Recently, there was much discussion in the internet concerning gays when news revealed that a gay pastor was marrying her boyfriend. It caught my attention and I must say that I could not help but went into the net to find the truth.
As far as I know gays are what they are because of their feelings. Mentally and emotionally, they are of one sex while possessing the body of another. Poor them! It's like having to fit their round bodies into square spaces; perhaps the other way around.
This pastor, for example has a male body but his or her mind and emotions are female. With the mind and emotions of a female, she falls for a male, obviously.
But then, many are of the opinion that such minds and emotions are either cultivated or a result of certain unfortunate or undesirable desires of the gay.So, what is the truth? The truth, I believe, is important as we should not hamper or obstruct a person who genuinely think and feel as a female if that person could only find happiness in being one. It would be wrong of us to deny a person his/her right to find happiness in this world as long as he/she hurts no one.
So, into the internet I went and read about a pair of male twins, one of whom behaved like a female even from the age of eighteen months. Certainly, someone at that tender age cannot have thought of changing the sex he was given at birth. Could it have been in the genes? Yet, the other twin was behaving correctly for his sex! So, it was not genes, perhaps!? And when asked at a later age whether he was happy with feeling and thinking like a female, he gave an affirmative answer. Now, scientist have not come to the conclusion that it was genes. Still, that male child grew up with all the emotions and thoughts of a female. Like it or not, that child was a gay even before he understood anything about differences in sex.
Then again, there was another research that found gays are most often found in all boys' families. How is that so? Scientist are still trying to find a reason for it. Scientist have not come out with a firm verdict on how gays come about. However, from the study on the twins, it is a fact that a male child as young as eighteen months feel and therefore behave like a female. Can we fault this gay? Apparently, he was created this way. It needs not be considered a mistake of God in creating a gay just as we do not look upon the blind, the deaf, the dumb and the crippled as mistakes in God's creation. I would say they were created with a mission on earth. It could have been the mission to inspire the ordinary who finds no incentive to achieve more. This, in fact, was again indicated to me what had earlier dawned upon me; especially when I was having a five-year old blind girl pianist overwhelm me with her talent at the piano. If she can perform so well at that age despite her supposedly handicap, why can't we ordinary folks do better with our own capabilities? For myself, I am fortunate to have these people remind me to strive even harder and achieve even more; as a result of which I do three types of jobs, teaching, breeding and massaging, at the age of sixty-five despite having retired as a school teacher for ten years.
And because of them, I appreciate what I have even more so much so I use all my capabilities as much as possible for as long as possible. No, I am not tired from doing so much and enjoying so much; I am happy.
Coming back to gays, perhaps it is time ordinary people allow them space to live their lives as befits their mind and emotions. Let us be more understanding, more sympathetic, more compassionate with our fellow humans. Let us not create more pain and suffering. As it is there is sufficient pain throughout the world to not need us to add to it.
Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Are religions as God wishes?
Nowadays, in Malaysia, there are so many problems due to a few objectives that religions are so zealous about. And it is not without good reason that they aim to keep the members of their faith from straying to another faith. After all, it is human nature to ensure that members of any organisation they belong to increase in number in time. This good intention could be considered good if it does not bring along anger and distrust when there is suspicion that someone is straying.
When there is such suspicion, there is anger against those thought to be straying and distrust of the people such suspected strays or wayward ones associates with. With that comes accusing fingers that other faiths could be stealing their members.
And it becomes a very sensitive issue, an issue which can divide friends and citizens.
And I always thought, and still do, that religion is God's teaching for the good of all mankind, not just for a selected group or nation. Read the holy books and they teach us that everything on earth is the creation of God. As such, we must respect each other, respect other people their ways of living and their beliefs. The holy books urged us to be good to each other for all men and women are brothers and sisters, to forgive or be merciful, to be compassionate as we are all fallible humans. In Christianity, God even sent His son to die for our sins.
Yet, throughout the world so many problems arise due to religion. Man knows the greatness of God and with that understanding, some abuse His name to achieve their own ends. Sometimes I wonder how such people can pretend to be holy and religious and perform deeds obviously far from the wishes of God.
I write the last sentence through my own personal experience. You see, as a young man I was very interested in spiritual things and God. I searched for truth in many places, entering temples, churches and mosques. I still remember the time I was given a white robe to wear before stepping into a mosque. I talked to mediums, pastors and priests. I watched as elderly women who claimed not to have married because of giving time to God. Unfortunately for religions, I happened to witness with my own eyes and ears a happening which caused me to look even deeper into religions.
There was this old lady with her beads, her mouth wording prayers as she slowly walked along. A young man suddenly came through the door and went hurriedly past her into an inner portion of the house. The lady's chanting suddenly stopped and turning slightly towards the receding figure of the man who had just passed, she cursed him. It was a great shock to me. How could such a seemingly religious person utter such words? But, that was what she did! My eyes and ears certainly did not deceive me.
So, as a result of that shock I examined in further detail the various practices in religions. I found that, although there was much that must be true, there are some words that must have been put into God's mouth. And as religions divide themselves into sects, we find that there are also so many different interpretations of God's words. Which is right? Well, I found that the humans in a particular sect would consider their own interpretation as correct and others wrong.
With so many differences, which religion should I join? Eventually, although I like and enjoy the practices of some religions, I decided to just be with God as I have through my life known that God is always with me. Each day I thank God for that.
When there is such suspicion, there is anger against those thought to be straying and distrust of the people such suspected strays or wayward ones associates with. With that comes accusing fingers that other faiths could be stealing their members.
And it becomes a very sensitive issue, an issue which can divide friends and citizens.
And I always thought, and still do, that religion is God's teaching for the good of all mankind, not just for a selected group or nation. Read the holy books and they teach us that everything on earth is the creation of God. As such, we must respect each other, respect other people their ways of living and their beliefs. The holy books urged us to be good to each other for all men and women are brothers and sisters, to forgive or be merciful, to be compassionate as we are all fallible humans. In Christianity, God even sent His son to die for our sins.
Yet, throughout the world so many problems arise due to religion. Man knows the greatness of God and with that understanding, some abuse His name to achieve their own ends. Sometimes I wonder how such people can pretend to be holy and religious and perform deeds obviously far from the wishes of God.
I write the last sentence through my own personal experience. You see, as a young man I was very interested in spiritual things and God. I searched for truth in many places, entering temples, churches and mosques. I still remember the time I was given a white robe to wear before stepping into a mosque. I talked to mediums, pastors and priests. I watched as elderly women who claimed not to have married because of giving time to God. Unfortunately for religions, I happened to witness with my own eyes and ears a happening which caused me to look even deeper into religions.
There was this old lady with her beads, her mouth wording prayers as she slowly walked along. A young man suddenly came through the door and went hurriedly past her into an inner portion of the house. The lady's chanting suddenly stopped and turning slightly towards the receding figure of the man who had just passed, she cursed him. It was a great shock to me. How could such a seemingly religious person utter such words? But, that was what she did! My eyes and ears certainly did not deceive me.
So, as a result of that shock I examined in further detail the various practices in religions. I found that, although there was much that must be true, there are some words that must have been put into God's mouth. And as religions divide themselves into sects, we find that there are also so many different interpretations of God's words. Which is right? Well, I found that the humans in a particular sect would consider their own interpretation as correct and others wrong.
With so many differences, which religion should I join? Eventually, although I like and enjoy the practices of some religions, I decided to just be with God as I have through my life known that God is always with me. Each day I thank God for that.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Listening is more important than talking.
This morning, at the hill, Grace told me about the couple who would talk and talk practically non-stop, giving her no opportunity at all to comment on the topic. Well, it was a one-way communication and she was forced to be the listener.
Of course, it is not bad to be a listener. In fact, very early in my life, while journeying three hundred and something miles to Kuala Lumpur to attend the motivation seminar by Lawrence Chan, I learned the importance of listening well.
However, today i wish to concentrate on this problem of some people who could get them into problems with others. It is the strong desire to talk, talk and talk, sometimes repeating the information already given previously. When something is repeated, the listener gets bored. So the talker is boring to his friends. Nobody would want that, I believe. Yet, it is an unconscious urge to listen to the person's own voice and also prove that he is an authority on the topic.
What the speaker does not realise is that when someone dominates too much and most of the things are the same old stories, everyone already knows them and are not willing to ache their ears having to tolerate the boring sounds emitting from the source. This is especially so when the listeners are given no opportunity to take part of the conversation.
It is not just the repetition that we dislike. In order for such people to last a long time talking endlessly, they put in the smallest uninteresting detail into their talk, explaining extensively what is sometimes so obvious, expected and certain.
And what is the result? As expected, most people would avoid such a talker. Excuses would quickly be given to avoid or escape from further verbal torture. Only a very few would tolerate the person and even those few would complain and at the earliest moment disappear from the scene.
I have made a study of such people. I have found that the problem arises from some causes. One of them is a habit copied from the family members. Yes, parents who talk too much or refuses to listen to other people's points of view have a great influence on their children who imitates them and become just like them. So parents ought to be careful not to turn into such long-winded, one-sided talkers.
And old people, me included, have that tendency to elaborate more than others. Especially so when the children have been away for some time and the desire to chat with them is so great. Right! So what can be done. We ought to realise our long-winded talking and do something about it. Realisation is the beginning of change. When we realise something has become undesirable, then we change and learn to allow others to voice their thoughts and help to have an interchange of feeling and ideas rather than to have a lecturer and his/her listeners.
And there are those who needs appreciation or a raise in self-esteem. These need to show others how much they know, to impress others with their knowledge. Of course, self-esteem is important to all of us. So is being appreciated. However, this can still be done without having to dominate so much as to prevent others having their say.
Eventually, the choice is our own. To know who we are, to see if we are the ones who lecture all the way and whether we feel everything is fine. Then, if we find that we do dominate, we must choose whether to change or not. Change is not difficult as realisation helps pave the way to such a change. This part is important as I have come across people who cannot see any problem with their ways despite someone pointing it out to them. Well, if they are happy as they are, we ought to wish them all the best for eventually everyone is the master of his/her own fate.
Of course, it is not bad to be a listener. In fact, very early in my life, while journeying three hundred and something miles to Kuala Lumpur to attend the motivation seminar by Lawrence Chan, I learned the importance of listening well.
However, today i wish to concentrate on this problem of some people who could get them into problems with others. It is the strong desire to talk, talk and talk, sometimes repeating the information already given previously. When something is repeated, the listener gets bored. So the talker is boring to his friends. Nobody would want that, I believe. Yet, it is an unconscious urge to listen to the person's own voice and also prove that he is an authority on the topic.
What the speaker does not realise is that when someone dominates too much and most of the things are the same old stories, everyone already knows them and are not willing to ache their ears having to tolerate the boring sounds emitting from the source. This is especially so when the listeners are given no opportunity to take part of the conversation.
It is not just the repetition that we dislike. In order for such people to last a long time talking endlessly, they put in the smallest uninteresting detail into their talk, explaining extensively what is sometimes so obvious, expected and certain.
And what is the result? As expected, most people would avoid such a talker. Excuses would quickly be given to avoid or escape from further verbal torture. Only a very few would tolerate the person and even those few would complain and at the earliest moment disappear from the scene.
I have made a study of such people. I have found that the problem arises from some causes. One of them is a habit copied from the family members. Yes, parents who talk too much or refuses to listen to other people's points of view have a great influence on their children who imitates them and become just like them. So parents ought to be careful not to turn into such long-winded, one-sided talkers.
And old people, me included, have that tendency to elaborate more than others. Especially so when the children have been away for some time and the desire to chat with them is so great. Right! So what can be done. We ought to realise our long-winded talking and do something about it. Realisation is the beginning of change. When we realise something has become undesirable, then we change and learn to allow others to voice their thoughts and help to have an interchange of feeling and ideas rather than to have a lecturer and his/her listeners.
And there are those who needs appreciation or a raise in self-esteem. These need to show others how much they know, to impress others with their knowledge. Of course, self-esteem is important to all of us. So is being appreciated. However, this can still be done without having to dominate so much as to prevent others having their say.
Eventually, the choice is our own. To know who we are, to see if we are the ones who lecture all the way and whether we feel everything is fine. Then, if we find that we do dominate, we must choose whether to change or not. Change is not difficult as realisation helps pave the way to such a change. This part is important as I have come across people who cannot see any problem with their ways despite someone pointing it out to them. Well, if they are happy as they are, we ought to wish them all the best for eventually everyone is the master of his/her own fate.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Another reason I do not belong to a religion.
I have come to the conclusion that if anyone wishes to join a religion, do not ask too much, know too much or observe too much about the religion. This conclusion, however I must admit, is just only the result of my own experiences and thoughts.
As a young man in quest of the truth and the spiritual paths, I have been into temples, churches, mosques and all kind of places people claim there are spirits and happenings. I have been to processions of the nine emperor Gods, the Datuk Keramat Diety, St. Anne's in Bukit Mertajam and other happenings in temples. I have even personally seen a young Malay boy jump into a trance-like dance while waiting for a Chinese friend outside a small temple even before the usual medium in front of the deity's statue could be possessed by the deity. (Of course, this is bound to be disbelieved by those who were not present then.)
In those days; it was the 1970s then, human beings were more united, communication on religion and beliefs were easily discussed without the present day suspicion. In the mosque, for example, I was allowed entry to every part of it just clothed in a white cloak which was provided by the guardian of the mosque. So there was no worry whatsoever of doing anything wrong unlike these days when talk of sacrilege is sure to erupt should someone wishes to find fault with someone.
Speaking of sacrilege, which is treating a holy place with disrespect by wearing or not wearing, by having or not having or by doing or not doing something, I have always wondered if the rules have been laid down by God or man.
As my parents were Taoists but claimed to be Buddhist, I have been told by them that those people who are having their periods must not enter the temple or place of worship. So, even if there is a need to pray in a temple, the need has to be put on hold. According to the rules the woman's body at the time of menstruation is considered unclean and therefore not presentable to God. That is something I have always argued with my parents about. I could never accept the belief that a body is unclean just because it is in the natural process of removing waste.
If the process of removing waste from the human body is considered dirty, than what about the process of eliminating toxin from the body through our skin as we sweat, the process of removing carbon dioxide from out body through the lungs in the process of breathing or the process of getting rid of waste from the bladder or the intestines. Does that make our body dirty? The elimination of waste takes place every second of the day. So does that make us unclean and so forever not suitable to enter the places of worship. Or is it just menstruation that has been singled out as the impure state of the body? Would that be an act of God? Certainly not! It has to be an act of Man! What kind of fairness is that?
It is such rules that point me towards the realisation that many religious rules are man-made. Only man could be so small-minded as to consider a woman to be in a 'dirty' state at the time of menstruation which is actually a normal, natural process of eliminating one kind of waste. Such being the case, would God be angry with the presence of one his greatest creations? Furthermore, the act of menstruating is not an act against God for God himself created women thus. It is a perfectly purifying process in itself. Yet, man is petty enough to consider it dirty.
If I had been told that the disallowing of women into a place of worship during menstruation was to prevent inconveniencing women who might possibly be in pain, weak and having stains, I would wholeheartedly agree but surely not because they are impure or is sinful for them to be in God's presence then.
When faced with such a rule and other rules which are man-made, I find it uncomfortable to submit or be a part of a religion which requires its followers to obey its rules. Such being the case, I am more comfortable with my belief that God is always with me no matter where I am, be it at a muddy river, a smelly spot collecting manure for my plants or in a well-scrubbed toilet. God will always be there and I am only answerable to God for all my religious thoughts and deeds.
As a young man in quest of the truth and the spiritual paths, I have been into temples, churches, mosques and all kind of places people claim there are spirits and happenings. I have been to processions of the nine emperor Gods, the Datuk Keramat Diety, St. Anne's in Bukit Mertajam and other happenings in temples. I have even personally seen a young Malay boy jump into a trance-like dance while waiting for a Chinese friend outside a small temple even before the usual medium in front of the deity's statue could be possessed by the deity. (Of course, this is bound to be disbelieved by those who were not present then.)
In those days; it was the 1970s then, human beings were more united, communication on religion and beliefs were easily discussed without the present day suspicion. In the mosque, for example, I was allowed entry to every part of it just clothed in a white cloak which was provided by the guardian of the mosque. So there was no worry whatsoever of doing anything wrong unlike these days when talk of sacrilege is sure to erupt should someone wishes to find fault with someone.
Speaking of sacrilege, which is treating a holy place with disrespect by wearing or not wearing, by having or not having or by doing or not doing something, I have always wondered if the rules have been laid down by God or man.
As my parents were Taoists but claimed to be Buddhist, I have been told by them that those people who are having their periods must not enter the temple or place of worship. So, even if there is a need to pray in a temple, the need has to be put on hold. According to the rules the woman's body at the time of menstruation is considered unclean and therefore not presentable to God. That is something I have always argued with my parents about. I could never accept the belief that a body is unclean just because it is in the natural process of removing waste.
If the process of removing waste from the human body is considered dirty, than what about the process of eliminating toxin from the body through our skin as we sweat, the process of removing carbon dioxide from out body through the lungs in the process of breathing or the process of getting rid of waste from the bladder or the intestines. Does that make our body dirty? The elimination of waste takes place every second of the day. So does that make us unclean and so forever not suitable to enter the places of worship. Or is it just menstruation that has been singled out as the impure state of the body? Would that be an act of God? Certainly not! It has to be an act of Man! What kind of fairness is that?
It is such rules that point me towards the realisation that many religious rules are man-made. Only man could be so small-minded as to consider a woman to be in a 'dirty' state at the time of menstruation which is actually a normal, natural process of eliminating one kind of waste. Such being the case, would God be angry with the presence of one his greatest creations? Furthermore, the act of menstruating is not an act against God for God himself created women thus. It is a perfectly purifying process in itself. Yet, man is petty enough to consider it dirty.
If I had been told that the disallowing of women into a place of worship during menstruation was to prevent inconveniencing women who might possibly be in pain, weak and having stains, I would wholeheartedly agree but surely not because they are impure or is sinful for them to be in God's presence then.
When faced with such a rule and other rules which are man-made, I find it uncomfortable to submit or be a part of a religion which requires its followers to obey its rules. Such being the case, I am more comfortable with my belief that God is always with me no matter where I am, be it at a muddy river, a smelly spot collecting manure for my plants or in a well-scrubbed toilet. God will always be there and I am only answerable to God for all my religious thoughts and deeds.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Is it a fair world?
This morning I met Grace at the top of the hill where I have my daily exercise. As we were doing a number of exercises Grace commented about those strong huge trees that we seem to see everywhere despite their seemingly giving no benefits to anyone.
Of course those trees are of great benefit to us but they just do not have some of the visual beauty that humans look for in plants. When I say visual beauty I refer to the shape of leaves and their colours, attractive flowers that lovers would like to take home to their loved ones and perhaps the ability to be shaped the way humans want them to.
The next time you meet a tree, take a good look at it and see the delightful smoothness or the beautiful texture of its rough bark wrapped around its trunk, appreciate the wonderful way its branches reach out so systematically as as not to be entwined. Look at their arrangement. Then enjoy the refreshing variety of green of the foliage as it ages with each different green. Therein lies the beauty of nature.
Besides appearance, plants, no matter which they may be, produce the oxygen we breathe in, replacing the carbon dioxide we breathe out. We need them as much as they need our understanding of the importance of plants. Undoubtedly, all plants are beneficial to mankind.
Then, I told her that this is obviously meant to be a fair world with everyone's needs taken care of. Plants with colourful, attractive flowers die easily when unattended to. These plants are more fragile and so require more care. God got humans interested in them and thus ensure their survival and propagation. The same goes for fruit trees. Those with better, more tasty fruits apparently need more attention.
However, there are some trees and plants which do not attract the love of humans. They are the plants that only can be found in our jungles and forests. One common characteristic among them is their toughness, trees with huge tall trunks and roots that dig deep into the ground in search of nutrient and water, vines that creep and crawl as well as climb upwards to reach sunlight. The will to survive is indeed strong. I have even seen a vine that though cut off from the bottom, hanging high up a branch could send thin threads of roots down to the group below in search of life-giving food and water.
Certainly, what a plant or tree lacks, it is being compensated with something else to give it equal opportunity to survive and propagate. Yes, if we were to look at nature, there is much to understand and less to fear. For every disadvantage, there must be some advantage somewhere. All that is needed is the strong enough desire to look for it. (For people, look for the inspiration in Jessica Cox whom I have written about earlier.) It's a fair world. And Grace agreed. What about you? Do you agree?
Of course those trees are of great benefit to us but they just do not have some of the visual beauty that humans look for in plants. When I say visual beauty I refer to the shape of leaves and their colours, attractive flowers that lovers would like to take home to their loved ones and perhaps the ability to be shaped the way humans want them to.
The next time you meet a tree, take a good look at it and see the delightful smoothness or the beautiful texture of its rough bark wrapped around its trunk, appreciate the wonderful way its branches reach out so systematically as as not to be entwined. Look at their arrangement. Then enjoy the refreshing variety of green of the foliage as it ages with each different green. Therein lies the beauty of nature.
Besides appearance, plants, no matter which they may be, produce the oxygen we breathe in, replacing the carbon dioxide we breathe out. We need them as much as they need our understanding of the importance of plants. Undoubtedly, all plants are beneficial to mankind.
Then, I told her that this is obviously meant to be a fair world with everyone's needs taken care of. Plants with colourful, attractive flowers die easily when unattended to. These plants are more fragile and so require more care. God got humans interested in them and thus ensure their survival and propagation. The same goes for fruit trees. Those with better, more tasty fruits apparently need more attention.
However, there are some trees and plants which do not attract the love of humans. They are the plants that only can be found in our jungles and forests. One common characteristic among them is their toughness, trees with huge tall trunks and roots that dig deep into the ground in search of nutrient and water, vines that creep and crawl as well as climb upwards to reach sunlight. The will to survive is indeed strong. I have even seen a vine that though cut off from the bottom, hanging high up a branch could send thin threads of roots down to the group below in search of life-giving food and water.
Certainly, what a plant or tree lacks, it is being compensated with something else to give it equal opportunity to survive and propagate. Yes, if we were to look at nature, there is much to understand and less to fear. For every disadvantage, there must be some advantage somewhere. All that is needed is the strong enough desire to look for it. (For people, look for the inspiration in Jessica Cox whom I have written about earlier.) It's a fair world. And Grace agreed. What about you? Do you agree?
Friday, February 05, 2010
Is it all in the mind?
There was a time when I taught at a school in Kodiang, Kedah, where the food in the canteen was really tasty, especially a meaty soup which we could use with noodles or bread.
All the teachers enjoyed that soup and so, each day, most of us ordered that to go along with other types of food.
There was this teacher who enjoyed the soup just as much as anyone of us for a number of years. Then, one day, as we were talking, the subject of allergy cropped up. I told them about my allergy with beer and other alcoholic drinks. This teacher talked about his allergy towards beef. Well, it is understandable that a Buddhist would not take beef, whether he is allergic to it of not. However, this Chinese man claimed he could not consume beef because he was allergic to it, not for religious reasons.
He told the group of teachers there that he would throw up each time he ate beef. The discomfort and reactions to the meat was so bad that he had no alternative but to forgo eating such meat. Well and good, as no one can deny that would be the best move to make under such circumstances.
Then, just as we continued slurping our soup, one of the other teachers spoke up, "Hey, Ah B, do you know what you are taking?"
Ah B turned towards him and replied, "Soup. What else?"
"Do you know what Ah Kau Shou put into that soup, ahh?"
"Don't know but it certainly taste fabulous."
Another teacher turned his head towards the kitchen, saw Ah Kau Sou, the canteen lady and shouted towards her direction, "Kau Sou ahh, what do you put into that soup of yours?"
The canteen lady looked puzzled a moment, smiled and replied, "Don;t worry. It's just spices, bean curd and beef ribs."
Everyone turned his or her face towards Ah B. The guy stopped taking the soup all of a sudden and turned to Ah Kau Sou for confirmation, "Are you sure, Ah Kau Sou?"
"Of course! Why? What's the matter? You think I don't even know what I put into my soup, ahh? Don't worry, lah. It's good meat from the butcher."
Ah B suddenly stood up, he face pale and he claimed he felt like vomitting. He quickly disappeared from the canteen in the direction of the toilet.
After he had gone, the group was quiet for a while. The question on everyone's lips was, "How's it possible? He has been enjoying that soup all these years without any side effect until today."
Since, no allergic effect took place without the mind receiving the knowledge that beef was in that soup for so many years, could it be all in the mind? The urge to vomit only took place when the mind received the information that beef had been consumed. Was it truly an allergy or was it a preconditioning of the mind and its reactions by the parents or someone else earlier in Ah B's life?
If we take a good look at some of the feelings and attitudes of people, we discover that some of these feelings are due to religious or cultural teachings. Some people in our society have been preconditioned to love, hate, like, dislike, incline or disincline towards all things and people.
Religions sometimes do that. They do it for various reasons. Hindus and Buddhist are taught not to eat beef while the Muslim have a distaste for pork. Similarly, a dislike for dogs exist among some Muslims.
Other factors other than religion, culture and parents could possibly be contributed through superstition or unfortunate experiences. Such traumatic experiences could cause fears and dislike for things and people.
Thus, it is important to try and understand others, to allow other to act according to their needs, empathise with others the fears and dislikes or whatever which we ourselves may find hard to comprehend.
Of course, many things are not easy to understand as we do not have the same experience that could have cause the other's behaviour. The behaviour comes about through the mind interpretation of the incidents in one's life. Well, sometimes, it is all in the mind. The mind and its thoughts made things real.
We may ridicule ah B's sudden allergic reaction but we ought to understand that for Ah B, the thoughts in his mind made all that happened real. And this understanding is necessary as it can happen to any one of us unless we control our thoughts.
All the teachers enjoyed that soup and so, each day, most of us ordered that to go along with other types of food.
There was this teacher who enjoyed the soup just as much as anyone of us for a number of years. Then, one day, as we were talking, the subject of allergy cropped up. I told them about my allergy with beer and other alcoholic drinks. This teacher talked about his allergy towards beef. Well, it is understandable that a Buddhist would not take beef, whether he is allergic to it of not. However, this Chinese man claimed he could not consume beef because he was allergic to it, not for religious reasons.
He told the group of teachers there that he would throw up each time he ate beef. The discomfort and reactions to the meat was so bad that he had no alternative but to forgo eating such meat. Well and good, as no one can deny that would be the best move to make under such circumstances.
Then, just as we continued slurping our soup, one of the other teachers spoke up, "Hey, Ah B, do you know what you are taking?"
Ah B turned towards him and replied, "Soup. What else?"
"Do you know what Ah Kau Shou put into that soup, ahh?"
"Don't know but it certainly taste fabulous."
Another teacher turned his head towards the kitchen, saw Ah Kau Sou, the canteen lady and shouted towards her direction, "Kau Sou ahh, what do you put into that soup of yours?"
The canteen lady looked puzzled a moment, smiled and replied, "Don;t worry. It's just spices, bean curd and beef ribs."
Everyone turned his or her face towards Ah B. The guy stopped taking the soup all of a sudden and turned to Ah Kau Sou for confirmation, "Are you sure, Ah Kau Sou?"
"Of course! Why? What's the matter? You think I don't even know what I put into my soup, ahh? Don't worry, lah. It's good meat from the butcher."
Ah B suddenly stood up, he face pale and he claimed he felt like vomitting. He quickly disappeared from the canteen in the direction of the toilet.
After he had gone, the group was quiet for a while. The question on everyone's lips was, "How's it possible? He has been enjoying that soup all these years without any side effect until today."
Since, no allergic effect took place without the mind receiving the knowledge that beef was in that soup for so many years, could it be all in the mind? The urge to vomit only took place when the mind received the information that beef had been consumed. Was it truly an allergy or was it a preconditioning of the mind and its reactions by the parents or someone else earlier in Ah B's life?
If we take a good look at some of the feelings and attitudes of people, we discover that some of these feelings are due to religious or cultural teachings. Some people in our society have been preconditioned to love, hate, like, dislike, incline or disincline towards all things and people.
Religions sometimes do that. They do it for various reasons. Hindus and Buddhist are taught not to eat beef while the Muslim have a distaste for pork. Similarly, a dislike for dogs exist among some Muslims.
Other factors other than religion, culture and parents could possibly be contributed through superstition or unfortunate experiences. Such traumatic experiences could cause fears and dislike for things and people.
Thus, it is important to try and understand others, to allow other to act according to their needs, empathise with others the fears and dislikes or whatever which we ourselves may find hard to comprehend.
Of course, many things are not easy to understand as we do not have the same experience that could have cause the other's behaviour. The behaviour comes about through the mind interpretation of the incidents in one's life. Well, sometimes, it is all in the mind. The mind and its thoughts made things real.
We may ridicule ah B's sudden allergic reaction but we ought to understand that for Ah B, the thoughts in his mind made all that happened real. And this understanding is necessary as it can happen to any one of us unless we control our thoughts.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Life's like a see-saw. Up or down, which is lucky?
The other day, I was travelling with a friend when he told me of a venture which almost went broke. He started the business six years ago and due to inexperience then, the factory was floundering after just two years.
He carried on despite the problems he faced. Then, just as the camel's back was almost broken, the recession came. Business everywhere was bad. Almost every business had problems keeping afloat. Some closed shop.
The price of petrol dropped to an all time low. his factory was in a business which had to do with petroluem. So when the price of petrol went down, so did the price of the plastic products. Factories producing plastic products suffered great losses. The less capable ones went broke and closed shop. There was less competition. The remaining few, more established factories weathered the recession and when the recession gradually receded, his company managed to recover and with less competition, the factory planned to buy machines to prepare for the demand which will come with the world financial situation more stable.
Thus, a recession can be bad for some people while there are some who see it as a blessing in disguise. For this friend, it was a blessing as with less companies around to compete and the demand improving, his company can recover.
When he told me his story, I remember a time when I attended motivational speaker, Lawrence Chan's seminar for Holiday Magic cosmetics sometime during the 1970's. You know, I took out every cent of my savings to attend that seminar. Lawrence Chan proved himself a very captivating speaker. I was enthralled by his talk and I remember very well this story about two salesmen who were sent to Africa.
These two salemen were sent to look for the propect of stting up a branch in Africa. So, off they went and saw the same thing there. They saw that the people did not wear shoes. So, after noticing that, both of them went home to their shoe company. What do you think they told their manager?
One salesman went gloomingly into the manager's office, slumped into a chair without any enthusiasm or hope in his face. When asked how he would like to manage a branch there, he sadly shook his head and said," Sir, sending me there would be a waste of time and energy as the people there do not need shoes. They don't wear shoes."
Next, the other salesman was summoned to the office. this salesman strode confidently into the office with a cheerful smile on his face.
"Well, what do you think of a branch of our company inAfrica?" the manager asked.
"That would be great. It's fantastic. We will be the first to go into that market and everyone of them will need at least a pair of shoes as they have none at present," his words rushed out with the excitement of the propect of so many customers for the company.
Again, the situation is the same but the attitude towards a knowledge is different.
One salesman saw no customers for the company but the other one saw everyone of the people there as prospective customers.
The minds think differently. Here lies the difference. just as some people see the recession as bad luck, others see it as a blessing.
Well, it is just like people who buy shares. When the market crashes, people rush to get their money out and wait for the market to go up again. For some, however, they are so happy to see the market collapse as it would mean that the price of the shares will reach a all-time low, at which point they feel it is an opportune time to enter and pick up the shares at their lowest price. Well, unless the company goes bankrupt, the price has no way else to go but up.
So, here again, what can be a tragedy for some, is a blessing for others. it just depends upon how you look at it.
He carried on despite the problems he faced. Then, just as the camel's back was almost broken, the recession came. Business everywhere was bad. Almost every business had problems keeping afloat. Some closed shop.
The price of petrol dropped to an all time low. his factory was in a business which had to do with petroluem. So when the price of petrol went down, so did the price of the plastic products. Factories producing plastic products suffered great losses. The less capable ones went broke and closed shop. There was less competition. The remaining few, more established factories weathered the recession and when the recession gradually receded, his company managed to recover and with less competition, the factory planned to buy machines to prepare for the demand which will come with the world financial situation more stable.
Thus, a recession can be bad for some people while there are some who see it as a blessing in disguise. For this friend, it was a blessing as with less companies around to compete and the demand improving, his company can recover.
When he told me his story, I remember a time when I attended motivational speaker, Lawrence Chan's seminar for Holiday Magic cosmetics sometime during the 1970's. You know, I took out every cent of my savings to attend that seminar. Lawrence Chan proved himself a very captivating speaker. I was enthralled by his talk and I remember very well this story about two salesmen who were sent to Africa.
These two salemen were sent to look for the propect of stting up a branch in Africa. So, off they went and saw the same thing there. They saw that the people did not wear shoes. So, after noticing that, both of them went home to their shoe company. What do you think they told their manager?
One salesman went gloomingly into the manager's office, slumped into a chair without any enthusiasm or hope in his face. When asked how he would like to manage a branch there, he sadly shook his head and said," Sir, sending me there would be a waste of time and energy as the people there do not need shoes. They don't wear shoes."
Next, the other salesman was summoned to the office. this salesman strode confidently into the office with a cheerful smile on his face.
"Well, what do you think of a branch of our company inAfrica?" the manager asked.
"That would be great. It's fantastic. We will be the first to go into that market and everyone of them will need at least a pair of shoes as they have none at present," his words rushed out with the excitement of the propect of so many customers for the company.
Again, the situation is the same but the attitude towards a knowledge is different.
One salesman saw no customers for the company but the other one saw everyone of the people there as prospective customers.
The minds think differently. Here lies the difference. just as some people see the recession as bad luck, others see it as a blessing.
Well, it is just like people who buy shares. When the market crashes, people rush to get their money out and wait for the market to go up again. For some, however, they are so happy to see the market collapse as it would mean that the price of the shares will reach a all-time low, at which point they feel it is an opportune time to enter and pick up the shares at their lowest price. Well, unless the company goes bankrupt, the price has no way else to go but up.
So, here again, what can be a tragedy for some, is a blessing for others. it just depends upon how you look at it.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
God moves in mysterious ways.
Even as Muslims and Christians in Malaysia face the problem in the use of the word ‘Allah’ and due to the fanning of emotions by certain quarters with the disastrous results of places of worship being burnt, seven churches were reported to have been burnt, and stones hurled into the premises of a mosque, a group of Muslim NGOs have come forward with volunteers to help prevent further attacks on churches.
This must be one of those mysterious ways God has to solve the problem of ‘brothers’ being thrown against each other into a conflict that should never be. It is proof that there are people who truly believe in God though we see many who profess their faith in a certain religion, yet act as though they believe otherwise. (I shall write more on this which, in a way explains my inability to ‘belong’ to any religion, for I belong to God and not human-set ideals of what should be. )
I really am impressed by the following words of Muslim Consumers Association Malaysia executive secretary Datuk Nadzim Johan’s, ““We wouldn’t want our Christian brothers to be in danger. This is an offer of peace and goodwill,” He called them his Christian brothers.
A man who can think of another human being, especially one who is of a different race or religion, as his brother, deserves my respect and love. For someone to treat all fellow humans as his brothers and sisters, he must be someone who truly believes in God, that all of us come from Him and we are all His creations. As such, we should look upon each other as brothers and we are a ‘One World Family’. If all humans can open their minds up to the true will of God, all our earthly petty quarrels become insignificant and not worth any of the precious time God has bestowed upon us to achieve our true mission in life. (One day, I hope to find time to show how those who think that their calling is to destroy some of the creations of God is actually going against God. In fact, think with full awareness of the previous sentence and that realisation can be clearly reached.)
Yes, as Man sincerely reach out to God and believes as well as understand His power and not the power-cravings of another human, he realises that all of us, no matter what religion we belong to, are His creations; that He created us, existed before us and we belong to Him and not Him to us as he is not Man but the all almighty God.
Perhaps, without the problem of fighting over who can call Him ‘Allah’ and the present church burning, there could not have emerged the understanding of Datuk Nadzim Johan’s that all human beings are brothers, that places for worship, regardless of what humans call them are built in the name of GOD. (For me, the most sincere place for worship is my heart. Prayers of truth come from our hearts. Are you aware of this?)
Without the present situation, the thought that our Christian brothers are in danger could not have come about. For someone who is not a Christian to think of the possible danger such acts of violence can cause the Christians, I dare to say, he is a true man of God. If we have everyone as true to God as this, then there can be no possibility of ‘The End of the World’ for God would then certainly look upon us with even greater love. With such thoughts, I see the light of salvation growing stronger and brighter for all mankind.
Perhaps, through this particular problem, we reach a better understanding of God, an understanding which hopefully can reach into the hearts of those who merely claim to believe, yet those words of belief only comes from the mouth and not from the heart.
It is, in fact, this belief in God from the mouth and not the heart, that is the source of our present world problems. (As this is of utmost importance, I will certainly word my thoughts on this matter in future postings.)
This must be one of those mysterious ways God has to solve the problem of ‘brothers’ being thrown against each other into a conflict that should never be. It is proof that there are people who truly believe in God though we see many who profess their faith in a certain religion, yet act as though they believe otherwise. (I shall write more on this which, in a way explains my inability to ‘belong’ to any religion, for I belong to God and not human-set ideals of what should be. )
I really am impressed by the following words of Muslim Consumers Association Malaysia executive secretary Datuk Nadzim Johan’s, ““We wouldn’t want our Christian brothers to be in danger. This is an offer of peace and goodwill,” He called them his Christian brothers.
A man who can think of another human being, especially one who is of a different race or religion, as his brother, deserves my respect and love. For someone to treat all fellow humans as his brothers and sisters, he must be someone who truly believes in God, that all of us come from Him and we are all His creations. As such, we should look upon each other as brothers and we are a ‘One World Family’. If all humans can open their minds up to the true will of God, all our earthly petty quarrels become insignificant and not worth any of the precious time God has bestowed upon us to achieve our true mission in life. (One day, I hope to find time to show how those who think that their calling is to destroy some of the creations of God is actually going against God. In fact, think with full awareness of the previous sentence and that realisation can be clearly reached.)
Yes, as Man sincerely reach out to God and believes as well as understand His power and not the power-cravings of another human, he realises that all of us, no matter what religion we belong to, are His creations; that He created us, existed before us and we belong to Him and not Him to us as he is not Man but the all almighty God.
Perhaps, without the problem of fighting over who can call Him ‘Allah’ and the present church burning, there could not have emerged the understanding of Datuk Nadzim Johan’s that all human beings are brothers, that places for worship, regardless of what humans call them are built in the name of GOD. (For me, the most sincere place for worship is my heart. Prayers of truth come from our hearts. Are you aware of this?)
Without the present situation, the thought that our Christian brothers are in danger could not have come about. For someone who is not a Christian to think of the possible danger such acts of violence can cause the Christians, I dare to say, he is a true man of God. If we have everyone as true to God as this, then there can be no possibility of ‘The End of the World’ for God would then certainly look upon us with even greater love. With such thoughts, I see the light of salvation growing stronger and brighter for all mankind.
Perhaps, through this particular problem, we reach a better understanding of God, an understanding which hopefully can reach into the hearts of those who merely claim to believe, yet those words of belief only comes from the mouth and not from the heart.
It is, in fact, this belief in God from the mouth and not the heart, that is the source of our present world problems. (As this is of utmost importance, I will certainly word my thoughts on this matter in future postings.)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Greed, mind and awareness
This evening, I watched a man with a trolley cart at one of the boxes taking out some pieces of coconut candy from a torn plastic bag. I watched as he removed some pieces and held the pieces in his hand. Of course, i did not see him tear open the plastic bag. Still, open or not, he should not remove the pieces from that torn bag. Suddenly, he realised that i was observing him. Aware of being watched, he stopped, closed his fist and moved off. I followed at a discreed distance and found him putting one piece after another into his mouth. Obviously, the man had no intention to pay for it.
All that happened in a supermarket. I wonder how many times this same man had done this while shopping. After encountering such a person, I can now understand how some bags or packages of food were sometimes left exposed or open. There must have been the same pilfering that i had just noticed.
This man must have been one of those who constantly do this, knowing that it is difficult to catch him redhanded. Furthermore, by the time he reached the cashier's counter, the food would have disappeared into his stomach. Unless a bothersome X-ray is done on him, the evidence is no longer to be seen.
This is clearly a demostration of that weakness in humans that we call greed. Greed has been the downfall of many a human. And it looks like almost everyone, except those who have discipline, is suscepible to greed. Politicians turn corrupt because of greed. You would have thought the filthy rich would not be easily led astray on the path. Unfortunately, history tells us otherwise. Even the guardians of the peace, our law enforcers, fall easily into its web. And the lure to greed is always there at every corner of life.
Those who manage to conquer greed are those who are strong in character and are true believers of God. The weak fall to its lure and find themselves in trouble in one way or another.
Those who always escape from being caught or never become aware of the wrong that they do are in worse trouble. You see, these people would be the bad example for their own families, perhaps even teaching them or encouraging such a weakness. Some may even show pride in escaping detection and numb their conscience. When the concience of a human is numbed or lost, that human is no longer human any more. Without conscience, that human will sink into the deepest, darkest, vile traits the world can ever think of.
Therefore, Man, who is given a mind which comes together with a conscience must use it well and correctly, failing which he descends to a level lower than the lowest animals.
All that happened in a supermarket. I wonder how many times this same man had done this while shopping. After encountering such a person, I can now understand how some bags or packages of food were sometimes left exposed or open. There must have been the same pilfering that i had just noticed.
This man must have been one of those who constantly do this, knowing that it is difficult to catch him redhanded. Furthermore, by the time he reached the cashier's counter, the food would have disappeared into his stomach. Unless a bothersome X-ray is done on him, the evidence is no longer to be seen.
This is clearly a demostration of that weakness in humans that we call greed. Greed has been the downfall of many a human. And it looks like almost everyone, except those who have discipline, is suscepible to greed. Politicians turn corrupt because of greed. You would have thought the filthy rich would not be easily led astray on the path. Unfortunately, history tells us otherwise. Even the guardians of the peace, our law enforcers, fall easily into its web. And the lure to greed is always there at every corner of life.
Those who manage to conquer greed are those who are strong in character and are true believers of God. The weak fall to its lure and find themselves in trouble in one way or another.
Those who always escape from being caught or never become aware of the wrong that they do are in worse trouble. You see, these people would be the bad example for their own families, perhaps even teaching them or encouraging such a weakness. Some may even show pride in escaping detection and numb their conscience. When the concience of a human is numbed or lost, that human is no longer human any more. Without conscience, that human will sink into the deepest, darkest, vile traits the world can ever think of.
Therefore, Man, who is given a mind which comes together with a conscience must use it well and correctly, failing which he descends to a level lower than the lowest animals.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Food for thought. How harmful is your food?
Have you ever heard the story of farmers who never eat the food they produce for sale?
So a groundnut farmer would not eat the groundnuts they produce for sale to the people. Likewise, the watermelon farmer does not eat the watermelon in the patch he grows watermelon for sale. So does the potato farmer who grows potatoes to sell them to us. Similarly, we have vegetable farmers who do not eat the vegetables grown for sale. Do you know why?
Well, the fact is these people know what they put into the soil or spray onto the vegetables or products as they grow. They know the about the toxicity of the herbicides they use to destroy the weeds on the land. They understand the harmfulness of the pesticides and the fungicides that they spray onto their produce so as to get the maximum amount for harvest; to maximise profits.
So, what do they do if they wish to eat the type of vegetables they plant since they will not eat what they would have us eat? They grow a little of the vegetables in another plot of land where no herbicides are used to clear the land. When growing the vegetables, no pesticides or fungicides are used. so, they know that whatever they eat, it will not be toxic. They are safe.
Are they really safe? These people forget that they live to eat many other types of vegetables which, like everyone of us, have to obtained from a market; vegetables which are grown by other people with the same ideas as them. They eat vegetables and other produce from other farmers which are full of toxic chemicals. So, who is safe? Practically nobody who has to depend upon others for fruits and vegetables. Is that true?
No! That is not true as there are farmers who produce organic produce. Although such produce is a little more expensive, it may be a way out for us.
However, how sure are we that the produce is truly organic. I know of small-scale farmers who produce vegetables which they claim to be organic, that they use no chemical fertilisers or pesticides or fungicides; yet without a netting, they manage to have no insects or pests in their plots. Is that possible?
The surest safe way to have organic produce is to grow our own vegetables. That is what I do. How much we can produce depends upon the space available and our ingenuity.
No matter what, toxicity is one of the problems humans face in our present world. It is time to thing of a way to reduce the harm it can cause. How we can do it is for us to think about very seriously.
So a groundnut farmer would not eat the groundnuts they produce for sale to the people. Likewise, the watermelon farmer does not eat the watermelon in the patch he grows watermelon for sale. So does the potato farmer who grows potatoes to sell them to us. Similarly, we have vegetable farmers who do not eat the vegetables grown for sale. Do you know why?
Well, the fact is these people know what they put into the soil or spray onto the vegetables or products as they grow. They know the about the toxicity of the herbicides they use to destroy the weeds on the land. They understand the harmfulness of the pesticides and the fungicides that they spray onto their produce so as to get the maximum amount for harvest; to maximise profits.
So, what do they do if they wish to eat the type of vegetables they plant since they will not eat what they would have us eat? They grow a little of the vegetables in another plot of land where no herbicides are used to clear the land. When growing the vegetables, no pesticides or fungicides are used. so, they know that whatever they eat, it will not be toxic. They are safe.
Are they really safe? These people forget that they live to eat many other types of vegetables which, like everyone of us, have to obtained from a market; vegetables which are grown by other people with the same ideas as them. They eat vegetables and other produce from other farmers which are full of toxic chemicals. So, who is safe? Practically nobody who has to depend upon others for fruits and vegetables. Is that true?
No! That is not true as there are farmers who produce organic produce. Although such produce is a little more expensive, it may be a way out for us.
However, how sure are we that the produce is truly organic. I know of small-scale farmers who produce vegetables which they claim to be organic, that they use no chemical fertilisers or pesticides or fungicides; yet without a netting, they manage to have no insects or pests in their plots. Is that possible?
The surest safe way to have organic produce is to grow our own vegetables. That is what I do. How much we can produce depends upon the space available and our ingenuity.
No matter what, toxicity is one of the problems humans face in our present world. It is time to thing of a way to reduce the harm it can cause. How we can do it is for us to think about very seriously.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
When political power leads to arrogance, the voice of the people is lost.
Every citizen in a country must be treated equal regardless of race and religion. That is the basic right of every citizen. Yet, even in this century, we find ourselves with governments who do not recognize this basic right. Without equal treatment there can be no unity.
In Malaysia, one particular political party had the temerity and the arrogance to deem a particular race the master race with actions and words to light the fire of superiority. If there is a master race, then the other races in the country have to be the servants or slaves. Yet, these leaders spoke empty promises of unity. At that stage, our country was obviously moving backwards. It reminds us of the Nazis’ claim to be the master race in the Second World War. In the same thought were the Japanese when they started the First World War. Looks like there are still people who have not learned from history and still want to create a master race. The result of such an action came in the 2008 elections in which the people demonstrated their power to remove the government’s two-third majority and gave the opposition five states so that they could show their ability to be better ‘trustees’ of the people.
Every now and then, we have read of local councils with their appointed councilors blindly supporting policies while either abusing their powers or neglecting the needs of the people. With political masters behind them, their arrogance caused the loss of the voice of the people. As one very arrogant local council president said, “Who are you? I am the one in charge here.”
In Sungai Petani, for example, the local council once insisted that every resident buy a dustbin of a particular size to be put in front of every household despite the fact that such a size was against the council’s own laws.
The residents who did not comply were given summonses. The Taman Intan Residents’ Association, Sungai Petani, helped the residents by approaching a councilor to solve the problem. Upon being told that the size stipulated for the dustbin contravened the councils’ own laws, the councilor agreed. However, I think something big was at stake in that case as even that councilor could not do anything for the residents. Arrogance of power seemingly overrides even the law of local councils. Eventually, the association had to fight through the media to win their case.
What is the use of having councilors who cannot ensure that any act passed is for the benefit of the people? That is the reason the citizens have been for a long time now asking for councilors to be elected by the local residents so as to ensure that councilors serve the people and not their political masters or themselves. All this fell on the deaf ears of the government. Yet, we are supposed to be the government of the people, by the people and for the people, a democracy. It is a democracy and the people showed their understanding of it by voting in the opposition in five states.
On Sunday, 22nd November, the Star reported the case of Subramanian who won a discharge not amounting to an acquittal when the Temerloh High Court found that the local government had no right to persecute him as according to the Federal Constitution, only the Public Prosecutor has the right to do so.
Here is a man whose very future was at stake when he was asked to move his mini-market which sells vegetable and fish to a wet market near a forest where this businessman knew would be unsuitable for commercial purpose as, according to him, nobody would go there. To continue to develop his business, he stayed put and this aroused the ire of the local council which, after sending many summonses to Subramanian, decided to persecute him in court.
According to Subramaniam, other provision shops selling fish and vegetables in the same town had their licenses renewed. The question that comes to mind is: Why did the local council pick on Subramaniam? Why were the other shops allowed to go on with their business while he had to move to an unfavourable spot? Why the inequality of treatment? Where is the justice? And thinking of justice for the people, where were the councilors? What action had they taken to help this local resident? Again, here is another case for local councilors to be elected by the people, not appointed by political parties. Was it a case of abuse of power? Did it have anything to do with politics?
Whatever it is, too much political power and arrogance have seen many leaders abuse their power. And because the political parties continue to protect such leaders, allowing such leaders to cover their wrongs, such leaders continue to abuse their power.
People must understand their rights and vote wisely for the benefit of our future generation.
In Malaysia, one particular political party had the temerity and the arrogance to deem a particular race the master race with actions and words to light the fire of superiority. If there is a master race, then the other races in the country have to be the servants or slaves. Yet, these leaders spoke empty promises of unity. At that stage, our country was obviously moving backwards. It reminds us of the Nazis’ claim to be the master race in the Second World War. In the same thought were the Japanese when they started the First World War. Looks like there are still people who have not learned from history and still want to create a master race. The result of such an action came in the 2008 elections in which the people demonstrated their power to remove the government’s two-third majority and gave the opposition five states so that they could show their ability to be better ‘trustees’ of the people.
Every now and then, we have read of local councils with their appointed councilors blindly supporting policies while either abusing their powers or neglecting the needs of the people. With political masters behind them, their arrogance caused the loss of the voice of the people. As one very arrogant local council president said, “Who are you? I am the one in charge here.”
In Sungai Petani, for example, the local council once insisted that every resident buy a dustbin of a particular size to be put in front of every household despite the fact that such a size was against the council’s own laws.
The residents who did not comply were given summonses. The Taman Intan Residents’ Association, Sungai Petani, helped the residents by approaching a councilor to solve the problem. Upon being told that the size stipulated for the dustbin contravened the councils’ own laws, the councilor agreed. However, I think something big was at stake in that case as even that councilor could not do anything for the residents. Arrogance of power seemingly overrides even the law of local councils. Eventually, the association had to fight through the media to win their case.
What is the use of having councilors who cannot ensure that any act passed is for the benefit of the people? That is the reason the citizens have been for a long time now asking for councilors to be elected by the local residents so as to ensure that councilors serve the people and not their political masters or themselves. All this fell on the deaf ears of the government. Yet, we are supposed to be the government of the people, by the people and for the people, a democracy. It is a democracy and the people showed their understanding of it by voting in the opposition in five states.
On Sunday, 22nd November, the Star reported the case of Subramanian who won a discharge not amounting to an acquittal when the Temerloh High Court found that the local government had no right to persecute him as according to the Federal Constitution, only the Public Prosecutor has the right to do so.
Here is a man whose very future was at stake when he was asked to move his mini-market which sells vegetable and fish to a wet market near a forest where this businessman knew would be unsuitable for commercial purpose as, according to him, nobody would go there. To continue to develop his business, he stayed put and this aroused the ire of the local council which, after sending many summonses to Subramanian, decided to persecute him in court.
According to Subramaniam, other provision shops selling fish and vegetables in the same town had their licenses renewed. The question that comes to mind is: Why did the local council pick on Subramaniam? Why were the other shops allowed to go on with their business while he had to move to an unfavourable spot? Why the inequality of treatment? Where is the justice? And thinking of justice for the people, where were the councilors? What action had they taken to help this local resident? Again, here is another case for local councilors to be elected by the people, not appointed by political parties. Was it a case of abuse of power? Did it have anything to do with politics?
Whatever it is, too much political power and arrogance have seen many leaders abuse their power. And because the political parties continue to protect such leaders, allowing such leaders to cover their wrongs, such leaders continue to abuse their power.
People must understand their rights and vote wisely for the benefit of our future generation.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
An open mind is the way to universal truth.
Many people find it difficult to accept the knowledge that are not similar to theirs. This is especially true where religion is concerned.
Yet, if we were to allow ourselves to open up to the teachings of every religion in this world, there is actually no conflict of knowledge. That is a fact because all teachings are based on truth. The only difference is the road the followers follow, be it through one who found enlightenment, the various deities or God.
Buddhism teaches us wisdom and our nature, our thoughts and action towards responsible fulfillment and self improvement. Buddha never professed to be God.
The way I look at Buddha's teaching, it is that the life we have is the present. Live it right and well, and the next step must follow. The next step is the future. There is no need to think about it. Just as what is being baked will turn out to be a delicious cake in the few minutes in the future if we concentrate on putting in the right ingredients and kneading the dough well at the present moment.
Taoism is the belief in a universal life force. Thus every follower tries to harmonise himself/herself with the forces of nature. In Taoism, the deities are manifestations of this universal force. Taoism has a strong belief in spirits, some of them good while others are bad. Thus, to achieve harmony, there is the need to turn to the good deities for guidance to a good life as well as appease the bad spirits to avoid unnecessary conflict or problems from them.
That sounds very much like the society we live in. Sometimes we have to pay corrupt officials to avoid problems from them. For example, to obtain a citizenship, some people cannot get theirs approved despite the number of years they have tried and their proficiency in the national language language while people who know how to appease such officials get their approvals very quickly. Help also comes faster if you know the way to get things done, such as knowing the right people in authority.
Hinduism has no founder and it consist of many different religious groups that has evolved many, many years ago. This is the case because there are many deities in Hinduism, perhaps more than can be found in Taoism. Like Taoism, Hinduism has its belief in what is called eternal truth which is similar to Taoism's universal life force. The deities give their worshippers guidance through life with actions of the said deities.
For example, there was the victory of good over evil as celebrated in deepavali. According to Hinduism, the deities reincarnate from time to time to vanquish the forces of evil and bring order back into the world, just as Jesus said he would return from time to time to help the humans God created.
The two religions that are clear-cut about One God is Christianity and Islam. Actually, as far as my knowledge and understanding is concerned, both religions have the same origin. There is merely that little difference that Jesus was the son of God in Christianity while Jesus was believed to be the first while Muhammad is the last of the prophets in Islam. If we go into the teachings of both these religions, they teach us wisdom and our nature, rightful thoughts and actions towards responsible fulfillment and self improvement besides belief in One God.
It is unfortunate that the only two religions that teach us of the same One God have a number of its followers finding fault with each other, sometimes even derogatory towards each other's God, breathing venom on the other's God as though that other God is a different God.
The religions are good but some of the people in them think they are even holier than God. Therein lies the problem of this world. When Man craze for power and prestige, they even use God to serve their purpose.
Once I told a friend,"People who kill others in the name of God, are those who do not truly believe in God." Why? Firstly, do these people believe that God is all powerful. With such power, if God wants someone dead, there is no need for bloodshed; the person would just not wake up from his sleep and that's that." Then, what about God being compassionate. Since God is compassionate, should not there be a strong feeling of sympathy and sadness for the suffering or bad luck of others and a desire to help them to turn good if it is believed that there are bad. So, by taking God's will into their hands, are these people thinking that God should not be compassionate? Are they saying they are wiser than God?
To these people, I will say, "Trust me. There is no one greater, better or wiser than God."
It is time humans open up their minds and let religious truths of whatever religion they belong to find space in their minds.
Yet, if we were to allow ourselves to open up to the teachings of every religion in this world, there is actually no conflict of knowledge. That is a fact because all teachings are based on truth. The only difference is the road the followers follow, be it through one who found enlightenment, the various deities or God.
Buddhism teaches us wisdom and our nature, our thoughts and action towards responsible fulfillment and self improvement. Buddha never professed to be God.
The way I look at Buddha's teaching, it is that the life we have is the present. Live it right and well, and the next step must follow. The next step is the future. There is no need to think about it. Just as what is being baked will turn out to be a delicious cake in the few minutes in the future if we concentrate on putting in the right ingredients and kneading the dough well at the present moment.
Taoism is the belief in a universal life force. Thus every follower tries to harmonise himself/herself with the forces of nature. In Taoism, the deities are manifestations of this universal force. Taoism has a strong belief in spirits, some of them good while others are bad. Thus, to achieve harmony, there is the need to turn to the good deities for guidance to a good life as well as appease the bad spirits to avoid unnecessary conflict or problems from them.
That sounds very much like the society we live in. Sometimes we have to pay corrupt officials to avoid problems from them. For example, to obtain a citizenship, some people cannot get theirs approved despite the number of years they have tried and their proficiency in the national language language while people who know how to appease such officials get their approvals very quickly. Help also comes faster if you know the way to get things done, such as knowing the right people in authority.
Hinduism has no founder and it consist of many different religious groups that has evolved many, many years ago. This is the case because there are many deities in Hinduism, perhaps more than can be found in Taoism. Like Taoism, Hinduism has its belief in what is called eternal truth which is similar to Taoism's universal life force. The deities give their worshippers guidance through life with actions of the said deities.
For example, there was the victory of good over evil as celebrated in deepavali. According to Hinduism, the deities reincarnate from time to time to vanquish the forces of evil and bring order back into the world, just as Jesus said he would return from time to time to help the humans God created.
The two religions that are clear-cut about One God is Christianity and Islam. Actually, as far as my knowledge and understanding is concerned, both religions have the same origin. There is merely that little difference that Jesus was the son of God in Christianity while Jesus was believed to be the first while Muhammad is the last of the prophets in Islam. If we go into the teachings of both these religions, they teach us wisdom and our nature, rightful thoughts and actions towards responsible fulfillment and self improvement besides belief in One God.
It is unfortunate that the only two religions that teach us of the same One God have a number of its followers finding fault with each other, sometimes even derogatory towards each other's God, breathing venom on the other's God as though that other God is a different God.
The religions are good but some of the people in them think they are even holier than God. Therein lies the problem of this world. When Man craze for power and prestige, they even use God to serve their purpose.
Once I told a friend,"People who kill others in the name of God, are those who do not truly believe in God." Why? Firstly, do these people believe that God is all powerful. With such power, if God wants someone dead, there is no need for bloodshed; the person would just not wake up from his sleep and that's that." Then, what about God being compassionate. Since God is compassionate, should not there be a strong feeling of sympathy and sadness for the suffering or bad luck of others and a desire to help them to turn good if it is believed that there are bad. So, by taking God's will into their hands, are these people thinking that God should not be compassionate? Are they saying they are wiser than God?
To these people, I will say, "Trust me. There is no one greater, better or wiser than God."
It is time humans open up their minds and let religious truths of whatever religion they belong to find space in their minds.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Limits in our mind: Complacence can put us into a rut.
Once I told someone about the Art of Living basic course. And without feeling any sensitivity about it as I was merely telling the person what I would myself hope to achieve every day of my life; I told him the course would certainly make him a better person. He was stung by my words. Annoyed with what I had said, he turned and walked away.
At first, I wondered what could have created such a reaction. Then, going over what I had just said, I realized it was his reaction to the words, ‘a better person'. The words must have been an affront to his dignity. I told myself I should not have said those words. He must have thought that he was great enough. How dare anyone belittle him with words which could imply that he was not good enough!
On further thought, I realized it was not my fault that he felt the way he did. Of course, he had the right to feel that way but I too had the right to believe that everyone, including me, can become an even better person, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally than what we are today. There are still ‘mountains’ to conquer, ‘rivers’ to cross, ‘stars’ to reach for and many, many ways to expand our horizons.
Have you thought about it? The day there is no further growth, be it good or bad, we are either dead or perfect in every way; as perfect as God. I cannot think of anything or anyone more perfect than God. Can you?
I do not think we can be that perfect as each and every one of us has some kind of weakness here and there. So, there is always room for improvement. Buddha reached Nirvana. Have we reached that stage yet? If not, there is still need for improvement and we should try to be better tomorrow than we are today.
Thus, as long as we live, and since we do not exactly know how long we are going to live, we ought to think of what work we can do, what to eat, the best way to exercise our body, to rest sufficiently, to develop spiritually and emotionally so that we will always be progressively better in every way possible for whatever lies ahead.
Is our work enjoyable and fulfilling? If not, what other work can we do? Do we understand nutrition? Is what we eat nutritious enough? How good are we physically? Have we given our body the opportunity to enjoy some form of suitable exercise? Do you realize the importance of rest and sleep? Do we allow this beloved body of us sufficient rest to reenergize it for another day, week, month or year? What about our spiritual development? Of course, the atheist will insist that there is no need for spiritual understanding or development. Are they sure of that? Have they given this sphere of development the chance to show them that spirits exist, that there is a life after death? Have they given themselves the opportunity to open the third eye so that they can see the truth? Are we in control of our emotions or are our emotions in control of us? Are our emotions calm enough to face the challenges of life that lies ahead?
If we know the answers to the above and are practising all the right moves, well and good. If not, why not? What are the obstacles? Are they insurmountable obstacles? Have we thought of overcoming them? Can it be done?
Only we are able to understand our own problems. But are they real problems? Or is it merely a mental obstacle, our mind refusing to push it aside and let a solution or knowledge be found. Our mind can be very stubborn, refusing to let go of things that are a burden to our progress. When that happens, we must put in new ideas and thoughts to overshadow the undesirable ones. Some people call this self-hypnosis when it is merely replacing consistently old negative thoughts with new positive ones. In time, the old negative thoughts fade away while the fresh positive thoughts bring forth good vibes and corresponding good results and progress.
Well, thinking that we already know everything or achieved everything gives us a sense of confidence, value and greatness. What else is there to know? When we truly believe we know everything, a sense of complacency settles in and there is no need to know anything else anymore. One thing such people have found is great happiness. But for how long will such euphoria last when there can be no more improvement? No more progress! That’s all! The progress is stopped by a mere stumbling block thought.
It is like the only guy who found the way to survive the war, gloats about it to himself only for a few days as he eventually realized that there is no more meaning in his life.
At first, I wondered what could have created such a reaction. Then, going over what I had just said, I realized it was his reaction to the words, ‘a better person'. The words must have been an affront to his dignity. I told myself I should not have said those words. He must have thought that he was great enough. How dare anyone belittle him with words which could imply that he was not good enough!
On further thought, I realized it was not my fault that he felt the way he did. Of course, he had the right to feel that way but I too had the right to believe that everyone, including me, can become an even better person, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally than what we are today. There are still ‘mountains’ to conquer, ‘rivers’ to cross, ‘stars’ to reach for and many, many ways to expand our horizons.
Have you thought about it? The day there is no further growth, be it good or bad, we are either dead or perfect in every way; as perfect as God. I cannot think of anything or anyone more perfect than God. Can you?
I do not think we can be that perfect as each and every one of us has some kind of weakness here and there. So, there is always room for improvement. Buddha reached Nirvana. Have we reached that stage yet? If not, there is still need for improvement and we should try to be better tomorrow than we are today.
Thus, as long as we live, and since we do not exactly know how long we are going to live, we ought to think of what work we can do, what to eat, the best way to exercise our body, to rest sufficiently, to develop spiritually and emotionally so that we will always be progressively better in every way possible for whatever lies ahead.
Is our work enjoyable and fulfilling? If not, what other work can we do? Do we understand nutrition? Is what we eat nutritious enough? How good are we physically? Have we given our body the opportunity to enjoy some form of suitable exercise? Do you realize the importance of rest and sleep? Do we allow this beloved body of us sufficient rest to reenergize it for another day, week, month or year? What about our spiritual development? Of course, the atheist will insist that there is no need for spiritual understanding or development. Are they sure of that? Have they given this sphere of development the chance to show them that spirits exist, that there is a life after death? Have they given themselves the opportunity to open the third eye so that they can see the truth? Are we in control of our emotions or are our emotions in control of us? Are our emotions calm enough to face the challenges of life that lies ahead?
If we know the answers to the above and are practising all the right moves, well and good. If not, why not? What are the obstacles? Are they insurmountable obstacles? Have we thought of overcoming them? Can it be done?
Only we are able to understand our own problems. But are they real problems? Or is it merely a mental obstacle, our mind refusing to push it aside and let a solution or knowledge be found. Our mind can be very stubborn, refusing to let go of things that are a burden to our progress. When that happens, we must put in new ideas and thoughts to overshadow the undesirable ones. Some people call this self-hypnosis when it is merely replacing consistently old negative thoughts with new positive ones. In time, the old negative thoughts fade away while the fresh positive thoughts bring forth good vibes and corresponding good results and progress.
Well, thinking that we already know everything or achieved everything gives us a sense of confidence, value and greatness. What else is there to know? When we truly believe we know everything, a sense of complacency settles in and there is no need to know anything else anymore. One thing such people have found is great happiness. But for how long will such euphoria last when there can be no more improvement? No more progress! That’s all! The progress is stopped by a mere stumbling block thought.
It is like the only guy who found the way to survive the war, gloats about it to himself only for a few days as he eventually realized that there is no more meaning in his life.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The desire to try, part 2
Yesterday I have written about the importance of encouraging our children in whatever attempts they made to learn or experience things; that we should never undermine the strong inborn desire to imitate, to practice and to reach for the highest achievements possible.
Today, I wish to continue on how anybody, not just any child, can perform when given the chance to do so.
Do you know that I can cook. I was able to cook through watching others perform. When I was young I had to cook when my parents were busy earning a living. It was cook or go hungry. I took the more positive move. And during the process, I learned.
I liked to cook experimentally fairly often. By experimentally, I meant that I often use ingredients my mother claimed nobody uses. She would insist that people never cook things this way or that way. Fortunitely, she never had the time to obstruct my desire to try out things.
At a time when people despise bean sprouts as they were free, given free whenever we buy noodles, I enjoyed frying them with some onions, garlic and eggs. I have observed how the hawkers would heat the wok with a little oil in it. Then, they would put in the onions and the garlic,stir-fry them a little, add some chillies perhaps and then the noodles. Instead of noodles I used the beansprouts. Through experience, I discovered that beansprouts which are not too well-fried are crispy and delicious, if a little light soya sauce is added just before we scoop it up onto a plate.
At that time, people used to say I was stupid, especially when I asked for more sprouts than noodles. Well, young though I was then, I had read about nutrients for our body and knew that although it was free, it had more nutrients than the noodles made from refined flour which contained mostly carbohydrates. Do you see how important knowledge was and still is to me?
Whenever I cooked, and I needed something to sweeten a dish, I used just about anything that could make the dish sweet. Sometimes, it's just sugsr. At times when ice-cream soda, coca cola, honey, sugarcane drinks, molasses or brown sugar are available, I used them and the taste differs a little each time, giving a variety of sweetness to the dish.
The same thing goes for spices. Chillies is not the only thing hot. We can use pepper and chilli sauce. Chilli sauce is a little different from pounded chillies.
Besides chillies, there are so many other spices to try out, mixing them for soup to get some exotic taste.
Of course, every now and then, the resulting taste may not be as good as we would like it to be. But then, without trying it out, how are we ever to know.
Talking of that, if my memory does not fail me, a famous chicken recipe was the result of the founder's accidental inclusion of certain spices.
We are lucky that humans have been imbued with a curious mind and a strong desire to try out their ideas. Imagine what would have happened if inventors who dared to try out their ideas, curious to know if their ideas would work were non-existent. There would have been no bicycle, no car, no bus, no plane, no helicopter, no ship, no radio, no television, no computer and many, many other things which have made our lives so good.
So, never suppress or obstruct in any way the human spirit for its strong urge to imagine the so called impossible, the desire to experiment or development of ideas no matter how far-fetched such thoughts may appear.
It is easy for minds which are unable to concieve something to express disdain for what appears to be unfathomable ideas. Our hope is that those who are able to concieve them would transform such thoughts into concrete inventions.
There was a time when the idea that we could enjoy movies in a box coming in through the air whenever we let electricity come into it would have been preposterous. In those days, anyone talking of electric current flowing through a wire at the flick of a switch could be considered out of his mind.
Today, it is so common place that we hardly think of the fantastic minds that had made it possible. Thank God for their attempts to transform their ideas into inventions.
And thanks to their parents or someone who could have influenced or inspired them must have done a fantastic job encouraging them.
Today, I wish to continue on how anybody, not just any child, can perform when given the chance to do so.
Do you know that I can cook. I was able to cook through watching others perform. When I was young I had to cook when my parents were busy earning a living. It was cook or go hungry. I took the more positive move. And during the process, I learned.
I liked to cook experimentally fairly often. By experimentally, I meant that I often use ingredients my mother claimed nobody uses. She would insist that people never cook things this way or that way. Fortunitely, she never had the time to obstruct my desire to try out things.
At a time when people despise bean sprouts as they were free, given free whenever we buy noodles, I enjoyed frying them with some onions, garlic and eggs. I have observed how the hawkers would heat the wok with a little oil in it. Then, they would put in the onions and the garlic,stir-fry them a little, add some chillies perhaps and then the noodles. Instead of noodles I used the beansprouts. Through experience, I discovered that beansprouts which are not too well-fried are crispy and delicious, if a little light soya sauce is added just before we scoop it up onto a plate.
At that time, people used to say I was stupid, especially when I asked for more sprouts than noodles. Well, young though I was then, I had read about nutrients for our body and knew that although it was free, it had more nutrients than the noodles made from refined flour which contained mostly carbohydrates. Do you see how important knowledge was and still is to me?
Whenever I cooked, and I needed something to sweeten a dish, I used just about anything that could make the dish sweet. Sometimes, it's just sugsr. At times when ice-cream soda, coca cola, honey, sugarcane drinks, molasses or brown sugar are available, I used them and the taste differs a little each time, giving a variety of sweetness to the dish.
The same thing goes for spices. Chillies is not the only thing hot. We can use pepper and chilli sauce. Chilli sauce is a little different from pounded chillies.
Besides chillies, there are so many other spices to try out, mixing them for soup to get some exotic taste.
Of course, every now and then, the resulting taste may not be as good as we would like it to be. But then, without trying it out, how are we ever to know.
Talking of that, if my memory does not fail me, a famous chicken recipe was the result of the founder's accidental inclusion of certain spices.
We are lucky that humans have been imbued with a curious mind and a strong desire to try out their ideas. Imagine what would have happened if inventors who dared to try out their ideas, curious to know if their ideas would work were non-existent. There would have been no bicycle, no car, no bus, no plane, no helicopter, no ship, no radio, no television, no computer and many, many other things which have made our lives so good.
So, never suppress or obstruct in any way the human spirit for its strong urge to imagine the so called impossible, the desire to experiment or development of ideas no matter how far-fetched such thoughts may appear.
It is easy for minds which are unable to concieve something to express disdain for what appears to be unfathomable ideas. Our hope is that those who are able to concieve them would transform such thoughts into concrete inventions.
There was a time when the idea that we could enjoy movies in a box coming in through the air whenever we let electricity come into it would have been preposterous. In those days, anyone talking of electric current flowing through a wire at the flick of a switch could be considered out of his mind.
Today, it is so common place that we hardly think of the fantastic minds that had made it possible. Thank God for their attempts to transform their ideas into inventions.
And thanks to their parents or someone who could have influenced or inspired them must have done a fantastic job encouraging them.
Friday, June 19, 2009
A story and some wise thoughts.
At the bottom of the following story and some wise thoughts are the author's words: "I pray this moves around the entire universe."
By posting this onto my blog without any edit, I hope to help him or her achieve his prayers. (The story is in English and Mandarin.)
A Story to live by
There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'
有一位瞎女很討厭自己因為眼睛瞎了。她也討厭每個人，唯一不討厭的是她的男朋友，因為他都常守在她身旁。於是她對她的男朋友說：「如果能讓我看到這個世界，我愿意嫁給你！」
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her
boyfriend.
有一天，有人捐了一對眼精給她。當紗布解開時，她能夠看到一切，包括她的男朋友。
He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.
男朋友問她：「現在你可以看到這世界，你愿意嫁給我嗎？」那女孩看了男朋友是個瞎子，他那對蓋上眼皮的眼睛嚇到了她，這是她無法想像。她想：要我嫁給他而一生對着他這個樣子，我無法接受。
Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'
於是，她的男朋友很傷心的離開她，幾天後寫了字條給她：「親愛的，請你好好照顧你的眼睛，因為它不是屬於你的之前，它是屬於我的。」
This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.
Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.
這也是人的腦會如何做當情況有所變動。只有少許人會記得他或她之前的生活及誰會在身旁當他或她處在困境的時候
Life Is a Gift
生命是一份禮物
Today before you say an unkind word
- Think of someone who can't speak.
今天，當你要講一句不善之言 － 請想想那些無法講話的人
Before you complain about the taste of your food
- Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
當你要埋怨食物的味道時 － 請想想那些沒有食物吃的人
Before you complain about your husband or wife
- Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
當你要埋怨你的先生或太太時 － 請想想那些在向上天哭訴要一個伴侶的人
Today before you complain about life
- Think of someone who died too early on this earth.
今天，當你要埋怨生活時 － 請想想那些太早離開人世間的人
Before you complain about your children
- Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.
當你要埋怨小孩時 － 請想想那些渴望小孩而無能生育的人
Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or
sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.
當你要爭論沒有人清理屋子時 － 請想想那些住在街邊的人
Before whining about the distance you drive
- Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
當你在哀訴駕駛的路程 － 請想想那些同樣的路程以代步的人
And when you are tired and complain about your job
- Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
當你很疲備而埋怨工作時 － 請想想那些無工作，殘疾的，及那些多麼希望擁有你這份工作的人
But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning
another - Remember that not one of us is without sin.
當你想要指著人或互相譴責時 － 請記得沒有一個人是無罪
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down
- Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still
around.
當壓抑的念頭讓你無法振作時 － 請你笑一笑想想：你還活著存在世間！
==========================
I PRAY THIS MOVES AROUND THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE...
我祈禱這訊息能夠繼續傳至全人類...............
By posting this onto my blog without any edit, I hope to help him or her achieve his prayers. (The story is in English and Mandarin.)
A Story to live by
There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'
有一位瞎女很討厭自己因為眼睛瞎了。她也討厭每個人，唯一不討厭的是她的男朋友，因為他都常守在她身旁。於是她對她的男朋友說：「如果能讓我看到這個世界，我愿意嫁給你！」
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her
boyfriend.
有一天，有人捐了一對眼精給她。當紗布解開時，她能夠看到一切，包括她的男朋友。
He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.
男朋友問她：「現在你可以看到這世界，你愿意嫁給我嗎？」那女孩看了男朋友是個瞎子，他那對蓋上眼皮的眼睛嚇到了她，這是她無法想像。她想：要我嫁給他而一生對着他這個樣子，我無法接受。
Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'
於是，她的男朋友很傷心的離開她，幾天後寫了字條給她：「親愛的，請你好好照顧你的眼睛，因為它不是屬於你的之前，它是屬於我的。」
This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.
Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.
這也是人的腦會如何做當情況有所變動。只有少許人會記得他或她之前的生活及誰會在身旁當他或她處在困境的時候
Life Is a Gift
生命是一份禮物
Today before you say an unkind word
- Think of someone who can't speak.
今天，當你要講一句不善之言 － 請想想那些無法講話的人
Before you complain about the taste of your food
- Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
當你要埋怨食物的味道時 － 請想想那些沒有食物吃的人
Before you complain about your husband or wife
- Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
當你要埋怨你的先生或太太時 － 請想想那些在向上天哭訴要一個伴侶的人
Today before you complain about life
- Think of someone who died too early on this earth.
今天，當你要埋怨生活時 － 請想想那些太早離開人世間的人
Before you complain about your children
- Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.
當你要埋怨小孩時 － 請想想那些渴望小孩而無能生育的人
Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or
sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.
當你要爭論沒有人清理屋子時 － 請想想那些住在街邊的人
Before whining about the distance you drive
- Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
當你在哀訴駕駛的路程 － 請想想那些同樣的路程以代步的人
And when you are tired and complain about your job
- Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
當你很疲備而埋怨工作時 － 請想想那些無工作，殘疾的，及那些多麼希望擁有你這份工作的人
But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning
another - Remember that not one of us is without sin.
當你想要指著人或互相譴責時 － 請記得沒有一個人是無罪
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down
- Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still
around.
當壓抑的念頭讓你無法振作時 － 請你笑一笑想想：你還活著存在世間！
==========================
I PRAY THIS MOVES AROUND THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE...
我祈禱這訊息能夠繼續傳至全人類...............
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Own wonderful mind..
A visitor to my blog emailed me with this comment: 'I think a leap of faith is required to believe that we will create whatever we thought. I am sure many parents think of great things their children will achieve, or even the good looks their children will process but they probably never materialised. Otherwise, every child will be athletic, intelligent and good looking. A paranoid parent on the other hand, will have a disastrous child.'
Thoughts are powerful and possess energy to create. You can create what you think if you believe it is possible and then follow through with actions. All inventions began with thoughts. Thoughts energises the mind to produce ideas, ideas provoke actions and actions lead to creations.
Sales people and motivators can tell us how every successful salesman thinks of closing a sale before he goes to a client.
Read or watch 'The Secret' on its website and you are told how powerful the mind is, how powerful thoughts are. In 'The Secret' we are shown how thoughts in our mind attract happenings. Your thoughts put out signals to the universe and this law of attraction responds to your thougths. Search the website for 'The secret.' It is worth watching and understanding how thoughts and the law of attraction can help you.
Regarding 'good looks', psychologists believe it is possible. Take a visit to the gynaecologist's department in hospitals or clinics and you can see the beautiful baby pictures they put up for the pregnant mothers to see and think about.
But, do you think parents would think of or visualise those babies as their own? No, I certainly do not think so. They will see their own image in their child. After all, they would not have their child look like somebody else, certainly not like the face of their neighbour! What would their friends think?
When it comes to intelligence, if parents put enough thought into it, it will happen. Again I refer you to 'The Secret' for further reading on the matter.
Furthermore, according to science, most intelligent people merely use a small portion of their potential. Here, thoughts with strong desires certainly would lead to action and this action would bring results.In this blog, I would like to tell you not only of potholes but the actions to be taken to achieve the desired results and improve the chances of your child achieving greater success.
As for paranoid parents, it is possible for such inferior thoughts to be passed to the child. The child will grow up with thoughts very similar to the parents, unless there is some other stronger influence from someone else on the child. After all, the poor children have to hear such thoughts so often that they seep slowly but gradually into the mind. We have seen this happen in families in our society. Positive parents with positive children, insecure people with insecure children and negative people with negative children.
On a positive note, negative children can change if they come into contact with positive thinking people whom they respect or like, if not loved.Sometimes, books with good examples of positive people may get children to realise their unfavourable position and inspire them to act so as to overcome their weakness.
Let me tell you a true story about myself. I was born into a poor family. Seeing other children enjoying things I could not have, I developed an inferiority complex. I liked to read and from knowledge I gathered from books even during that young age, I understood my problem. I read books by Napolean Hill and Norman Vincent Peale. They helped me to realise that I could overcome my problem and be a more positive person. That belief attracted ideas, materials, happenings and people into my life. Believe me, it was tough to overcome such a complex. I just could not do it on my own. Not that I did not try. So, I read a lot on nutrition, fitness and health. I took up weight-lifting. I developed physical strength. It helped a little when I realised that with my strength, I could be good at some sports. What was even more important, that which helped me to sweep aside my inferiority complex forever, were my friends. They helped me to realise that I could be popular with the boys and girls. Since then, I have such confidence and so positive is my thinking that there is no stranger I cannot approach to talk to. Such friends as mine are a gift from God, attracted by the belief in my mind that it could be achieved.
In a way, it is my own thoughts, thoughts of a better me that drove me towards all the above actions and created a new, very much better me. If I had not thought it possible for me to overcome my problems, I dare not imagine where I would be today. Would I be writing this? Would my ego allow me to even reveal this to you? Thoughts are indeed powerful!
Thoughts are powerful and possess energy to create. You can create what you think if you believe it is possible and then follow through with actions. All inventions began with thoughts. Thoughts energises the mind to produce ideas, ideas provoke actions and actions lead to creations.
Sales people and motivators can tell us how every successful salesman thinks of closing a sale before he goes to a client.
Read or watch 'The Secret' on its website and you are told how powerful the mind is, how powerful thoughts are. In 'The Secret' we are shown how thoughts in our mind attract happenings. Your thoughts put out signals to the universe and this law of attraction responds to your thougths. Search the website for 'The secret.' It is worth watching and understanding how thoughts and the law of attraction can help you.
Regarding 'good looks', psychologists believe it is possible. Take a visit to the gynaecologist's department in hospitals or clinics and you can see the beautiful baby pictures they put up for the pregnant mothers to see and think about.
But, do you think parents would think of or visualise those babies as their own? No, I certainly do not think so. They will see their own image in their child. After all, they would not have their child look like somebody else, certainly not like the face of their neighbour! What would their friends think?
When it comes to intelligence, if parents put enough thought into it, it will happen. Again I refer you to 'The Secret' for further reading on the matter.
Furthermore, according to science, most intelligent people merely use a small portion of their potential. Here, thoughts with strong desires certainly would lead to action and this action would bring results.In this blog, I would like to tell you not only of potholes but the actions to be taken to achieve the desired results and improve the chances of your child achieving greater success.
As for paranoid parents, it is possible for such inferior thoughts to be passed to the child. The child will grow up with thoughts very similar to the parents, unless there is some other stronger influence from someone else on the child. After all, the poor children have to hear such thoughts so often that they seep slowly but gradually into the mind. We have seen this happen in families in our society. Positive parents with positive children, insecure people with insecure children and negative people with negative children.
On a positive note, negative children can change if they come into contact with positive thinking people whom they respect or like, if not loved.Sometimes, books with good examples of positive people may get children to realise their unfavourable position and inspire them to act so as to overcome their weakness.
Let me tell you a true story about myself. I was born into a poor family. Seeing other children enjoying things I could not have, I developed an inferiority complex. I liked to read and from knowledge I gathered from books even during that young age, I understood my problem. I read books by Napolean Hill and Norman Vincent Peale. They helped me to realise that I could overcome my problem and be a more positive person. That belief attracted ideas, materials, happenings and people into my life. Believe me, it was tough to overcome such a complex. I just could not do it on my own. Not that I did not try. So, I read a lot on nutrition, fitness and health. I took up weight-lifting. I developed physical strength. It helped a little when I realised that with my strength, I could be good at some sports. What was even more important, that which helped me to sweep aside my inferiority complex forever, were my friends. They helped me to realise that I could be popular with the boys and girls. Since then, I have such confidence and so positive is my thinking that there is no stranger I cannot approach to talk to. Such friends as mine are a gift from God, attracted by the belief in my mind that it could be achieved.
In a way, it is my own thoughts, thoughts of a better me that drove me towards all the above actions and created a new, very much better me. If I had not thought it possible for me to overcome my problems, I dare not imagine where I would be today. Would I be writing this? Would my ego allow me to even reveal this to you? Thoughts are indeed powerful!
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