Posted by Torr | Spirituality | Saturday 23 April 2011 13:08
What immense power of imagination and vanity to think that anything will be remembered.
What incredible force to put meaning and purpose into the small doings we have.
What blindness to forget the span of Time and the forces of Nature, the powers of tens that outnumber all Human creation and leaves but historic relics to witness the moments of yesterday. Our attempts to manifest are desperate, yet pleasing, are in vain, yet our destiny.
The Flux of Life is brutal and seperate from our Thoughts about it. Life is short, yet each moment eternal and accessible.
Posted by Torr | Spirituality | Thursday 21 April 2011 22:31
Surely, I am no artist myself. I do not have anything to offer you, nor do I need to, I just live my life from birth to death as most people do. Unknown, unimportant, never remembered and thus never forgotten – John Doe, DOA.
But. I have been blessed with one thing, though, the gift of thinking and the gift of being excited. One of the things that has always excited me is the arts – paintings, sculptures, music, literature. I have nearly photographic memory from very early age and still remember quite vividly the impressions of one of the first museums I visited, the Pompeii Musuem and Ruins in Italy which made me realize the brutality of both Nature and Time and the shortness of a human life. Oh – I was four years old.
Similar realiazations followed on museums like Villa Julia in Rome (the Etruscans) and The Britsh Musuem in London, and step by step many other musuems have been added to my inner map of art, kind of similar to getting to know new friends or taking on a new point of view or picking up a nice idea. I would not be the person I am without.
Still, sometimes the arts gets in the behind in the rumble of the everyday, duties and stuff. So much greater my enjoyment of the three incredible museums in Madrid, Spain, this past weekend, namely the over-worldly collections at the Prado Musuem, at the Thyssen-Bornemisza and at the Reina Sofia museums. Especially the Reina Sofia is a magical place where you enter as one person and leave as another: Transformed, enlightened and full of wisdom, love and humility. And the artists to bring you in this state count amongst others three of the great sons of Spain, namely Juan Miro,
Salvador Dali
and the maestro himself, Pablo Picasso and his eternal Guernica.
Oh oh oh, behold the masterpieces of these artists at Reina Sofia, OMG ! Actually standing face to face with these paintings that I have known for a lifetime from books and movies, that was taking a quantum leap backwards in Time in my own life and perhaps into the Future as well. It was like putting fire on that inner map and burning down the roads to Le Louvre, to the Vatican, to MOMA, to Louisiana and to all the other museums and exhibitions I have seen, it was like seeing it all in one glimpse, it was a moment of transcendence and peace – it was stopping Time with the Incredible Power of Art.
Posted by Torr | Spirituality | Sunday 27 February 2011 15:36
At last I know.
I have been in doubt my whole life. I have asked myself existentialistic questions ever since I was 5 (I actually remember such quite clearly). I have put my entire family in the grave. I have turned my back to the education and the science (chemistry) that I once loved so dearly. I have had many love affairs only to see them disappear again. In short, I have in a sense lost everything a man can lose in life.
At last I know why.
I cannot reveil this as yet, but it will become the essense of what is to become my lifetime manifesto. It will blow you away. It will transform you. It will make you connect to your higher reality. It will make you say “I knew this guy” and people will say “really ?”.
To feel that every single second of your life is accounted for is an extremely overwhelming thing and to think that all the studies in life, in relations, in the music and arts, in the psychology and the literature suddenly add up and make sense… is just incredible.
How cool is this: to appear in the latest book by Malcolm Anderson, The Messengers.
The Messengers are about 120 marathon- and ultrarunners distributed worldwide, passionate individuals that tell their stories about their love and dedication to running. Amongst the interviewees are several of the most renown ultrarunners in the world and I’m pleased to know several of the persons mentioned including my danish friend Mogens Pedersen, the swede K.-G. Nyström and a whole bunch of germans listing also Christian Hottas and Horst Preisler, the latter being the man on Earth with most races, +1700 ! The book is easily read and features four main sections on Passion, Endurance, Transformation and Inspiration and give insights on why and how people can run hundreds if not thousands of (ultra-) marathons. I am truly honored with my contribution and artfully pleased that the picture of me in the book is pretty sexy as well. Get moving to the bookstore, girls
Another cool thing is the enjoyment of giving speaches on my own book “ELSK AT LØBE – med Maratonbogen”, co-authored with the famous professor Bente Klarlund Pedersen. We have given a whole bunch of lectures by now and have a few more scheduled in February in Copenhagen. I have updated my “in the press” section to reflect the newspaper attention on some of these events. The thrill is to inspire !
Last Monday we gave two talks for about 900 young students (imagine that !) and here I chipped in a few slides on my private story as well, pinpointing some of the learning points on how you survive a rough childhood orphaned at age 7 and growing up on a boarding school. I tell you, I had the full concentration of these kids. I really felt that my talk made an impact. If so, I can wish for no more… as this kind of Message mean the world to me: “How do one survive ? Three words coin it all: intelligence, passion and activity” (I will elaborate on this another time). It was a priviledge to “perform” for these youngsters. Just as it is knowing that YOU are reading these words.
Remember, we all have immense power in the choosing of our thoughts, feelings and words ! Every second of our lives.
Posted by Torr | Spirituality | Sunday 16 January 2011 23:21
Losing family obliges us to find our family.
Not always the family that is our blood but the family that can become our blood.
These words are from the movie “Finding Forrester”, a poetic and beautiful movie that coins what Friendship and Faith is all about. The Title of this post is also from the movie, a Title that describes my current state of mind and being so extremely well. I feel so full of hope for this year and in so many respects. Let me elaborate a bit.
Firstly, things look really cool at work. I seldom write about my work and I will not begin to, so I will just pass on that I basically and generally really really do enjoy my job (nerdy IT stuff) and that I thrive with my colleagues. I spend quite a bit of my capacity each day on work-tasks so it is by no means trivial that these things are interesting and challenging. They are ! And this Season look better than ever ! Woo-hoo !
More importantly, things look really NEW on my personal level both within the Running business and in the Spiritual Department. Runningwise, I have set myself the goal to cut off 22 minutes of my current marathon PB/PR on 4.06.45. The means to accomplish this goal involve a weight loss of 12 kg and a totally rewritten approach to my training. It feels good, it feels fun, it feels right ! Thus, I have great Faith in the marathon experiences lined up for 2011.
Spiritually, I feel that I am “connecting” with my lost Family. I feel that I am connecting with my (mostly running) friends and that it is time to give a little more than just the “funny Tor”. Perhaps it is time to show them the Faith to deal with the real Tor, or rather the more complete, the Tor of great intelligence and psychic intuition. Perhaps it it the time to show this to you all. To constructively use and display the real Powers hidden so well for so long.
So why just now ? Well… it is the Season of Faith’s Perfection ! It is the Season to find and connect to the Spiritual Guides. It is the Season to interpret and combine the many Human Guides from the Great History, the Writers, the Composers, the Painters, the knowledge of History itself and the outlook on the probable Futures just ahead. It is the Season to display a rooted and universal flux of Love. It is the Season for waking up each day and just deeply appreciating Life. It is the Season of Faith’s Perception as well. I feel very lucky to feel all these things, I feel very lucky to deeply understand in the Spiritual sense.
It is as if all the pieces from all these years suddenly fit each other – and I am fortunate to see the picture, the Light.
As you might know Death has played a major role in my life. I have lived through things you wouldn’t believe. I have possessed hinsights from the age of 7 that many people never realize during a lifetime. Still, I only show my true mental strength in glimpses and feel that I cannot reveil my full potential or knowledge to anyone. Basically, I have a complexity that I know that most poeple cannot grasp or handle. I read most people in seconds. I look through it all, through you all. It is a burden at times, most times, because I have to pretend that I don’t. But I do. I truly hate it !
Death has also taken pray in recent times. Thus, I, we, have lost three running mates during the last 16 months. These losses are naturally different from the family ones, however, they still trigger some of the same feelings and thoughts… and to elaborate on the perhaps cryptic intro: for me, the loss of my three friends makes me think a lot about the deep existentialistic questions that I think we all face. Why are we here ? What shall we do with our lives ? What is of importance ? What happens “afterwards” ?
On the latter let me tell you this: nothing ! And if you knew how fast the World will forget you as dead, I think you would reschedule your life as living quite a lot ! At best, you will be remembered by the ones that knew you in person… but how long will they live after you ? 30 years ? 40 years ? If you have produced “stuff” as a scientist, artist or successful entrepreneur your name and fame might hang around a bit more… but make no mistake, your materialistic or abstract outlets in the Universe has nothing to to with “life”. YOU will be dead ! And your Vanity dies with you.
So what is important ? Friendship is important ! Sharing moments together eg. when running marathons is important. Reaching tough deadlines with your collegues is important. Rasing your kids well is important. Searching for good values and habits is important. Being true to yourself and your own nature is important. There are indeed heaps of reasons for being curious about life, about love, about running experiences, about new things to happen. Don’t let anyone tell you the opposite, ever !
I had the priviledge to enjoy the friendships of René Fasting (died two days after his first marathon triplet),
Philip Ulrich (killed by a odd-falling rock in Nepal),
and John West (killed on Mont Blanc).
They were very accomodating and warm men, and I had some very profound talks and writings with all three of them. Now, it is time to follow up. It is time to say: “you are still here”. In my mind and heart at the least.
Furthermore, it is time to make a spiritual promise: “I will fullfil my true potential !“. Because I still live and have the possibility. We all have. Remember and understand: Every day is a luxury and the potential beginning of a new adventure, of new friendships, of fun and experiences. Today is the beginning of the rest of your life and if you put your mind and heart to it, you may truly change your Reality forever. NOW is the time to act. NOW is the center of power. We who live should take on our responsibility.
So, René, Philip and John, I have decided to transform and to unleash my full capacity. You will find me doing new stuff from now on… and you will find me continuing the things I deeply love, including running marathons and meeting up with our many common, wonderful and a bit crazy friends. I will check out the hot girls for you, tell the dirty jokes and shoot the stories and pictures from the races. Who knows if you are following or if we meet again…
… but until, I will take care of things down here… until it, hopefully in many years from now, become my turn to face the silent, eternal sleep.
Running marathons is all about adventures and experiences.
But it is more than just that. Running is about showing faith and confidence in the future. It is about having confidence in your own abilities, in your training schedule, and in the quality of the events you choose to participate in. Looking forward to the next marathon experience is embracing the future with trust. It is an act of love. I think this is one of the reasons why running is so popular: it sets a positive mindset !
In general, having Trust and Confidence in your life prepares your future experiences of adventure, of your career, of your relationships and your friendships. You should cultivate your inner (self-) confidence engine every day. You should affirm your values each day. And you should maintain trustworthyness and integrity so others continue to show you confidence. To me, the path away from a strong value set and personal integrity that is a path towards isolation and, ultimately, loss of self. As the famous quote by Blaise Pascal goes:”What is the good of gaining the whole World if you lose your own Soul ?” (elaborating on Matthew 16:26). The reverse is true as well: you immediately lose the World (= the experiences) if you lose your Soul (= your Trust & Conficence).
To elaborate, I think that the lack of Trust and Confidence is psychologically equal to the fatal idea that you should be “denied” access to future adventures and experiences. And could anything be more threatening to man that NOT having access to the so dearly experiences life gives. Right ? I guess this is why we all fear Death so much: not getting to experience anything anymore, to see our kids and loved ones expericence, etc. Isolation is Death as well, perhaps paradoxially drawn from the hinsight of Sartre:”Hell – that is the others“. The others in our own minds. Our own representation of the others. Our own lack of Trust & Confidence. Oh yes, our thoughts are SO important – each one of them !
In these days with the financial crisis, the international terror threat and what have you, Anxiety flurish. In the Danish media we read about men of great former wealth commiting suicide as a response to the loss your their materialistic – and you could add: extremely spoiled – bases. Is the power of disbelief and self-invented shame really so strong that you will kill yourself to it ? Is the lack of confidence in “a future” that pathologic ? I find it very sad ! But I also have to note that these stories confirm what I have always suspected: that real strength is not connected to the roles people play in the modern society. Roles are often given by appointment. True strength is a quality of the soul and the intellect that no company hierarchies or birthgiven luxuries can shape or maintain for real.
Indeed, in times of opposition true and sound values will prevail. Indeed, people will reconnect to universal and “pure” values. To me, running is one of them, i.e. being in the Nature and being physically active with one self and others, either in play or in sound competition.
Indeed, the stronger kind of Man will continue to display Trust in the future and to seek new experiences.
Posted by Torr | Spirituality | Saturday 9 October 2010 11:43
Oh well.. I guess I have been quite “down” for a while, now it is time to climb up again. Weather shifts, psychology shifts. We are here to experience these shifts, we are not the shifts themselves.. even though it feels like it at times. If you feel bad at mood, life is bad. Wrong. It is your feelings about it. Feelings change over time.
Unlike (so many) others I do not pretend and unlike (so many) others I confront stuff even when it may have direct negative impact on myself. I believe it brings a better result overall. Confrontation is the process where you find out what is real and what isnt. Find out who your real friends are, find out who really loves you, find out what you really love yourself. Living a fake life based on lies and withheld truths is for the imbeciles.
I prefer reality on the rocks – not a superficial and manipulated sugerdrink for babies. And lets face it: real reality just feels like plain crap at times. Sometimes we are just very sad and unhappy, each for our reasons. This is a trivial fact – but it is still, in 2010, kind of taboo to admit it. Sometimes, everything just really sucks.
This is when we need the ability to analyse and evaluate, to choose new paths, to give ourselves rebirth and to rise from the burned pasts like the Phoenix bird. This is when we need to climb the ladders in our internal psychology. This is when we need others and perhaps something. Something to do, something to believe in, something to explore. I have many “somethings” and running is for sure one of them. Chess, music and travels are others. Indeed, I could live entire lives in each of my many “somethings”.
But as for now there is only this and one life. It is time to smile again and to seek stuff and to be with the loved ones. Time to climb those ladders. Watch out
