We say in the morning prayers that Adonai raises the downtrodden. We like to believe that He hears our prayers and answers them — but He does not answer every prayer. God answers our prayers when they are for something we truly need — not something we want. And when we ask Him for the simplest thing — comfort in a time of sorrow — that is a prayer that is always answered.

God can’t be found in moments of joy — sure, we can thank God, but finding God, truly finding Him, comes form turning to Him in times of genuine need. God gives us what we need.

May you pursue nothing but righteousness in your new found enlightenment, may you be strong, and in turn may you be strengthened.

– Adam Kruger

5. Journey – Don’t Stop Believing

This song defines the word “epic.” It is an anthem unto itself — a song that, when heard, inspires awe and a sense of connection to all those listening. Don’t Stop Believing was covered by the Glee cast, and still sounded good. This is a song to listen to at the end of a great night, at the beginning of a night that will probably be great, or really anytime you want to listen to a song that can get EVERYONE singing along to it.

4. Infected Mushroom – Dancing With Kadafi

A new listen for me, Infected Mushroom falls into too many genres to classify. I’ll call them, for the purpose of this list, “Israeli psy-trance.” This song exemplifies a lot of what they do very very well — put intricate middle eastern sounding guitar riffs into a electronic, quasi-house beat. The song changes often throughout its 10 minutes and 22 seconds, and takes the listener on a journey. Epic, indeed.

3. Phish – Divided Sky

This song is 12 minutes long at a minimum — the recording here is from Bonnaroo in 2009 (make sure you listen to part II, as well). Phish has always been a band that can put a smile on a person’s face, and this song in particular does it every time. You can hear the pure joy coming out of Trey’s guitar towards the end; as the song crescendos, the technical showcase fades out and the energy and emotion behind the song truly show in the 30 second note that launches the listener into the conclusion of the song.

2. Deadmau5 – Strobe

I was never big into house music until I heard this song. Deadmau5 is a young producer from Canada who has quickly become a well known name in the electro scene. Strobe really showcases his talents over about 11 minutes, and the changing time signature and dynamics create an epic that can have even the most sluggish listener dancing by the time the beat drops (3:50).

1. John Butler – Ocean

This is the best song in the world. I have yet to hear a song that comes close to expressing the amount of emotion that this piece does. I heard him play a show once, and his lead in to this song was something along the lines of “I like to play this song to inspire peace and understanding in the world.” It does, John. I can’t even fill up a paragraph about how great this song is. It’s just awesome. Listen to it. Now.

I’m current in the process of coming to terms with the end of a long relationship. It has been a challenge to maintain not just happiness, but stability and self-worth throughout; the relationship was a mess of codependency and jealousy, and while it was not healthy, it was comfortable. In order to move on with life, however, one needs to break out of his or her comfort zone and experience something new. The comfort of my relationship was preventing me from progressing emotionally — I was not feeling vital emotions, because they were uncomfortable, and I could avoid it. Without pain, though, there can be no pleasure; it is necessary to confront your own duality in order to realize the true depth of your emotions. My relationship did not teach me this — the breakup, however, required me to learn it.

I’ve come to the point now where, in retrospect, I’m able to look objectively upon my emotions, and understand them for what they are. I am sad about the breakup. I feel sorrow and pain, and longing for the comfort that I used to take in my life’s stability. But I am still able to feel happiness and joy — I just had not been able to understand that one cannot exist without the other. Meditation and reflection have helped me to understand that my awareness of my ability to feel both pain and happiness is the root of my ability to love — love is the balance of sorrow and joy. And while much of my current sorrow comes from the pain that a breakup causes, sorrow can exist without a breakup — without my ex. Similarly, while much of my love was directed into the relationship, I have the ability to love outside of my ex — I have love for my friends, for my family, and for what I do on a day to day basis. By being aware of the fact that my emotions are under my control, and not the reverse, I can isolate them from their circumstances and come to terms with their presence outside the scenarios that cause them. And by removing the idea that my ex girlfriend is the only one who can provide me with those feelings, I’m able to love completely outside of her presence.

A quote came to me in the midst of my meditations last night:

I understand that there are things which I can control, and that there are things that I cannot. I promise to use my control to better those around me, and to make the best of those things that I cannot control, as they will make me a stronger, better person.

Sometimes, in order to regain control, you must first surrender to it. Experience your emotions fully, and do not shy away from those that make you uncomfortable — but know that you will only be at peace when you understand where your emotions come from, and when you are able to experience them without an exterior motivator. Only you can choose how you feel.

And conforming with the system for a period of time would enable you to understand the system well enough to determine how to get the heck out of it and beat it. Trying to play the game without following the rules – when you don’t even know the rules – can’t work. Play the game for a while with the rules so you can learn how to effectively cheat.

We were not born critical of existing society. There was a moment in our lives (or a month, or a year) when certain facts appeared before us, startled us, and then caused us to question beliefs that were strongly fixed in our consciousness-embedded there by years of family prejudices, orthodox schooling, imbibing of newspapers, radio, and television. This would seem to lead to a simple conclusion: that we all have an enormous responsibility to bring to the attention of others information they do not have, which has the potential of causing them to rethink long-held ideas.
— Howard Zinn, 2005

The key to happiness is much simpler than most people think. Surround yourself with those you love, and make the time to make them happy. Those who follow the Jewish faith call it ‘mitzvot,’ and I can’t think of a better term for it. Be happy by making other people happy — it’s the most genuine happiness you’ll experience.
– Matt Diamondstone

Some say it takes age to gather experience. I choose to believe that experience is something that one can work for, something one can find, and something that can just happen. Be spontaneous, be happy, and love.
– Matt Diamondstone

Only this moment is life.
– Thich Nhat Hanh

Matter flows from place to place and momentarily comes together to be you. Some people find that thought disturbing, I find the reality thrilling.
– Richard Dawkins

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’, but ‘That’s funny…’
– Isaac Asimov

Whenever you’re called on to make up your mind / and you’re hampered by not having any / the best way to solve the dilemma, you’ll find / is simply by spinning a penny. No – not so that chance shall decide the affair / while you’re passively standing there moping / but the moment the penny is up in the air / you suddenly know what you’re hoping.
– Unknown

If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.
– Lewis Carroll

I’m sick of just liking people. I wish to God I could meet somebody I could respect.
– J.D. Salinger

Good for you… and this is what I was talking about the other day. A change in perspective (i.e. excitement over a change in scenery) can change your entire outlook. Sometimes they come easy (e.g. simply applying for an internal job), and sometimes you have to really put forth effort to get those changes (e.g. get a new degree), but either way, it’s all part of the journey and you might find you enjoy the experience of earning a degree, especially since there is an end date (graduation) in sight. Other times, the end is softer (don’t know when you’ll get that promotion). Either way, (changing or stagnant) it is your life (and your journey). You have the choice to stay on the easy and straight path – or you can make a left turn down the road – or you can make a right turn to climb a mountain to get to (maybe a beautiful view – or maybe see an ugly smoky city) you take risks and sometimes the risks pay off. Sometimes there is excitement in just taking risks even if they do not pay off. And sometimes you take risks and they don’t pay off but you learn something and then your next risk-taking adventure is more calculated. Point is, at 21 years of age, continuing straight on your road is boring, uneventful and unproductive. Change jobs, take classes, travel…. make a turn and see what happens. But a calculated turn – not one where you know there is a cliff there you will fall over!

“I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness.”

– Dalai Lama

The right to happiness and the ability to achieve it is within everybody. It’s an attitude –  a state of mind –  and it is not primarily dependent on external conditions. Happiness is the purpose of life — but it’s also the journey. Each day is a challenge to remain positive; there are so many external factors that have the ability to influence your mood and disposition, your mind and your spirit. Once you are able to move past the external circumstances that you can’t change, it becomes almost instinct to brush off the feelings and stresses caused by your environment, and to use your own self — your own energy — to change your mood into what you want it to be. This is ‘being centered’ or ‘at peace with one’s self;’ it is complete knowledge of your own emotions and reactions.

The most important use of knowledge is to understand ourselves and make changes from within — to develop a good heart. Once you understand yourself, it becomes easier and easier to relate to and understand those around you. Once you’re familiar and comfortable with your own perspective, your own ideals and morals, it becomes almost second nature to see things through other’s eyes, and this is one of the most important abilities a person can cultivate. To walk a mile in someone else’s shoes is to try and feel the way they feel, and think the way they think. It allows you to empathize, and more importantly, to relate.

To come at this idea from a different perspective, consider the emotion ‘anger.’ While happiness is positive for you and all around you, anger is the exact opposite. It is not productive, it is not helpful, and it is not healthy. Emotions are natural, and there is no shame in being angry, but consider how your anger in a given moment can affect not only those around you, but also yourself, and the potential consequences of your externalization of anger. Is action influenced by anger not likely to cause more negativity?

Don’t expect appreciation — don’t wait for signs of gratification. To control your anger, or to use your happiness and positive energy to your advantage, is not something you can explain or describe to someone else. Be your own inspiration and motivation. If you live your life waiting for others to praise and inspire you, you will not accomplish the things that you want to accomplish. Don’t expect immediate results from those around you — this will follow naturally.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

–Steve Jobs

I’ve come to a crossroads in my life. I was a student and a child, and then I started attending college. Once I stopped going to college, I was just dropped into the real world — no experience, nobody to tell me what to do, and nobody watching me to make sure I didn’t do something stupid. But I didn’t understand this. In my mind, I was still a child — waiting for this weird interim of work to end so my life could go back to normal. But the truth is, there is no ‘normal’. Life isn’t a plan, it’s not a race, and there’s nothing and nobody telling you how to live your life. The expression “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” is common, but is one of the most important ideals one could ever try to understand. Life isn’t on ‘pause’ waiting for me to get back. This is real life — and I’m in charge.

“I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life… to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

–Henry David Thoreau

Take a few minutes out of your daily routine, and ask yourself ‘When I die, what do I want to have done with my life?’ How do you want to live? How do you want to be remembered? More importantly, what do you want right now, and how are you going to go about getting it?

I think it is healthy to think of yourself from the perspective of other people in an effort to improve yourself; but I think it’s also good to have a high standard for the people whose opinions you value enough to accommodate.