(Besides practicing business law and entrepreneurship, I am working hard to expand myself and get out of my comfort zone by being vulnerable with my creative writing, fiction writing, nonfiction writing, poems, quotes, and photography, which has given me comfort and joy, and I hope it does for you too.)
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Chester Bennington of Linkin Park on July 20, 2017 at the age of 41. He was also the lead singer for Dead By Sunrise and fronted Stone Temple Pilots from 2013 to 2015. His voice had a great range for melodic top 40 tracks to the hard screaming sounds of rock and roll that sometimes blended with rap by Mike Shinoda, the other frontman of Linkin Park.
Chester was authentic and open about his life, the struggles of his childhood when his parents became divorced, being sexually abused by an individual older than him, and getting bullied in school. He let out his frustration and suffering in his art and music. Much of his struggle resonates in the lyrics of the songs he helped write and through the sound of his voice. However, Chester also turned to drugs and alcohol to numb his pain. Even with his rise into a rockstar with amazing bands, he faced depression until he took his life.
As a politician in Hawaii, I worked on the issues of bullying, sex abuse, drugs, and mental health. I continued with some of this work while a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and Legislative Liaison at the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu. I left public service after being charged by the police for driving under the influence when I was stopped at a roadblock. Half the time I served in public service, I felt like I was dealing with power trips of politicians and judges, many with temper tantrums who were unable to put the issues above themselves. Now, I direct my efforts in helping the community through start-up business ventures, business law, and nonprofit organizations. If I succeed in building the businesses that I’m passionate about, I want to dedicate my money on causes that I’ve failed to achieve as a politician and government attorney such as building a peace curriculum in our schools to teach our children positive daily practices to reduce bullying, sex assault, verbal abuse and physical violence; and helping orphans of war receive water, food, medicine, clothes, toys, and an education.
The death of Chester by suicide hit me emotionally. I’ve been listening to Linkin Park since their beginning. I’m listening to Linkin Park songs as I write this post. I know the power of the darkness can haunt us, especially when we’re alone. At night and early morning is when they attack me. When they win, nothing matters – nothing. I know this. I live because I’ve created so many goals to work on. I work hard – so hard that it pushes away my pain – that is until I’m alone, then I have to start all over again. But I can’t just live by working. I want to love and be loved. I want to have fun. For these reasons, I created a system of practices I created that helps me to keep moving forward through gratitude, peace, and happiness. If you are facing anxiety and depression, these are the things I do to counter the darkness:
(1) Sleep – For maximum output, 7+ hours of sleep works for me.
(2) Exercise – Run, lifting weights, and swimming are some of the exercise I do that gives me a high and a feeling of confidence that I can achieve anything.
(3) Healthy Diet – Foods that have Vitamin B-complex and Vitamin C helps us against depression and anxiety. L-Theanine in green tea has a calming affect.
(4) Gratitude – I have gratitude for not just the big things, but also the many little things.
(5) Mindfulness – I live in the moment to be aware of the beauty and wonderful things around me. Mindfulness is what energizes our gratitude. The more mindful I am, the higher the level of my gratitude.
(6) Win-Win/Positive Thinking. There are wins in everything we do, even failure and bad incidents.
(7) Goals – I plan and execute my goals by a system that rewards small wins and big wins. It’s the process of the daily practice that gives us a rush of dopamine every time we achieve small wins, and in time, we get that satisfaction from attaining our big wins.
(8) Writing – Blog, journal, social media, fiction, and nonfiction. Writing is so therapeutic, and it feels good to send positive messages to my friends and network.
(9) Positive Relationships – Stay near positive people who will fire you up with good energy, and avoid negative people who drain your energy.
(10) Music – Soothing music is great while working, and when you need a lift, play a lively song and dance.
(11) Read and listen about amazing people – Exposure to people who overcame huge challenges keeps me motivated and thinking extraordinary with a mindset that anything is possible when you consistently work hard, build relationships, and learn.
(12) Go to your happy places – My happy places are beaches in Hawaii for relaxation and coffee shops for work.
(13) Ocean Therapy and Nature –For me, swimming in the ocean does wonders by heightening all my senses and revitalizing my vision for my life.
(14) Sunlight – Vitamin D3 from the sun helps us against anxiety and depression.
(15) Sensory Therapy – I enjoy lemon scented cologne, vanilla and lavender scented candles, hot and cold showers, and massages.
(16) Learn – Right now, I enjoy learning about subjects such as self-development, health, writing, Japanese language and culture, aviation, fuel, Iraq war, and orphans of war.
(17) Meditation – This practice calms my mind, body, and soul.
(18) Travel – Experiences at other locations creates wonderful memories and recharges our mind, body, and soul.
(19) Read Fiction – Experience other lifestyles and locations, feel the beauty of love, and do extraordinary things.
(20) Inspirational Movies and Television Shows
The following song, “Shadow of the Day” by Linkin Park expresses how I feel about the loss of Chester Bennington and the darkness that haunts us all.
Here is “Heavy” by Linkin Park, another song that moves me emotionally.
“Numb” by Linkin Park is a song that resonates with the frustration we feel after working so hard to be who we are, only to be attacked by others who want something, and punished harder by others because of who we’ve become, despite us still being human.
“Sorry For Now” by Linkin Park
“Nobody Can Save Me” by Linkin Park. On a positive note, near the ending of the song, the lyrics goes:
I wanna fall wide awake now
So tell me it’s alright
Tell me I’m forgiven, tonight
And only I can save me now
I’m holding up a light
Chasing up the darkness inside
And I don’t wanna let you down
But only I can save me!
Been searching somewhere out there
For what’s been missing right here
I want to end this entry with a positive and motivational song by Linkin Park, “Battle Symphony.” Chester will live on through his music, loved ones, and fans. My heart goes out to him and his loved ones.
A little brown sparrow came to me on my window sill. It chirped to me comforting words, “Right now the sun is shining and the trees are swaying. I am here and everything seems to be alright. But at night, I will be gone, and they will come for you. Darkness has won here. Close your eyes and go back to your world. She will be waiting for you in the garden by the stream, sitting on the bench under the cherry blossom tree. You know who I am talking about.”
The bird hopped along and faced its back towards me at the edge, ready to launch into flight.
“Wait, why are you telling me this?” I asked.
The sparrow twitched his head backwards at me and chirped, “Because you created us. We want you to see the beauty of what you’ve done for us. The people here don’t know who you really are, but we do. Don’t give up on us just because of the pain you’re feeling here.”
He turned his head back forward and took off into flight, flying high above the coconut trees, becoming smaller and smaller until he became a speck and disappeared.
I wiped away a tear that trickled down my cheek. I knew what he meant, and I understood what I had to do.
Like many of you, I strive for things that have a great amount of uncertainty that create anxiety and stress. I wish I was a superhuman, immune to such feelings but I’m not. So I make an effort on overcoming anxiety and stress with many practices like gratitude, mindfulness, win-win thinking, exercise, balanced diet, writing, music, nature, time with positive people, sensory therapy, meditation, and such. Whenever I work on any of my goals that has a high risk of losing time and money such as elected politics, business projects, and fiction and nonfiction books, I try to mitigate my risk with research, strategy, and hard work, but no matter what, a degree of uncertainty will always exist.
To alleviate my anxiety on the uncertainty, I practice win-win thinking or positive thinking by telling myself, “When I invest time and money into a project I’m passionate about, at worse, I get a higher education like attaining another college degree. At best, I get a return on my investment on top of my education!” By looking at my goals in this manner, I see the outcome as a win no matter what the outcome because my time and money are used towards bettering myself in gaining more knowledge, skills, and relationships, but if I succeed, I can get a higher education and make a living out of what I love! Stay positive everyone!
If we could count them, we would change the way we see today, and truly understand how lucky we are to be in every moment.
I would wake up with a smile and love you even more, attack my passionate goals, and always make an effort to experience new things.
Of all the things in the world, my time with you would be the most important.
I would do this every day until the orange glow tells me that I must say goodbye.
At that point, I would hug you so I can cherish every second until my last breath as I fade away into the darkness.
(My uncle Neil Akimoto inspired me to write this who is in a coma after a stroke caused internal bleeding in his brain on June 14, 2017 that is getting worse.)
Girls, you already face more than us boys such as inequality, the pain of bearing children, and a higher risk of being abused or sexually assaulted. So go hard and beat us guys in anything: school, skills, network, business, and whatever you choose. Plus, you don’t need to take our last names – we just want your love.
We all get lonely sometimes. Whether you’re brokenhearted, on your own, a single parent, or trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents, we’re experiencing the same quiet nights together. Sure it may be dark but when we look out at the black sky, those stars keep twinkling at us and that moon keeps giving us light as if they are all telling us, “Everything will be alright.”
Do whatever it takes to have that inner peace: sleep, meditation, self-reflection, exercise, nutritious food, vitamins, nature, ocean therapy, sunlight, aroma therapy, mindfulness, gratitude, forgiveness, goal planning, learning, reading, writing, art, music, movies, massage, hugs, time with loved ones, helping others, and anything that makes you feel good! If all of us are at peace, the world will be at peace!
“Walk with me. I want to show you my world.” We left the Japanese garden filled with pink cherry blossom trees that lined along the beautiful clear stream. The green grass carpet that was similar to the type at luxurious golf courses, turned into dirt, rocks, and weeds. I led Kaylee into the forest as the sun began to set behind the tall tree-line. It became darker as we proceeded further into the forest, but golden rays from the sun seeped through the many branches high above. These spotlights guided us along the trail.
I grabbed Kaylee’s hand and pulled her with me off of the walking path. We cut through ferns and brush. I made sure I took the brunt of the leaves and stems that rubbed against us. Once we got out of the wild growth of the forest we reached a large circular patch of wild grass with small yellow flowers scattered throughout it. In the center was a green mound, like a miniature mountain. I smiled at her. “We’re here.”
Her eyes fixated on the grass hill. She turned to me with a grin. “How did you find this place?”
“I needed to escape. They show us what they want us to see. But oftentimes there’s beauty hidden. Sort of like what society expects from us. So I walked out of the beautiful man-made park and found this. I meditate on top of that grassy hill regularly.”
Kaylee kicked off her sandals. “Let’s go!” she blurted. She ran ahead towards the mound. I chased after her, but had to stop when my wallet flew out of my front pocket. I picked it up, placed it back in my pocket, and continued running after her. Her light white dress flew up with the breeze as she skimmed through the many yellow flowers. I got close to catching up to her but she beat me by a couple seconds as we hopped onto the top of the little mountain. We breathed in and out heavily from our sprint. I bent over with a hand on each knee. From the side of my body I felt an impact, and ended up falling onto my back with Kaylee on top of me. I took a couple of breaths that I had lost from the fall. “Why do you always do this to me?”
She laughed, “I like to knock you down and be on top. It’s a new era. It’s time for us girls to run the world.”
I chuckled. “Yes. You girls are intimidating. That’s why I was scared to meet you.”
“You were?”
“Very.”
“Well I’m glad you got the courage to approach me.”
“Me too.” I felt a few small drops of water land on my arms. I looked at the sky, which looked pinkish with the remaining light of the sun glowing onto the puffy white clouds that formed above us. “I think it’s going to rain. Do you want to go under the trees?”
She shook her head in disagreement. “Let’s stay here.” More clouds moved above us and they unleashed their reserves on us with many huge drops of rain. Our clothes became so drenched that they wrapped the form of our bodies. Still on top of me, Kaylee’s wet dangling hair dripped water onto my face. She gently pushed my bangs that covered my eyes to the side, and slowly lowered her face towards mine until our lips met.
I jumped into my old gun metal truck and drove to my late night hang-out, a coffee shop on the top of the hill above my house, after one of those weeks that furiously flew by. I pulled into the parking lot, and right in front of the coffee shop was a prime parking space that was positioned almost directly in front of the main entrance. I pulled the brake and shut off the engine. While patting the dash of my truck, I sent my thoughts of gratitude to it, “Thank you for taking care of me.” I counted this moment as my tenth win for the day.
I pulled my brief case from behind my seat and exited my truck, locking it with my key. My remote control had long been discarded in a drawer within my personal office. It’s just something I didn’t care to fix after all these years.
I entered the coffee shop and paused by the display glass filled with sandwiches and pastries so I could pull out my smart phone from my front pocket of my jeans and open the app for the coffee shop, which I used for my transactions since you could get rewarded a free drink after a certain amount of purchases.
“Hey Riki, how are you?” asked Kelly, a cute barista with a mixture of Asian and Caucasian ethnicity who I’ve gotten to know over my many visits. She was always so welcoming.
I walked up to her cash register. “Good to be back at the office.”
“What will you get tonight?” Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Kelly blurted, “Wait, let me guess.”
I chuckled. “Alright.”
She closed her eyes and then opened them with a wide smile. “Hot, medium, Green tea latte?”
“Yes. I swear you have a gift.”
“Well, it’s either that or your hot, medium, plain old green tea. So my odds are pretty good in guessing your drink. Tonight you look a bit stressed and that’s when you go for the sweet stuff.”
“You’re really observant. I have to finish drafting a couple contracts for a friend.”
“Got to get paid right?”
“I don’t know. I only get paid if my friend gets paid.”
A frown formed on Kelly’s perplexed facial expression.
“If the deal doesn’t go through, I get nothing for all the work I do.”
“Damn.”
“It’s the nature of what I do.” If only she knew that I didn’t get paid even when I closed some deals with a couple of former business partners I had. I didn’t fight for anything that was owed to me, I just cut my losses and simply moved on.
I flashed my app on the screen of my smartphone in front of the scanner fronting the cash register. After a “beep” sound, I tapped a button and returned my phone back into my front pocket of my jeans.
“Well, I wish you the best on that deal. Have a productive session.”
“Will do. Thank you.”
I proceeded over to the counter where other customers waited to receive their orders. After a few minutes, my order was called by the barista who made my beverage, a young man named Todd with surfer blonde hair.
I strolled over to my favorite corner of the coffee shop where the counters rode along the windows, and lined up beside it were a number of high stools. I placed my briefcase on an unused stool next to me to my right. I pulled out my laptop from my briefcase and fired it up. I opened up a partial draft of one of the agreements I was working on for my friend. I stared at the words on the screen, which began to blur as I dozed off into another world. When my vision cleared up, I was no longer sitting on a stool in front of the window in my regular coffee shop. Instead, I was leaning back on a black leather couch in the more trendy coffee shop with dimmer lights that I’ve become so familiar with over my eight years of writing and reading this scene over and over.
Across the shop I saw Ken sitting at a small square table in front of Kaylee. He had already given her a chocolate cupcake in his attempt to liven up her spirits. He looked just as nervous as I had envisioned. I smiled and giggled quietly because I knew that he was changing the course of the future between the two of them. If only Ken and Kaylee could know how much a part of me has always been with them. Every bit of their pain has been mine, and every time they’ve experienced joy, I’ve felt it just the same. For it’s through their journey that I’m finding my way. If they can make others feel what I’ve felt, then I’m certain many others will find their way as well.
“Excuse me. Excuse me.”
I snapped back to reality and saw a young college-aged Asian girl standing next to me. “Is it okay if I plug my laptop into the outlet?” she asked and glanced under the counter. I followed her eyes and noticed the outlet just to the left of my leg.
“Oh yeah, sure. Go ahead.” I moved off my stool and stood to the side as she plugged in her laptop and returned to sit at a table behind me.
I got back onto my stool and returned to staring at my draft of the agreement on my computer. The minutes kept changing to higher numbers on my clock located near the upper right corner of my laptop, and still, I didn’t write anything new. “Screw this,” I murmured under my breath. I closed the document and opened up my query letter that was addressed to a boutique literary agency based in New York City. I took out my headset from my briefcase and played the songs from my playlist. I bobbed my head to a catchy song “Something Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay as I proceeded to re-write my query letter.
– Super Short Fictional Story by Jon Riki Karamatsu on March 26, 2016 (This super short fictional story is connected to my first novel that I started in October 2006 and completed in January 2014) –
Yesterday morning of March 8, 2017, as I prepared for my day, I turned on my smart TV to watch an educational video on entrepreneurship, business, culture, or psychology, which I do so daily, when by chance I came across a video about Misty Copeland, the first African American principal ballerina for a major ballet company, which was very inspiring. The story was fitting since it was International Women’s Day.
I ended up having my best day writing for this year so far for either fiction or nonfiction. I wrote for a total of 7.5 hours broken into 3 sessions to complete a 12-page counter offer document for an agreement consisting of over 300 pages that I’m working on for an aviation development project I have with my business partners. I’m estimating that I probably wrote about 3,500 to 4,000 words for my document today that had a total of 6,466 words.
Here’s the video of Misty Copeland that jump-started my day even though I’m still feeling weak from the illness that I had the past week.
Later I found Misty Copeland’s Under Armor commercial that’s inspiring as well. Here it is:
The light is so much brighter when we’re in the dark. For it is darkness that makes us appreciate the light. The challenges of life and the evils of humankind should make us even more grateful for what positive things we have in our lives, and the many good people there are among us. Let the force of darkness motivate us to maximize our daily practice of love and compassion.
If I were ever so lucky to get my first novel published and made into a movie, a paranormal romance and suspense based in Hawaii, my top choice for the lead female role would be actress Vanessa Hudgens because the lead female character in my novel is Asian and Caucasian like her. Moreover, she would play the personality of the character nicely who is loosely based off of someone who was once a small part of my life.
To change popular culture in the United States to be more reflective of its diversity, it is very important for writers, producers, and entrepreneurs to develop stories, novels, movies, products, and services that share the unique cultural and ethnic diversity in our country rather than what we mainly see in popular culture in the United States today. It has gotten better, but it still isn’t truly reflective. I’m optimistic that commercialized story-telling will become much broader.
MONACO – MAY 25: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME. MANDATORY CREDIT PHOTO BY DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES REQUIRED) Actress Vanessa Hudgens poses backstage before the Amber Lounge Fashion Show Monaco 2012 at Le Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel on May 25, 2012 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)
Actress Vanessa Hudgens arrives at the Neutrogena Fresh Faces of Music Benefiting VH1 Save The Music at Jim Henson Studios on September 26, 2009 in Hollywood, California. Neutrogena Fresh Faces of Music Benefiting VH1 Save The Music – Arrivals Jim Henson Studios Hollywood, CA United States September 26, 2009 Photo by Jordan Strauss/WireImage.com To license this image (58494556), contact WireImage.com
Vanessa Hudgens Photo by Janet Gough 2008 Teen Choice Awards – Arrivals at the Gibson Amphitheater August 3, 2008 – Universal City, California Celebrityphoto.com P.O. Box 1560 Beverly Hills CA 90213 – 1560 – USA Tel # 310-786-7700 Fax # 310-777-5455
Amazon (AMZN) has created a very heartwarming commercial that shows how multi-religions can live together harmoniously, especially between Christians and Muslims where there has been conflict between leaders and members of the two religions for hundreds of years. This positive message can be applied to unify all conflicting groups. We can all make a difference in making our world peaceful by spreading love and compassion to everyone we interact with.
The commercial features a priest and imam having a pleasant conversation over tea. As the the imam prepares to leave, both men remark at their sore knees, share a hug, and part ways. Afterward, they both take out their smartphones and buy the other knee braces through Amazon Prime.
The commercial ends with both the priest and the imam kneeling to pray while wearing the knee braces they received from the other via Amazon Prime.
JON RIKI KARAMATSU 