The Retreat

The retreat to the Sequoia National Park was special in many ways. First and foremost the nature is just amazing there, but two things are captivating in particular - the smell of pine trees and the sound of the forest. I won’t be describing those things, as you need to experience that by yourself.

Second; once in a while solitude is much needed thing. You get a chance to know yourself better, reflect on things and make decisions that is so difficult when you are surrounded with people. It doesn’t matter if they are friends or strangers, when you interact with them you share your ideas and thoughts, and as we all probably know, it is not always that we act the way we want and choose the things we need. People in our times are too feeble and at the same time profoundly egoistic, which makes them very aggressive, vulnerable and dependable. Thus when we become dependable we need someone or something tell us what to do, and that can be our friend, neighbor’s cat, an ad on TV, the street we walk at and etc. Solitude teaches you about yourself, that’s when you face yourself and deal with things that otherwise you would avoid if you were among others.

Third; the most important thing I want to share. Apparently I didn’t go there alone, I was there with Verzh, and the three days that we stayed there were very educating in terms of communication, relationships and experience, and by saying that I mean we argued a lot. Different reasons, mainly stupid and vain (at least on my side), but nevertheless at the end very useful. As in the case with the personal solitude, here you face yourself too, but in much stronger and complete means, the means that may sometimes drain you off your energy. However, if you are smart enough you admit your mistakes, shortcomings and with the help of your “other self” you become better you, wiser you and considerate you. The best part about this is that it’s not only you becoming better and wiser, but also your “other self” too, experiences the same, therefore it is not only you gaining from the retreat but your whole family.

Therefore friendly advice, if you have problems with the loved one, put on some patience, desire to listen, be willing to be objective (by accepting your mistakes) and stay together.

Acting With Cities

Knowing the nature of four temperaments sometimes can be helpful in determining the personality of a man, or a woman. It even can be useful predicting their actions and possible mood changes. For example don’t expect a choleric man to go with you fishing to a lake, or a melancholic woman to throw herself into a disco party night. Types of temperaments make characters and characters make personalities.

Curiously humans are not the only ones that bear this attributes. There are living organisms that can have the same temperaments and as they are genderless, these organisms can be either very complicated or incredibly simple. They may express their temperaments, their character and their personality and you may never notice it. Sometimes we don’t even see those as organisms, though we are the cells, molecules and some of us infectious bacterias that spread viruses and deceases in those giant bodies.

I’m speaking about cities. These amazing life forms created and sustained by humans, and meanwhile shaping humans into who they are, maintain vibrant and calm, chaotic and structured, inspiring and depressing existence.

The city where I come from, Yerevan, is phlegmatic city. It is rich in character, in colors, its expressions and it always meets you with inviting attitude. Probably the only thing that is absent in this city is a music in the background, as it is very silent and shy Maybe some kind of jazz meets classic would fit - like Peterson & Grappelli, or maybe Aznavour...

I’m phlegmatic too, so not only we got along but also loved each other. You may say that cities don’t have emotions. Believe me, they do, they love and care, they hate, they ignore and they joke around. If Yerevan never loved me, it wouldn’t show me it’s beautiful side, it wouldn’t teach me it’s wisdom, kindness and nobleness and I’m not the only one brought up that way. Inhabitants do not differ too much from Yerevan, they are hospitable, attentive and calm. By knowing it’s temperament and more than 2000 years old personality I gained it’s trust and I learned to trust Yerevan. I had personal relationships with it, its residents and I absolutely loved and enjoyed it.

In contrast, when I arrived to Los Angeles airport, first thing that came to my sight was the diversity of the city. Colors, sounds and movement, people of different races, cultures, religions and mentalities are blended all together. At first meeting, LA makes it clear; it is ambitious, demanding and unpredictable. And there is no need for background music, the aggressive, nonstop sound is always in your head. Los Angeles is totally choleric.

To condense my impressions my cousin Esther took me to the Hollywood Strip. The perception of lights and sparks, excited and amazed faces of tourists that were interacting with batmans and supermen, created in me the stereotype, which millions of others over the world bear and believe. I didn’t notice homeless guys on the corners, I never saw desperate drug addicts, and most importantly I thought this is Los Angeles. I thought everyone was here for fun, just to show themselves and to look at others. That day was filled with discoveries and impressions, but the real revelation came to me next day in the morning when I decided to have a walk on Hollywood alone, by myself. The street was a bit quite and with less tourists, no harassing superheroes and CD sellers yet, so I decided to walk further, to see how long is the street with stars. I was walking and reading the names on the stars, paying no attention to my surroundings. When I reached the last star on the ground, at the corner of Gower and Hollywood, I raised my head, looked around and got the feeling that this is the edge of Los Angeles. I looked at the other side of the street and the only difference was the sidewalk without stars. The names on the stars stopped their miserable existence. The lights and sparks darkened, happy melodies and laughs got interrupted. Probably like any other phlegmatic person I felt discomfort by stepping out of the area I got used to. There were no comic book heroes, no fancy stores and souvenir shops, just simple, plain, real life. And it stroke me, - NOW I am in Los Angeles, now I am in America. There, it is fake, it is deceitful, there is no real life, it is undercover. And I was right.

Time went by, and I got to know LA a little more. The Hollywood strip is one of its masks that people like to see, but under all kinds of masks that LA wears there is strong personality, with leader’s spirit and omnipotent force. It moves fast, it develops rapidly and it never waits for anyone. If you’re confident, alert and persistent LA will give you possibilities, to live and thrive, it will teach you how to survive and it will make you strong. But LA will not tolerate lazy people, this city condemns them to poverty and sufferings. LA loves discipline and order, but at the same time it accepts freaks and weirdoes. LA sucks in everything, every culture, every mindset, every taste and every race and by digesting all of those, it creates its own style, its own mentality and it enjoys doing that. Los Angeles is the Julius Caesar of the cities, it is divine and at the same time it is vulnerable. It is bold and meanwhile prudent. Its ambitions are infectious. We just have to choose which role to play along with it, act like Brutus or Octavian... Obviously there are right and wrong choices, you can live with hatred and discomfort in your heart, or join “Caesar” in its battles and enjoy glorious victories.

Everyone wants to be victorious so, it doesn’t matter if you are phlegmatic or melancholic, you can be LA, you can live LA, just make sure to pay attention to what it says, watch what it does, follow where it leads, and you will receive the laurel wreaths that you deserved.