Avatars

The representation or incarnation of something higher.

In most forums you can have a small image that is your "face" as a user, it makes it easier for others to remember you, and you can use this to display something significant about yourself.
This is called an avatar.
What does this come from?

Well, it REALLY means an incarnation of a god.

" The Avatara, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for [creating and maintaining the] material manifestation. And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who so descends is called an incarnation, or Avatara. Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When They descend to the material creation, They assume the name Avatara.

( Chaitanya-caritamrita 2.20.263 -264)"

Read more about the hindu origin of this word at: http://www.avatara.org/
Or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar

Now, for my self I have chosen two basic themes of avatars, Albert Einstein (one of the people in history that I feel most connected to) and the powerful cat - the Tiger, my eastern astrological sign and an animal that I admire.
So far this is my Einsteins:

And these are the tigers:

I have made other avatars too, sometimes just for fun, sometimes for other people, but I will come back to that in another post.

Looking for some new ones?

Asterix (of Flashback) has a great collection: http://www.home.no/avatarbanken/index.htm
and a blog with avatars: http://avatarians.blogspot.com/
The thread on the English Flashback forum: http://forum.flashback.info/english/showthread.php?t=567

Albert Einstein

He is the man on my avatar - and one of my great inspirations in life.

Not as a scientist, I will never be able to even understand some of what he has written in that field. I have basic knowledge in physics, but that is not why I admire his thinking so much.

He was born in a jewish family - and grew up to be a man during the time before second world war. He was more or less forced to flee the Germany that was his country, and sought refuge in US.

So, he knew oppression, and he experienced the war, but even before that he wrote:

"This topic brings me to that worst outcrop of herd life, the military system, which I abhor... This plague-spot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible speed. Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!"

Albert Einstein 1931

He was also - after the war - supporting the thought of a World Government.

He was a humanist, pacifist and believer in democracy.

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Some links to sites with information on Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein Archives (The Jewish National & University Library)
http://www.albert-einstein.org/

Einsteins Papers Project (Caltech)
http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/

Einstein Archives Online
http://www.alberteinstein.info/

Collected Papers of Albert Einstein (Princeton)
http://pup.princeton.edu/catalogs/series/cpe.html

Einstein Revealed (PBS / Nova)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/

Einstein - Image and Impact (American Institute of Physics)
http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/

Albert Einstein Library
http://www.geocities.com/einstein_library/index.htm

Albert Einstein Online (Links, many broken)
http://www.westegg.com/einstein/

Quotes
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Quotations/Einstein.html

Images
http://www.th.physik.uni-frankfurt.de/~jr/physpiceinstein.html