I was initially quite apprehensive penning this entry as it may slightly resemble the previous but somehow felt the need to do so. Early this tuesday morning , I received an overseas call from a friend who is away on a work trip. The intention of it was for a chit-chat sort of conversation and at the same time, appease her boredom.
She related her experience of having to follow a fellow colleague for a church service and had concluded that she didn’t understand why devotees to that faith ‘waste their time’ every weekend, spending time in church. I could help raising a brow not because I was offended in anyway, but I felt that I was once again caught in a predicament. Being a Roman Catholic myself , I felt obliged to share and explain my faith to the best of my knowledge but was held back having known the values that she hold and not being readily open to accept theological concepts that challenge her beliefs, through past encounters with her. I was also told that even though her friend had tried to explain the significance of each part of the service, she turned a deaf ear simply because she wasn’t interested.
Very often, we tend to ‘hear what we want to hear’ and accept things only if they coincide with the foundation of our values or beliefs, hence depriving ourselves of any possible goodness that may come from the virtue of being open. God gave us one of the greatest gifts- the option to choose. He could have pre-programmed all of us (like computers)to believe in him if he had wanted to but he did not. Instead, he gave us the ability to make a valid choice through the understanding that can only be derived from having an open heart, and the privilege to choose the path we wish to follow. Are we doing enough to understand? Have we sealed the doors to our hardened hearts? How can we bring ourselves to pass judgement on things we do not understand?
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Monday, 23 February 2009
What do we really “see”?
Sight is probably the most commonly regarded as being indispensible amongst the five senses we know. Without it, one is left to the mercy of perpetual darkness, deprived of the goodness of light which we very often take for granted. Most of us can relate to or might have used this phrase ‘ Even a blind man can see” . It is commonly used as an expression of sarcasm towards our peers or those in contact in school, at the work place and even at home whenever they fail to see that ‘truth’. In most cases, regardless of context, it is not only a weak attempt at being witty but shows that we’re quick to pass our judgments with the very little we know.
When we deal with emotions, in particular- matters of the heart and mind, and the intrinsic values that motivate many varied responses in a person, just what do we ‘see’ or understand exactly when we say that we see or make sense of a situation? Are we only confined to the partial glimpse of reality through our lack of patience and insensitivity or simply our failure to consider all possibilities for a particular cause? We possess different sets of framework of values or beliefs based on our experiences and very often use that same collection of values to judge others. Just as how the deprivation of sight in the literal sense, gravely affects a blind person, the effects of our misjudgement can also be detrimental to the wellness of the victims of our own viciousness.
It might not be unreasonable to suggest that many problems that we sometimes face today collectively as a society are caused by our own failure of not being able to ‘see’ the reality of things at an individual level resulted from our biased judgements. Anxiety, Fear and Insecurity are few of the many social illnesses that many societies are faced with today.
I think this poses a challenge for all of us to be bold enough to make a difference in making our surroundings tolerable for all. So the next time you’re attempted to ever readily lash out your malicious remarks ,consider channeling that energy into more constructive use, understanding that person or empathizing in that particular situation. A good rule of thumb that I personally use, would be “not to do on others what u wouldn’t want others doing on to you”. I bet you saw that coming. ; )
When we deal with emotions, in particular- matters of the heart and mind, and the intrinsic values that motivate many varied responses in a person, just what do we ‘see’ or understand exactly when we say that we see or make sense of a situation? Are we only confined to the partial glimpse of reality through our lack of patience and insensitivity or simply our failure to consider all possibilities for a particular cause? We possess different sets of framework of values or beliefs based on our experiences and very often use that same collection of values to judge others. Just as how the deprivation of sight in the literal sense, gravely affects a blind person, the effects of our misjudgement can also be detrimental to the wellness of the victims of our own viciousness.
It might not be unreasonable to suggest that many problems that we sometimes face today collectively as a society are caused by our own failure of not being able to ‘see’ the reality of things at an individual level resulted from our biased judgements. Anxiety, Fear and Insecurity are few of the many social illnesses that many societies are faced with today.
I think this poses a challenge for all of us to be bold enough to make a difference in making our surroundings tolerable for all. So the next time you’re attempted to ever readily lash out your malicious remarks ,consider channeling that energy into more constructive use, understanding that person or empathizing in that particular situation. A good rule of thumb that I personally use, would be “not to do on others what u wouldn’t want others doing on to you”. I bet you saw that coming. ; )
Friday, 20 February 2009
Stay the same
What more can I possibly say?! Some things just never change- they never fail to innovate their craft! Just a precautionary measure, brace yourselves before clicking on the play button below! :P “ I love you Neil!”
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
"Not doing it" - A better option ?
My apologies to those of you who may find my little reflection too harsh and possibly one-sided. I was initially reluctant to post this as an entry here. However, I’ll not compromise by deviating from my true intent and I urge you to take this as an expression of my values.
Just a week before the Lunar New Year, I managed to meet up with 2 friends. It was a casual meet up with the usual excessive food and drinks from a nearby market. One of them has been seeing a new guy for the past couple of weeks after her breakup with her ex-boyfriend then started to make comparisons on how the previous was ‘better’ than the present. She cited how her previous man would never fail to make the extra effort to open the taxi door from her side and push or pull door handles in shopping malls in any given situation just for her convenience of not laying a finger. I was puzzled and asked her what these ‘acts’ mean to her. She did not answer my question directly but said that it’s nice to have someone doing these little things for her. Obviously, It mattered much to her that her present suitor didn’t live up to that expectation of hers, otherwise she wouldn’t have brought it up.
I think it’s important that we have the ‘right’ intentions to back our every action before engaging in an act at all. So what if it’s a ‘nice’ or ‘sweet’ gesture but the person executing it harbors warped ideas or simply did it for the sake of doing it just for ‘showmanship’. Getting back into perspective, to me it’s clear that sometimes “the not doing it” option is a more dignified one.
Just a week before the Lunar New Year, I managed to meet up with 2 friends. It was a casual meet up with the usual excessive food and drinks from a nearby market. One of them has been seeing a new guy for the past couple of weeks after her breakup with her ex-boyfriend then started to make comparisons on how the previous was ‘better’ than the present. She cited how her previous man would never fail to make the extra effort to open the taxi door from her side and push or pull door handles in shopping malls in any given situation just for her convenience of not laying a finger. I was puzzled and asked her what these ‘acts’ mean to her. She did not answer my question directly but said that it’s nice to have someone doing these little things for her. Obviously, It mattered much to her that her present suitor didn’t live up to that expectation of hers, otherwise she wouldn’t have brought it up.
I think it’s important that we have the ‘right’ intentions to back our every action before engaging in an act at all. So what if it’s a ‘nice’ or ‘sweet’ gesture but the person executing it harbors warped ideas or simply did it for the sake of doing it just for ‘showmanship’. Getting back into perspective, to me it’s clear that sometimes “the not doing it” option is a more dignified one.
Monday, 5 January 2009
"Right" or "Wrong"?
Why is there a universal consensus of what it means to be ‘right’ (good) or ‘wrong’ (bad)? How is it that so many decades or even centuries of humanity accept this perceived common ‘good’ for their people. Clearly, it is evident that this universal idea of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ , good or bad lay the framework of the common set of human morality that we consciously and unconsciously use as a guide to base our decisions. I’m sure my questions have been dealt with in much greater depth, by the many philosophers, theologians or just the common lay person like (myself) across all ages. This is just my humble and yet ambitious attempt, in hope to answer these questions using simple logic and reasoning.
For a start, let us define the words right and wrong, and to supplement our understanding we’ll turn to http://dictionary.reference.com/ or any ‘good’ dictionary you can find. “ I’ve selected 2 definitions which are appropriate in this analysis from the vast number of meanings attached to the word. “Right” used as an adjective can be defined as 1)in accordance with what is good, proper, or just: right conduct 2) socially approved, desirable, or influential: to go to the right schools and know the right people . Without much debate, the meanings that inhere in the word “ Wrong” oppose to that of the word “ right”. At this point, I’ll like to raise a question. “How do we know what we do or how we respond constitute what is to be deemed as “right” before any form of civilization in any state of economy? In our context, an example would be ‘how do we know if being filial to parents is the right thing to do or engaging in sexual orgies is wrong?
One of the many reasons given, would be the fact that we’ve been socialized into the legal systems in placed and hence, act or respond in accordance of it. An atheist would probably argue that these concepts could have been passed on from ancient civilizations and tribes through the process of evolution inspired by Charles Darwin’s celebrated work of the “Survival of the fittest”. Just as how the strongest cell survives at the expense of other weaker cells, the shared meaning of a concept by the majority instantly eradicates other meanings. But what if it was a systematic error, in which the common perceived meaning of what is ‘right’, is wrong afterall? And how is it possible that ancient groupings from different geographical continents, all have this similar perceived idea of morality? If there is no supreme authority, more than a human to dictate what’s black or white, our actions accompanied by our intentions could just possibly be shades of grey. Without this force of truth, how is it possible that the meanings remain untainted and stay faithful to each corresponding concept and prevail through all times?
It is quite impossible to label an act or respond as “right” or “wrong” without any form of moral guidance from a divine nature or supreme being whom we commonly acknowledge as God. Thus, with this notion in mind, amongst many, it is not unreasonable to conclude that God actually exists and this common concept of “Right” vs “Wrong” comes from He himself.
God is Good which makes all who oppose him, Bad.
For a start, let us define the words right and wrong, and to supplement our understanding we’ll turn to http://dictionary.reference.com/ or any ‘good’ dictionary you can find. “ I’ve selected 2 definitions which are appropriate in this analysis from the vast number of meanings attached to the word. “Right” used as an adjective can be defined as 1)in accordance with what is good, proper, or just: right conduct 2) socially approved, desirable, or influential: to go to the right schools and know the right people . Without much debate, the meanings that inhere in the word “ Wrong” oppose to that of the word “ right”. At this point, I’ll like to raise a question. “How do we know what we do or how we respond constitute what is to be deemed as “right” before any form of civilization in any state of economy? In our context, an example would be ‘how do we know if being filial to parents is the right thing to do or engaging in sexual orgies is wrong?
One of the many reasons given, would be the fact that we’ve been socialized into the legal systems in placed and hence, act or respond in accordance of it. An atheist would probably argue that these concepts could have been passed on from ancient civilizations and tribes through the process of evolution inspired by Charles Darwin’s celebrated work of the “Survival of the fittest”. Just as how the strongest cell survives at the expense of other weaker cells, the shared meaning of a concept by the majority instantly eradicates other meanings. But what if it was a systematic error, in which the common perceived meaning of what is ‘right’, is wrong afterall? And how is it possible that ancient groupings from different geographical continents, all have this similar perceived idea of morality? If there is no supreme authority, more than a human to dictate what’s black or white, our actions accompanied by our intentions could just possibly be shades of grey. Without this force of truth, how is it possible that the meanings remain untainted and stay faithful to each corresponding concept and prevail through all times?
It is quite impossible to label an act or respond as “right” or “wrong” without any form of moral guidance from a divine nature or supreme being whom we commonly acknowledge as God. Thus, with this notion in mind, amongst many, it is not unreasonable to conclude that God actually exists and this common concept of “Right” vs “Wrong” comes from He himself.
God is Good which makes all who oppose him, Bad.
Happy 2009
We’re almost through with the 1st week of 2009 and I really hope things will certainly turn out better in general(in lieu of what has happened in the global economy and the war against terrorism), whether for the world at large or down to each individual, though most unlikely to happen. Nevertheless, a Happy New Year to you!
Since my last post, this blog has suffered a ‘post drought’ as I’ve been trying to work on other commitments and prioritizing my time. In the course of my absence, I’ve had several interesting encounters with different people I’ve met in the most unusual circumstances. Strangely, these separate events seem to lead to very common questions which converge to a similar topic. These 3 individuals (one of which is a close friend of mine) seem to share the same view(s) towards religion. Prior to this, I’ve always been intrigued to do a post about ‘the existence of God’ and how and why it doesn’t make sense for God not to exist. This has in turn led and inspired me to pen my next post.
Since my last post, this blog has suffered a ‘post drought’ as I’ve been trying to work on other commitments and prioritizing my time. In the course of my absence, I’ve had several interesting encounters with different people I’ve met in the most unusual circumstances. Strangely, these separate events seem to lead to very common questions which converge to a similar topic. These 3 individuals (one of which is a close friend of mine) seem to share the same view(s) towards religion. Prior to this, I’ve always been intrigued to do a post about ‘the existence of God’ and how and why it doesn’t make sense for God not to exist. This has in turn led and inspired me to pen my next post.
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