February 14, 2022: Happy VALENTINE’s Day!

 Wishing you a day filled with Happiness, Love, Peace, Gratitude and Kindness!
JOY  is  the  song  of  the  heart!

● My previous greetings on the same theme: VALENTINE's Day – 2021, 2020, 2019

LOVE & the approaching Spring of 2022

~ Romanian literary evening featuring Valentine’s Day, “Dragobete” & “Mărțișor” ~

Time is passing by faster than we realize taking us a bit closer to spring, and with this in mind, on Sunday (February 13’22) I was happy to put together our annual gathering featuring Love, the rebirth of nature & few traditional highlights - Valentine’s Day, “Dragobete” & “Mărțișor”.

Aside of that, at this time, lots of social restrictions are still in place in our province so the on-line approach has been adopted again.  

VIDEO-CLIP

After my introductory remarks were delivered, I opened the evening with a short
VIDEO-CLIP I’ve created for the occasion, emphasizing the chosen concepts in a descriptive manner, while warming up the group conversation to come.

I was glad to notice that this was well received by my guests.

Then our program continued and my friends shared openly their thoughts in a relaxed and relaxing fashion, from heart to heart, from soul to soul, from mind to mind.

That evening, our dear friend Dorina, reminded us few old legends (including the "Legends of the Snowdrop flower" - published in comments) that we all enjoyed.

Bringing back plenty of dear memories and expressing personal perspectives in a simple, authentic and genuine manner, brought upon us all a very satisfying sense of peace and inner joy, which I’m very appreciative of.

Extrapolating, I would like to refresh that according to notable scholars, Love is the most powerful force that people are capable of, and here are some concepts:

- The highest form of Love is the unconditional love…this is encompassing “charity”, “compassion” and “the love of & for the Creator”

- It has been observed that more often than not, love is more important than money

- Multiple studies have shown that people with less love in their lives are more likely to feel depressed (love is probably the best anti-depressant, because one of the most common sources of depression is feeling unloved)

- Understand that love is a learned skill, not something that comes from hormones or emotions; it is “an act of will”, based on good communication that helps people feel known and understood (we all know that there are always core differences between people, no matter how good or close they are, but having a good communication in place, it is much easier to find the common ground that works well for all parties involved).

Also, I’ve noticed that during our evening together, comments frequently drifted toward the significance of friendships in our lives, and my guests mentioned that for them having good friends is also important and meaningful, perspective that I totally agree with.

Additionally, here are few remarks about the importance of friendships in our lives, as issued by academics who studied human relations extensively:

- Friendships could feel as close as family, and (just as with family) it takes work (such as: spending quality time together, helping and encouraging each other, being honest with each other, etc.) if you want to build and maintain a lifelong relationship 
- Love, Friendship and Respect bring people together, but ONLY the mutual respect makes the friendship survive a long period of time
- Sharing interests is a key component to a lasting friendship (for instance, sharing similar hobbies or world views would be far more important than having the same taste in clothing or coffee)

- In order to stabilize and grow a relationship, you need to maintain regular contact….either you meet in person or call each other (checking frequently is a proof that you care and at the same time it allows for deeper conversations to happen rather than just basic updates)

- Being available when your friend invites you to an activity it is crucial in order to keep the friendship going (we all know often life gets busy & it is easy to get so wrapped up in our daily routine & friends usually understand that, but if you are always too busy for your friend then you might need to re-evaluate your priorities).

To further accentuate the importance of friends in our lives, in the comments section is an article to this regard…in essence, it is the story of an old man diagnosed with a terminal disease, who went back to his birthplace, and by reconnecting with his roots as well as good old friends he managed to completely revert his illness.
A truly inspiring article (and here is the relating video) featuring a real life situation. Additionally, here is another short video with a similar message.

In closing, as I wrap up my briefing, I would like to share that despite the fact the our gathering that evening was rather cozy, our talks were ample and enjoyable, proving once again that in a busy world it is truly amazing to find few souls with whom you could entertain talks about the philosophy of life.

Definitively, a beautiful evening filled with lots of special moments and for these I’m sending along my most sincere appreciation to each participant who responded to my invitation. Until next time, my warmest regards to all for a pleasing spring to come!

Alice

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

This event has been delivered in Romanian Language, featuring Romanian culture. 

● Previous events I organized on the same concepts: Love, Spring &“Mărțișor”– 2021, 2020, 2019

● Some of my additional greetings referring to VALENTINE's Day – 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 

"Mărțișor" – 2021, 2020, 2019   | "DRAGOBETE" – 2021, 2020

NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed). 

A World of PEACE

These days, carefully observing what it going on throughout the entire world, it is absolutely impossible not to take a much closer look at the concept of PEACE – at its true meaning, relevance and significance, both at the personal and social levels.

Before sharing with you few thoughts on this, I would like to refresh that in the words of the ancient Greek philosophers, world peace refers to a place where all people live in physical and mental harmony with each other, true peace being considered as one of the most important human values. It doesn’t sound very complicated, but for a reason or another, humanity was always struggling to achieve it and maintain it for long periods of time. But, why? I’m sure we all agree that on this planet, all people and nations deserve to live in a state of peace that is both ideal and just, understanding that this is the only way to bring prosperity and growth to any society. And despite this basic fact, if we flip through the world’s history book, we are completely astonished by the huge number of wars that occurred since this planet came into existence. There have been way too many wars, and they each led to human suffering in numerous situations.

Given that nothing develops during stormy periods, we all could agree that peaceful and harmonious societies are necessary for achieving economic stability, political strength and cultural growth.

According to many elders of the world, we need to keep in mind that in order to proclaim peace to others, we have to have it within ourselves otherwise how could you possibly communicate it to others in a genuine manner?  Yes, peace is also personal, and it helps people eliminate chaos and anxiety, while helping them achieve tranquility in order to make their lives better.

While wars destroy and disrupt everything, peace builds and restore. A world without violence is a world of peace, where nations collaborate with one another.
By world peace we all understand a definite end to various fights all together. Also, peace is the major belief of most religions’ of the world, isn't it?!

Since ancient times, poverty and destruction of human lives have all resulted in lots of peace talks, reflected in economic progress, human development and global peace processes, and without any doubt the global peace might’ve been continuous if these systems have been strengthened.

Historians clearly emphasize that every society requires a peaceful and secure environment, since this is fundamental to their economic and social development, as well as providing their people with rights to have their opinions heard and respected, because peaceful and secure environments enhance development throughout any society. Lots of academic and very well researched peace studies include extensive investigations into nonviolence, alternative dispute resolution, conflict management, effective conflict resolution and violence prevention.

At the personal level, each individual could practice active listening with the intend of understanding not reacting (most of the time for selfish purposes), or being helpful to others when something needs to be done, comprehend more (and be less judgemental), and so on….books are full of thousands of useful tips on how you could become more peaceful, inside out. Peace is necessary not only for progress in life, but for a good health too. A peaceful mind can do good work, and if you manage to create a peaceful environment only then life will unfold properly.

“There is no way to peace; PEACE is the way.”

Observations

When we enter the world, we are absolutely at peace with ourselves, totally unaware of what is awaiting us in this special journey, called “life”. But the magic of worldly life begins to unfold gradually.

Despite the fact that each person has been granted goodness to begin with, unfortunately, some are slowly enfolded in the wraps of desire, greed and lust which in turn fill them with arrogance and anger, beginning to lose their peace of mind, patience, humanity, love and compassion, as the ugliness of stress and anxiety steadily build up into their beings.

Others, turn into kind, sincere, good and cheerful people, who instead of envying they choose to appreciate, who instead of discouraging they learned how to restore hope, to inspire trust and to stimulate courage.
Here I’m talking about those beautiful people who instead of looking arrogantly, cold, empty, superiorly or ignoring, they give a warm helpful hand, offering unconditional support, in a loving, discreet and simple manner. I simply love those ones! Most of the time, they are the ones who like to take care of flowers, they admire the flights of birds and don’t crush any ants under their foot, they peacefully contemplate a sunrise or a sunset, they enjoy the clear skies or the stars, they take time to listen to the waves of the ocean, to the sound of the wind, or to the rustle of the forest. Yes, I’m referring to those beautiful people who live life with enthusiasm and gratitude, with meaning and grace, with honesty and dignity. I strongly believe that it is important to be aware of the magical charms of this world, to protect ourselves from going astray, and to offer ourselves (and to each other) stress free lives, filled with kindness.

In my opinion, it does help to smile at every chance we get, not because life has been easy, perfect or exactly as we anticipated, but because we choose to be happy and grateful for all the good things we each have in our lives and all the problems we know that we don’t have.

Every new day comes with a new beginning...make it bright!

January 24’22: Union of the Romanian Principalities

An old page of Romanian history: The Little Union of the Romanian Principalities

Each year, on January 24^th Romanians celebrate the Unification Day, which is the day when the Romanian Principalities united in a single national state, under the rule of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, who was the initiator of several reforms that set the basis of modern Romania.

On such occasion, in Bucharest (the capital city of Romania) and in almost all major cities of the country, many military parades and ceremonies are organized, festive flower wreaths are deposited at the monuments of our national heroes, and people united in the traditional circle dance, called “Unity Hora” (Romanian: “Hora Unirii”). Most of the ceremonies in Bucharest take place on the Patriarchal Hill (the place where in 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected are Ruler of Romania).

At this moment, I wish all Romanians to continue to strive
to live in harmony with each other!

● Documentaries: "24 ianuarie 1859 - Nașterea statului Român modern"  | "Lecţia de istorie - Unirea de la 1859"

● An old Romanian song featuring this historic moment: "Cobora cerul pe ape"
● A previous post on the same theme: The LITTLE UNION Day – 2021

NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed). 

January 2022: Eminescu & Romania’s Culture Day

Annual celebration dedicated to:

The Day of January 15, 2022 – the anniversary of Mihai Eminescu & Romania's National Culture Day

Reference to January 24, 2022 – Little Union of the Romanian Principalities

On Saturday (January 15, 2022) I was able to organize the annual Mihai Eminescu Day, emphasizing Romania’s National Culture Day. Unlike the years before, this time the historic date of January 24^th has been included into the evening’s agenda as well. 
Given the extensive ongoing pandemic related restrictions and rigorous lockdowns for social activities, for safety reasons, the ‘on-line’ format was chosen again.

At this reunion, Hon. Grecea was invited (Dr. Grecea is Consul General, the head of Romanian Diplomatic Mission in Vancouver & Plenipotentiary Minister of Romania in Canada).

This time I began the evening with 2 short video clips: My first VIDEO-CLIP is highlighting Mihai Eminescu and Romania’s National Culture Day.  Romania’s National Culture Day has been celebrated for the first time on January 15th, 2011, and since then, the birthday of the poet Mihai Eminescu (January 15, 1850) has also been the day when culture as a whole is celebrated in this country. "On the National Culture Day, we recognize the role of the Romanian cultural personalities in the modernization and democratization of Romania, in getting in line with the European values. The exemplary involvement of thinkers, artists, promoters and founders of cultural institutions in asserting the identity, statehood and national unity of Romania will remain inscribed in capital letters in the chronicles.”

My second VIDEO-CLIP is briefly about The Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities (Romanian: "Ziua Unirii Principatelor Române", ori "Ziua Micii Uniri"), each year celebrated on January 24, in order to commemorate the unification of the Romanian Principalities (Moldavia and Wallachia), also known (unofficially) as the "Little Union" (on 24 January 1859 under prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza).

Then the program continue with Hon. Grecea’s speech, which was long and filled with lots of personal remarks, amongst other things stressing Eminescu’s geniality as well as the importance of unity.

This time I was happy to have with us straight from Romania, the author Luniniţa Aldea, whose speech was concise, interesting and to the point. Writer Aldea has such a warm and pleasant personality, always polite and respectful and it is a joy to have her around. Also, at this time our dear friend Luminiţa, reminded us about Mihail Kogălniceanu's speech when Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected ruler of Moldavia, on January 5, 1859.

Next, the other guests of the evening shared their perspectives about Eminescu, about culture, about the Romanian history, about current times & personal memories.

Our dear friend Dorina, nicely penciled Mihail Kogălniceanu, who was the Prime Minister of Romania (Oct.11, 1863-January 26, 1865), under Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Kogălniceanu was also a lawyer, historian, publicist and one of the most influential Romanian intellectuals of his generation.

Also, since today we are celebrating Romanian Culture’s Day, here are few additional names who honored the Romanian Culture over time:
● Ion Luca Caragiale – was a Romanian playwright, short story writer, poet, theater manager, political commentator and journalist. Leaving behind an important cultural legacy, he is considered one of the greatest playwrights in Romanian language and literature, as well as one of its most important writers and a leading representative of local humour 
● Ion Creangă – he was one of the main representatives of Junimea, an influential literary society with which he nonetheless parted during the second half of his life. His work, spanning 4 decades, covers the ground between Neoclassicism, Realism, & Naturalism, building on an original synthesis of foreign & local influences
● Lucian Blaga – who was a Romanian philosopher, poet, playwright, poetry translator and novelist

● George Călinescu – who was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies. He is currently considered one of the most important Romanian literary critics of all time, alongside Titu Maiorescu and Eugen Lovinescu, and is one of the outstanding figures of Romanian literature in the 20^th century
● Vasile Alecsandri – who was a Romanian poet, dramatist, politician and diplomat. He was one of the key figures during the 1848 revolutions in Moldavia and Wallachia. He fought for the unification of the Romanian Principalities, writing "Hora Unirii" in 1856 and giving up his candidacy for the title of prince of Moldavia, in favor of Alexandru Ioan Cuza. He became the first minister of foreign affairs of Romania and was one of the founding members of the Romanian Academy. Alecsandri was a prolific writer, contributing to Romanian literature with poetry, prose, several plays, and collections of Romanian folklore, being considered, alongside Mihai Eminescu, which admired and was inspired by the writings of Alecsandri, as one of the most important Romanian writers in the second half of the 19th century
● Constantin Brâncuși –  was a Romanian sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. He is considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20^th century and a pioneer of modernism
● Ștefan Luchian  – was a Romanian painter, famous for his landscapes and still life works
● Nicolae Grigorescu – who was one of the founders of modern Romanian painting. Having studied at École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he had contact with Pierre-Auguste Renoir, after which he left Paris to join the Barbizon school, where he adopted the „en plein art” way of painting. Several of his works were featured, among others, at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris. For most of his last decades, Grigorescu spend time either painting in Paris or, especially after 1890, in Câmpina, where he started his famous series of pastorales. He was named honorary member of the Romanian Academy in 1899
● Ion Andreescu – who was a Romanian painter of great renown, considered of the founders of modern Romanian painting. Influenced by Nicolae Grigorescu, he left Romania for Paris to further his education. He began attending the private arts school Académie Julian and at the same time he was accepted at Salon, Paris, where he exposed two paintings, "Start of Spring" and "The Fair in Romania". He then moved to Barbizon, he mastered plein-air painting. Here he worked alongside artists such as Nicolae Grigorescu, Corot, Millet, and Monet
● Alexandru Djuvara – who was a Romanian writer, journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania 1909-1910)
● Zoe Dumitrescu-Bușulenga (since she has been mentioned several times during our gathering) – she was a Romanian comparatist and essayist. A native of the national capital Bucharest, she was educated at its main university, going on to become a professor there. Together with a focus on interdisciplinary studies, she was noted for devoting several studies to Mihail Eminescu. Meanwhile, Dumitrescu was a dignitary of the Romanian Communist Party. Following the Romanian Revolution, after several years spent in Rome, she retired to a monastery.

Now, briefly talking about culture…what is this culture that everybody is always talking about? How is this culture shaping our every day’s life?

According to definition, culture is “an umbrella term which encompasses the social behaviour and norms found in human societies, as well as knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities and habits of the individuals in these groups.” No matter where someone is born, we each are part of a particular culture. More often than not we are intrigued by other cultures, and each culture is an integral determinant of who we are as individuals. So, what exactly is it then? Simply put, culture is the unique characteristics of a group of people. Culture is made up of many elements, some more obvious than others. Culture is the clothes we wear, the language we speak, the food we eat. Culture is our customs, our beliefs, and our values; it is part and parcel of our religious beliefs, superstitions, philosophy and mythology. 
Culture determines what is acceptable and unacceptable in any society. Social norms are borne out of culture. It is manifested through our art, music, dance, architecture, technologies, and writings. And within a culture, there are smaller cultures which have their own behaviors and norms. Culture affects how people behave and interact with each other, it helps people build relationships with others when they understand other cultures and perspectives. It’s also good to understand how much in common we have with other people even if at first glance their cultures might seem completely different. We are all humans and have similar needs, hopes, fears, and things that make us happy. It doesn’t mean, however, that our cultural differences don’t matter at all. A better strategy in life is to acknowledge that differences exist. The world is becoming more and more diverse as different languages, religions, economic and cultural groups blend together. We need to appreciate and understand different cultures and establish relationships with people from other backgrounds. This is the only way to build successful communities, improve our living conditions, and solve problems.

Now, once again about our gathering...for me, it was an "interesting" evening that for sure I will never forget!!!
In closing, one more time, many thanks to my nice, polite and kind guests of the evening…until next time my best regards to each of you!

Alice

“The truth is our master, we don't master the truth.” (Mihai Eminescu)

This event has been delivered in Romanian Language, featuring Romanian culture. 

● Previous events I organized on the same theme: Eminescu & ROMANIA’s CULTURE Day – 2021, 2020, 2019
NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed). 

Thoughts at the beginning of the year (January 2022)

During the recent winter holidays season, I hope you had chance to relax and to reflect on the past 12 months, while making plans for a better year ahead.

Generally speaking, I believe that year 2021 showed us all what really matters in life and taught us what no one has taught us so far: that our true wealth is in us!

So, having said that, I strongly believe that it is important to know how to rejoice (and at the same time to be able to offer joy to our loved ones), to know how to accept reality and to know how to choose wisely.

As in general I enjoy so much to observe life, here are few thoughts I’ve gathered along the way (in 2021)…

Things that 2021 clearly re-emphasized and

what to take with us into the New Year

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but every morning they wake up upset about life, complaining about the light that is coming through the window, upset that a new day is beginning and they have to start all over again…

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but they put on gloomy clothes, walk with their heads bowed, greet sadly and half-heartedly, counting the cracks in the asphalt and the holes in the road…

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but they get sad and stressed at work, they rush to judge their colleagues and blame their bosses for everything that displeases them…

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but when they go home they take with them all stress accumulated at work & spread it in their homes…

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but for some raising a child (for example) has become such a burden & child’s desire to play becomes an extra stress...

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but they are staring extensively at TV news, becoming terrified by commercial movies & angry at political shows…

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but they cover the night sky with blinds, at bedtime they are disturbed by day thoughts & blame life for insomnia…

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but silence or reflection seems like a waste of time, spirituality seems like naiveté & peace is hard to achieve or bear…

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but they don't have time for themselves...

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but they don't have time or patience for happiness…

- In life, many people would like to be happy, but they do not have time to discover that happiness is in them, in the morning sky, in the smile with which they greet people, in the eyes of their family, friends or co-workers, in the child's play, in the peace of the house, in the stars in the sky...

Being an optimist, I truly hope that one day eventually people will learn how to be happy, understanding that true, lasting happiness comes straight from their hearts.

"It is good to live in the present with the teachings of the past and the dreams of the future."

2022 – Happy NEW YEAR!

Dear friends, I wish you have a cheerful year ahead, filled with joy, happiness, peace, smiles and many good tidings for you and your family!

Good bye, 2021! Welcome, 2022!

As we let the old year go and we welcome the New Year with lots of optimism, may we all look back in forgiveness, forward in hope, down in compassion and up with sincere gratitude.

Cheers to the New Year and to another chance for all of us to get it right!

❄❄❄❄❄

❄  LA MULTI ANI PENTRU NOUL AN! ❄ HAPPY NEW YEAR! ❄ BONNE ANNÉE! ❄FROHES NEUES JAHR! ❄ FELICE ANNO NUOVO! ❄ FELIZ AÑO NUEVO! ❄ ΕΥΤΥΧΙΣΜΈΝΟΣ Ο ΚΑΙΝΟΎΡΙΟΣ ΧΡΌΝΟΣ! ❄

❄❄❄❄❄

New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic 2022 – video

● My previous greetings on the same theme: NEW YEAR – 2021, 2020, 2019