Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Feb 5, 2012, 3:06 pm
D.A. Pennebaker's film "Don't Look Back" What is success? How is it measured? Is it related to having a fat bank account? Fame? Power? True love? Unlimited Sex? A Family? All of the above? Many will say, in true existentialist fashion, that it depends on the individual and that everyone makes the...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jan 28, 2012, 3:11 pm
There are various types of personalities out there and each of them tends to have their own approach toward organization. There are those who are messy, whose rooms look like the aftermath of a tropical storm, whose hair is generally disheveled and whose shirts are ironed only on very rare occasions...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Oct 9, 2011, 2:58 pm
As I continue jotting down some of my personal perspectives on the progressive stages of fatherhood, I must say that there is so much happening at any given time period that I will not be able to do the subject justice. Yet it goes with the common piece of wisdom that you do not really know what it ...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Sep 24, 2011, 6:43 pm
Religious debates will go on for all eternity and it is as rare as a blue moon that religious authorities come to a consensus or see eye to eye. In fact, more commonly there will be splits and rifts within a religious body. Whether it is Buddhism with its small and large spinning wheels and vehicles...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Sep 17, 2011, 1:32 pm
Insight, epiphany, understanding, sudden realization – it comes under a variety of names, shades and classifications. In short, they are moments when something (or everything) suddenly comes into focus and you grasp it better. It is the camera lens that zooms in and gives us a crystal-clear image ...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Sep 8, 2011, 1:13 pm
Chris Hedges There is often a strong imbalance when it comes to the media and its coverage of religion. The media mostly focuses on the more sensational and often downright outrageous events and claims and is not so much interested in showing a balanced perspective. This is not necessarily out of v...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Sep 5, 2011, 1:21 pm
Triumph of Justice by Hans von Aachen Throughout history, people have been drawn to religion for a variety of reasons. Religious belief and practice often fulfill social, psychological and philosophical needs. Therein included are also the big existential questions like the purpose and meaning of l...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Aug 28, 2011, 3:02 pm
Christopher Columbus (or rather Cristobal Colon) is often celebrated as a hero and has been assigned his own personal day alongside truly remarkable people like Martin Luther King Jr. Columbus defied many obstacles and managed to sail halfway around the world. His bravery and determination led to on...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Aug 22, 2011, 9:34 pm
Erasmus Darwin's The Temple of Nature Maya, I have claimed elsewhere, can be approached from two different perspectives. One builds on the assumption that everything “out there” is Maya. Everything we encounter in daily life is illusion, regardless of whether it causes suffering or joy. The se...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Aug 17, 2011, 9:20 pm
Any fascist government, regardless of ideological background has been wary or downright hostile toward the arts. Whether it is the Nazis burning books, the Communists banning and prohibiting works, or any other government or organization that actively censors works of art on the grounds of ideology,...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Aug 14, 2011, 1:49 pm
The Schoolmaster by Adriaen van Ostade It has been one of my life-long dreams to become a movie director, seconded by a career in writing. In terms of directing I had my first taste when I made a short film alongside a friend of mine and the experience was wonderful and rewarding. At the same time,...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Aug 6, 2011, 9:31 pm
Jacob Riis, Children sleeping in Mulberry Street (1890) In medieval times, the knight considered himself a holy warrior fighting in the name of God. He would justify not only the means of violence and brutal slayings of the so-called infidels, he also strongly believed that God was on his side. Su...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Aug 1, 2011, 12:42 pm
Although most of us know both consciously and instinctively that peace is the best and most commendable of states and outcomes, we often do the opposite at the micro and macro level. In everyday life there are problems that can be solved in a peaceful manner, yet we frequently resort to conflict-rid...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jul 22, 2011, 10:07 pm
One of the most difficult questions anybody could face is the following: Who are you? Most people will come up with the superficial, uninspired or lazy answer that they are so-and-so.  Imagine your name is actually John Doe. There goes any hope for individuality. But if John Doe answers that he is ...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jul 17, 2011, 2:28 pm
William Penn, founder of PennsylvaniaSome of the most known distinguishing characteristics of Quakers may be their clothes, especially the wide-brimmed hats, and the supposed trembling or quaking before the power of God. Others may know them for their contribution to breakfast cereals and chocolate ...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jul 13, 2011, 9:25 pm
Jan Hus at the StakeWhat is heresy? In many traditions, it is that which contradicts or denies a certain religious dogma. For example, if you claim that there is no God in a society where the belief in God plays an important role in its social and political structure, then you will possibly face cer...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jul 10, 2011, 8:48 pm
Deliver us From Evil When the documentary Deliver us from Evil came out, I shunned it at first for two reasons. I knew that it would affect me emotionally, so I was reluctant to go through it. Child abuse is a touchy subject and especially in a documentary you cannot pretend it did not happen or tha...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jul 6, 2011, 10:05 pm
Charles Bukowski Charles Bukowski is hailed by some as a Bohemian poet, while others consider him merely a bum. For better or for worse, he is like a Nietzschean prophet who defies the laws of gravity and groundedness and who like many other talented artists decided to take a leap and live out his p...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jul 3, 2011, 12:40 pm
The first time I stumbled upon Dominique Jolin's Toopy and Binoo Show, I felt a little perplexed. The cartoon stars a speaking, or rather overly talkative, always enthusiastic rat in a striped shirt with a silent white cat as his friend. Both of them get into the most bizarre adventures most of whic...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jun 28, 2011, 9:11 pm
When we look at Christianity, we notice an apparent lack of feminine elements. The Holy Trinity, consisting of the Father, the Holy Ghost and the Son are all masculine terms. Most will probably agree that when we speak of spiritual forces, God and the Spirit, we do not necessarily designate a specif...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jun 23, 2011, 8:53 pm
Some might consider it futile and a waste of time to imagine hypothetical scenarios or alternate histories, the what if ... question that the imaginative mind relishes in by imagining a different outcome of events. Others might object that it is wishful thinking or an escape from reality. Nonetheles...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jun 17, 2011, 1:08 pm
Vancouver Canucks Until recently, I was under the impression that we have little free will and that our lives have been mainly mapped out for us. In this view, we were little more than pawns while others, the CEO and the board of directors of the "other world" were calling the shots. We have little...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jun 15, 2011, 12:18 pm
Jesus and Nicodemus by Crijn Hendricksz   Although lying is among the Ten Commandments, there is no separate mention of or parenthesis for being a hypocrite. In fact, there is a subtle but very vital difference between the two. Lying usually has a purpose. It may be used to confuse, to negate...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jun 8, 2011, 3:57 pm
Regardless of whether one believes it or not, the theory of evolution is a fascinating concept. To me, the most significant aspect of evolution theory is the concept of survival of the fittest. Certain members of the species have had the edge over others and have managed to survive and thus continue...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jun 5, 2011, 3:18 pm
The critically acclaimed series Six Feet Under is not for the feeble, squeamish or the fainthearted. It looks death square in the eye and is not afraid of unearthing a plethora of human sentiments. It is both about life and death, how each are connected and how one influences and cannot live without...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Jun 2, 2011, 5:17 pm
Man Writing a Letter by Gabriel Metsu Dear God or Powers that Be or Whoever Else is in Charge, First off, I would like to thank you for existence, my own in particular. That may sound selfish at first glance but I mean it in its most humbling sense. Without my own perspective, that is, without bein...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - May 28, 2011, 2:19 pm
The Straight Story, which is modeled after real life, is a simple movie with a big heart. The most outstanding feature is the acting of Richard Farnsworth who was in the final stages of terminal bone cancer and in considerable pain during filming. The movie is directed by David Lynch, who is known f...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - May 22, 2011, 9:31 pm
The afterlife is the greatest source of wonder, amazement and confusion in the lives of many, if not all, people. What happens after our stint on planet Earth has come to an end? Is there something and, if yes, what will it be like? Will we be able to have self-awareness? How will life after life co...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - May 19, 2011, 11:34 am
The Night Café by Vincent Van Gogh Whenever I finish coffee in a café or dinner in a restaurant and get up to leave, I check back to see if I have left anything behind. Almost always, the answer is no. Yet I cannot shake off the feeling that something indeed has been left behind. It is not immed...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - May 15, 2011, 3:10 pm
Edgar Degas: Frau bei der Toilette (The Yorck Project) Who does not like pleasure? We may have different ways of seeing, appreciating and relishing pleasure, but we all enjoy it whenever it crosses our path. Pleasure may range from reading books, watching movies, or doing some gardening to engaging...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - May 13, 2011, 2:12 pm
Das Konzert by Lorenzo CostaWhen we think of the birth of the protestant movement, we often refer to Martin Luther's famous Ninety-Five Theses which may or may not have been posted on the church door but which openly denounced the misuse and corruption within Catholic practice. His later vernacular ...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - May 6, 2011, 9:53 am
As a Canadian, I love my hockey and support my local team passionately. And the Stanley Cup playoffs are a time of excitement; it is the accumulation and climax of the entire season. This is what it all boils down to every year; it is “do or die” - well metaphorically speaking - for the competin...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - May 1, 2011, 9:45 pm
In one of my darker and more discouraging moments the following bleak thought crossed my mind: “Being yourself may be the most elaborate fabricated lie in the history of humanity.” Individuality has been a modern Western concept contrasting itself self-consciously from what is known as a collect...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Apr 28, 2011, 10:11 pm
To my TESL instructors who tried to teach an old dog new tricks and my colleagues who are forging a career in language teaching. At first glance, lesson plans and poetry have absolutely nothing in common. They are polar opposites poles apart. While the poem brims with imaginative language and figu...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Apr 24, 2011, 1:30 pm
Computer Chip by John & Vicky Schroeder Modern cognitive psychologists often enjoy drawing analogies with computer terminology to explain brain functions and processes. For example, the term input for sensory information, storage capacity referring to how much information a person can remember and ...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Apr 20, 2011, 9:28 pm
In previous times, and perhaps to a certain extent even today, there has been debate over the rite of the Last Supper, also known as the Eucharist. Some, mostly of the Catholic persuasion, insisted that when Christ said his disciples should partake of his body, it ought to be taken literally. Throu...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Apr 16, 2011, 1:44 pm
John William Waterhouse - The Crystal BallWe are told that all we have is the present. The past is already gone and the future has not evolved yet, nor will it ever because unlike the past, the future is simply intangible. And we live out each moment, some of them good and enjoyable, others sad and ...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Apr 9, 2011, 12:19 pm
Cinema has tackled the issue of war in various forms. It is interesting and frightening at the same time that during times of war most of the movies are usually pro-war and serve as propaganda. Anti-war films usually take place after the event. And as it often happens, the propaganda movies disappea...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Apr 3, 2011, 5:59 pm
Western philosophical systems are predominantly rational and are supposed to be logically sound and consistent in order to be taken seriously. This is the general norm. If there are inconsistencies or controversies in your philosophy, then you need to revise the problems or discard your system compl...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Mar 30, 2011, 4:30 pm
Golden Turkey Award Recipient Ed Wood is both inspiration and comfort for aspiring directors and artists out there. He gives each of us hope that it is possible to do what you like, to make movies and create art. At the same time, he is relentlessly persevering, despite the fact that he lacks talent...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Mar 25, 2011, 7:00 pm
The Conversion on the Way to Damascus by Caravaggio I have for some reason or another always had preconceived, mostly negative, notions when it comes to the legacy of St. Paul. Despite his invaluable contributions to Christianity, I have objected to many of his views, methods and even his personal...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Mar 19, 2011, 7:43 pm
There is a wonderful dream sequence in Fellini's 8 1/2 in which the inspiration-troubled director Guido has to face a multitude of questions and comments by obnoxious journalists hungry for news and information about his latest, abandoned film project. Guido cannot take the pressure anymore and seek...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Mar 14, 2011, 9:58 pm
We all have fear and anxiety once in a while, which are necessary and natural reactions. There is, however, a slight difference in meaning between the two concepts. Fear is the more natural, and if you like, healthier response compared to anxiety. Fear usually involves a concrete sense of danger. ...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Mar 11, 2011, 10:21 am
Recently, I had to face a minor surgery under full anesthesia. Any surgery, minor or not, brings with it certain risks, or so I was told and was given a note to sign my life away and accept full responsibilities for any possible complications or consequences. This part I am always wary about since b...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Mar 6, 2011, 5:34 pm
Winter Morning Walk (1864) by George Henry Boughton The Catholic religion has contributed to our concept of work through the establishment of monastic orders in the Middle Ages. Although work at the time was reserved to mostly monks and religious devotees, they did, however, organize their labor by ...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Mar 2, 2011, 10:28 am
There is nothing I enjoy more than an epiphany now and then. Epiphany is defined as a sudden flash of insight and realization where one's thought processes become cleared up, one feels an intense, almost mystical love and a sense of peace for all beings. It is universal and embraces all creeds and r...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Feb 25, 2011, 3:18 pm
The Pilgrim at the Gate of Idleness, by Edward Burne-Jones. I doubt that hard work and discipline, major incentives and foundations of modern-day capitalism, are an integral and natural part of human beings. We may be born with a predisposition toward those aspects and some embrace and internalize t...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Feb 23, 2011, 1:36 pm
Recently I had the opportunity to have an inside glimpse at a court trial. I arrived as a witness to support a friend of mine and to give credence to his version of events. I went to court with one thing in mind: to state the truth, the absolute truth and nothing but the truth. I have an innate se...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Feb 18, 2011, 9:45 am
In his book Orientalism, Edward Said claims that the Western definition and representation of the Orient is inherently flawed. Because of a lack of contact and interaction with the Orient and a predominantly ethnocentric view, Western scholars of the past shaped and molded information about the Orie...
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Arash F. posted an article on Arash's World - Feb 13, 2011, 6:22 pm
Television made its major appearance in society during the era referred to as the “Golden Age of Television.” Television offered a lot of potential and was considered a drive for innovation and progress. The media was being created; cameras had the opportunity to bring us images that had never b...
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