Proving God

I’m not a fan of the History channel, but a preview on a special titled “Proving God” aired on some other ASTRO channels…and that caught my attention.  So, I decided to give the channel/show a try.

Interesting show – for those who are keen to know if “there is truly a God”. Parts of it featured an ex-CSI agent on his quest to unravel the secrets of the Bible, and focused on his search for the Ark of Covenant.  His trail led him to a remote island in Ethiopia where he believes the relic is, heavily guarded in an ancient church there. The Ark, as some of us know, is said to contain the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments are inscribed.  Some of the commandments to me are the most basic rules of life like “honor thy father and thy mother; thou shalt not kill, not commit adultery, not steal, not bear false witness, and not covet”. Very simple to understand, yes, but looking around me…I would say these “rules” are the hardest to observe.

It came to me then…that there’s really no point in answering the eternal question, “Is there a God?” or go on any search for any biblical relics or protect them so fiercely when we can’t even get the fundamentals right.  When we can’t even see that the material’s not important.  I’m not a Christian, but I do believe that what’s important is to have and hold dear the “Ten Commandments” in our heart.

The Ark of Covenant is in us, not out there to have and possess.

Goal!

 

It’s wonderful to have goals in life! 

Now, the problem kicks in when we are too focused on them, too hasty and impatient to get there.  We will then become stressed out, frustrated, and disappointed easily.  Relax.  Once you’ve set your targets, learn to enjoy the journey to your destination.  Sure, there are hurdles but there are pleasant moments along the way too.  Experience each event one at a time.  After all, you’re already on the path – it’s just a matter of time before you reach your destination.

It’s like the jungle trekking holiday I’ve just been (something I’ve been cajoled into doing) – at the beginning, it felt so long and tiring because I was too absorbed in finishing the trek and getting back to the hotel for a nice hot bath…but as soon as I learned to take pleasure in each scenery, flower, plant and tree along the way, everything became so much more enjoyable (yes, blisters, scratches, bites and all!)…and before I knew it, I was already at the end of the trek.

Different Points of View

The same mountain on the way up looks different from the way down.  The route back to your house looks different from the route when leaving it.  In life, it’s important to look at matters from different points of view.

Huh, You Don't Like Me?!

Who doesn’t want to be well liked by everyone?  Funnily, those who get affected the most are those who usually think “highly” of themselves.  “I’m a kind person.  I’m nice to the people around me.  I’ve loads of friends and they all love me.  But why is this person different?  Why should anyone dislike me?”

The reality is, not everyone will…no matter how hard you try, even when you don’t know why, even when you believe that you have not done any wrong, even when you DID wrong and apologized wholeheartedly.  It just is and it’s ok.  Understand it, try your best to amend (if there’s a need), learn from it, but ultimately, accept it, (forgive yourself in some cases) and move on.

P.S. To those who say “they don’t care”: look deep down, you do.

P.P.S. And of course, to the rare ones who really don’t give a damn: you should. Who says you don’t need to change yourself for the better?  All this talk about “staying true to yourself and letting people love the real you” is not quite right.  True, you don’t want to lead your whole life based on what others feel or think about you, BUT part of growing up is being able to understand, sieve through what’s true and what’s not and sometimes what others think of you holds some truth to the real you.

The Story of the Tree Dwellers

We have come a long way since the days of ancient civilizations and archaic beliefs... 

...and every groundbreaking discovery along the way was initiated by unconditional open-mindedness and the freedom from thinking and acting within confines.

I truly believe that we are capable of even greater things today, if not for the time and great sacrifices it took to break free from deep-rooted beliefs and its systems...

Therein lies the story of the Tree Dwellers...

In a Mystical Land far, far away…its People or better called the Tree Dwellers were never allowed to walk the earth.  Those who did (and caught) were sent to their death, and there was also a belief that if their feet ever touched the ground, unexplainable ailments would befall them and their loved ones.  Very few dared to break this “Great Tree Rule”. 

In this Land of the Tree Civilization, there were, of course, The Leaders (who knew the Truth but would never tell): one Chief Tree Dweller (CTD) was secretly having his fill of mouth-watering food found on land and didn’t want to share them, another CTD loved the power to control too much, one other CTD feared for his life if the Truth was ever revealed, and the last CTD who feared losing his business selling quality tree-swinging ropes. 

Now, the very few who escaped became the "unlawful" Land Walkers - those who bravely abandoned their once deadly clutch of the Branches, and reaped the grandest rewards and benefits of all times in the Land of the Tree Dwellers.

In life, there’s no heaven until you go through hell; there's no greatness without courage, failures and sacrifices; and the way to greatness... starts with a Liberal Mind.

How Do I Want to Be Remembered?

To those who have ever asked themselves – how do I want to be remembered…? I believe the truth is - that it all starts from within each individual - to be remembered as someone who knew how to love oneself.

Of course, this is not to be confused with the inborn self-defense, survival mechanism that we have in all of us - the one that can breed selfishness and cause “pain” to others at the expense of our own “survival”.  "Loving yourself" means that we are able to give ourselves a pat on the back when it’s due…at the same time, being able to see the ugly truths about ourselves (which includes admitting to being self-centered at times) AND yet love and respect ourselves enough to know that we can, really can have the power to change for the better.

So back to the question of how we want to be remembered…the very first step is to make a positive impact with your-self.  Not thinking of how good you’ll feel about contributing to the community, society and the world.  Not thinking about leaving the Mother Theresa, the Gandhi-type of legacies behind…but rather being remembered (even if you're the only one who does) as someone who has become the best they can be.

Because only when you are whole, will you be able to naturally and sincerely give (to others).  Of course, in a perfect world, if EVERY one of us understands and acts upon this very simple yet powerful truth, we wouldn’t even have the need to have to “give” to others.  It only takes the might of one to move heaven and earth, the might of all these ones to save this world.

What’s it going to be?

Ego

You have serious ego problem, when…

…when you say you don’t…everyone has an ego.  It’s accumulated and shaped throughout the years as you obtain praises, acknowledgements, and achievements in life.  It defines who you are, your self-worth.  Unfortunately, it is also what weakens us…if, if we let it control our lives.

There’s a fine line between ego and self-esteem.  It’s wonderful to have a positive attitude and a sound belief in what you can achieve, but it’s different when you think success is a given right.  The strange thing is that the more egoistical you get, the less self-confidence you have.  

…you think that you’re better than others and are always right, of course…there are many of us who think this way than we care to admit…and it really gets worse as we age…

…you easily feel wounded, angry or embarrassed with criticisms…

…you don’t really listen to what others have to say…you do but you don’t…you pretend that you’re listening but you already have an answer and will push that across at all cost…whatever you say will have a BUT in it.

…you fear failure more than others…hey, you’re one of the best, there’s just no way you can fail.  You become a perfectionist.

…when you care about reputation and status more than anything else…and think that only those with bigger titles and have more experience deserve to be respected.

Know this…life is an on-going process of learning.  To have too much ego is to stop learning and growing.

To React or Respond?

If someone slaps you, your first reaction would be to get angry, give them a piece of your mind or slap them back.

A minute later, your anger or shock lessened.

Another minute passes by, the scenario plays back and you think about it.

In yet another minute, you find out that that someone who slapped you is in fact blind and she was trying to “push” at the “door” to exit.

In life, there are many, many, many instances like this, but whether the “person is blind or really intends to slap you”, do yourself a favor…take that “3 minutes” to respond. 

A Theory - Dimensions of Life

This is a theory that life on earth is energy itself.  Each one of us is (made up of) a brilliant energy force.  We, in our current physical state, are in the green dimension.  And in this dimension, we (our energy forces) are at our weakest.  But weak energy is also light, and this makes it faster and easier to evolve than those in the other dimensions. 

As we get older, our energy changes according to how we change (in body, mind, and soul).  It continues to change until the day we physically die.  That’s when our energy is considered to have reached its physical maturity.  Then, depending on what we’ve learnt and become in our physical state, our energy force would also become of a certain nature/color.  Now, each type of energy will then drift or be attracted to other energy of a similar nature that lives in one dimension or the other – which some would describe as heaven, hell, etc. 

However, these parallel dimensions of energy are connected.  Energy forces in this green dimension can connect to the forces in the other dimensions and vice versa.  And because we’re connected, what happens (even with one energy force) will also affect others.

In the other dimensions, one can continue to evolve and “ascend” to another dimension (or even return to the green (physical) dimension, so that it’s easier to evolve…).  The dimension filled with “white” energy is where the purest healing energy forces gather, and as more “pure white” forces gather, the “healthier” the world becomes.  Of course, this would be the perfect goal…although getting there is not easy… 

In our weakest state of energy (within the green dimension), many energy forces tend to forget or give up on their goal of reaching the hard-to-get “pure white” and succumb to the rich, enticing “destructive red” instead.  So, theoratically, the “red” destructive energy forces should become stronger...overpowering the rest and destroying all ultimately?