NNTBTL

                                                                   My Biggest Loss

All people are defined by their beliefs and values. For some, faith is a way to cope with everyday strife and existential depression. However, we cannot control what we believe, and once we lose it, it cannot be regained. Afterwards we are left without the assurance of purpose, and left only with the empty void of contemplation, hoping to find some arbitrary meaning to life in the chaos that we encounter in our lives.

                                                        Something I Can't See

I am on a boat. I can see two people paragliding. I can see that the parachute has a smiling face. That is all I can see. I cannot know the intricacies of this event. I have no way of knowing who these people are, or what chain of events led them to this moment. I can assure myself that, whatever their life story is, it is just as interesting and complex as my own. Perhaps they are college students on vacation. Perhaps they are retirees enjoying their last few years having as much fun as they can. Perhaps they are a depressed husband and wife trying desperately to rekindle a dying marriage. Maybe one of them is afraid of heights, begging to be let down, or maybe they're both just bored.

The point is that I'll never know, because I can't see. These people will pass by and continue on with their lives, and I'll never be able to know what comes next.

                                                                     A Celebration

Condensation- the conversion of a gaseous substance to a liquid or solid state through lowering of a temperature. Also a good way to know that someone at a party is too busy having fun to finish their drink before it develops these water droplets. 

                                                           
                                           Something I Covet

I envy this turtle. It lives a pretty solitary life. No one hardly ever bothers it, and when they do he can just zip right into his shell until they leave him alone.

                                                              Something I Dread

The oncoming storm. The Rains of Castamere. That feeling that something abhorrent is about to occur, but you cannot prevent it because you don't know what it is.

                                                                 My Favorite Place

Silence, peace, sanctuary, charity, and a sense of purpose. What's not to love?

                                                             Someone Intimidating

There are few creatures that inspire dread such as the black swan. I am not entirely sure I could take one on in a fight.

                                                                  Something Timeless

Old Glory. One of the youngest nations in the world, but also one of the most successful. Founded on the ideal that people should decide their own destiny, rather than have it written in law books by those detached from those they claim to serve. Down with tyrants. 

                                                         Something I Don't Understand

Humans are unique in that they have an inexplicable ability to find arbitrary beauty in something completely random and meaningless. The extraordinary thing is that sunrises are held in high esteem across all cultures, throughout time. There is no reason for this, other than the fact that humans, for some reason, just love looking at shiny things.

                                                                      My Dark Side

My dark side isn't violence, as this picture entails. It is the arrogance to believe that simply setting a camera on a timer and posing by this gun in a mighty position somehow makes me worthy of respect. If I've learned one lesson in life, it is this: those who's goal is to gain respect are undeserving of it.