First, above, there is a photo I took that day but below I'll begin with a video taken by my first Japanese friend Koji, taken when the Sakura trees blossomed in Tokyo this year.
Secondly I'll post a cover of the Radiohead song "Creep" sung by a Belgian girls choir, the original is sung by one man and it is full of passion but a choir of young girls singing the same words resonates with me much more and really fills me with emotion, all of their words coming together like a flock of birds flying in formation.
Third I'll post a Thai short film about life and rebirth, it really inspired me when I watched it and just watched it again. I think it's message is about really making the most of life and not having regret
Each Moment is the Universe from bruce thierry on Vimeo.
Next up is another Thai short about football, trying your hardest and persevering even when the odds are against you. The music and narration is catchy too :)
After that is a really moving animation called "The man who planted trees" it's longer (30 minutes) but absolutely brilliant and something I've watched a couple of times with different friends
The Man Who Planted Trees from Max Urai on Vimeo.
Moving away from video here's a link to a set of photographs by a Japanese photographer I really like. The set is from Yemen in 2008. Yemen is a country I'll almost definitely never visit, it's reputation is that it is incredibly dangerous, a training zone for terrorists and a very poor country. However this man's photos show a completely different side to the country, one of strength, beauty and happiness, they give us a glimpse into a part of the world most of us will never visit and that, I think, is the brilliance of photography
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yotta1000/sets/72157606882424754/
How about some text as well? I mean we're going through all kinds of inspiration so I'll link to two brilliant pieces of text which have really expanded my mind, first a short story by H.G.Wells, written in 1904 it's called "The country of the blind" It's about a mountaineer, climbing through some difficult cliffs when he falls into a valley completely inhabited by people with sunken eye sockets, a society that is completely blind. It's a fascinating look into how important sight is in society and how it affects language and thought.
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/w/wells/hg/w45cb/chapter32.html
The second text is a philosophical one about existence and life, it questions both
http://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-answer/
Finally I'll show you a non verbal film that I'm extremely excited to see called Samsara. It's a sequel to a film from 1992 called Baraka, also a non verbal film. By non-verbal I mean that there is no dialogue in either, there is no plot, there are no characters, it's not a drama but nor is it a documentary both films are simply documents of life on earth, they show brilliance, beauty, they show nature, humanity and animals. Baraka is one of my favourite films I implore people to seek it out and watch it, Samsara will be released publicly in a few months
And there you have it folks a selection of inspirational content, music, videos, text and images that might open your mind a little further, ponder a little about them all, life in all it's forms is a brilliant thing and we can make life better for ourselves and eachother why don't you strive towards something today? Why don't we help someone, make a stranger smile or be unusually generous be it a minuscule or major thing either action can be a great one.
Have a nice day!
