Farewell and Adieu (Final Post)

And so, it seems the ink to this virtual paper is running dry. I’ve had a love hate relationship with the experience of writing and in a sense creating this blog. First, It’s hard to accurately express what you feel or are through any medium (art, talking, etc.). Second, it will always feel incomplete because you are limited to the resources at hand and you’re missing that voice that truly makes you yourself. And… I won’t say anymore because even though there were reasons to not feel comfortable putting myself out there, I did enjoy it. Through this virtual journey I forced myself to write more personally and creatively. I discovered that I can motivate myself to begin to write and express myself in a decent and satisfactory manner (we will always be frustrated with what we write, but we have to give ourselves some credit). Not only that, but I discovered the joy of analyzing works; and understanding that even though something might appear to be different on the surface, it can relate to one’s own journey on a very personal level. For example, take JamaicaKinkaid’s A Small Place, in which she criticises the tourist that comes to her native island and doesn’t care for their problems. Even though, not directly the same problems we face here in Puerto Rico, we can relate to the struggle of having people that discriminate towards us and don’t wish to understand our condition (discrimination, debt, corruption, etc.). In the end, I believe a blog is truly personal and I feel that my technical knowledge limited me to truly explore what I could have created. Nonetheless, I enjoyed sharing a part of my person to the world and sharing a part of my journey, which is still very much a work in progress.  

I'll leave you all with some of my favorite films and other random things: 

A childhood favorite

Is Switzerland Happy? A thought.

What is happiness? Eric Weiner travels looking for answers, for me specifically I observed the notion of happiness when he visited Switzerland. He titles the chapter: “Happiness is Boredom”. This in itself seems to be a confusing notion, but he explains himself. We are all familiar with Swiss perfection whether we refer to its chocolate, it’s punctual trains, government benefits (Health insurance and education), cleanliness and above all, happiness. We always have this place as a perfect comparison: they’re neutral on wars, they have high paying minimum salaries, one of the lowest crime rates, and they rank high on all happiness scales. However, when we read Weiner’s initial impressions we start to comprehend the initial comment about how happiness is boredom. He describes the Swiss person to be uneventful, they lack humor and overall live in a society were everything is regulated and in a sense perfect. additionally, when Weiner asks the Swiss about what it means to be happy they come back to perfect elements of their society (clean toilets, punctual system, etc.).  They seem to find tranquility and bliss in that everything works and that society gives you, but is this happiness? I find this to be essentially contradictory to happiness, as this quote from the Dalai Lama states: “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”  In this regard, happiness is not something your satisfied or that you find from time to time. The Swiss have a great connection with nature, as Weiner experiences when he visits the alps; but, even he understands that this feeling of bliss is a temporary one and more of peace than of happiness. The Swiss have mastered what Weiner calls conjoyment: “Something more than mere contentment but less than full on joy. “Conjoyment,” perhaps. Yes, that’s what the Swiss possess: utter conjoyment. We could use this word to describe all kinds of situations where we feel joyful yet calm at the same time.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32443396

I believe happiness is the expression of working to find something within yourself that lights a fire that nothing can cease. It is euphoric and not placid when encountered. In a sense, I believe that Puerto Ricans, even though we face many obstacles (Extreme crime rates, hurricanes, debt and corruption), we manage to find happiness. Contrary to what many believe the economic situation one faces is not completely enticing of your happiness. Puerto Ricans are fighters and they strive to be better every day whether it entails working harder to push the island forward or just to help out with the family or find your own niche in society. I believe that even though we receive so much bad publicity, moments of joy are found in the small things in our society. For example, random acts of kindness that don’t pay anything back, but they drive the morale. Puerto Ricans have this innate sense of turning bad situations into good ones. For example, if your neighbour loses power, you invite him over or give him power. When you’re invited to a funeral you’re there for that person, but you also celebrate, we’re not shy about this, we celebrate life and we try to find joy. Even if this happiness may cost us more than swiss happiness and seems like it might be sporadic at times, we are proud to fight for that happiness and trying to light a spark to truly be happy, and not just content.  

Here's El Velorio by Francisco Oller