Living the Epic Life

I never knew Ancient Greek girls were so hot!

I took my advice in yesterday’s blog post, and decided to only focus on my best friends.  Who needs popularity?  So, through a long day of studying, I give one of my best friends a text, we then decide to check out a late movie, and when we reach the theatre the one that’s in ‘3D’ catches our intention.  And suddenly I am immersed in the life of Perseus, fighting against the omnipotent Gods for mankind.

I came in with no expectations, but Clash of the Titans was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.  No, not best as in great screenwriting like the Hurt Locker, touching story like Up, or novel filmmaking like Avatar, but the best in terms of making life feel that much more epic.

I’m a huge fan of these movies where everything is on the line, as you risk your life for ultimate heroics to save the face of humanity.  It’s the very reason why I rank the Island, War of the Worlds, Armageddon, I Robot, and all of these pseudo-action-sci-fi-fantasy movies up so high in my all-time favourites.  The basic story of the triumphant hero prevailing in the face of adversity is fundamentally the story I yearn to see whenever I watch a movie.

Often with every hero comes an equally formidable heroine, like one of my favourites, Scarlett Johannson

But what makes it so appealing?  I am certain it is because there is something within all of us, or at least within myself, that wishes to embark upon the same epic journey.  One filled with adventure, one filled with purpose, one filled with success, and maybe even one filled with romantic escapades (such as Perseus and Io, played by the incredibly beautiful Gemma Arteton).  Between these four characteristics spells a life desired by all, perhaps an impossible life.

But what does it take to achieve these four?  Is it really as simple as establishing high goals, taking risks, trying new things, and working until you achieve them?  Perhaps.  But even that seems too simple, too attainable, too commonplace.  What Perseus realizes in the movie is that he is bestowed the mark of a ‘demi-god,’ as he is half-mortal, and half-divine.  He draws upon inspiration from this gift to fight his battles.  It seems that part of the “epic” journey requires something special, something innately unique.

“You were put on this planet to save humanity.” A few words, but maybe these are the divine words that cause a journey to be uniquely purposeful, or epic.  It was these few words that changed the perception in Perseus’s life.  It is the realization that the entire world rests on one’s shoulders that demands one to be their best self.  So why is it that we can’t adopt this stance today?

For me, it is likely the fear of delusion.  People will think I am insane if I start acting intense, uptight, and like everything was for a purpose.  Or perhaps it is because I really, truly, do not believe that one person can make a difference.  Sure, I idolize Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, but even they did not change the world themselves, but instead they inspired others to support their unified cause.  But are there even any causes worth fighting for?  To name a few, there are world hunger, an evolving global energy crisis, and diseases such as AIDS and cancer.  Could these be the causes we can fight for?

Why not?  And Jane McGonigal, in an extremely inspirational must-watch TED video believes the same, and all of us hardcore gamers can help fight these causes as well: 

So, maybe the epic journey does not just come to us like it does with Perseus.  But as I watch the movie, with every sword he wields, with every monster he decapitates, with every princess he seduces, I just picture myself doing the same.  Perhaps my epic journey will not be so flashy, whereby I battle with a pen, I tackle corrupt governments, and I inspire others that can help me in my cause.  But regardless, I know, and I feel, that there is a little bit of Perseus in me.  And I will use it for the betterment of this planet.

Peace and love! 😀

Intelligence > Beauty?

Number 13 is my lucky number! (ps. sorry if this picture is distasteful)

On the topic of beauty, Olivia Wilde, who according to Maxim magazine (a great source for the objective definition of beauty :P), is the number 1 hottest girl alive!  When Megan Fox has a crush on a girl, according to this article, you know you’ve got a hot one. She’s also the sultry Dr. ‘13‘ in TV’s program, House.

And I know what I said in my last post, beauty is common.  But let me say, this picture makes me want to eat my own words.  Anyway, if you’ve taken your eyes off of her face, or other revealing parts of her pose, you may find a small quote.

“It’s a good sign for humanity when intelligence is considered HOT.”

This ties in with the social Darwinian concepts I talked about in my beauty post.  If intelligence is suddenly seen as the new positive, taking the frontier above physical beauty, suddenly the world embarks upon a new paradigm.  People strive to create masterpieces of art, write enchanting stories, discover scientific achievements, or make great persuasive speeches.  These people should be at the top of the totem pole, because if this intelligence is what is attractive, society will benefit as a whole.  Another Marie Curie is better than a Nicole Ritchie, another William Shakespeare would do more for our world than a Spencer Pratt. And because people yearn to obtain hotness in order seem attractive to the rest of the world, people will then work on becoming the great leaders, instead of these great zeroes.

I respect Olivia Wilde, and I’ll say she’s beautiful ;), because she brought forth this insightful quote.  And with her physical allure, she still attempts to make a great impact on the world (through not only her acting, but also charity work and political activism), but this quote struck a specific chord with me and I hope you all think about it.

And yes. It is a good sign!

Peace and love!! 😀

Beauty is Common..?

Kelly Clarkson is beautiful!

My favourite music consists of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rush, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and all those famous 70s ‘classic rock’ bands, but search a little more in my ipod, and you’ll find the full discography for my girl, Kelly Clarkson. And okay, whenever I tell people this, they think it’s some weird crush or obsession or something but I really do appreciate her work.  My favourite album: My December!  I listen to the entire album at least once a week, and the songs and her voice really speak to me, and somehow have a large impact on my life.  Suffice to say, Kelly Clarkson has become part of my life, and I really respect her for that.

Prateek respects a girl for something other than her looks!? Yes. I know I have a tendency to objectify women like many men, commenting on their body features, deeming them as ‘hot‘ or ‘sexy,’ but come on, I need to have some fun.  Perhaps it’s the hormones, perhaps it’s a sense of prevailing immaturity, but I can attest that in this modern world, we are all conditioned to think this way.  Even in high school, there’s an expected mould the typical masculine guy must conform to, and part of this sadly is demeaning women, judging them based solely on their looks.  You may disagree, but most teenage guys think of women this way, and no one can blame them based on A) the media and B) how some girls bring it upon themselves.

So, let’s take a step back. How would I judge Kelly Clarkson based solely on her looks?  There’s been great attention focused on her physical appearance, specifically her weight.  I like this quote from a recent article, however, “Clarkson doesn’t want to look like your average “pop star” and that is what makes her that much better.  She’s talented, there’s no pretense about her, she is who she is and that is a singer.”  And this is what I respect about Kelly, she knows she is what she is, she even jokes about her weight and takes it all in stride.  And perhaps this is what beauty really is, confidence.  Or maybe not even confidence exactly, but the ability to know you.  This is why I love introspection, because I feel that if I know myself better, I can make a greater impact on the world.  Along the same stretch, I always urge others to look within themselves, heck, this is the entire core of how I give advice.  I’ll say this, a girl who knows who they are is sexy.

But still, I know in the back of every guy’s head is, wouldn’t it be better if she ALSO had a fit body like say Jessica Alba or Angelina Jolie.  How can a great body ever be a detriment?  And this is a simple yet persuasive argument.  Just like Carl Linnaeus, we all have a tendency to want to order the universe.  We all want to judge people, and rank people against others.  I am the first one to claim I am guilty to referring as random people as ‘6s,’ ‘7s’ or ‘8s’ based on their looks.  But who am I to judge, I’m not claiming I possess beauty, I don’t have that 6-pack or ripped biceps many women swoon for, nor do I have the debonair charm that sweeps many girls off their feet.  However, like all of us, perhaps it’s a self-esteem thing, perhaps we’re bored, I don’t know, but the fact is we all judge!

A saying I once read, ironically from a book on how to pick-up woman, asks “beauty is common, what makes you special?”  By asking this to a ‘9‘ or ‘10,’ the trick is you’ll confuse them by instead of complimenting them, the guy puts himself in the power position.  I’ve never had the audacity to try it myself, but instead I contemplated the verity of the question.  Is beauty really common? I asked myself, why can’t beauty be common?  There is no specific guideline to beauty.  In its purest sense, I believe beauty can be defined as anything we find appealing.  Therefore I find Kelly Clarkson appealing.  But I also find calculus, Oreo cookies, and dinosaurs appealing… so are all those things beautiful too?  Why not!? Then what does it mean to be appealing? As humans, we have the freedom in what we choose to like or dislike.  Now suddenly an ugly old woman may be appealing because the story of why she looks that way may be intriguing.  A civil war may have had a complex, yet appealing history.  The most evil dictator may have had crazy, yet oddly engrossing motives.  If we are drawn to these things, (and we can be drawn to anything if we have the mindset for it) they are appealing, and if they are appealing, then under my definition, I can view these things as beautiful.  Ergo, everything is beautiful, and thus beauty is common!

Now if beauty is common, then what’s the purpose of judging others?  What’s the purpose of trying to make ourselves look more appealing or to abide to certain social mores?  The best answer I can come up with is a Darwinian answer.  Judging is part of human nature, we use our intelligence and curiosity to help us make the right choices for survival.  For example, by judging girls, I would stay away from a trashy girls because she might have STDs, which would help save my health.  Or it’s as simple as judging bread if it has mold or not.  We use appearance to help us.  Then for the second question, it’s the entire issue of procreation.  The healthiest specimen breed with the likewise to produce the best offspring with the greatest chance of survival.  Consequently, strong, not overweight, intelligent, upstanding individuals want to make themselves appear that way in hopes of achieving someone with similar attributes.  This is deep-rooted sexual nature.  For example, while I’m killing myself on the abs machine at the gym, I’m thinking by getting in shape more girls will notice me, period. And I know girls think the exact same way when they are spending hours putting on their makeup or assembling their best wardrobe.  We all want to appear our best.

Then why doesn’t Kelly Clarkson work out a bit more, or focus a bit more on her appearance? Because mature, understanding people realize it’s not her looks that make her beautiful, it’s her understanding that looks don’t matter, and the confidence that she knows she really is beautiful.  And this is where beauty becomes minor, and a common and mutual understanding takes precedent.

Judging is part of who we are, we cannot stop that.  But perhaps we should not be so black and white about beauty. Beauty is common.  What I view is most important is the ability for them to make an impact on your life.  It’s not about beauty, that’s irrelevant, it’s about compatibility.  The saying where ‘beauty is in the eye of beholder‘ is often misunderstood.  But the way I understood it is that the right girl, the right guy, the right anything, is someone that can help you be happy, or help you in some positive aspect of your life.  If it is appealing to you, that’s all that matters. 🙂

Peace and love!! 😀