evilstrawberry chronicles

In between the hectic and stressful schedule of my life as a freelancer, a graphics design student and amateur/obsessed researcher of Komitas, I made the right choice and decided to re-start going to zazen sessions at the local Dojo!! Ta-taaaaa!
My fascination with Zen had started following a course on Non-Western art I took during my art education. I figured I loved reading about the approach of the zen monks to practicing their traditional arts more than reading about the art itself. As a result, I later took another honours course this time on the following book, which many of you probably have read:

It was an amazing course prepared and taught by Lee Adnepos (a wonderful professor; I still remember his calm voice. I used to leave his classroom more inspired and curious than before after each lesson) and I still count myself extremely lucky for having taken it. The whole semester we dissected Pirsig's book, word by word, researched on themes within, and ended up reading several…

Reading about the Armenian genocide is not at all an easy task. I keep reading about places I know, places I have been to, places I walked on without knowing that thousands had been murdered there. I have to stop every now and then to go out for a walk or open the window the let in some cool air to calm myself down. I also feel more irritable and have less tolerance for silly jokes that target groups of people or cash on stereotypes.
It feels like there is so much hatred in this world.
I think the more I read topics on sociology and history, the more I understand people and their motives. They are selfish and predictable. Animals driven with simple instincts. That gives one a strange sense of calmness, it is like coming to terms with human stupidity. You would then expect that it should not be news that there is so much hatred around-since that too is to be expected from our species. Nonetheless there is also so much good and greatness; like in music, harmony, in arts, in literature, …