Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Paradise...In The Mind And Eye Of The Beholder...


























"Paradise"......a sacred dream of perfection…supreme bliss.

A place where no flies, midges, sand-flies and ticks dare enter...include snakes and cockroaches in the list, too.

A special place wherein one says he/she is going to do something, and does it.

…where expectations are met and achieved.

…where love outweighs hate.

…where tenderness replaces violence

...where empathy replaces apathy.

Paradise is where respect for each other is mutual.

…where cowards do not exist.

…where consideration for the feelings of another is of most importance

…where corruption, duplicity and deceit are non-existent.

…where belief in one's self is allowed to grow, bloom and be.

…where greedy selfishness is replaced by the true meaning of 'selfishness'.

…where no falsehood is allowed.

A place where prejudices and assumptions are banned.

…where the only games are played in the sports/games arenas.

Paradise is where hidden agendas are non-existent.

…where murder, rape, war, abuse, poverty…and the abuse of children are unknown.

Paradise is where the battle for life, the battle to exist, does not exist.

Paradise is...to be free...to live in a democratic society...to be an individual.

…where everyone has the right to live as an individual.

Paradise is to be able to listen, to learn...to appreciate what the other is saying, thinking or feeling.

Paradise is not being dictated to or to dictate to....

…being allowed to keep one's true dentity...

…to perceive reality

...where knowledge is gained by fact and not pretension.

…where human life is valued most highly.

…where self-esteem is valued most highly.

…where ego is understood and valued.

Where truth is.

Paradise is not being afraid.

Paradise is to laugh, openly and loudly...not at another, but with each other.

Paradise is to remember the past fondly...to retain memories of the best of it and being able to toss away the debris.

Paradise is to cherish the present and be excited about the future.

Where the impotent have no place

...where the concept of 'right' is clear.

…where mediocrity has no place.

…where morality is not juggled.

…where standards are high.

Where do I begin to tell of its wondrous beauty
Miles of azure haze drifting across languid valleys
Variations of colours not unlike changes in moods
As the sun performs its first tremulous gesture
Of welcome to the dawning day awakening birds
A moment’s silence stilling the surging waves
Paying homage to the arrival of the golden orb
Conducting a symphony of powerful energies
Whilst bidding farewell to the serene mistress
Of the night her silver sphere wafts silently
Over the gentle stirrings of the day being born
And peace once more is abruptly disturbed
A new day dawns begetting fresh naïve promises

(Paintings and poem by me)

29 comments:

  1. That is a beautiful and profound post, Lee. I love your paintings and the poem.

    It sounds as if you were in a thoughtful and wishful frame of mind at the time.

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  2. I guess, Robyn...I've been in this mood for a couple of days...and I can't even blame it on the moon! ;)

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  3. The paintings I like.

    The paradise would be ...um... largely not to my liking. Largely, some bits would be ok, others would pall after a while. That's always the trouble with paradise, always has been - it can never meet everyone's taste.

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  4. Well...I'll leave the doors to my idea of paradise open just in case you change your mind and want to pop in sometime or other, j cosmo newbery. Of course, you'll have to tick all the boxes to be able to stay! ;)

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  5. Wonderful post Lee and wonderful paintings.

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  6. Thanks, jmb...nice to see you as always. :)

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  7. Oh my word......or should I say, Your Words.....

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  8. Ummm...G'day, Rebecca! ;)

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  9. Well done Lee. I guess we pretty well think alike. One only needs to listen to the news from America for a bit to realize we're marching steadily away from those who are brave and know right from wrong. Blessings on ya Lee.

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  10. wow great paintings Lee!! It sounds like you are having a profound moment ..they can be scary at times!

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  11. Lee
    I must confess I thought they were pictures and I wondered where they were taken and then I had to recheck them out when you said they were paintings.
    Wonderful poem but wishful.

    IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CANNOT DO?

    I need to come sit at your knee and learn.
    Peace

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  12. Anonymous10:54 AM

    I have been reading of so many paradises today, over at Sicily Scene, Lady Macloud in Morocco, and now hear.

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  13. Hi there Cliff...sometimes I just have to steer away from the news...so very rarely is there any good news and it all gets a bit tiresome at times.

    I'm not sure if "profound" is the right description, Deslily...a bit "fed-up" with a few things, more probably! lol

    Lady Di...you do know, of course, the third one is a photo...taken of the valley to the west of here where I live. Oh! My goodness...there is much that I can't do...and that that I do is purely for my own enjoyment and not that brilliant, but thanks for your kind words. :)

    Blame it on the moon, ellee. ;)

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  14. Anonymous12:26 PM

    Wow, what beautiful images. I, too, thought they were photographs until I finished reading the post. I am constantly amazed at your insight and your many talents, Lee. :)

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  15. Lee,
    I lived in paradise once. Left when I was 5...didn't know any better. Been trying to get back ever since. I glimpsed it for a few hours in the south of France last week but I couldn't hold on to it. :(
    Love your artist talents!
    rel

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  16. Good to see you again, Kyle. Glad you liked the paintings and post. :0

    Hey...welcome back Rel. "Paradise" is not necessarily a physical place, Rel...more a frame of mind and way of thinking. One should be able to create paradise around them every day...operative word "should". Easier said than done, of course. ;)

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  17. Lee, those paintings are wonderful! And the poem is beautiful. This is one fabulous post. Kudos!

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  18. Thanks, Serena...that's so nice of you to say. :)

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  19. Good Lee!

    Where was the photo taken? Close to your cabin?

    My paradise is our Jungle. I need to post some pix of our surroundings. It looks pretty and green still just now, but fall is here, and the leaves are starting to drift down. In the green are Bull Briars and smaller Green Briars. You could use the Bull Briers as barbed wire for a fence. Still, it's my paradise.

    Good night from me Lee, time for bed. Stormy earlier said Hi. She is sawing logs already now.

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  20. Yes, Marc...I took the picture just up the road and around the corner from where I live. It's a magnificent view down across the valley to the Great Dividing Range in the background.

    Sleep well. :)

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  21. Nice Postings and pictures, very evocative!

    I enjoyed reading about your Italian affair, and the ending. Maybe it was all too much like an Italian Ferrari racing car, you know there great fun to drive around the racetrack for a while but are also inclined to revs out past the red warning line only for the engine to give up!!
    Best wishes

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  22. paradise indeed.

    i love the second painting. it has a very special light to it.

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  23. I need some inspiration, so I am asking y ou to ask me a question which I will try to wrtie about...being in transistion makes my mind go numb...but I want to keep writing....HELP!!!

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  24. When my mother died I asked the apstor not to use the word heaven because I reckoned she went to Paradise. Not to good for an evangelical but he obliged. I am a beiever in the Holy Writs and there I find that one dows not go immediately to heaven..maybe they do but I did not get it..so at the time, I juat asked the guy to speak within my perameters - which he did. So I love your post about paradise...do not ask me to write about it as I have no clue, but I think that my mother went there.....she would be more happy there than in heaven, where I understand that you have jobs to do and work at bowing down all day and worshipping God. She would have liked to do that but I do not think she had the energy.....so paradise it is for her!!

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  25. There might be something in that, Lindsay...not a bad analogy! ;)

    Thanks, Liz. That second painting I did twice. One in watercolour and the one shown is in acrylics. It's quite large and when I scanned it way back (when my scanner worked) not all of it fitted...I should take a digital shot of it one of these days to show the whole painting.

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  26. Rebecca...with your move close at hand, I imagine a lot is going on in your mind at present. Your second comment, I believe, has the "bones" for making a wonderful post. Write about your mother, write what you have written here. When my Mum died I asked the minister not to "waffle" on about her as he didn't know her. I didn't want some stranger saying things about her that I believed would be insincere ramblings, if you know what I mean. To my mind, all he would be saying were words that meant very little to the person, my mother, and would only be words he said on all other such occasions, almost akin to parrot-fashion. I asked him to read the 23rd Psalm and that was all. He obliged, whether he liked it or not. I believe it was within my rights to dictate what I wanted.

    Write about the memories that are at present flooding your mind. :)

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  27. Hi Lee ~~ Great paintings and poem -
    thanks for sharing them. Thank you for your comments - Had a great time with Marcus and his family, but I do get tired, and behind in my reading etc. Hope you have a great weekend Lee. Take care, Love, Merle.

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  28. Glad you found the time after finally getting some moments to yourself. :)

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  29. Wonderful paintings, Lee - theyb have literally taken my breath away. And a wonderful post in all. I totally agree with your sentiments.

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