"What you've read so far is not the whole truth."

I get inspired by different things. Sometimes I will have a conversation that will lead me to write a song. Or, I will watch a movie and it will get the creative juices flowing. I can see a person on the street and think what life must be like in their shoes. I will have a dream, then paint something and hang it on a wall. Today I find myself to be inspired. I will warn you, however, that this blog is all over the place. My thoughts are currently on what is real, and what is not. Try and see if you can keep up.

Concepts make me think. Theories and notions, conspiracies and philosophies alike. (Yes, I realize that was a grammatically incorrect sentence. However, this is the nonsense that comes out of my head. So, I don't care.) These all make me question whether or not the proposed ideal is probable or not. Can it be real? Or, is it an amusing fairy tale? Some of my favorite stories are those which the writer seems to be completely drug induced. Alice in Wonderland, (the original Lewis Carroll, not this crazy Tim Burton version), is one of my all time favorites. Are you aware that this record selling tale is originally a story told to three little girls in order to appease them? Though this is not a theory or concept, I find this to be entertaining and a good jumping off point. In Alice in Wonderland, there are references throughout the story that depict a 10 year old girl named Alice on an adventure. Alice Liddell was the daughter of the Vice Chancellor of Oxford University, in 1862, when the story was first told. The "rabbit hole" is an imaginative portrayal of a set of stairs found in Christ Church. The setting for the entire story is centered around Oxford. Certain characters are based upon actual people who were in the daily lives of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka: Lewis Carroll. As you may know, the mad hatter was based on actual "mad hatters" of the time. Mercury was used when making hats during the mid 1800's and hat makers often went mad with mercury poisoning. What you may not know is that almost every detail of the book can be traced back to Oxford and thing that occurred in Dodgson's everyday life. Do you recall the part of the story when Alice eats something which causes her to grow? The fireplace in the dining hall at Oxford University is decorated with two metal dogs, which have elongated necks. There was a garden on campus that Alice Liddell and her sisters were not allowed to enter. They referred to this garden as "wonderland." Was Dodgson on some mild altering drug when this story was first told? Doubtful. You have to give it to him though. He had a talent for storytelling and a pretty wicked imagination.

I had a professor, a few years ago, that quickly became one of my favorites. Though he was a bit of a dork, he made us question things that we assume to be true. He made us question things that are engraved in our brains as small children. Granted, he was the guy you saw at the gym wearing Crocs and talking on his cell phone whilst using the stair master, (this actually happened), he was very smart. He pointed out a few things about Christianity that most people never consider. For instance, the King James Version of the Bible. Did you know that Shakespeare was the number one writer and playwright during the years of the King James's reign? There is plenty of speculation that Shakespeare had a strong hand in translating the King James Version of the Bible. Psalm 46 has an interesting code that has raised an eyebrow or two over the years. Look it up, it's some interesting stuff. 46 words from the beginning of the chapter is the word "shake," while 46 words from the end of the chapter is "spear." Coincidentally, Shakespeare was 46 in 1610, when the KJV was in preparation to be printed. Although there is no real proof that Shakespeare had anything to do with the KJV translation, the idea that it is a possibility tends to make devout Christians a little antsy. The majority of Shakespeare's plays were written about the love of a young man. Though no one knows if he was actually gay or not, King James himself was pretty openly into guys. Think about that for a minute or two. I found an article that said "Like your Bible? Thank a homosexual." My grandmother would probably quit talking to me if she read this. Most people who are opposed to such things would choose not to believe that this is true. Is there any correlation with such secular views and the book which guides so many, worldwide? Who knows? I choose to believe what I believe about God and Christianity regardless of such notion.

One of my favorite theories is that of dreams vs. reality. Have you seen the movie "Inception?" This movie covers quite a bit of this theory by making the viewer constantly question what is a dream and what is reality. Philosopher Rene Descartes made this theory popular in the early 1600's with his Dream Argument. He argues that there is not enough sensory evidence to support dreams vs. actually being awake. If he can feel the warmth of a fire during a dream, how can he be sure that the dream is not actually reality and vice versa? This theory has more followers than you might assume. Many people find this concept to be absurd. However, the argument is extremely thought provoked. The majority of the opposed believe that a dream cannot possibly be reality because you can fall for what seems like a lifetime or die multiple times. If one can die repeatedly, how can one life, including an afterlife be a possibility? There are other movies which have touched on this idea. "The Matrix," "Avatar," and "Vanilla Sky" are others. Though I do not believe that dreams are actual reality, I find Descartes theory to be a very intriguing one.

Another concept that is slightly more common and widely known is the idea of soul mates. The accepted definition of a soul mate is the idea that one has a twin soul or twin flame. "A pair of star-cross'd lovers." This means that these two people more or less "complete" each other. Plato first wrote about soul mates in The Symposium. Aristophanes explains that humans were first created with two faces, one head, four arms and four legs. Zeus became frustrated with this creatures and their attempts to scale Mt. Olympus, so he decided to split them in half. They then sought after their other half, in attempts to become whole again. Is it conceivable that a person really has that strong of a connection with another being? There is somewhere near 7 billion people in the world right now. If the idea of a soul mate is possible, the odds seem to suggest otherwise. What are the chances that John will actually find Jane in his lifetime? This is especially true if he doesn't travel. It is beyond ridiculous to assume that two people can be soul mates and live in the same town in nowhere, USA. Since, I am apparently going to quote movies today, I bring up "What Dreams May Come." If you have not seen this movie, I suggest renting it. Hell, BUY it. I love the idea that this movie presents. An ugly look into the possibility that two people actually find themselves in another and what happens when this takes place. I generally think that people created the idea of soul mates because they believe it must be fate that they have ended up with a particular person. To each their own, but as a Christian, I believe the Man upstairs has a big hand pairing the right people together. When you start saying things at the same time and having dreams which coincide with something someone is thinking, I think you have God to thank for that one. Maybe it is meant to be. Not, however, the planets aligning and some crazy spiritual revelation. Can you "just know?" Perhaps.

Though I realize this blog is slightly all over the place, my basis was the idea that things are not always what you may seem. There are generally two sides and more to a story or notion than the average person assumes. Think for yourself. Question authority. If you are intrigued by something, look it up. We are privileged to have the internet at our disposal. You are lucky enough to not have to crack open a dusty copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica. I have been really thinking about that last concept lately. Everything happens for a reason, or so I like to believe. It's all part of the plan. We are given choices though, and get to decide if we believe they are right or wrong.