MIDNIGHT MEDITATION No. 14
THE ADVOCACY FOR MEDITATION
I started meditating around 10 years ago, but I learned about it a bit before that. I grew up in a Baptist church and I considered myself Christian for awhile, but I then decided to leave religion in high school, and that’s when I discovered eastern philosophies and it really resonated with me because it was more open-minded I felt as if it has “Proof”.
When I first learned about the idea of humans never living in the present moment and only living through their mind, that changed everything for me. From then on, as with every interest , I became obsessed. With meditation, you have the ability to live in the moment more often, worry less, have more control of thoughts that lead to action, and one of the most mind blowing experiences for me is the ability to simply observe yourself, and even the observer has an observer and it goes infinitely. It’s insane.
When I first started meditating, it was really uncomfortable, nothing was happening, but I’m always up for a self-challenge; I’m more hyper than still, so to sit in stillness for 30 minutes to an hour felt like I was conquering something. I started seeing legitimate results after a few years, the build-up was very gradual, but what I am experiencing now in my meditations are unexplainable.
I am advocating for meditation because MURLIN TV is built around meditation and I’m very curious to know how the human race would be like if meditation was a standard practice for all.
MIDNIGHT MEDITATION No. 13
THE ADVOCACY FOR UNNECESSARY SEX SCENES
Every now and then, I will go on Twitter or X and find someone complaining about sex scenes or nudity in a film, deeming them unnecessary. I like to imagine a future where a sex scene or nudity in a film is viewed in the same light as a mundane shot of nature or the everyday. However, because we’ve made nudity and sex taboo, reactions remain polarizing, no matter how they are presented.
Censorship does not work. People will find what they need because curiosity is strong, and you can’t censor the obvious for too long. It’s not just visual censorship; it’s embedded in our education, religions, and way of life. We’ve accepted it as the norm, along with all the consequences that come with censorship; The only solution often presented is even more censorship.
Addressing the problem at its root would bring uncomfortable conversations and situations to the table as a society. However, I believe the first step is to quit villainizing nudity and sex. I advocate for unnecessary sex scenes because I believe that if nudity and sex were presented nonchalantly in life, we’d have a healthier and more evolved approach to physical attraction and desire.
MIDNIGHT MEDITATION No. 12
THE ADVOCACY FOR FANTASY
For the longest time, I’ve always been accused of “living in a fantasy world” by others who deem themselves to live in “grounded reality.” However, I believe they are just as deep in a fantasy world as I am, but theirs is much more predictable and routine. Real life never made sense, and every day I am baffled by how we get on so nonchalantly.
Whenever I have a problem, I like to lurk through various groups and forums featuring a diverse range of people to see their perspectives. The solutions are always varied, but the one thing all groups have in common is their conviction. Of course, there will be a popular outlook; without it, we would not be able to survive together as a species. But I like to think that the idea of an “outlook” or “perception” is free. Behind every strong conviction or belief is pure nothingness. They are all susceptible to the death and rebirth cycle. Because of our nature and how creation works, our convictions solidify with time and consistency, but I believe this is a code that can be warped and recreated, moment by moment.
So, I am advocating for fantasy—not in the traditional sense, but as the creation of a fantasy that resonates with the self and not merely with the surrounding culture. There is nothing wrong with being conditioned by ideas, but because these ideas govern our everyday lives, it is wise to be aware of their endless possibilities for change.
MIDNIGHT MEDITATION No. 11
THE ADVOCACY FOR MUSCLE
There’s a cycle that comes when you are learning new things. First, you see the thing you want to learn, you’re super inspired by it and you want to know what it would be like if you could do it yourself, and dependent on how much you resonated with that thing, is how much you will sacrifice for it. In the beginning, it’s exciting because you’re still in the dream state of you mastering that thing, but that was a small mountain to climb until you see the 100 miles of flat land with pure uncertainty ahead. Thankfully, the road is not too empty, the destination rarely ever shows itself, but aid shows itself in many different ways, it’s just a matter of surrendering to the task. After a while, slow improvements come and go, more flat land and small mountain peaks follow, and then finally… The muscle is fully formed and activated, and once it’s activated, you are satisfied, but the feeling that you had when you first wanted it vs. having it is different. The satisfaction is pure and stable; not only have you gained muscle in a certain skill or subject, you gained a muscle in self-trust.
MIDNIGHT MEDITATION No. 10
THE ADVOCACY FOR LAUGHTER
Laughing is almost a default state for me; it is my favorite thing to do. No matter what happens in life, you can always find your way back to laughter. It’s a soft orgasm. Often, I laugh without reason, and though I think of reasons why you should laugh, you shouldn’t need a reason, you should just laugh. Everything is funny, all the time.
MIDNIGHT MEDITATION No. 9
THE ADVOCACY FOR D.I.Y
When I first started doing photography, I used to watch a lot of behind-the-scenes videos, and they were incredibly misleading. I felt like I needed the fanciest equipment, the largest teams, and so much more. At one point, especially when I was doing fashion photography, I did get all of that. However, when I worked on my own projects without a team, I appreciated the output a thousand times more.
People are usually shocked to see how minimally I work despite achieving a maximalist output. Everyday, I’m figuring out a system that is tailor-made for me. I look forward to having huge productions, but I am advocating for “D.I.Y” because I used to wonder why I’ve faced so many limitations, but it’s been those limitations that allowed me to create what I am creating now because when you are limited, you have to get creative.
MIDNIGHT MEDITATION No. 8
THE ADVOCACY FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE
I have a theory that if humans collectively decided to start cultivating the belief of “human flight”, we will be levitating or flying within the next few generations. One of my favorite things to do is read out-of-the-ordinary stories about people who go against all odds and heal themselves from life-altering injuries, or people who seamlessly move through life despite being seemingly limited; It’s a reminder that we don’t have to be so dependent on external factors. We yearn for control, but we often misplace our sense of control. To be human is to be a storyteller, and that is where our control lies.
As humans, we understand life from each other, and there’s a very loud group that lead us, but they are not the standard and there are outliers living wildly interesting lives and because of our limited perspective, we view it as “Impossible”. I am advocating for the impossible, but I am really advocating for a wider scope of possibilities.
MIDNIGHT MEDITATION No. 7
THE ADVOCACY FOR PERFORMANCE
In today’s age, there is a need for authenticity and showing your relatability. Now that media is decentralized, performance has taken a new form. While many believe they are rebelling against the idea of “Superficiality” in favor of the “Authentic”, I would argue that while “Authentic” content has it’s space as a means to keep us together as a community and share our various ways of living, it is also detrimental in the sense that whether the performer intends to or not, they are scripting a narrative that will not mirror their “Authentic” stance. This is not only for media, the same goes for real time as well. No matter how close you are to someone, you and that person alone have a special narrative that no one else share and more often than not, not even with each other.
I am advocating for performance because I’ve realized it is the default way of living. For me personally, I aim to be free with my script and narrative and give myself the freedom to be whoever I want at any second. Many of us are stuck in characters scripted by others and invisible societal expectations, but even though we are fated to role play, we also have the power to direct.
MIDNIGHT MEDITATION No. 6
THE ADVOCACY FOR “NEW AGE”
So whenever people use terms such as “Universe” “Manifestation” “Transcendance”, many will immediately dismiss anything else they have to say because they deem it to be “New Age pseudoscience”. I do believe there is a hint of misogyny at play because of the calm, peaceful, light feminine approach the “New Age” movement presents itself as versus the traditional and masculine front many premier religions and science have. No approach is wrong, but we are all living under an invisible force that we keep evolving the translations for as time goes, and many will deny their evolutional approach for the sake of sacredness and tradition, but evolution is forever and the only thing that remains the same is that invisible force.
I am advocating for “The New Age” movement because I enjoy the freedom it brings, it allows free thought, flexibility, and it feels good. It feels good. For me, it feels good. Ultimately that’s all we want, we want to feel good. And this philosophy makes me feel really good. The approach of the “New Age” movement seems “Too good to be true” and “Too easy”, but I think because of the reason that “It’s so easy” is why it’s the most challenging.
MIDNIGHT MEDITATION No. 5
THE ADVOCACY FOR HAPPINESS
I was once told that I would be taken more seriously if I smiled less , people who seem happy often give off the impression that they are naive and delusional. Many people, knowingly and unknowingly hold on to the belief that life is suffering and if they encounter people who contradict that belief, they will categorize them as people who lack depth as they feel anger and sadness holds more weight than happiness. I believe anger and sadness are necessary emotions to be experienced at appropriate times, but I see things differently. I believe if you claim to be intelligent, your number one priority would be to experience the time we have on this earth in the most effective way possible. There are angry intelligent people who channel their anger to create amazing things, but there are countless of angry critics who channel their energy in resentment and suffering, which are inactive states. To be happy is to be brave, to be happy is a willingness to walk alone, to be happy is the skill of consistently embracing and accepting yourself by the second, to be happy is work. Sadness and anger like falling does not take effort, but happiness, the climb, the reach, it takes effort, but it’s worth it.