“You cannot isolate yourself from the crowd – even if you want to.”
– Ivor Novello
“You cannot isolate yourself from the crowd – even if you want to.”
– Ivor Novello
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic ‘til I’m gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
– Leonard Cohen
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe. – Lao Tzu
The whole universe is based on rhythms. Everything happens in circles, in spirals. – John Hartford
Inspiration is an awakening, a quickening of all man’s faculties, and it is manifested in all high artistic achievements. – Puccini
Opera Squad is ENO’s flagship programme in which musicians and singers take over whole schools in a one-day programme of pop up performance and workshops, introducing young people from a wide range of backgrounds to opera. They tailor visits to the needs and interests of each host school.
For any enquiries about Opera Squad, please get in touch with ENO Baylis, baylis@eno.org
Your mind is a powerful asset; use it for positive thoughts and you’ll learn what I’ve learned: I call it, ‘getting-on-the-plateau-of-positivity.’
(and) If at first you don’t succeed, keep on sucking till you suck-a-seed.
– Clark Terry
-What would you do if you had a magical cloak that could make you invisible?
-If I were invisible, I would head straight to the zoo to be with all the animals. I would climb into the cages and start talking to them.
The words of a lovely young man, around 6 years of age, who I had the privilege of speaking to when Kindred Studios opened its doors to the public this past weekend. Made me think of the extraordinary imagination of Leslie Bricuse and the intimate work of sculptor Georgiana Anstruther.
Oh what a wonderful world it would indeed become if we started talking (and listening) to the animals.
my dearest Philomena–thank you for this beautiful card and for spoiling me yesterday. (and today and tomorrow). i love you so much. this song i dedicate to you, it’s how i feel about you all the time. And yes, maybe one day I will become a hairdresser.
– Tell me, what do you know about LOVE, Matilda?
– All I know for sure is that you can’t deny it. I knew some other things too but forgot. Oh, yes, I know… that it happens when two beings meet and their hearts are unlocked.” – Matilda, age 7
Some would say that the nature of love isn’t worthy of philosophical inquiry because LOVE simply doesn’t have a nature. That it’s conceptually irrational, emotionally imprecise. Perhaps there is some truth in this proposition but it is certainly an exhilarating topic to deconstruct. To collectively consider what love feels like, what purpose love serves, what types of love we experience, how love expands within us and transcends the world around us. LOVE weaves itself through nearly every philosophical discipline (religion, metaphysics, human nature, politics, ethics) and I must say it’s quite fun to create contemporary spaces that honour the playful style of Plato’s Symposium, to indulge in inspiring conversation over wine and cheese and lots of chocolate.
300 hundred years ago philosophy belonged to everyone–it was in the public domain–but over the years, philosophical discourse slowly evolved into something reserved for a small academic elite. There are many of us out there who want to bring philosophy back to the public realm but I am on a particular crusade to empower women to unlock the natural philosopher within. Not only because there is a happiness that comes from experiencing shared meaning, but because we desperately need a maternal philosophical vision for society, for change.
So this is the crusade I’ve embarked upon in partnership with a global social enterprise called Hubdot. Hopefully, we will be able to run PhilosophyHubs in every city where Hubdot has launched. There is nothing better than to collaborate with a team of such warm, wildly energetic and authentic women. Just to be clear: Hubdot is not about networking. It’s not about the exchange of business cards. The dot alchemy is about building trust through the art of story-telling and inspiring creativity through the exchange of ideas.
I’d like to thank all the women who have already participated in our PhilosophyHubs this year in London and last night in Luxembourg. You have inspired me more than I have inspired you, of this I am certain. And a special thanks to Carlotta and the rest of the Luxembourg team and our hosts at Kaale Kaffi, the most fabulous vintage shop, where I walked off with far too many vinyl records.
This yellow dot I will treasure forever.
Hearts of fire creates love desire
Take you high and higher to the world you belong
Hearts of fire creates love desire
High and higher to your place on the throne
We’ve come together on this special day
To sing our message loud and clear
Looking back weve touched on sorrowful days
Future pass, they disappear
You will find peace of mind
If you look way down in your heart and soul
Dont hesitate cause the world seems cold
Stay young at heart cause youre never, never old at heart
That’s the way of the world
Plant your flower and you grow a pearl
A child is born with a heart of gold
The way of the world makes his heart grow cold
Hearts of fire creates love desire
Take you high and higher to the world you belong
Hearts of fire, love desire
High and higher, you, you, you
Hearts of fire, love desire
High and higher
We’ve came together on this special day
To sing our message loud and clear
Looking back weve touched on sorrowful days
Well, future disappear
You will find peace of mind
If you look way down in your heart and soul
Dont hesitate cause the world seems cold
Stay young at heart cause youre never, never, never old at heart
That’s the way of the world
Plant your flowers and you grow a pearl
A child is born with a heart of gold
The way of the world makes his heart grow cold
And love, and love, and love, and love
And love, and love, and love
Well the love, the love, the love
Darlin’ lovely, don’t you hear me now?
Don’t you hear me now?
Darlin’, won’t you hear me now, won’t you hear me now?
Hearts of fire, love desire
High and higher, you, you, you
Hearts of fire, love desire
http://freemp3.se/earth-wind-and-fire-thats-the-way-of-th-mp3.html
“Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends.”
One who has control over the mind
is tranquil in heat and cold,
in pleasure and pain,
and in honor and dishonour.
– Bhagavad Gita
The world is a parable — the habitation of symbols — the phantoms of spiritual things immortal shown in material shape. May the blessed second-sight be mine — to recognize under these beautiful forms of earth the ANGELS who wear them; for I am sure we may walk with them if we will, and hear them speak.
– Maud Ruthyn in Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Uncle Silas, Conclusion
Dear Anarchist,
My name is Philomena and I am 8 years old. I am writing to you because I think there has been some misunderstanding. A couple of months ago I was walking past this wall and noticed what you wrote: “Fuck Israel, No Controla.” I didn’t know what it meant so I asked my mother. She explained that Israel ιs a country and that the word fuck was possibly being used because you were angry at Israel.
– – How can a person be angry with a country? I asked.
– Yes, it is a strange thing to be angry with a country. I suspect that this anarchist, like many anarchists, is actually angry with the people governing the country—the people making decisions on behalf of the people living in the country. Because they feel there is nothing they can do about their frustrations, because they feel they don’t have a way to influence what’s going on in the world around them, they make their feelings known any way they can.
– What do we here in Nea Makri have to do with Israel?
– Well nothing directly, but perhaps the artist who wrote on the wall wants to let us know that there are things going on in the world that we should be more conscious about.
– Like what?
– Well leaders often forget that the people of the world all come from one family. When leaders make the mistake of thinking about the world as a game of us vs. them—of winners and losers. When leaders think about the world in terms of absolutes—where there is only one right answer. When leaders stop listening to voices of the people.
– Isn’t it the job of leaders to listen to the people?
– Yes, but they don’t always. Sometimes they become too powerful and lose their capacity for empathy. They’ve stopped feeling what the people feel. They’ve sort of detached from the people. Anarchists, like the one who wrote on this wall, probably don’t trust in their leaders—they don’t trust in their government anymore.
– Can we erase these words? It just doesn’t seem very nice to look at.
So you see, dear Anarchist, it was my idea to cover up what you wrote on the wall.
My mom and I had an idea for something we would put up on the wall as a message to you to make you feel that your neighbours understood how you were feeling. We wanted to make an art work to symbolise peace. But we didn’t get to it in time and so then you came back to the wall thinking that the police erased your message to Israel… and you were even angrier at the police, angrier at leaders in control. But it was me. Me and my mom who erased your words, not the police. My mom explained to me some of what is going on in the world today. How leaders mix religion with politics and in so doing lose the spirit of God within them.
I’m sorry you were so angry and thought it was the police.
In response to this, we began experimenting with a number of ideas for a painting for you:
And then we finally came up with the painting below. It is meant as a symbol of hope that together we can embrace the spirit of God and find universal harmony somehow by listening to the sound of the earth’s vibrations. We are all children of the earth. We are all brothers and sisters. Please accept this as our gift to you and do not be angry. I pray that together as artists we can help the world to place greater faith in our extraordinary creative capacity for imagination and imagine for ourselves a world of peace.
With love,
Philomena (my mom says my name means daughter of light and love)
THE BRAIN is drawn as a maze encasing a number of religious symbols. We humans often make the mistake of interpreting God with our minds, which only leads to a fragmentation of the spirit. Perhaps we can strive to find unity through the vibrations of a shared spirit that rests in our hearts instead of our head.
The PACHAMAMA: who sits at the entrance to the maze is the goddess of the Andes region of South America. She is seen as mother earth and mother time.
THE BOAT or OSRAM NE NSOROMMA: “The Moon and the Star” is a symbol from West Africa that is meant to reflect the love and harmony that exists in the bonding between a man an a woman.
THE ANCHOR: The Anchor is a Symbol of both hope and steadfastness. Each time we raise our anchor we leave the stagnant portion of our life behind to begin a new journey, a new era of our life filled with a cleansed spirit of dreams and new aspirations. We are steadfast in our vision of the pursuit of our new dreams.
The moment we decide to drop our mental Anchor once more is the moment we finally say to ourselves “here is where I now stand” and “these are the rules I will govern myself by. We are them able to ground ourselves and feel stable despite the might the waves, tides, and currents. When we are properly anchored we are able to trust confidently in the skills and knowledge that lie in the subconscious realm of our inner-self; our God-within; our Atman. (you can read more about symbolism of anchor here: http://www.aseekersthoughts.com/2012/02/anchor-as-symbol.html)
——————————thank you sweet Σοφία Μ for translation.
Αγαπητοί Αναρχικοί,
Ονομάζομαι Φιλομένη και είμαι 8 χρονών. Γράφω σε εσας επειδή θεωρώ πως έχει συμβεί κάποια παρεξήγηση. Μερικούς μήνες πριν, περπατούσα μπροστά από έναν τοίχο και παρατήρησα πώς είχατε γράψει “Fuck Israel, No Controla.” Δεν ήξερα τι σημαίνει οπότε ρώτησα την μητέρα μου. Εκείνη μου εξήγησε πως το Ισραήλ είναι μια χώρα και πως χρησιμοποιήσατε την λέξη “fuck” eπειδή πιθανόν είστε νευριασμένοι με το Ισραήλ.
Οπότε όπως βλέπετε, αγαπητοί αναρχικοί, ήταν ιδέα μου να καλύψω αυτό που γράψατε στον τοίχο. Η μητέρα μου και εγώ είχαμε μια ιδέα για το τι θα μπορούσαμε να βάλουμε στον τοίχο για να καλύψουμε αυτό το μύνημα για να κάνουμε τους γείτονες να καταλάβουν πως νιώθετε. Θέλαμε να κάνουμε ένα έργο τέχνης με μυνήματα ειρήνης. Αλλά δεν το ετοιμάσαμε στην ώρα μας και μετά ήρθατε εσείς στον τοίχο και νομίζατε πως το μύνημα το έσβησαν αστυνομικοί, επειδή ήταν θυμωμένοι με τους αναρχικούς. Αλλά ήμουν εγώ. Εγώ και η μαμά μου σβήσαμε αυτές τις λέξεις. Η μαμά μου, μου εξήγησε τι συμβαίνει στον κόσμο αυτές τις μέρες και πως οι ηγέτες συγχέουν την θρησκεία με την πολιτική και πως με αυτό τον τρόπο χάνουμε την πίστη μας.
Συγνώμη που θυμώσατε και νομίζατε πως ήταν η αστυνομία.
Σαν απάντησε σε αυτό , ξεκινήσαμε να πειραματιζόμαστε με διάφορες ιδέες για να ζωγραφίσουμε για εσάς
Και μετά επιτέλους καταλήξαμε σε αυτή την ζωγραφια. Η οποία είναι το σύμβολο της ελπίδας όπου μαζί με το πνεύμα του θεού θα βρούμε κάπως την αρμονία ακούγοντας τα μυνηματα της γης. Όλοι είμαστε παιδιά αυτού του κόσμου. Όλοι είμαστε αδέλφια. Σας παρακαλώ αποδεχτείτε αυτό σαν δώρο για εσάς και μην είστε άλλο θυμωμένοι. Προσεύχομαι πως όλοι μαζι σαν καλλιτέχνες μπορούμε να βοηθήσουμε αυτό τον κόσμο να βάλουμε πίστη στην δημιουργικότητα μας και να φανταστούμε τον κόσμο με ειρήνη.
Με αγάπη,
Φιλομένη( η μητέρα μου λέει πως το όνομα μου σημαίνει κόρη του φωτός και της αγάπης)
Ο ΕΓΚΕΦΑΛΟΣ: είναι μια μάζα η οποία ανακαλεί έναν αριθμό από σύμβολα. Εμείς οι άνθρωποι συχνά κάνουμε το λάθος να ερμηνεύουν το Θεό στο μυαλό μας, το οποίο οδηγεί σε καταστροφή του πνεύματος. Πιθανότατα χρειάζεται να προσπαθήσουμε να βρουμε αρμονία μέσα από τα μυνήματα για ομαδικό πνεύμα τα οποία θα ξεκουράζονται στην καρδιά μας και όχι στο μυαλό μας.
Η ΒΑΡΚΑ : « Το φεγγάρι και τα αστέρια» είναι ένα σύμβολο από την δυτική Αφρική το οποίο αντιπροσωπέυει την αγάπη και την αρμονία τα οποία υπάρχουν ανάμεσα σε μια γυναίκα και έναν άντρα.
Η ΑΓΚΥΡΑ : η Άγκυρα είναι ένα σύμβολο για την ελπίδα και την σταθερότητα. Κάθε φορά που υψώνουμε την άγκυρα αφήνουμε πίσω ένα κομμάτι της ζωής μας για να ξεκινήσουμε ένα καινούργιο ταξίδι, μια καινούργια εποχή της ζωής μας ξεκινάει με καθαρό το πνεύμα των ονείρων και καινούργιων φιλοδοξιών. Είμαστε απτόητοι στον τρόπο που βλέπουμε τα επιτεύγματα των ονείρων μας.
“It [music] gives me the feeling of love, of romance. I figure right now the world needs to come into music, singing.” – Henry (Film: Alive Inside)
Michael Rossato-Bennett, WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
ALIVE INSIDE – winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for U.S. Documentary. Through the film, Michael strives to incite conversations that interrogate issues related to cultural consciousness and collective human change towards the greater good.
Want to get involved? See here: http://musicandmemory.org
(start at minute 12:25)
Todo aquel que piense que la vida es desigual,
tiene que saber que no es asi,
que la vida es una hermosura, hay que vivirla.
Todo aquel que piense que esta solo y que esta mal,
tiene que saber que no es asi,
que en la vida no hay nadie solo, siempre hay alguien.
-Ay, no hay que llorar, que la vida es un carnaval,
-Y es mas bello vivir cantando.
-Oh, oh, oh, Ay, no hay que llorar,
-que la vida es un carnaval
-y las penas se van cantando.
-Oh, oh, oh, Ay, no hay que llorar,
-que la vida es un carnaval,
-Y es mas bello vivir cantando.
-Oh, oh, oh, Ay, no hay que llorar,
-que la vida es un carnaval
-y las penas se van cantando.
Todo aquel que piense que la vida siempre es cruel,
tiene que saber que no es as,
que tan solo hay momentos malos, y todo pasa.
Todo aquel que piense que esto nunca va a cambiar,
tiene que saber que no es asi,
que al mal tiempo buena cara, y todo cambia.
-Ay, no hay que llorar, que la vida es un carnaval,
-Y es mas bello vivir cantando.
-Oh, oh, oh, Ay, no hay que llorar,
-que la vida es un carnaval
-y las penas se van cantando.
-Oh, oh, oh, Ay, no hay que llorar,
-que la vida es un carnaval,
-Y es mas bello vivir cantando.
-Oh, oh, oh, Ay, no hay que llorar,
-que la vida es un carnaval
-y las penas se van cantando.
-Carnaval
Es para reir
-No hay que llorar
Para Gozar
-Carnaval
Para disfrutar
-Hay que vivir cantando
-Carnaval
La vida es un carnaval
-No hay que llorar
Todo podemos cantar
-Carnaval
Ay, Señores
-Hay que vivir cantando
-carnaval
Todo aquel que piense
-No hay que llorar
que la vida es cruel
-Carnaval
Nunca estar solo
-Hay que vivir cantando
Dios esta con el
Para aquellos que se quejan tanto.
Para aquellos que solo critican.
Para aquellos que usan las armas.
Para aquellos que nos contaminan.
Para aquellos que hacen la guerra.
Para aquellos que viven pecando.
Para aquellos nos maltratan.
Para aquellos que nos contagion.
ENGLISH:
Everyone out there that thinks that life is unfair,
Needs to know that’s not the case,
Because life is beautiful, you just have to live it.
Everyone out there that thinks they are alone and they are unhappy
Needs to know that’s not the case,
Because in life no one is alone, there is always someone
-Oh, there’s no need to cry, because life is a carnival,
-It’s more beautiful to live singing.
-Oh, there’s no need to cry,
-For life is a carnival
-And your pains can be alleviated through song. (x2)
Everyone out there that thinks that life is always harsh,
Needs to know that’s not the case,
That there are just bad times, and it will all pass.
Everyone out there, that thinks that this will never change,
Needs to know that’s not the case,
The bad times will turn, it will all pass.
-Oh, there’s no need to cry, because life is a carnival,
-It’s more beautiful to live singing.
-Oh, there’s no need to cry,
-For life is a carnival
-And your pains can be alleviated through song. (x2)
-Carnival
Its for laughing
-Theres no need to cry
For enjoying
-Carnival
For having fun
-One must live singing
-Carnival
Life is a carnival
-Theres no need to cry
Everyone can sing
-Carnival
Oh, men
-One must live singing
-carnival
Everyone out there that thinks
-Theres no need to cry
that life is always harsh
-Carnival
Will never be alone
-One must live singing
God is with him
For those that complain forever.
For those that only critisize.
For those that use weapons.
For those that pollute us.
For those that make war.
For those that live in sin.
For those that mistreat us.
For those that make us sick.
Read more: Celia Cruz – La Vida Es Un Carnaval Lyrics | MetroLyrics
– Dancer Maddie Ziegler is 11 years old
Die Gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten,
sie fliegen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten.
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger erschießen
mit Pulver und Blei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Ich denke was ich will und was mich beglücket,
doch alles in der Still’, und wie es sich schicket.
Mein Wunsch und Begehren kann niemand verwehren,
es bleibet dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Und sperrt man mich ein im finsteren Kerker,
das alles sind rein vergebliche Werke.
Denn meine Gedanken zerreißen die Schranken
und Mauern entzwei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Drum will ich auf immer den Sorgen entsagen
und will mich auch nimmer mit Grillen mehr plagen.
Man kann ja im Herzen stets lachen und scherzen
und denken dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Ich liebe den Wein, mein Mädchen vor allen,
sie tut mir allein am besten gefallen.
Ich sitz nicht alleine bei meinem Glas Weine,
mein Mädchen dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!