Vasilios Theodorakis – An Online Author

What Do I Do With This God? – is a 1989 poem about a woman who had a tendency to throw her arms up in the air every time something went wrong in life. Instead of trying to address the problem, she would sit at home, pray and hope for the best.

Being uneducated and unfamiliar with the old adage (euphemism) that “God helps those who help themselves”, she had a tendency to cross her fingers and hope that God would provide her with everything she needed – not a very smart strategy under any circumstance.

Needless to say, the lady’s life went from bad to worse and her inactivity eventually caused her to lose her house.

The author for the week is the renaissance writer known as: Voltaire

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – October 2009

This piece touches on how insight and wisdom isn’t necessarily associated with age. In fact, its sometimes quite dangerous for young people to presume that just because someone is older (like their parents) that they are wiser. If anything, one should study a person’s behaviour and listen to what sort of things come out of their mouths before deciding on their level of insight. Likewise, their social status or role in society is really no indicator (these days) as to how wise they are as a person.

Called – Insight And Wisdom From Parents? – it was written in June 1989.

The author for the week is the poet: William Wordsworth.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – October 2009

This poem was another commentary on how bitter and twisted family members often cease to care about what effects they have on the rest of the family. It is called: Justice???

The author for the week is the Canadian poet and musician: Leonard Cohen.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – September 2009

This piece was written in March 1989 – the exact date of writing was not recorded. The poem was a reflection on the turmoil I was witnessing as my family of origin moved into its final stage of self annihilation. It is called: No Need To Stop Before You Start

The author for the week is the Roman poet and vegetarian: Ovid.
Some of his poems can be read at: http://www.poemhunter.com/ovid/

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – September 2009

My recent work is an assortment of odds and ends – technology predictions, metaphysics and social commentaries. Reading a little too widely always sends me off on multi-pronged tangents. :)

As of next week however, I should be back to editing and uploading the “Growing Up” anthology. My ongoing aim is to publicly release all poems in this anthology by the end of the year.

In the mean time, the pieces uploaded in the last month include:
Formal Worship And Nature – a ‘religion and theology’ commentary.
The Havoc They Reeked! – a new poem written in August.
The Apple Multi-Touch Tablet – A Mouse Replacement? – a ‘tech prediction’ about the yet to be released Apple Tablet.
The Exam Syndrome – a ‘general’ commentary on competition.
This Is What We Are! – a ‘religion and theology’ commentary on the state of Orthodox Christianity in Australia (still being worked on).

The author for the week is the great pacifist and vegetarian: Albert Einstein.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – September 2009

The older I get, the more I’ve come to believe that excelling (and defeating one’s competition) is for the young at heart, that is, for those who still think they’re immortal, bullet proof and have all the time in the world. Its of course a natural part of youth and is probably one of the reasons why our kind has been so successful at subjugating all other forms of life and controlling the rest of our planet.

For me though, existence is more about survival and quality of life. I’m often told, “one approach, is no better or worse than the other – they’re just different.” Needless to say, this affirmation is that of liberalist fanatics.

For better or worse, people (like me) have trouble maintaining the frivolity and excitement of achievement, especially after staring death in the face as often as we have. Most recently, I’ve decided to put the last vestiges of my own need for success and competition to rest. Its time to get on with what I have to do and not obsess over what I’d like to do.

Ironically, this doesn’t translate into not doing well at what I have to do; it’s more about, not being concerned as to what others think and not needing to compete within our social system. Still, taking this path has relegated me to the leper’s corner in more ways than one. It’s also very dubious as to whether this approach is a good long term choice for my wife and I, in regards to our financial well being. :)

Copyright © Vasilios Theodorakis 2009

This 1988 poem was written as a fairy tale about a frog who ignored true friendships and pursued superficial relationships in his quest for excitement. The frog inadvertently pursues a person who is destined to cast him aside as soon as she gets bored with his innocence and inexperience.

Contrary to popular opinion (i.e. that of my wife and another close friend) the frog was not me, but an amalgam of male friends who went after girls who treated them badly. In addition to this, each and everyone of these friends had other female friends who were romantically interested them and who would have made wonderful partners/companions. As often happens though, my friends ignored these girls and to this day are still seeking out wives!

I’m glad to say that unlike reality, “The Facades Of Life” does have a happy ending, for the frog and his folklore rose.

The author for the week is the essayist: George Bernard Shaw

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – July 2009

This week’s piece was written about a colleague who’s insight and gentle nature was taken advantage of by a lot of people. She died in the early 1990s primarily from self neglect and over work. I’ve often felt, if it hadn’t been for the emotional vampires that surrounded her, she might still be alive today. Knowing how selfless she was however, I doubt she would have changed her ways, even if it guaranteed she could have had a longer life span.

Unfortunately, I never wrote down her name, can’t remember where she’s buried and can barely recall her face. What’s impossible to forget however is how she treated people. The poem is called – Her Sadness And Her Strength and was written in 1988.

The author for the week is the great Russian Orthodox fictional writer: Leo Tolstoy

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – July 2009

In the absence of any useful advice or healthy relationship role models, this poem was a question to myself as to whether an infatuation could translate into a “real” relationship. The piece is called – Knowing.

While working through this first anthology, I’ve found my early obsession with love a bit laborious and ridiculously naive. I therefore offer up my apologies to any readers who are also finding the latest run of poems from the late 1980’s more than a bit tedious.

As with many things viewed from a distance, love had been blown out of all proportions – mainly because I had never experienced it outside my adolescent fantasies. A little bit of experience may have cured me of my obsession, but unfortunately that didn’t happen till much later in my 20’s.

In regards to this blog though, I have for better or worse made a commitment to document all the material I’ve penned over the years – the purpose being, to highlight how one develops their own voice over time. Fortunately we’re not too far away from the end of the first anthology. Subsequent anthologies do cover a wider range of topics and put my over bearing notion of love back in its place.

The author for the week is Mary Shelley’s husband, troublemaker and vegetarian extraordinaire: Percy Bysshe Shelley

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – July 2009

This 1988 poem touches on the entwined issues of beauty, wanting and longing. As with most of these poems its about a crush I had on someone. The memory and name of the person is long gone but the legacy of the poem is still here. The piece is called – To Speak Or not To Speak

The author for the week is great novelist: Rudyard Kipling

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – July 2009