Death is coming

The closer death creeps up upon me the less I am able to understand the reasons for life or living.

Yes I have experienced a close family member dying and unlike television it takes decades to handle such a thing. To think I am going to put my family through such a thing when I finally leave is more horrific to me than the thought of death itself.

My life was and is still a learning experience but when all said and done what am I to do with all this accumulated learning over my lifetime if I just die. There is no logic or reason to this.

Long ago I became aware that the God story that is sold to the majority is just a nice story to give mankind with a message of a basic layout of how nice life could be if everyone followed these ideas. Not many in life do and if one thinks about it the good and evil structures actually depend on each other. The good that can be experienced in life is only understood as good when there is it's opposite to compare it to. This is not rocket science only common sense in reality. I am not saying we need to experience bad but understanding in it is needed to appreciate the great things many of us can have in our lives. From birth to death there are many ways mankind helps his fellow man. How many ways can you help?


Sunday, December 6, 2009

The Soothing Nature of Blue in the Home

By Jim Slate

Slate and Artstone - Blue is the color of the ocean whose gentle waves rock back and forth in a quietly roaring rhythm. It is the color of the sky on a cloudless day, a color of peace, and serenity. When you stare into a blue landscape, you can see eternity, stretching on endlessly, live the waves of the ocean rolling on and on.

This is true of blue on both a societal, and a psychological level.

Our minds mimic the natural world in which they were developed. When we are exposed to the color blue, our minds automatically bring up memories of sky and ocean, and we feel more relaxed.

This is not an automatic, nor an overwhelming response. Instead, it is a subtle effect that occurs deep within our subconscious mind.

When you use the color blue in an interior, you are adding patches and swathes of serenity to your design. You are creating signals that cue up calm in people's minds.

For someone who is anxious, agitated, or quick to anger, this can be a great therapeutic step. The blue may not cure their problems, but it will create an environment where it is easier to avoid them.

On the other hand if you have someone that is lazy, lethargic, or unmotivated, blue is the worst possible color, as it will seduce them back into a malaise. Blue creates an environment where it is easy to relax. If you want to fire someone up, try red instead.

Another potential problem with blue is that it can depress the nervous system, slightly. This may reinforce person's negative emotions, making them depressed.

These color tips are broad suggestions for the way colors affect people's minds. You can always balance these properties by using contrasting colors in accent pieces. By paying attention to the way colors in a space affect the people within the space; you develop a strategy to achieve exactly the effect you want.

About the Author: