Author: Miles Alex (Page 2 of 13)

“This Thing Called Love”

September 29, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

There’s something awesome about romantic love that has made it the subject matter of writers, singers, artistes of every genre and caliber, psychology and medical journals, and a host of media and entertainment forums from time immemorial.

The thing about romance is that, while sex can be part of it, it is far more powerful on the human psyche than sex alone can ever be. The love that a man can feel for a woman and vice versa can lift their spirits toimmeasurable heights or bring them down to a bottomless pit never before imaginable. Love has even sometimes destroyed kings and queens, brought down giants and empires, and wreaked havoc everywhere from palaces to humble abodes.

No one is immune, and when Cupid shoots his arrow, he sometimes misfires or shoots one into one party and forgets to shoot another matching one into a second party.

Yet for all its downsides, its upsides are unequaled. It can bring one immense euphoria , joy, and ecstasy, and make the difference between living and merely surviving. The emotional and physical intimacies involved are unparalleled and no writer can ever do sufficient justice to its full range.

It’s a powerful…but mighty strange thing…this thing called love.

“Change Via Violence Vs. Non-Violence”

September 21, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

People often debate whether systems or statuses quo that are evil and unjust can be overthrown by peaceful means – or whether violence is sometimes the only course of action to achieve that goal. As a writer, teacher, and peaceful law-abiding human being, I am inclined to vote for the former option.

Of course I do not live under a political or economic system that is totalitarian or oppressive or one whose laws and apparatus are geared toward forceful subjugation of others. I did not live under slavery or the Holocaust or during all the various countless reigns of terror perpetrated throughout history by one group over another – whether the criterion was race or religion or sect or tribe or class or caste or nationality.

Perhaps that is why I can eagerly select peaceful means over violent ones. I am also mindful that so many innocents get swept under, and away, when violence becomes the medium to bring about change. And I am also mindful of the historical record that violent revolution often in turn creates a precedent that once unleashed can spiral out of control and cause an unending domino effect that undermines even lawful processes. The excesses of the French and Cuban revolutions are two relatively “recent” examples of this ( “recent in the context of human history).

For these and other reasons, I hold dearly the examples of two giants whose main modus operandi to dismantle oppression and institutionalized injustice was not violence but peaceful protest. Mohandas K. Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King were in no way cowards. It requires bravery, stamina, determination, and resilience to put one’s life on the line, armed with nothing but words and a message, awakening people to a cause that is just and noble.

Their words and their sense of equity for all, not just for those whose rights they so vigorously championed, will always be a beacon of hope and an inspiration to those, who like me, prefer non-violent change to guns, bombs, and warfare – at least as a first line of attack on evil, corrupt, and unjust systems.

“Photography Shoot”

September 20, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

“I envy those dudes who are asked to do photo shoots with gorgeous photographers in their dimly lit studios. Seems so flattering and romantic, if I can say.

“The only time I tried that was when I answered an ad in a magazine tor a handsome fella to pose for a centerfold shoot for a ladies journal that was catering to single women.

“When I showed up at the studio, the photographer not only angrily turned on all the fluorescent switches in the studio, she also pulled out a gun to do another kind of shoot.

“Needless to say, I bolted out of there and never looked back. That was the end of my centerfold ambitions”…”The Life and Times of Johnny Amazon”

“Suicide”

September 20, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

Most of us emote when we hear that someone has taken his or her own life, but when a celebrity takes his, the news media bombards us with the inevitable coverage. The soul-searching, the analysis, and the incredulity continue for a while… then abates until another icon repeats the tragedy.

Perhaps, one reason that the suicide of a celebrity is more amazing to so many is that many still cling to the notion that money and fame can solve all of the needs of a mortal to live a blessed and fulfilled life. Truth be told, money and status do indeed add to the pleasures of life – but they do not guarantee the full level of equilibrium that a human being needs to be satisfied.

Money and professional success are only part of the equation in completing the physical, spiritual, moral, emotional, and other needs that encompass the life cycle of each person. And I daresay that there are many who have found a proper balance even without much money or fame.

Ever wonder why so many people in the limelight with fancy cars, homes, money in the bank, media attention, and huge fan bases still turn to abuse of drugs and alcohol, or seek binges, orgies, and other escape mechanisms from reality? What are they running from when it seems to the world at large that they have everything that is still out of reach of billions around the world?

Yes, we should all feel sadness at the news that someone has reached that awful precipice and decides to end it all. But do not be unduly surprised or more perturbed when it is someone who is an icon. In the final analysis, it matters not fame or wealth or popularity.

There are intrinsic basic needs within us all – regardless of status or income or class or creed. And those needs often involve emotional satisfaction with the way we evaluate our relationships with family, friends, associates, how we view the world around us…and how much meaning we can give to life beyond our physical journeys in this sphere.

My deepest sadness is felt at the passing of anyone who has reached that awful and tragic cliff of despair and gloom.

I hope, though, that collectively, we can all, from all walks of life, find some solutions that will guide people, from all walks of life, away from the point of no return.

“Novelty in Life, Love, and Friendship”

September 19, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

So often, seeking excitement and change, many succumb to the glitz and glamour of the new. Then they realize that novelty does not necessarily mean better.

We live in a world of choreographed settings, of actors and actresses strutting their wares on TV, on the runway, or on stage…each appearing for a transitory period, only to be soon replaced by another cast – and so it goes on from one episode to the next.

Friendships based purely on flashing neon lights, sex appeal, and popularity, often parallel the great theater all around us – they last a while, then are cast aside when the glow is no more.

Better to stay the course with those who’ve proven to be true and trusted, who, whether they have star appeal, bombshell looks, a ritzy aura, or not, will be with you all the way, as you will be with them – even when the tent has folded and the show has moved on.

“Matching Pillowcases Only?”

September 14, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

In the old days, grandma and granddad cautioned against sex before marriage. It’s a caveat that many still accept. There is, though, a downside to following that prescription…these days, that is.

If one does, with so much blurring of the genders in fashion, custom, sexuality…and even in biology, one might end up bolting out of the honeymoon suite….not because of shyness, but at discovery that it’s not only the pillowcases that are matching…….”Reflections Along The Way”…

“Faking It All The Way”

September 12, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

We live in a world of fakes. Everywhere we turn, we knock into something or someone lacking bona fide characteristics.

There are fake politicians, fake boobs, fake asses, fake smiles, fake friends, and fake athletes.

People fake it in bed, fake it out of bed, at the office, on the street, on TV, and in person. You go online and encounter another minefield of sham sound bites, overtures, relationships, friendships, and even profiles

Now everyone is calling each other a fraud. It’s like we’re all wandering around not knowing who is who, what is what, who is male, who is female, which purchase is as the ad says, which is not, whose credentials are genuine, whose were purchased in Times Square.

Yet we set aside another day in October each year to pretend to be somebody else!

Alas! That we could set aside one to be who we really are…”Reflections Along The Way”

“The Real McCoy?”

September 12, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

“We hung out uptown a lot and she seemed quite nice and friendly.

“For some reason though, I got the feeling she was a fake blonde…and I wondered why she would do that ’cause I’m not a fella that cares whether a woman is blonde or not. Despite my suspicions, she insisted that that was the real thing.

“Well, she forgot that I would find out the truth downtown”…”The Life and Times of Johnny Amazon”

“Human Government”

September 12, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

Wherever you find human beings associating with each other, you will find good as well as evil. It’s just part of the dynamic of existence that appears to have existed from the inception or almost-inception of humanity.

No matter the form of government or lack thereof, we seem collectively incapable of not being evil. Thank God that there are always among us, though, people who see evil and are stunned, alarmed, sickened…and who oppose it.

Every form of so-called civilization and government tried has produced both evil and good in varying degrees, and for some at the expense of others. This includes capitalism, communism, socialism, fascism, monarchies, colonial domination, secular and theocratic systems, democracy and totalitarianism…and the list goes on.

To be sure, it is my belief that the American form of political and economic system is the best of the lot – but by no mean do I believe that it is perfection. There is no perfection under human forms of governments.

Corruption, graft, duplicity, bribery, police brutality, inequities in legal and judicial proceedings, planted evidence, discrimination, harassment, coercion, false evidence, unemployment, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, poverty, people falling by the wayside and between the cracks – these all exist around the world. It’s just that I believe we stand a better chance in America to seek redress, to pursue justice, and to come as near as possible to the ideal.

Perhaps, the only way to ever attain that utopia, that truly fully just and perfect world is when the kingdom of God is established. Maybe there’s something really awesome, after all, in the Lord’s Prayer….”Our Father in heaven…your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…..”

“A Conspiracy Behind Every Thing Or Every Person?”

September 11, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

Be mindful of falling victim to so much skepticism and paranoia that you always see a dark and sinister side to everything that occurs. Sure, not everything can be taken at face value, but also not every person, event, or place is dubious and part of a scheme.

Critical thinking is important. Following a bunch of people around looking for conspiracies and hidden agendas behind every occurrence can rob you of proper mental equilibrium.

Never hate so much – whether for political, personal, professional or other reason – that you put on blinders from reality in a deceptive pursuit to flush out falsehood everywhere, every time, in every place.