The Okinawa Summer Inkblot design is full in color and displays the beautiful spirit of the Ryukyu Islands. This artwork features hibiscus flowers, shisa, tropic sky, sun, and more… My passion and love for Okinawa was my inspiration to design this inkblot.
I teach my 3 sons not to use the word “hate.” The word itself is just that, a word. However, the meaning and power it carries by simply using it can be devastating. When one says, “I hate “this or that,” hate is not placed in that in which you hate, but rather in the haters heart, your heart. It is more damaging to the one that hates then to that in which is being hated. When you have hate in your heart, it can spread like a virus, and it becomes easier to hate, thus polluting your heart in this endless hatred, finally turning your heart black. Just by using the word “hate,” whether you mean it or not, it can spread, battle, and conflict with the love that is also in your heart. There is no good that comes directly from hate. By hating something, you allow that thing to further bother you even more then it already has. If you really “dislike” this thing so much, then let it go, if you don’t then you are allowing it to control you, thus increasing your hatred towards it. By just simply using the word this chain reaction can happen. The word “hate” should not be used lightly, preferably not at all.
How can one prevent oneself from hating? Where does hatred come from? There can be many reasons and ways for hatred to come about, but there is a simple answer. More or less, the source of hatred forms when our expectations are not met to our satisfaction. When one expects something, and it does not happen how we expected it to, we become disappointed. If we continue to have ideas on how things should be, and discriminate between things based off of our opinions, we are sure to eventually be let down. This can lead to hatred in that in which is not to our satisfaction. The answer, Do not expect. If you do not expect, you can not be disappointed. Remain neutral and remove your discrimination and prejudice which both can lead to hatred. Remember that discrimination can be as simple as valuing one thing over another. Remove that.
Don’t be afraid that by reaching this neutral state that life will be boring. It will not. Everything will be beautiful, and at the same time not, because the relativeness is gone. This is also the way to cease suffering.
The fact that I stated hate is a bad word implies a discrimination, an expectation, a prejudice is in effect. If I was in this state of neutrality myself, hate would neither be bad nor good. The two would be one. However, I used this headline to make a point. To bring forth awareness, like a slap to your head that wakes you up, just when you thought you were already awake.
Cloaked in a charcoal clothes,
sneaky silhouettes tiptoe under lights gaze,
and it’s in these days, the brightest of days,
when out come the darkest of the shadows.
Haunting every form and every shape
Mirroring every movement and every ray
the darkness follows, for light’s its prey.
It lets no sparkle, nor glint escape.
Light is Jekyll, and shadows, Hyde.
You can not run, as it’s reflects your stride.
You can not fight it, so instead embrace,
for the phantom of light is lights night grace.
