CONDITIONS FOR LIFE:
The diversity of life on Earth today is a result of the dynamic interplay between genetic opportunity, metabolic capability and environmental challenges,[53] as well as symbiosis.[54][55][56] For most of its existence, Earth's habitable environment has been dominated by microorganisms and subjected to their metabolism and evolution. As a consequence of such microbial activities on a geologic time scale, the physical-chemical environment on Earth has been changing, thereby determining the path of evolution of subsequent life.[53] For example, the release of molecular oxygen by cyanobacteria as a by-product of photosynthesis induced fundamental, global changes in the Earth's environment. The altered environment, in turn, posed novel evolutionary challenges to the organisms present, which ultimately resulted in the formation of our planet's major animal and plant species. Therefore this 'co-evolution' between organisms and their environment is apparently an inherent feature of living systems.[53]
RANGE OF TOLERANCE:
The inert components of an ecosystem are the physical and chemical factors necessary for life – energy (sunlight or chemical energy), water, temperature, atmosphere, gravity, nutrients, and ultraviolet solar radiation protection.[57] In most ecosystems the conditions vary during the day and often shift from one season to the next. To live in most ecosystems, then, organisms must be able to survive a range of conditions, called 'range of tolerance'.[58] Outside of that are the 'zones of physiological stress', where the survival and reproduction are possible but not optimal. Outside of these zones are the 'zones of intolerance', where life for that organism is implausible. It has been determined that organisms that have a wide range of tolerance are more widely distributed than organisms with a narrow range of tolerance.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
BIBLE GUIDE: life
The Bible's central concern and main issue is the paramount importance of life, and how to maintain and sanctify it.
The underlying concept for the biblical view of life is the creation of man in God's image (Gen 1:26). God breathed into the nostrils of the man the breath of life and man thereby became a living being (Gen 2:7). By this divine act man was set apart from all other creatures, to stand only a step lower than the angels (Ps 8:5). The divine likeness serves man, not to achieve immortality, but to attain sanctity; nevertheless, having been created in the divine image, one of man's prime tasks is the preservation of life. Since life is a divine gift, no one has the right to take either his own life or that of others (Ex 20:13; Deut 5:17).
Life in the biblical sense means to live according to God's way (imitatio Dei) which can be summarized in the command "You shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev 19:2). In the Psalms and Proverbs, life is clearly connected with the observing of the commandments of God's laws: "keep my commands and live" (Prov 4:4; 7:2). To prolong one's life, it is required to fear the Lord (Prov 10:27). Prolongation of days is granted to all those who keep God's statutes and commandments (Deut 6:2). The Torah itself is seen as "a tree of life to those who take hold of her: and happy are all who retain her" (Prov 3:18).
Trust in God who sustains the world is likewise a basic theme in the NT: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing ?" (Matt 6:25; cf Luke 12:22-23). In the NT, as in contemporary rabbinic literature, life is seen in the double dimension: in this world and in the world to come (Matt 16:25; Mark 8:35; John 6:26-58; 8:12).
For the Gospel According to John, more abundant life for the believer is the whole goal of the coming of Jesus (John 10:10). It is the greatest existential theme of the entire gospel (John 20:31). Resurrection, eternal life and faith in Christ are closely related (John 11:25-26). According to Paul, Gentiles can fill their lives with the hope of salvation, which consists of being raised together with Christ (I Cor 15:23-28; I Thes 5:15-17, 23). While Christians await God's son (I Thes 1:10), they have the Holy Spirit manifest in spiritual gifts (Gal 5:22-26). Paul urges the Christians to remain pure and blameless until the Day of the Lord (I Cor 6:11). The messianic aspect of waiting actively by living according to God's will is common to both Jewish and Christian traditions.
LIFE:
life, although there is no universal agreement as to a definition of life, its biological manifestations are generally considered to be organization, metabolism, growth, irritability, adaptation, and reproduction. Protozoa perform, in a single cell, the same life functions as those carried on by the complex tissues and organs of humans and other highly developed organisms. The attributes of life are inherent in such minute structures as viruses, bacteria, and genes, just as they are in the whale and the giant sequoia. In seeking an understanding of life, scientists have broken down many barriers that once separated the physical sciences from the biological sciences; a result of the growth of biochemistry, biophysics, and other interrelated fields of study has been a better understanding of the composition and functioning of living tissues of all kinds.
CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE:
Organization is found in the basic living unit, the cell, and in the organized groupings of cells into organs and organisms. Metabolism includes the conversion of nonliving material into cellular components (synthesis) and the decomposition of organic matter (catalysis), producing energy. Growth in living matter is an increase in size of all parts, as distinguished from simple addition of material; it results from a higher rate of synthesis than catalysis. Irritability, or response to stimuli, takes many forms, from the contraction of a unicellular organism when touched to complex reactions involving all the senses of higher animals; in plants response is usually much different than in animals but is nonetheless present. Adaptation, the accommodation of a living organism to its present or to a new environment, is fundamental to the process of evolution and is determined by the individual's heredity. The division of one cell to form two new cells is reproduction; usually the term is applied to the production of a new individual (either asexually, from a single parent organism, or sexually, from two differing parent organisms), although strictly speaking it also describes the production of new cells in the process of growth.
THE BASIS OF LIFE:
Much of the history of biology and of philosophy as related to biology has been marked by a division of thought between vitalistic (or animistic) and mechanistic (or materialistic) concepts. In the most antithetic interpretations of these concepts, the vitalistic school maintains that there is a vital force that distinguishes the living from the nonliving and the mechanistic school holds that there is no essential difference between the animate and inanimate and that all life can be explained by physical and chemical laws. Such diametrically opposed views have actually seldom been held by investigators of either school; elements of both are usually involved. The animistic school, largely predicated on the inexplicability of the basic phenomena of life, has been greatly overshadowed by the accumulating weight of scientific data. As more and more is learned of the minute details of the structure and composition of the substances that make up the cell (to the extent that some have been synthesized chemically), it has become increasingly apparent that living matter is made up of the same (and only those) elements found in inorganic material, except that they are differently organized.
THE ORIGIN OF LIFE:
Fundamental religious concepts center around special creation and belief in the infusion of life into inanimate substance by God or another superhuman entity. On the other hand, many scientists have hypothesized that during an early geological period there gradually formed in the atmosphere increasingly complex organic substances composed of available inorganic compounds and water, utilizing ultraviolet rays and electrical discharges as energy sources. At a certain stage they formed a diffuse solution of "nutrient broth." Then in some way they were drawn together and developed the capacity for self-renewal and self-reproduction. In 1953, S. L. Miller synthesized several of the most basic amino acids in a glass flask by introducing an electrical discharge into an atmosphere of water vapor and some simple compounds thought to have been present naturally at the time when life first developed on earth. A more recent theory now widely held is that life originated in a volcanic setting more than 3.5 billion years ago, perhaps in hot deep-sea vents, utilizing a biochemistry based largely on sulfur and iron. The theory that life on earth came in a simple form from another planet has had small currency, although the discovery by Melvin Calvin of molecules resembling genetic material in meteors has given it some force.
The Bible's central concern and main issue is the paramount importance of life, and how to maintain and sanctify it.
The underlying concept for the biblical view of life is the creation of man in God's image (Gen 1:26). God breathed into the nostrils of the man the breath of life and man thereby became a living being (Gen 2:7). By this divine act man was set apart from all other creatures, to stand only a step lower than the angels (Ps 8:5). The divine likeness serves man, not to achieve immortality, but to attain sanctity; nevertheless, having been created in the divine image, one of man's prime tasks is the preservation of life. Since life is a divine gift, no one has the right to take either his own life or that of others (Ex 20:13; Deut 5:17).
Life in the biblical sense means to live according to God's way (imitatio Dei) which can be summarized in the command "You shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev 19:2). In the Psalms and Proverbs, life is clearly connected with the observing of the commandments of God's laws: "keep my commands and live" (Prov 4:4; 7:2). To prolong one's life, it is required to fear the Lord (Prov 10:27). Prolongation of days is granted to all those who keep God's statutes and commandments (Deut 6:2). The Torah itself is seen as "a tree of life to those who take hold of her: and happy are all who retain her" (Prov 3:18).
Trust in God who sustains the world is likewise a basic theme in the NT: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing ?" (Matt 6:25; cf Luke 12:22-23). In the NT, as in contemporary rabbinic literature, life is seen in the double dimension: in this world and in the world to come (Matt 16:25; Mark 8:35; John 6:26-58; 8:12).
For the Gospel According to John, more abundant life for the believer is the whole goal of the coming of Jesus (John 10:10). It is the greatest existential theme of the entire gospel (John 20:31). Resurrection, eternal life and faith in Christ are closely related (John 11:25-26). According to Paul, Gentiles can fill their lives with the hope of salvation, which consists of being raised together with Christ (I Cor 15:23-28; I Thes 5:15-17, 23). While Christians await God's son (I Thes 1:10), they have the Holy Spirit manifest in spiritual gifts (Gal 5:22-26). Paul urges the Christians to remain pure and blameless until the Day of the Lord (I Cor 6:11). The messianic aspect of waiting actively by living according to God's will is common to both Jewish and Christian traditions.
LIFE:
life, although there is no universal agreement as to a definition of life, its biological manifestations are generally considered to be organization, metabolism, growth, irritability, adaptation, and reproduction. Protozoa perform, in a single cell, the same life functions as those carried on by the complex tissues and organs of humans and other highly developed organisms. The attributes of life are inherent in such minute structures as viruses, bacteria, and genes, just as they are in the whale and the giant sequoia. In seeking an understanding of life, scientists have broken down many barriers that once separated the physical sciences from the biological sciences; a result of the growth of biochemistry, biophysics, and other interrelated fields of study has been a better understanding of the composition and functioning of living tissues of all kinds.
CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE:
Organization is found in the basic living unit, the cell, and in the organized groupings of cells into organs and organisms. Metabolism includes the conversion of nonliving material into cellular components (synthesis) and the decomposition of organic matter (catalysis), producing energy. Growth in living matter is an increase in size of all parts, as distinguished from simple addition of material; it results from a higher rate of synthesis than catalysis. Irritability, or response to stimuli, takes many forms, from the contraction of a unicellular organism when touched to complex reactions involving all the senses of higher animals; in plants response is usually much different than in animals but is nonetheless present. Adaptation, the accommodation of a living organism to its present or to a new environment, is fundamental to the process of evolution and is determined by the individual's heredity. The division of one cell to form two new cells is reproduction; usually the term is applied to the production of a new individual (either asexually, from a single parent organism, or sexually, from two differing parent organisms), although strictly speaking it also describes the production of new cells in the process of growth.
THE BASIS OF LIFE:
Much of the history of biology and of philosophy as related to biology has been marked by a division of thought between vitalistic (or animistic) and mechanistic (or materialistic) concepts. In the most antithetic interpretations of these concepts, the vitalistic school maintains that there is a vital force that distinguishes the living from the nonliving and the mechanistic school holds that there is no essential difference between the animate and inanimate and that all life can be explained by physical and chemical laws. Such diametrically opposed views have actually seldom been held by investigators of either school; elements of both are usually involved. The animistic school, largely predicated on the inexplicability of the basic phenomena of life, has been greatly overshadowed by the accumulating weight of scientific data. As more and more is learned of the minute details of the structure and composition of the substances that make up the cell (to the extent that some have been synthesized chemically), it has become increasingly apparent that living matter is made up of the same (and only those) elements found in inorganic material, except that they are differently organized.
THE ORIGIN OF LIFE:
Fundamental religious concepts center around special creation and belief in the infusion of life into inanimate substance by God or another superhuman entity. On the other hand, many scientists have hypothesized that during an early geological period there gradually formed in the atmosphere increasingly complex organic substances composed of available inorganic compounds and water, utilizing ultraviolet rays and electrical discharges as energy sources. At a certain stage they formed a diffuse solution of "nutrient broth." Then in some way they were drawn together and developed the capacity for self-renewal and self-reproduction. In 1953, S. L. Miller synthesized several of the most basic amino acids in a glass flask by introducing an electrical discharge into an atmosphere of water vapor and some simple compounds thought to have been present naturally at the time when life first developed on earth. A more recent theory now widely held is that life originated in a volcanic setting more than 3.5 billion years ago, perhaps in hot deep-sea vents, utilizing a biochemistry based largely on sulfur and iron. The theory that life on earth came in a simple form from another planet has had small currency, although the discovery by Melvin Calvin of molecules resembling genetic material in meteors has given it some force.
TIPS OF LIFE AND LOVE:
YOU ARE THE ONE
YOU THAT WALKS WITHIN MY DREAMS,
YOU WHO ARE MY PLANS AND SCHEMES,
YOU MY HEART DOTH SPEAK.
YOU WHOSE EYES ARE SHINING BRIGHT,
YOU ARE MY GUIDING LIGHT,
YOU ARE THE ONE I SEEK.
YOU ARE THE ONE MY LIPS DARE KISS,
YOU ARE THE ONE MY HEART DARES MISS,
TO YOU MY LOVE I SHOW.
YOU ALONE WHOM I WOULD MOURN,
FOR THIS MY LOVE WAS BORN,
YOU ALONE SHOULD KNOW.
YOU ARE GONE FROM ME ONCE MORE,
AGAIN YOU HAVE SHUT THE DOOR,
YOUR LOVE CAN MAKE ME WEAK.
YOU WHO BURNS ME WITH YOUR TOUCH,
WHOSE LOVE I NEED SO MUCH,
WHOSE LOVE I SEEK.
WHY DOES MY HEART STILL HOLD YOU?
I REALLY WANT TO KNOW;
WHY CAN'T I FORGET YOU?
YOU ARE A STRANGER TO ME, REALLY,
AND YET YOU'RE ALWAYS THERE,
NOT EVEN SLEEP CAN SHUT YOU OUT,
IT'S MORE THAN I CAN BEAR!
THERE'S ALWAYS SOME REMINDER,
LOVE TAKES ITS TOLL
TAKE ME OUT OF THIS WORLD,
WHERE REALLY IS HURLED, INTO THE FACE OF A GOWN OF WHITE LACE, WHERE LOVE TAKES ITS TOLL, WHERE SUNSHINE IS RAIN, AND TEARS ALWAYS STAIN, VEILS AND FLOWERS AND LONG, ENDLESS HOURS, I HAVE NO GOAL. BUT TO BE SOME WHERE, THERE'S ALWAYS LOVE THERE, WHERE FROWNS ARE SMILES, THERE ARE HEAPS AND PILES OF LAUGHTER, FOR THE SOUL. A GESTURE, A JOKE, AND GOOD HAPPY FOLK, NOT A HURT, NOT A SIGH, BUT A RAINBOW STANDING BY, AND LOVE DOESN'T TAKE ITS TOLL.
WITH HONEY AND BEES, AND LAUGHING WILLOW TREES WHERE HATE IS ABSURD, AND EVERYONE IS HEARD, AND LOVE DOESN'T TAKE ITS TOLL. BUT WHEN I SAW YOU AGAIN, I FEARED YOU MIGHT WIN, AND BRING ME BACK TO LIFE. OF BEING YOUR HUSBAND, AND LOVE WILL TAKE ITS TOLL WITHOUT LOVE WE WILL PERISH, AND LOSE ALL THAT WE CHERISH, AFTER LOVE COMES THE SMILE, SO I'LL STAY FOR AWHILE, AND LET LOVE TAKE ITS TOLL.
FADING:
A DREAM, SO LIKE A FALLING STAR,
A DREAM, TO TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE,
IT'S DRIFTING AWAY, I CAN SEE.
A DREAM, IT'S FLOATING ON A CLOUD
A DREAM, DON'T SPEAK OF IT ALOUD,
IT'S DRIFTING AWAY, LET IT BE.
LIKE THE WIND IT HAS NO NAME,
AND THE WIND, TO ME IT CAME,
PLEASE COME BACK TO ME.
MY DREAM, MY DREAM, DON'T FADE AWAY,
WE'LL RIDE THE HILLS AGAIN SOMEDAY,
TOGETHER---ALWAYS FREE,
JUST A THOUGHT:
I JUST CAN'T KEEP FROM SMILING,
WATCHING KITTENS AT PLAY,
MY MIND DRIFTS BACK TO FLOWERS AND FIELDS OF YESTERDAY. I THINK OF TRAILS UNRIDDEN, OF UNFOUND DREAMS OF GOLD, ALL THE RAINBOWS NEVER REACHED, WATCHING MY LIFE UNFOLD.
RACING NOW, ACROSS A FIELD, WIND IN A STRAND OF WHEAT, I'M NOT SURE, CAN IT BE REAL?
DREAM HORSE, NO CHANCE TO MEET. THERE IS NO TIME TO DREAM NOW, I THINK I'M REALLY GLAD, I KNOW MY DREAMS ARE HOPELESS, INSIDE THAT MAKES ME SAD. I SMILE NOW, WITH PRESENT THOUGHT, I KNOW, INSIDE OF ME, CERTAIN THINGS WILL NEVER CHANGE, MY DREAMS ARE EVER FREE.
SEA DREAMS:
BEYOND THE RED-YELLOW SUNSET,
BEYOND THE RESTLESS SHAPE OF MOONLIGHT, THRU THE WISHING STARS, I SAW MY FATE SHINING BRIGHT.
I SEE THE BLUE-GREEN WATERS OF THE SEA,
I TURN TO THE FACE OF LOVE,
I SMELL THE SALT, THE WIND, AND IT'S YOU I THINK OF,
I REMEMBER OUR KISS,
AS SOFT AND SWEET AS A SUMMER RAIN,
I CLOSE MY EYES BLOT OUT THE HURT,
AND IMAGINE YOU ARE MINE AGAIN.
A COOL BREEZE BLOWS THRU MY HAIR,
AND THE WATER SEEM TO GLOW,
AND AS THE MYSTERY OF THE SEA,
THE SAME MYSTERY OF WHY YOU HAD TO GO.
NOW THE SEA IS MY ONLY COMPANION,
IT SEEMS TO SMILE AS THE WAVES RUSH TO SHORE
BUT IN ITS BLUE-GREEN TWILIGHT, IN THE WARMTH OF ITS LOVE. I WILL DREAM FOREVER MORE.
TIME:
TIME HAS COME TO A STANDSTILL, LOVING LOVE,
YET HATING IT. WAITING FOR IT, THE WAIT IS LONG.
TOO LONG, SOMETIMES IT SEEMS. BUT HOW LONG IS A
LIFETIME? LOVE COMES AND GOES WITH TIME, SO I
SAY "STOP TIME". TIME.... THE ETERNAL BATTLE
WAGE FROM FOE TO FOE. TIME BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE.
HOW MUCH? A YEAR? AN HOUR? FOR A LIFETIME
IT TAKES TO FIND YOUR LOVE, ONLY A SECOND TO
DESTROY IT. TIME IS MY ENEMY, BUT THERE IS NO
FOE TO FIGHT, NO WAY TO WIN. IT ONLT TAKES A
MINUTE TO MAKE A MISTAKE, THOUSANDS TO FIND IT
OUT, EVEN MORE TO CORRECT IT.
TIME THE ETERNAL SALVATION, THE ETERNAL SPACE
DEATH. FIGHT TIME, AND YOU'LL NEVER WIN.
LOSE TO TIME AND OPEN YOUR DOOR TO SORROW.
FLOWERS
THE FLOWERS OF WARM,
BORN OUT OF A STORM,
ARE ORANGE-BRIGHT, AND DEEP BABY BLUE;
SO SWEET IS THEIR KISS,
AND THEY SAY IT LIKE THIS,
NE LOVE ME, HE LOVE NOT, I LOVE YOU.
THE FLOWERS OF HEAT,
SHOULD YOU CHANGE TO MEET,
ARE YELLOW SILK GOLDEN WEAVE;
THEY SING AND SWAY,
AND ALWAYS THEY SAY,
I CAN SEE IT, BUT CANNOT BELIVE.
THE FLOWERS OF COOL,
IN A DEEP MAGIC POOL,
THE GLORY OF RED, BROWN, AND GREEN;
THE TIME OF ITSELF,
THE SEASONAL PAINT SHELF,
UNCOVERED, THERE ARE DOUBTS TO BE SEEN.
THE FLOWERS COLD,
LIKE THE FLOWERS OS OLD,
ARE DEAD AND LOST AWAY,
THE RAIN WASH THEM OUT,
EVERY TRUTH, EVERY DOUBT,
NO MATTER WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO SAY.
THE FLOWERS OF HATE,
FIRST BURN, THEN ABATE,
PRAY GOD THEY ALL SHRIVEL AND DIE,
FOR EASY THEY BLOOM,
AND LOVE THEY CONDUME,
NOT THAT FOR MY LOVE AND I.
"LIFE WITHOUT LOVE IS NO LIFE AT ALL"
LIFE:
a.The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism.
b.The characteristic state or condition of a living organism.
2.Living organisms considered as a group: plant life; marine life.
3.A living being, especially a person: an earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives.
4.The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence: the artistic life of a writer.
5.a.The interval of time between birth and death: She led a good, long life.
b.The interval of time between one's birth and the present: has had hay fever all his life.
c.A particular segment of one's life: my adolescent life.
d.The period from an occurrence until death: elected for life; paralyzed for life.
e.Slang. A sentence of imprisonment lasting till death.
6.The time for which something exists or functions: the useful life of a car.
7.A spiritual state regarded as a transcending of corporeal death.
8.An account of a person's life; a biography.
9.Human existence, relationships, or activity in general: real life; everyday life.
10. a.A manner of living: led a hard life.
b.A specific, characteristic manner of existence. Used of inanimate objects: "Great institutions seem to have a life of their own, independent of those who run them" (New Republic).
c.The activities and interests of a particular area or realm: musical life in New York.
11. a.A source of vitality; an animating force: She's the life of the show.
b.Liveliness or vitality; animation: a face that is full of life.
12. a.Something that actually exists regarded as a subject for an artist: painted from life.
b.Actual environment or reality; nature.
ADJECTIVE:
1.Of or relating to animate existence; involved in or necessary for living: life processes.
2.Continuing for a lifetime; lifelong: life partner; life imprisonment.
3.Using a living model as a subject for an artist: a life sculpture.
IDIOMS:
As big as life
1.Life-size.
2.Actually present.
BRING TO LIFE:
1.To cause to regain consciousness.
2.To put spirit into; to animate.
3.To make lifelike.
COME TO LIFE:
To become animated; grow excited.
FOR THE DEAR LIFE
Desperately or urgently: I ran for dear life when I saw the tiger.
FOR LIFE
Till the end of one's life.
FOR THE LIFE OF (ONE)
Though trying hard: For the life of me I couldn't remember his name.
NOT ON YOUR LIFE INFORMAL
Absolutely not; not for any reason whatsoever.
TAKE (ONE'S) LIFE
To commit suicide.
TAKE (ONE'S) LIFE IN (ONE'S) HAND
To take a dangerous risk.
TAKE (SOMEONE'S) LIFE:
To commit murder.
THE GOOD LIFE:
A wealthy, luxurious way of living.
THE LIFE OF PARTY INFORMAL:
An animated, amusing person who is the center of attention at a social gathering.
TO SAVE (ONE'S) LIFE:
No matter how hard one tries: He can't ski to save his life.
TRUE TO LIFE:
Conforming to reality.
YOU ARE THE ONE
YOU THAT WALKS WITHIN MY DREAMS,
YOU WHO ARE MY PLANS AND SCHEMES,
YOU MY HEART DOTH SPEAK.
YOU WHOSE EYES ARE SHINING BRIGHT,
YOU ARE MY GUIDING LIGHT,
YOU ARE THE ONE I SEEK.
YOU ARE THE ONE MY LIPS DARE KISS,
YOU ARE THE ONE MY HEART DARES MISS,
TO YOU MY LOVE I SHOW.
YOU ALONE WHOM I WOULD MOURN,
FOR THIS MY LOVE WAS BORN,
YOU ALONE SHOULD KNOW.
YOU ARE GONE FROM ME ONCE MORE,
AGAIN YOU HAVE SHUT THE DOOR,
YOUR LOVE CAN MAKE ME WEAK.
YOU WHO BURNS ME WITH YOUR TOUCH,
WHOSE LOVE I NEED SO MUCH,
WHOSE LOVE I SEEK.
WHY DOES MY HEART STILL HOLD YOU?
I REALLY WANT TO KNOW;
WHY CAN'T I FORGET YOU?
YOU ARE A STRANGER TO ME, REALLY,
AND YET YOU'RE ALWAYS THERE,
NOT EVEN SLEEP CAN SHUT YOU OUT,
IT'S MORE THAN I CAN BEAR!
THERE'S ALWAYS SOME REMINDER,
LOVE TAKES ITS TOLL
TAKE ME OUT OF THIS WORLD,
WHERE REALLY IS HURLED, INTO THE FACE OF A GOWN OF WHITE LACE, WHERE LOVE TAKES ITS TOLL, WHERE SUNSHINE IS RAIN, AND TEARS ALWAYS STAIN, VEILS AND FLOWERS AND LONG, ENDLESS HOURS, I HAVE NO GOAL. BUT TO BE SOME WHERE, THERE'S ALWAYS LOVE THERE, WHERE FROWNS ARE SMILES, THERE ARE HEAPS AND PILES OF LAUGHTER, FOR THE SOUL. A GESTURE, A JOKE, AND GOOD HAPPY FOLK, NOT A HURT, NOT A SIGH, BUT A RAINBOW STANDING BY, AND LOVE DOESN'T TAKE ITS TOLL.
WITH HONEY AND BEES, AND LAUGHING WILLOW TREES WHERE HATE IS ABSURD, AND EVERYONE IS HEARD, AND LOVE DOESN'T TAKE ITS TOLL. BUT WHEN I SAW YOU AGAIN, I FEARED YOU MIGHT WIN, AND BRING ME BACK TO LIFE. OF BEING YOUR HUSBAND, AND LOVE WILL TAKE ITS TOLL WITHOUT LOVE WE WILL PERISH, AND LOSE ALL THAT WE CHERISH, AFTER LOVE COMES THE SMILE, SO I'LL STAY FOR AWHILE, AND LET LOVE TAKE ITS TOLL.
FADING:
A DREAM, SO LIKE A FALLING STAR,
A DREAM, TO TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE,
IT'S DRIFTING AWAY, I CAN SEE.
A DREAM, IT'S FLOATING ON A CLOUD
A DREAM, DON'T SPEAK OF IT ALOUD,
IT'S DRIFTING AWAY, LET IT BE.
LIKE THE WIND IT HAS NO NAME,
AND THE WIND, TO ME IT CAME,
PLEASE COME BACK TO ME.
MY DREAM, MY DREAM, DON'T FADE AWAY,
WE'LL RIDE THE HILLS AGAIN SOMEDAY,
TOGETHER---ALWAYS FREE,
JUST A THOUGHT:
I JUST CAN'T KEEP FROM SMILING,
WATCHING KITTENS AT PLAY,
MY MIND DRIFTS BACK TO FLOWERS AND FIELDS OF YESTERDAY. I THINK OF TRAILS UNRIDDEN, OF UNFOUND DREAMS OF GOLD, ALL THE RAINBOWS NEVER REACHED, WATCHING MY LIFE UNFOLD.
RACING NOW, ACROSS A FIELD, WIND IN A STRAND OF WHEAT, I'M NOT SURE, CAN IT BE REAL?
DREAM HORSE, NO CHANCE TO MEET. THERE IS NO TIME TO DREAM NOW, I THINK I'M REALLY GLAD, I KNOW MY DREAMS ARE HOPELESS, INSIDE THAT MAKES ME SAD. I SMILE NOW, WITH PRESENT THOUGHT, I KNOW, INSIDE OF ME, CERTAIN THINGS WILL NEVER CHANGE, MY DREAMS ARE EVER FREE.
SEA DREAMS:
BEYOND THE RED-YELLOW SUNSET,
BEYOND THE RESTLESS SHAPE OF MOONLIGHT, THRU THE WISHING STARS, I SAW MY FATE SHINING BRIGHT.
I SEE THE BLUE-GREEN WATERS OF THE SEA,
I TURN TO THE FACE OF LOVE,
I SMELL THE SALT, THE WIND, AND IT'S YOU I THINK OF,
I REMEMBER OUR KISS,
AS SOFT AND SWEET AS A SUMMER RAIN,
I CLOSE MY EYES BLOT OUT THE HURT,
AND IMAGINE YOU ARE MINE AGAIN.
A COOL BREEZE BLOWS THRU MY HAIR,
AND THE WATER SEEM TO GLOW,
AND AS THE MYSTERY OF THE SEA,
THE SAME MYSTERY OF WHY YOU HAD TO GO.
NOW THE SEA IS MY ONLY COMPANION,
IT SEEMS TO SMILE AS THE WAVES RUSH TO SHORE
BUT IN ITS BLUE-GREEN TWILIGHT, IN THE WARMTH OF ITS LOVE. I WILL DREAM FOREVER MORE.
TIME:
TIME HAS COME TO A STANDSTILL, LOVING LOVE,
YET HATING IT. WAITING FOR IT, THE WAIT IS LONG.
TOO LONG, SOMETIMES IT SEEMS. BUT HOW LONG IS A
LIFETIME? LOVE COMES AND GOES WITH TIME, SO I
SAY "STOP TIME". TIME.... THE ETERNAL BATTLE
WAGE FROM FOE TO FOE. TIME BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE.
HOW MUCH? A YEAR? AN HOUR? FOR A LIFETIME
IT TAKES TO FIND YOUR LOVE, ONLY A SECOND TO
DESTROY IT. TIME IS MY ENEMY, BUT THERE IS NO
FOE TO FIGHT, NO WAY TO WIN. IT ONLT TAKES A
MINUTE TO MAKE A MISTAKE, THOUSANDS TO FIND IT
OUT, EVEN MORE TO CORRECT IT.
TIME THE ETERNAL SALVATION, THE ETERNAL SPACE
DEATH. FIGHT TIME, AND YOU'LL NEVER WIN.
LOSE TO TIME AND OPEN YOUR DOOR TO SORROW.
FLOWERS
THE FLOWERS OF WARM,
BORN OUT OF A STORM,
ARE ORANGE-BRIGHT, AND DEEP BABY BLUE;
SO SWEET IS THEIR KISS,
AND THEY SAY IT LIKE THIS,
NE LOVE ME, HE LOVE NOT, I LOVE YOU.
THE FLOWERS OF HEAT,
SHOULD YOU CHANGE TO MEET,
ARE YELLOW SILK GOLDEN WEAVE;
THEY SING AND SWAY,
AND ALWAYS THEY SAY,
I CAN SEE IT, BUT CANNOT BELIVE.
THE FLOWERS OF COOL,
IN A DEEP MAGIC POOL,
THE GLORY OF RED, BROWN, AND GREEN;
THE TIME OF ITSELF,
THE SEASONAL PAINT SHELF,
UNCOVERED, THERE ARE DOUBTS TO BE SEEN.
THE FLOWERS COLD,
LIKE THE FLOWERS OS OLD,
ARE DEAD AND LOST AWAY,
THE RAIN WASH THEM OUT,
EVERY TRUTH, EVERY DOUBT,
NO MATTER WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO SAY.
THE FLOWERS OF HATE,
FIRST BURN, THEN ABATE,
PRAY GOD THEY ALL SHRIVEL AND DIE,
FOR EASY THEY BLOOM,
AND LOVE THEY CONDUME,
NOT THAT FOR MY LOVE AND I.
"LIFE WITHOUT LOVE IS NO LIFE AT ALL"
LIFE:
a.The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism.
b.The characteristic state or condition of a living organism.
2.Living organisms considered as a group: plant life; marine life.
3.A living being, especially a person: an earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives.
4.The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence: the artistic life of a writer.
5.a.The interval of time between birth and death: She led a good, long life.
b.The interval of time between one's birth and the present: has had hay fever all his life.
c.A particular segment of one's life: my adolescent life.
d.The period from an occurrence until death: elected for life; paralyzed for life.
e.Slang. A sentence of imprisonment lasting till death.
6.The time for which something exists or functions: the useful life of a car.
7.A spiritual state regarded as a transcending of corporeal death.
8.An account of a person's life; a biography.
9.Human existence, relationships, or activity in general: real life; everyday life.
10. a.A manner of living: led a hard life.
b.A specific, characteristic manner of existence. Used of inanimate objects: "Great institutions seem to have a life of their own, independent of those who run them" (New Republic).
c.The activities and interests of a particular area or realm: musical life in New York.
11. a.A source of vitality; an animating force: She's the life of the show.
b.Liveliness or vitality; animation: a face that is full of life.
12. a.Something that actually exists regarded as a subject for an artist: painted from life.
b.Actual environment or reality; nature.
ADJECTIVE:
1.Of or relating to animate existence; involved in or necessary for living: life processes.
2.Continuing for a lifetime; lifelong: life partner; life imprisonment.
3.Using a living model as a subject for an artist: a life sculpture.
IDIOMS:
As big as life
1.Life-size.
2.Actually present.
BRING TO LIFE:
1.To cause to regain consciousness.
2.To put spirit into; to animate.
3.To make lifelike.
COME TO LIFE:
To become animated; grow excited.
FOR THE DEAR LIFE
Desperately or urgently: I ran for dear life when I saw the tiger.
FOR LIFE
Till the end of one's life.
FOR THE LIFE OF (ONE)
Though trying hard: For the life of me I couldn't remember his name.
NOT ON YOUR LIFE INFORMAL
Absolutely not; not for any reason whatsoever.
TAKE (ONE'S) LIFE
To commit suicide.
TAKE (ONE'S) LIFE IN (ONE'S) HAND
To take a dangerous risk.
TAKE (SOMEONE'S) LIFE:
To commit murder.
THE GOOD LIFE:
A wealthy, luxurious way of living.
THE LIFE OF PARTY INFORMAL:
An animated, amusing person who is the center of attention at a social gathering.
TO SAVE (ONE'S) LIFE:
No matter how hard one tries: He can't ski to save his life.
TRUE TO LIFE:
Conforming to reality.
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