Twenty-five random things

There is a chain message sweeping Facebook, in which people are invited to create a list of 25 things about themselves. As it seemed like a good writing activity, I had a go at it this morning. Twenty-five is a large enough number to force you to start thinking creatively, so it works quite well as an exercise.

Here is my list:

1. Although I hate chain messages and never send them on, I am interested in the “25 things” idea and have thus decided to try writing one for myself, but will definitely not be taking part in the chain, and thus can be regarded as a loose link.

2. I enjoy living now, am deeply suspicious of the future and have already forgotten much of the past.

3. I can’t understand why it is impossible to buy good marmalade.

4. I love clashing ideas together to see what happens, but feel very uneasy when people clash themselves together. When personalities are clashing, the ideas are usually forgotten.

5. The diversity of the human race is a source of great joy to me.

6. A good story is a wonderful thing. It entertains and it heals. If I can leave at least one good story behind me when I am gone, my life won’t have been wasted.

7. I don’t like the word ‘dyslexic’ because it emphasises the weakest aspect of what it is to have this kind of brain architecture and it ignores all the really strong, fun and lovely things.

8. It would be really neat to have an empathy thermostat (would that be empath-o-stat?). I could then turn it down from time to time, and not pick up other people’s feelings quite so strongly. And how amazingly useful to have a remote control for other people’s empathy setting. I could go round sorting out other people’s relationship problems through empathy adjustments up and down.

9. The enlightenment gave us loads of neat stuff, but it also set up a barrier between science and religion that, in my opinion, is to the detriment of both. The impulse to search out the truth should surely be the foundation of both. Wherever that leads.

10. Good chocolate ice cream is a beautiful thing.

11. It is in the nature of people to be creative. The more I have given my creativity outlets, the more creative I have seemed to become. I think the reality is that creativity is always there, we just don’t usually allow ourselves to notice. You could say that our unconscious minds provide a stream of creativity which our conscious minds are taught to cover up. You could also say that we are made in the image of a Creator.

12. It seems to me that a group of people working together in the pursuit of excellence can achieve almost anything.

13. I love the ocean but live a long way from it.

14. I love a really good sandwich, but can’t eat bread.

15. I am terribly competitive when it comes to playing games. But seeing my children doing things better than me gives me more pleasure than winning ever could.

16. The formative moments of my life have usually been connected to prayer and meditation. For example, praying at the shrines of the Bâb and Baha’u’llah. I think we are connected through time to moments like that.

17. I am not a morning person.

18. I find conformity difficult. Partly because I’m not very good at it. Partly because I instinctively reject the concept. I have always felt out of step with the society around me and have been very grateful whenever I find people who accept me as I am.

19. The two kinds of people I love to be around: the creative and the spiritually radiant. But combine the two and I am in heaven.

20. I would one day like to see the aurora – northern or southern, I do not mind which. Being able to see the Earth’s and the Sun’s magnetic fields interacting, to at once understand what is happening and to be bathed in the mystery of it.

21. I’d also like to see a whale.

22. Though I don’t tend to see the past, as it is behind me, school days have cast a long shadow over my life. Only now I seem to be coming out from under that shadow.

23. I believe vision can change reality.

24. People hate it when children don’t listen to them. But how many adults really listen when children are speaking? It is a rare quality - one that I strongly admire.

25. I am incurably curious.