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Are You Dying of Envy?
Knowing that your neighbour is going to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Lisbon, while you’ve never left the country, thinking of your sister, who is living in a warm country while you are almost freezing to death in winter, loving your best friend just a little less because she can eat as much as she wants without gaining weight while you spend the last 3 years fighting to lose just 4 kilos. How unhappy we are! Envy brings out the worst in people, because we always want what we cannot have. Being jealous means that sometimes we enjoy seeing other people go down. “Envy shows people how miserable people feel and their constant paying attention to what others do or don’t shows just how bored they are” said the German philosopher Arthur Schoppenhaur. This quote perfectly explains the concept of envy. Instead of being jealous of that friend who just found a great job, it is better to feel happy and to try to do the same. To admire a person is to be able to value him and to be able to value yourself, too. We are never satisfied, we always want more and more, and we rarely look at what we achieve within our limitations. A football match, for example, shows us a very positive type of envy between the two teams which contribute therefore to fair play. If you are an envious person, you only hurt yourself. You will really suffer thinking about the fact that no one pays attention to you or that you aren’t the centre of attention and that there’s always someone better...
A winter without laziness
The winter cold keeps you from taking your arm out of the duvet to turn off the alarm clock; your fridge is empty because you were too lazy to go shopping at five when it is almost night time. You need more sun to encourage you to go for a jog or a walk and the kitchen is so cold that you dare not put anything in the microwave for fear of being frozen to death in the wait…. Finally you are late for work and you are really hungry! This is just an example of what one might feel when winter comes, but laziness is also a daily habit. You just need a little push to get rid of it! Laziness is one of the seven deadly sins, original and mortal. Its Latin root means “slow, late, clumsy and heavy” and it is defined as negligence and carelessness concerning the actions of our everyday lives. When one reaches an excess, he can give up on his duties to society and citizenship. The lack of motivation paralyzes many people, making them fall into frustration and poverty. Avoid getting bored by following your passions and desires. But there are those who are workaholics, so hyperactive that they do not know what to rest is. They think that relaxing is a complete waste of time when, in fact, it allows us to charge our batteries and be more productive. Men are made to be creative. Did you know that in Itagui city (Colombia) they have been celebrating the day of laziness since 1985? According to the organizers, “the brain never rests...
Greed and a world without money
Winning or losing money, to have or to need money, to take or to steal money, to spend or to save money…How many times a day do we think of this word? Since the global economic crisis was declared, we are totally obsessed with money. If we think about it for a moment, it’s only paper. Can you imagine a world without money as Jean-Jacques Rousseau dreamed with his noble savage concept? This wouldn’t eradicate greed, the sin that takes one to the excessive and inordinate desire to possess and acquire wealth or properties. As a purge to greed, the penitents of The Divine Comedy (by Dante Alighieri) had to kneel on a rock and recite examples of greed and their opposite virtues. Wealth is not always synonymous with success. It seems that if you suffer from this sin, it will own you too. And if not, you only have to look at the famous miser Harpagon of the play The Miser of Molière , who lived a poor life so he could die rich, accumulating money and riches for no reason except to satisfy his madness. Greed is a condemned sin by the Catholic Church because it usually leads to other vices like envy, anger and pride. Greed is inner poverty because one is never satisfied with what he has, and one loses the value of objects, feelings and knowledge. Being greedy is not just about money matters, but it also has to do with things one wants to acquire and store for no further use: one can be also an intellectual or emotional greedy. Collecting instead of...
Gluttony – is it a pleasure or is it a sin?
Surely this has happened to you: you´ve got some cheese but you´re missing a piece of bread to appreciate this last tasty morsel with your last drop of wine….gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins: it is an unpardonable sin entailing a total loss of grace; the act or practice of eating to excess. At first glance, gluttony is a desperate call of our stomach. Who among us does not like good food? Who is able to resist the delicious Valencian cuisine for example, with its thousands of rice recipes, like their traditional paella, their seafood and their vegetables? In addition, the region also offers a very tasty wine selection. Filled to satisfaction, taste a little of everything and then take a nap, this is a good life! They would have to erase this sin from the list! It is said that the greed of love and affection is the more common form. And that it´s very common to see these people addicted to chocolate, sweets and sugar. In fact, the word “sugar” comes from the Sanskrit root “sukha” which means “happiness”. Children who are overweight, for example, seek a way to satisfy their hunger of love. Binge drinking, which if repeated can be destructive behaviour and also a form of gluttony. Constant drunkenness is also a destructive behaviour, and also a way of gluttony. In The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, the penitents in Purgatory were forced to stand between two trees, unable to reach and eat the fruit hanging from its branches. The sweet-toothed were forced to smell the food without eating it. Now you know...Photography, erotic or pornographic?
The photography lovers among others have been waiting for it all the year long: the Pirelli Calendar 2010 has finally been launched with photos taken by the photographer Terry Richardson. This company publishes this exclusive calendar, where the world’s best photographers have been photographing world famous models, since 1964 (with a break between the years 1974 and 1984). The images of the 2010 edition have been labelled as very erotic. What does “erotic art” exactly mean and what is the difference between nude photography, erotic photography and photography which is pornographic? Which factor really decides to which of these three genres an image belongs? Nude photography is not necessarily erotic. Sometimes it focuses only on some details of the human figure. The lights playing on the skin and the body can produce some astonishing effects and images of great artistic value. We can, on the other hand, define erotic photography as a kind of photography that is sensual along with allusive images aimed to stimulate our sexual desire. Typically, these pictures do not even show “everything”, the entire nude, but use accessories such as sexy lingerie, tight and almost transparent clothing and also objects that can make you think about a sadomasochistic sexuality. In fact there is a genre called “no nude” erotic photography. It is well known that the images, which only suggest, insinuate, without showing anything explicitly, stimulate our curiosity much more, our desires and the fantasy than the ones, where nothing is hidden. The erotic genre was already developed in the first part of the XIX Century, soon after the invention of photography and is obviously...
Modern Day Phobias in Today’s World
Venustraphobia or Caligynephobia: to understand the meaning of those words we should have studied a bit of Greek and above all we should be prepared to read some very strange things. Have you guessed the meaning of Venustraphobia? It is the fear of beautiful women. There is also a word for those who fear laughter, sex, paper, the navel or even news stories. Sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it? Let’s discover if you suffer from some kind of phobia. In the cartoons on TV we sometimes see a cook that suffers from Musophobia or in other words he’s afraid of mice. This is not to be confused with Mageirocophobia or the fear of cooking as many men seem to suffer from this one! The word phobia comes from Greek mythology and tells the story of Phobos, the personification of fear and horror, son of Ares and Aphrodite. His Roman equivalent was Timor, which resembles the word ‘fear’ or ‘temor’ in Spanish. Phobos is also the largest of the two moons of Mars and the closest to the planet. In everyday life, this phobia is not a rare disorder but it can cause problems and therefore may have to be treated. It can be cured with books, support groups, hypnosis, shock methods or something called exposure therapy: the gradual confrontation of this particular fear s and learn to control it. One of the most common phobias is Arachnophobia (fear of spiders). Many people who have it, can not even see a photo of a spider. It is estimated that half of all women and 10% of men panic when they see those...
You taste like chocolate
If you feel stressed out or moody and the arrival of Autumn is further making your skin dry we have a magic and very tasty cure for you: listen to your body and pamper it with a chocolate massage! Sounds tasty, doesn’t it? For once in your life you´ll enjoy yourself without worrying about counting the calories. Chocolate has so many healthy properties and will make you have that beautiful baby skin again and you’ll also feel full of new energy! The chocolate therapy is probably a crazy idea but this is a true miracle for the body: who would have thought that this treasure so rich could be so healthy for your skin and your mind. Indeed, the cocoa increases the hormones of pleasure and well-being –endorphins, it is an aphrodisiac and it has moisturizing, nourishing and detoxifying effects for the skin: it removes cellulite, improves circulation and prevents premature aging. It is a tonic food as it contains theobromine, a substance that stimulates the nervous system similar to caffeine, but less euphoric. In addition, the Maya culture called the cacao “food of gods” for its natural properties and therapeutic benefits. Nobody can resist a praline or a Belgian chocolate ice cream, and for those who do not love chocolate, you should try the cocoa bath, since it is your skin and not your mouth that will taste it! Sure that you will want to come back for seconds! And we recommend a visit to the fabulous chocolate museum in Barcelona, located in the charming district of El Born. In a list of the top 10 museums in...
When Morpheus rocks you
Once upon a time, in the days of classical Greece, there was a God of Sleep called Hypnos that had a twin brother called Thanatos (God of the non-violent death), another called Keres (God of the violent death) and another called Moira (Goddess of the fate). Nyx, the Goddes of Night (daughter of chaos) and Hypnos have a son named Morpheus (the God of Sleep)who can transform and reproduce human forms. He touched the front of the men with a stick or a poppy flower to make them dream while they were sleeping. With its wings, Morpheus could travel through the world and if someone did not want to fall asleep in his arms, he seduced him and took him to the dream world… Morpheus lived in a palace built inside a cave, so that nothing and no one ever altered its tranquility. He slept in a ebony illuminated bed covered with poppies and nocturnal birds flitting around. It is said that he was killed by Zeus for revealing the mortals secrets. Today, we use the word “narcotic” to refer to certain drugs, whereas if we look after its etymological meaning it means drowsiness or lethargy. The word “morphine” comes from Morpheus and their properties to induce the sleep. Do you remember “Matrix”? The boss, called Morpheus, moves in and out of the real world: he seems to have everything clear and under control. He will be responsible to show Neo the difference between reality, truth and fiction. These are topics very important for humans… According to the studies of the Freudian psychoanalysis, dreams are disguised realizations of our...
Fate, where does it lead us?
Is everything written down regarding our lives? Do we really have a unique goal in life? Can I change my destiny? Some people think that destiny is predetermined; however, others believe that it is the own person who writes his own story by what he does. There are many theories that support and refute both thoughts. For example, the psychoanalysis theory tells that destiny is written by the things one does and not by imposed conditions. By contrast, sciences like palmistry hold the theory that everything is written, and that our destiny can be read and guessed. Which theory do you prefer? Are you one of those who put up with your lot in life or do you rebel and strive to change your destiny? Psychoanalysts, who analyze everything, think that not only the external constraints influence our life, but also our own acts (the psyche). So, if you decide you want to change things in your life, you can do it. Therefore, everything is liable to change through the imposition of our physique. If you know this, you will manage your own life, according to the psychoanalysts. If we approach the theory of palmistry, we find that the destiny is written from the very first moment when we are born. Palmistry is the art of studying our fate by reading the lines of the hand. Although it´s not always possible to predict the future exactly, at times you can guess it. Palmistry assures that thanks to the hands you can guess how a person would act in a particular situation because of his psychological profile, marked in their...
