off a cliff, Kazama has been working selflessly to rebuild his family’s reputation. His uncle, the CEO of Kaoi, mistreated Kazama’s side of the family, blaming them for the company’s misfortune It wasn’t until his talent for table tennis were recognized, that he and his family began receiving his uncle’s respect. That respect wasn’t easily maintained as any fluctuation in Kazama’s performance was a threat to the status quo. To Kazama, victory in table tennis was an inevitability he had to maintain. Anything else meant death. He either had to keep climbing the endless mountain or face the abyss below. For Kazama, table tennis has been nothing but pain.
Peco is behind two games. His knee and Kazama’s awesome skills are giving him trouble. He gets too in his head, attempting to predict Kazama’s moves. Exhausted, he takes a quick breather. Hearing Smile hum from afar, he imagines what he’d say. Smile would tell Peco to find the fun in the game and his injury would go away. He’d remind him that the stronger the opponent, the higher he’d be able to fly.
Taken aback by Peco’s sudden change of energy, Kazama forces himself to keep up. However, no matter how quickly he reacts or how hard he returns the ball, he cannot keep up with Peco’s pace. Kazama panics and climbs faster, his mountain crumbling below. Peco effortlessly returns ball after ball, reaching breakneck speed as the match goes on. A fearful Kazama must give up everything he’s known and believed about table tennis to match Peco. He needs to begin to fly.
It is here that they meet, at the apex point of talent and hard work. Here there is no room for thinking. Here there is no room for fear. There is only room for the game. There is only room for joy.
Peco pulls ahead. Kazama’s wings can no longer take him further. But he feels no anxiety. He’s giving it the best he’s got.
We can fly. People can fly, Kazama happily concedes.
Ping Pong: the Animation is an anime created by Masaaki Yuasa, the director behind The Tatami Galaxy. It centers around Peco, a bright-eyed table tennis superstar, and his friend Smile, the stoic nihilist who sees life as a pointless endeavour. While the subject matter is simple, the game of table tennis, it serves to illustrate larger themes in life, including the gift and curse of talent, the futility of chasing the wrong dream, and the apex point where talent and hard work meet. While the crude animation can be grating for some, its loose style allows for excellent depictions of the characters’ emotions.
While characters in other animes are often flat and one-dimensional, none of the characters in this show serve as props. Every character is built with love and has a believable humanity driving him. They all have nuanced desires and fears that motivate their actions. Because of this, we as an audience can empathize with the characters and reflect on the show’s themes on a personal level.
“Hard Work is for chumps with no talent”
The story starts out simple. Confident but cocky high-school table tennis player, Peco becomes complacent with his perceived top position. He believes his talent alone will allow him to coast along to the Olympics; his work ethic becomes weak. Smile, his childhood friend, whose nickname was given to him perhaps ironically for his propensity to never smile, starts to worry because table tennis has begun to become unnecessarily complicated. They have both entered their high-school, Katase High’s, team as freshmen, and while Peco’s talent is known throughout the school, Smile’s is less recognized. The team’s coach, Koizumi, immediately sees Smile’s incredible untapped potential and starts to take special interest. He also notices another peculiar detail - Smile, whether consciously or unconsciously, purposely loses against Peco.
At another school, ex-Chinese national team player Kong arrives to coach its students. Peco and Smile visit his school to check him out. Kong challenges Peco and demolishes him, making him question his skills.
“Smile is a robot”
With his humiliating defeat, Peco starts to withdraw from table tennis. Without Peco there to draw Coach Koizumi’s attention, he devotes all his energy to Smile. He begins badgering him to take extra practices with him in the morning. Smile is uninterested as he only plays the game to pass the time and sees no reason to take the game seriously. With enough needling, Koizumi finally breaks Smile and unleashes his true potential. Without empathy holding him back, Smile starts ruthlessly going after his opponents’ weaknesses, crushing them left and right.
“Staking your life on table tennis is disturbing”
Their presence is felt before they get to the tournament. Kaiou, the prestigious table tennis academy, has a history of sweeping every inter-highschool tournament in Japan. Every year, each of its members fill the final four bracket. Their team captain, Kazama, is known for his pragmatic but ruthless approach to table tennis. He holds Kaiou’s reputation above everything else, even himself. To maintain this, he is willing to cut ties with his teammates, forsake romantic relationships, and even isolate himself from his widowed mother. Before every game, he spends most of the time in a bathroom stall, alone.
Smile breezes through his first opponent, beating him mercilessly and leaving him without any dignity. It is clear this is a new Smile, one whose compassion has been stripped away.
Smile and Peco share a short conversation sitting on the stairway. Smile asks Peco if he believes in a hero, a hero who could save him in any pinch. Peco replies that heroes only exist in comic books. Smile reveals that he’s been waiting for a hero this whole time.
Kong, Peco’s reckoner, faces Smile in the second round. Kong has amazing respect for Smile’s game, as does Kazama, who has been trying to recruit Smile to Kaiou ever since he’s scouted him at a middle school tournament. Kong takes an early lead in the match but Smile slowly adapts to his aggressive style and begins to dismantle him . He takes full control of the match, leaving Kong with no openings. As the walls close in, Kong starts to panic - if he loses this game he will not be able to return to China. His coach starts to pressure him in an aggressive manner, setting Smile off. Smile’s weakness, compassion, veers its head again. He purposely ends up losing the match as a middle finger to Kong’s coach and the system as a whole, the system that pigeonholes people’s humanity to a single value, their performance at table tennis.
Meanwhile Peco faces a long-time rival, Sakuma. Sakuma is a player Peco used to clown against as kids. However, having been recruited to Kaiou, Sakuma has learned a few tricks to use against Peco. Playing a hyper-defensive style, Sakuma depletes Peco’s stamina and beats him decisively. His parting words to Peco are condescending, encouraging him to quit if he’s not willing to take table tennis seriously.
“Sakuma”
After winning the inter-highschool tournament and the Youth Olympics, Kazama calls for Kaiou’s need for new recruits. Specifically, he names Smile. He expresses concern for Kaiou’s falling reputation. Annoyed by Kazama’s lack of faith, Sakuma seeks out Smile to prove himself. He challenges him in an unofficial match, an act punishable by exile from Kaiou Academy if he happens to lose. Smile beats him easily. Sakuma explodes. Why not Sakuma, who has practiced until his knuckles turn white, why not Sakuma, who has spent day and night thinking about table tennis, why not Sakuma, who has given his life to table tennis? Because, Smile replies, Sakuma lacks the talent in table tennis.
“Everyone in class wanted to be you. To us, you were..”
Having forsaken table tennis, Peco loses himself in the world of hedonism. His hair becomes long and unkempt, his skin brown, and his weight unchecked. He becomes a wanderer, as much of a wanderer a high-school student can be, checking into his old table tennis academy every so often, like a ghost with unfinished business. Meanwhile, Smile exponentially rises to new heights. He becomes a phenom, the machine that can’t be beat. While his table tennis skills increase, his already poor ability to form relationships with others breaks down even further. He loses the ability to see people beyond their function, tiring out his elder coach during practices and coldly criticizing his teammates when they do not play up to par.
On one random day, Peco walks in his old dojo only to be greeted by Sakuma. The two childhood friends share a moment on the bridge. Sakuma, who has had his blinders taken off, can see clearly now. No longer crushed by his insecurity regarding table tennis, Sakuma can take a step back and appreciate talent without jealousy. He urges Peco to return to table tennis because he has immense talent in the game. Peco, uncomfortable with the vulnerability, shrugs Sakuma off. He jumps off the bridge, attempting to fly.
After saving Peco from drowning, Sakuma advises him to play table tennis until he pukes blood, because he’ll feel better than he does now.
“What he’s after isn’t money or success. Those aren’t the only reasons to play table tennis.”
It’s been a year since the last inter-highschool table tennis tournament and Kazama makes one last attempt to recruit Smile. He brings along Kaiou’s advisor to Smile’s school, and with Koizumi’s permission, he approaches Smile with an offer. Kaiou can provide Smile with a top of the line training facility, state of the art equipment, analyzable videos of players all around the world, and health specialists to ensure optimal performance. Kaiou, not Katase High, is the perfect place for Smile to grow and prosper as a table tennis player. Smile politely refuses. Kazama cannot understand Smile’s decision, but he respects it. The two part ways and begin training in their own ways for the upcoming tournament. For Smile, he continues practicing with his school’s shoddy equipment with coach Koizumi, building a relationship with him along the way. For Kazama, he continues practicing in isolation, attempting to find certainty within the state of the art machines Kaiou’s top of the line training facility provides.
“Do you remember? The first time you played me, you couldn’t take one point off me.”
The inter-highschool tournament has a different air in the atmosphere than last year. Kaiou’s victory is not seemingly inevitable as it was before. For one, there is Kong, a player that has been surely improving since last year. Two, Kaiou’s roster has stagnated; they do not have any up and coming stars. Three, there is Smile. Players openly discuss about the possibility of Kaiou’s second in command, Sanada, losing to him in the third round.
The matches go on their way and Kong, Kazama, Smile, all win their first matches, as expected. Smile plays an relatively unknown player for his second round match. While Kaiou’s advisor is focused on Smile, marveling at his perfectly efficient movements, stroke variations, control, and speed, Kazama’s attention is elsewhere. He quietly watches Kong play his second match. Kong is about to lose. A new and improved Peco is giving him a lot trouble.
Smile pauses in his match to briefly watch Peco play. He welcomes back the hero.
After being saved from drowning, Peco had returned to the dojo. In the empty dojo, he found a childhood picture of Peco, Sakuma and Smile, each posing on their respective platforms after a table tennis tournament. Peco noticed something peculiar about the picture - Smile was smiling. A rejuvenated Peco begged Obaba, his long time mentor, to teach him to play table tennis again. She agreed only if he was willing to give it his all. At a premier table tennis academy, Peco had begun training furiously.
“Chant this three times in your mind! Enter the hero! Enter the hero! Enter the Hero! If you do that, I will come for you.”
For Peco, table tennis had been simply a game that he loved. It was a game that he played as soon as he was able to walk. There was nothing complicated about it, he played the game because it brought him joy. It allowed him to reach new heights in experience, transcending the material world into a realm of pure ecstasy. To him, table tennis allowed him to fly. This ecstatic joy was contagious to others. Smile was given his nickname, not because he never smiled, but because he smiled whenever he played the game. Somewhere along the way Peco had forgotten about that. His play had gotten lame, and Smile stopped smiling. It was only until he had seen the old picture hanging in the dojo that he remembered why he had played the game in the first place.
This is precisely the reason Peco has to face Kazama now in the third round even with his damaged knee - a damaged knee caused by overtraining. Despite his coach’s plea to sit out and wait for next year, Peco has to continue pressing forward. Smile is waiting for him in the finals. When asked if he is playing table tennis for Smile, Peco replies that he is playing because he’s the hero.
“You’re the hero, aren’t you?! Aren’t you going to fly? Aren’t you going to save everyone?”
Kazama starts the game aggressively, unwilling to acknowledge Peco’s skills. He pushes Peco back, denying him any opportunity to utilize his greatest asset, his speed. As the match progresses and his lead gets further, Kazama begins to outwardly express his anger toward Peco. He mocks his reputation as a hero, asking him to fly.
Ever since his father committed suicide jumping off a cliff, Kazama has been working selflessly to rebuild his family’s reputation. His uncle, the CEO of Kaoi, mistreated Kazama’s side of the family, blaming them for the company’s misfortune It wasn’t until his talent for table tennis were recognized, that he and his family began receiving his uncle’s respect. That respect wasn’t easily maintained as any fluctuation in Kazama’s performance was a threat to the status quo. To Kazama, victory in table tennis was an inevitability he had to maintain. Anything else meant death. He either had to keep climbing the endless mountain or face the abyss below. For Kazama, table tennis has been nothing but pain.
Peco is behind two games. His knee and Kazama’s awesome skills are giving him trouble. He gets too in his head, attempting to predict Kazama’s moves. Exhausted, he takes a quick breather. Hearing Smile hum from afar, he imagines what he’d say. Smile would tell Peco to find the fun in the game and his injury would go away. He’d remind him that the stronger the opponent, the higher he’d be able to fly.
Taken aback by Peco’s sudden change of energy, Kazama forces himself to keep up. However, no matter how quickly he reacts or how hard he returns the ball, he cannot keep up with Peco’s pace. Kazama panics and climbs faster, his mountain crumbling below. Peco effortlessly returns ball after ball, reaching breakneck speed as the match goes on. A fearful Kazama must give up everything he’s known and believed about table tennis to match Peco. He needs to begin to fly.
It is here that they meet, at the apex point of talent and hard work. Here there is no room for thinking. Here there is no room for fear. There is only room for the game. There is only room for joy.
Peco pulls ahead. Kazama’s wings can no longer take him further. But he feels no anxiety. He’s giving it the best he’s got.
We can fly. People can fly, Kazama happily concedes.
12-09-2015
, 02:51 AM
"The hero transcends logic. The hero overturns what we thought we knew and drives away the darkness. He’s so uncomplicated, and he shines bright and joyous."
The crowd waits in anticipation for the final match. It’s been awhile since the final table has been absent of two Kaiou players, let alone one. The outcome for the match is highly uncertain. No one knows if the extremely precise and consistent Smile or the free-flowing Peco will come out victorious.
Coach Kaizimi asks Smile if he is willing to jeopardize Peco’s career by going after his bad knee. Specifically, he asks what will happen if Smile goes after a hero's weak point. Smile replies heroes have no weak points.
Peco arrives, late Smile adds, and the two set out to play the final match.
For Smile, table tennis and Peco gave him an avenue to connect with people. Smile always had trouble relating with others. All the kids used to pick on him for his inability to express emotions. They’d call him names like robot or stuff him in the locker, where he’d grown comfortable. Even if he lived in fear, at least they wouldn’t bother him there. Peco would come to the rescue in those situations, unlocking the locker and encouraging him to engage the world. He’d teach him table tennis, a game Smile had to learn by playing and not by simply watching.
The childhood friends play the game once more. Not to beat one another, but to express themselves to their fullest capabilities at the table. Smile cannot go easy on Peco despite his weak knee, because then Smile would be stuck inside his head again. He wouldn’t be playing the game fully in his own skin, without room for anything else. Luckily for Smile, the hero had arrived. Peco forces him to his limit, breaking his robot shell and freeing his humanity. Smile is free to engage the world in a meaningful way again. Smile is free to be compassionate.
The crowd waits in anticipation for the final match. It’s been awhile since the final table has been absent of two Kaiou players, let alone one. The outcome for the match is highly uncertain. No one knows if the extremely precise and consistent Smile or the free-flowing Peco will come out victorious.
Coach Kaizimi asks Smile if he is willing to jeopardize Peco’s career by going after his bad knee. Specifically, he asks what will happen if Smile goes after a hero's weak point. Smile replies heroes have no weak points.
Peco arrives, late Smile adds, and the two set out to play the final match.
For Smile, table tennis and Peco gave him an avenue to connect with people. Smile always had trouble relating with others. All the kids used to pick on him for his inability to express emotions. They’d call him names like robot or stuff him in the locker, where he’d grown comfortable. Even if he lived in fear, at least they wouldn’t bother him there. Peco would come to the rescue in those situations, unlocking the locker and encouraging him to engage the world. He’d teach him table tennis, a game Smile had to learn by playing and not by simply watching.
The childhood friends play the game once more. Not to beat one another, but to express themselves to their fullest capabilities at the table. Smile cannot go easy on Peco despite his weak knee, because then Smile would be stuck inside his head again. He wouldn’t be playing the game fully in his own skin, without room for anything else. Luckily for Smile, the hero had arrived. Peco forces him to his limit, breaking his robot shell and freeing his humanity. Smile is free to engage the world in a meaningful way again. Smile is free to be compassionate.
12-09-2015
, 08:12 PM
Hey guys, this will be my last post here. It’s been a very transformative experience and I’m very glad I started this thread. It’s allowed for a lot of self-reflection which has led to awareness which has led to transformation. These moments of changes have become more constant and consistent as I allow myself to change. Each day has become exciting. The goal now is to make every moment exciting. I believe this occurs when I’m fully accepting and fully in the moment. The more I practice this, the faster and more constant the changes will be. Awareness and acceptance, these are the keys to freedom.
Every moment is unique with infinite possibilities. When our mind constructs an abstraction of the moment, there is a separation of what is real, there is a separation of what is possible. We make this a practice and we start living in our mind, separated from our bodies and thus to the totality of the moment. Change becomes obstructed and we become frustrated because our lives stays stagnant. Once we let go, once we start accepting everything, change can flow once again. Our intentions become reality as the disconnect between ourselves and the universe becomes thinner and thinner.
So relax, be confident, and take right action at all times, no matter the circumstances. Taking wrong action, no matter how “justified” or “just this one time” it may seem, will always bring you a step back. You already know what’s right and what’s wrong at every single moment. Forget all the rationalization, you know what is right decision at any given point of time. It is what feels right, not what feels easy. It might seem tough, and it might seem disadvantageous to you in the short-term, but once this picks up momentum, you will start flowing.
I know this, and yet it's difficult for me as well. I know there are some convenient lies I maintain to keep things at status quo, but I know this hinders me more than it helps me. It is definitely based on fear of the all the changes it will bring. I know this keeps me from completely flowing. One day I will get over it.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my life with you guys. I hope some kind of good came out of it. Love
mused01.
Every moment is unique with infinite possibilities. When our mind constructs an abstraction of the moment, there is a separation of what is real, there is a separation of what is possible. We make this a practice and we start living in our mind, separated from our bodies and thus to the totality of the moment. Change becomes obstructed and we become frustrated because our lives stays stagnant. Once we let go, once we start accepting everything, change can flow once again. Our intentions become reality as the disconnect between ourselves and the universe becomes thinner and thinner.
So relax, be confident, and take right action at all times, no matter the circumstances. Taking wrong action, no matter how “justified” or “just this one time” it may seem, will always bring you a step back. You already know what’s right and what’s wrong at every single moment. Forget all the rationalization, you know what is right decision at any given point of time. It is what feels right, not what feels easy. It might seem tough, and it might seem disadvantageous to you in the short-term, but once this picks up momentum, you will start flowing.
I know this, and yet it's difficult for me as well. I know there are some convenient lies I maintain to keep things at status quo, but I know this hinders me more than it helps me. It is definitely based on fear of the all the changes it will bring. I know this keeps me from completely flowing. One day I will get over it.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my life with you guys. I hope some kind of good came out of it. Love
mused01.
12-09-2015
, 10:31 PM
Quote:
Hey guys, this will be my last post here. It’s been a very transformative experience and I’m very glad I started this thread. It’s allowed for a lot of self-reflection which has led to awareness which has led to transformation. These moments of changes have become more constant and consistent as I allow myself to change. Each day has become exciting. The goal now is to make every moment exciting. I believe this occurs when I’m fully accepting and fully in the moment. The more I practice this, the faster and more constant the changes will be. Awareness and acceptance, these are the keys to freedom.
Every moment is unique with infinite possibilities. When our mind constructs an abstraction of the moment, there is a separation of what is real, there is a separation of what is possible. We make this a practice and we start living in our mind, separated from our bodies and thus to the totality of the moment. Change becomes obstructed and we become frustrated because our lives stays stagnant. Once we let go, once we start accepting everything, change can flow once again. Our intentions become reality as the disconnect between ourselves and the universe becomes thinner and thinner.
So relax, be confident, and take right action at all times, no matter the circumstances. Taking wrong action, no matter how “justified” or “just this one time” it may seem, will always bring you a step back. You already know what’s right and what’s wrong at every single moment. Forget all the rationalization, you know what is right decision at any given point of time. It is what feels right, not what feels easy. It might seem tough, and it might seem disadvantageous to you in the short-term, but once this picks up momentum, you will start flowing.
I know this, and yet it's difficult for me as well. I know there are some convenient lies I maintain to keep things at status quo, but I know this hinders me more than it helps me. It is definitely based on fear of the all the changes it will bring. I know this keeps me from completely flowing. One day I will get over it.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my life with you guys. I hope some kind of good came out of it. Love mused01.
Every moment is unique with infinite possibilities. When our mind constructs an abstraction of the moment, there is a separation of what is real, there is a separation of what is possible. We make this a practice and we start living in our mind, separated from our bodies and thus to the totality of the moment. Change becomes obstructed and we become frustrated because our lives stays stagnant. Once we let go, once we start accepting everything, change can flow once again. Our intentions become reality as the disconnect between ourselves and the universe becomes thinner and thinner.
So relax, be confident, and take right action at all times, no matter the circumstances. Taking wrong action, no matter how “justified” or “just this one time” it may seem, will always bring you a step back. You already know what’s right and what’s wrong at every single moment. Forget all the rationalization, you know what is right decision at any given point of time. It is what feels right, not what feels easy. It might seem tough, and it might seem disadvantageous to you in the short-term, but once this picks up momentum, you will start flowing.
I know this, and yet it's difficult for me as well. I know there are some convenient lies I maintain to keep things at status quo, but I know this hinders me more than it helps me. It is definitely based on fear of the all the changes it will bring. I know this keeps me from completely flowing. One day I will get over it.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my life with you guys. I hope some kind of good came out of it. Love
mused01.
Peace!
