Category: Blogishness

Blogishness

Happy People At War – Paulo Coelho – The Zahir

Michael Anthony

paul coelho on warHey!  I was reading through an old Paulo Coelho book that I had lying around the house and I came across a passage that I wanted to share (no context is really needed–and emphasis added is mine):

“Yes, the answer lies in some words written by the Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin, the same man who said that our world is surround by a layer of love.  He said: ‘We can harness the energy of the winds, the seas, the sun.  But the day man learns to harness the energy of love, that will be as important as the discovery of fire.'”

“And you could only learn that by going to a war zone?”

“I’m not sure, but it did allow me to see that, paradoxical though it may seem, people are happy when they’re at war.  For them, the world has meaning.  As I said before, total power or sacrificing themselves for a cause gives meaning to their lives.  They are capable of limitless love, because they no longer have anything to lose.  A fatally wounded soldier never asks the medical team: ‘Please save me!’  His last words are usually: ‘Tell my wife and my son that I love them.’  At the last moment, they speak of love!”

“So, in your opinion, human beings only find life meaningful when they’re at war.”

“But we’re always at war.  We’re at war with death, and we know that death will win in the end.  In armed conflicts, this is simply more obvious, but the same thing happens in daily life.  We can’t allow ourselves the luxury of being unhappy all the time.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I need help.  And that doesn’t mean saying to me, ‘Go and hand in your notice,’ because that would only leave me feeling even more confused than before.  We need to find a way of channeling all this, of allowing the energy of this pure, absolute love to flow through out bodies and spread around us.  The only person so far who has helped me understand this is a rather otherworldly interpreter who says he’s had revelations bout this energy.”

“Are you talking about the love of God?”

“If someone is capable of loving his partner without restrictions, unconditionally, then he is manifesting the love of God.  If the love of God becomes manifest, he will love his neighbor.  If he loves his neighbor, he will love himself.  If he loves himself, then everything returns to its proper place.  History changes.”

“History will never change because of politics or conquests or theories or wars; that’s mere repetition, it’s been going on since the beginning of time.  history will only change when we are able to use the energy of love, just as we use the energy of the wind, the seas, the atom.”

“Do you think we two could save the world?”

“I think there are more people out there who think the same way.  Will you help me?”

“Yes, as long as you tell me what I have to do.”

“But that’s precisely what I don’t know!”

 

{{This passage really spoke to me when I initially read it–I came across it because I had it highlighted–and it spoke to be again finding it all these years later.  Originally, I had read the book that the passages comes from (The Zahir) while in Iraq, and that passage was filled with so much truth.  Especially this part: “”…people are happy when they’re at war.  For them, the world has meaning.  As I said before, total power or sacrificing themselves for a cause gives meaning to their lives.  They are capable of limitless love, because they no longer have anything to lose…..””

It’s 100%.  War is and was hell for me, and all of us who served, but the truth was that even amongst all the bullshit that comes with a  deployment, we were all also (for the most part) happy at war.  The world does tend to have a little more meaning while you’re at war, while you’re so close to death and know it.  I worked in a hospital in Iraq and all of us who worked in there dealt with death on a daily basis and I can tell you from first hand experience that it’s true: “”A fatally wounded soldier never asks the medical team: ‘Please save me!’  His last words are usually: ‘Tell my wife and my son that I love them.’  At the last moment, they speak of love!””

That’s what it’s all about!}}

 

Picture: Flickr/Paulo Coelho

Blogishness

Graduated From Lesley University: MFA in Creative Writing

Michael Anthony

lesley university low-residency mfa in creative writing

So… I just graduated from Lesley University with an MFA in creative writing, and it looks like good times, and bad times, are ahead for this newly minted graduate.

The Good: Being done with school is going to be great, in a sense. No more deadlines, no more reading books that someone else chooses for me, and I’ll finally be out in the real world again with my writing–instead of waiting to finish my MFA to get back out there.

The Bad: I’ll miss the intense learning that went along with the program. No deadlines means no room to slack, and throughout the years I actually enjoyed several assigned books that I wouldn’t have normally read, and now I’ll be back out in the real world of writing, instead of in the warm embrace of an MFA program.  Publish or perish and all that ballyhoo!

The Future: I’ll be spending some time searching for a teaching position here in Massachusetts (English or creative writing) and will be working towards publishing my thesis (a post-war, post-Mass Casualties, memoir). I’ll start blogging again at the Good Men Project where I’m the editor for the War and Veterans section.

The Reflections: Several months back I briefly covered my thoughts on whether or not it’s worth it to get an MFA, and I still feel the same.  An MFA is definitely worth it, as long as you put in the work.  But really, it’s the years afterward, which I can now only assume, that makes the difference. I’ve heard too many stories of people graduating from MFA programs only to do nothing with it later.  Either they give up writing, or put it on the back-burner only to pick it up again five or ten years later.  Some will go on to become teachers, some will never finish the novel/memoir that they worked so hard on, some will finish but never publishing, and I suppose there’s a few who will actually make a splash for themselves in the writing world. The goal now, I guess, is to become one of those few.  How to accomplish it though, I don’t know.

Blogishness, Blogishness

My Daughter Pooped on Me

Michael Anthony

twin daughters naping on one anotherSo…my daughter pooped on me yesterday, which I hear is common to parents, which made me realize that every1 in the world, all 7 billion of us, have pooped on at least one person in our lives. 

Good for us! 

It’s these shared experiences which bring us closer together. 

Just something to think about.

Best Of, Blogishness, Blogishness

My Writing Process

Michael Anthony

Fat Old Guy On ScaleSome friends in my grad school program are doing a “My Writing Process” blog tour and it looks like I’m up (check out their links at the end).  

1. What am I working on?

My thesis for grad school.  It’s a 50,000 word postwar memoir.  Also, a few screenplays with friends.  Some poetry here and there and, of course, that great American novel.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I suppose nonfiction tends to differ simply because it’s based on the writer’s pov and experiences.  But I do have a quote hanging up on my wall that says: “The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.”  I think that’s another way how we all differ—or, at least, should.  It just depends on our view of the world and what it is we think people are unable to say.

3. Why do I write what I do?

No idea … I don’t tend to lean towards all that “philosophy of writing” stuff so this question is probably the toughest … but I think I just write what I do because I feel like it … maybe it’s inspiration … maybe it’s determination … and then again, maybe it’s Maybelline.   But I think for me, it’s as simple as writing what I do just because I feel like it, nothing more, nothing less.  A cigar is a cigar, and all that good stuff.

But, again, I suppose, I would harken back to the quote in question 2.

4. How does my writing process work?

Eh.  I got a two month baby at home, so my process, to say the least, has changed quite a bit in those two months.  But, in general … I don’t write every day, as many writers suggest, and instead I tend to binge write.  On days that I work, I’ll come home, play with the baby, kiss the girlfriend, clean up the house, eat, and then go to sleep.  On days that I don’t work, I’ll clean the house, play with the girlfriend and baby, and then try to write for the rest of the day.  I still manage to write a fair amount every week, just not every day.

So I guess that’s “My Writing Process.”  Here’s the promised links of some great writers from my grad school program—who have definitely put things more elegantly than I.

Kyra Renee Clay, Traveling to Me: The Road towards living (a Dream)

Alexis Marie Writes

Sabrina Fedel

and Cynthia Platt, Scribbling in the Garret

Best Of, Blogishness, Blogishness

Is It Worth It To Get An MFA In Creative Writing?

Michael Anthony

poor writer on the street

As many of you know, I’ve been enrolled in an MFA program for creative writing for the last year and a half. I’ve started my final semester now and will be graduating this summer. And now that things are working their way towards an end, I thought I should address the question that had been banging around in my head a year and a half ago: Is it worth it to get an MFA in creative writing?

The short answer is yes, and the long answer is yes … but…

Is there anything that you can get out of an MFA that you can’t get out of a good writer’s group? No. Absolutely not. (Well besides the degree, if you’re looking to teach, but let’s assume that you’re getting the MFA just to be a better writer and not a teacher.) The problem is that there’s no chance of finding a good writing group outside of an MFA program—let me clarify, there are good writing groups, but most of them are run by people with MFA’s and they usually include people who already have MFA’s. If you go out and look at the average writing group, you’ll see a handful of people who are engineers, dentists, homemakers, lawyers, janitors, people who want to be writers, but most often lack the commitment and passion necessary to truly make a worthwhile effort at becoming a successful writer. 

This doesn’t mean that an engineer or dentists can’t be a writer too, or that they can’t become a writer … Charles Bukowski was a postman, Tom Perotta was an English teacher, but what you get in an MFA is training, and access to a group of writers who are more committed and passionate towards writing than the average person.

Think about it. People in MFA programs have a level of commitment. They’re willing to commit two years, forty thousand dollars, and hundreds of hours of work. Where can you find a writing group with that level of commitment?

I’ve been to other writer’s groups. Plenty of them. They’re simply not at the same level, in commitment or quality.

You can put in the hours without an MFA program, but what you’re paying for is feedback, learning experience,  and friendships with fellow writers. An MFA program doesn’t just introduce you to a group of writers who will help you critique and edit your work for the two years of the program, it introduces you to a group of writers who will critique and edit your work for years afterwards.  Your peers are just as important as the faculty. 

I’m reminded of an article by two researchers who wanted to find out why some firefighters were better at their job than other firefighters. After pouring over all their research it turned out that the best firefighters were the ones who went out for beers afterwards with their fellow firefighters. And why did this make them better at their job? Because when they were out drinking they’d tell stories, “One time when I was in a fire … I did this…” “…and another time I did this…” That was the biggest difference. And it wasn’t about getting drunk, it was just that the best ones were constantly learning, even while getting drunk. It’s the same for our fellow writers. We go out and talk and tell stories, “this worked for me for character arc,” “this didn’t” etc.

So, again … is it worth it? Yes, absolutely. But can you still get the same benefits without the time and money? Yes, of course you can. For me though, it’s all about stacking the odds.

Related Article: Five Tips to Writing an MFA Personal Statement. 

Photo: itsmeritesh/flickr

Best Of, Blogishness, Blogishness

Bullying Experiment

Michael Anthony

bully free zone

Iraq War veteran Michael Anthony talks about battling bullies. Make sure to watch the bully experiment video at the end.

Several years back, I was going for a walk around my neighborhood—one of my usual weekly routines—and as I turned a corner on one particular day, I saw a man and woman struggling in front of me. I wasn’t sure what was going on between them until I saw the man pull back and punch the woman. I immediately ran over as she fell to the ground. They were still yelling as she fell. She was his wife, and apparently he had hit her before.

“Yeah call the police. I’ll Kick your ass.”

I jumped between the two of them, pushed the guy back with my body and covered up the woman. The guy backed off as I helped her to her feet. He began yelling at me: “What are you some tough guy? Yeah help her up pussy. I’ll kick your ass.”

He yelled in the background as I looked over and asked if she was alright. I then took out my phone and called the police (the process is actually a lot longer than you’d think).

He kept yelling, “Yeah. Call the police. I’ll kick your ass…”

He got in my face, “I’m talking to you, tough guy.”

I looked him up and down as he stood there. He wasn’t that big of a guy, maybe 5’11, 175lbs. Not huge, but nothing to scoff at. I’m not that big of a guy myself either. I stand just under 5’10 and fluctuate between 155-165lbs. But one thing that you can’t tell from looking at me is that I’m a war veteran and I’m trained in MMA. There was no doubt in my mind that I could drop this guy. But instead, I ignored him as I talked to the police and kept standing between him and the woman.

“I’ve trained for years–in the army and in gyms–for such a moment…”

He kept yelling, walking in circles around the two of us. I stayed on with the police and simultaneously tried to make small talk with the woman (once I actually got someone on the phone they got a trooper there within a few minutes). The police came, took over the situation, and then told me I could leave. So I did. I left.

But here’s the thing. I’m fairly certain that I did what was right. Once I was there, I knew that the guy no longer posed a threat to the woman, and I didn’t see him as a threat to me, so instead of fighting him I called the police. I talked to the woman and protected her. But still… when I think about the incident I regret not knocking the guy’s lights out. I mean, how often does a man get a chance to beat up a wife beater? I’d trained for years–in the army and in gyms–for such a moment, and I’d been in fights before, so I wasn’t scared. But I didn’t do it. I don’t know why. It may not be a popular sentiment, maybe I’m compensating for something, but I honestly regret not punching him.

Anyways… this video made me think about it. Check it out and let me know: What would you do?

Photo: Eddie~S/Flickr

 

Blogishness, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Self Improvement / Healthy Living

Hypothyroidism: A Search For the Cure: An Update

Michael Anthony

thyroid_glandIf you read my recent post (Hypothyroidism a search for the cure) you’ll know that I was recently diagnosed with Hypothyroidism—for the second time.  I was diagnosed several years earlier and after changing my diet I was cured of hypothyroidism, but I’ve since stopped doing the things which had cured me the first time, and I’ve been diagnosed, again.  I’m committed to healing myself the natural way, again, and to help others with their search for a cure, I wanted to document it here (also, remember, I’m not a doctor, this is just my experience and thoughts, etc.).

As an update, here’s what I’m doing to help me along in my search for a cure:

I’ve stopped eating broccoli, green peppers, and celery–unless they’re cooked.

I’ve stopped eating peanuts.

I’ve begun eating a spoonful of extra virgin coconut oil every day. 

I make sure to workout three times a week–at the very least going for a forty-five minute walk.

I’ve committed to reducing stress in my life and just completed a month long meditation weekly meditation class.

I’ve also had an hour long meeting with Dr. Mark Mincolla .   Dr. Mincolla is all about natural healing and had cured his own hypothyroidism.  We had a nice meeting and he did this thing where he puts tubes up to my throat and then tried to push my arm down while holding the tube there.  It’s suppose to show what foods weaken my system and which don’t.  On his recommendation I should no longer eat wheat, any type of nuts, or potatoes (along with all the foods mentioned above–and he liked the idea of a spoonful of coconut oil every day).  I’m not sure I buy into what he says, just because it seemed so odd, but he was recommended by a friend I respect, so I figured I’d give it a try.

As of today I feel as though I have no symptoms of hypothyroidism but I’ll be tested again in January and that will be the real “official,” test. 

 

Blogishness, Self Improvement / Healthy Living

Can Omega 3’s Help With PTSD and Depression? Yes, According to…

Michael Anthony

A friend shared with me some articles about the research that the military’s doing regarding Omega 3’s and how low levels are linked to suicide and depression.

Article 1) Click here.

Article 2) Click here.

I can’t comment too much about the articles since I’ve only recently read them, but I do know that a healthy diet is a great defense when dealing with PTSD, Anxiety, TBI and depression.  Here’s what my friend added in: “(Apparently the depression link was strong enough to prompt them making the recommendation for all DoD personnel-they had done some sort of study of suicide victims in the military and found extremely low levels of the omega 3 chemicals across the board, so that prompted the study the second article talks about).”

 

Michael Anthony is an Iraq War Veteran and is the Author of: Mass Casualties: A Young Medic’s True Story of Death, Destruction, and Dishonor in Iraq.