Heart Space #36: Christmas
They say XMAS is the time for giving and be joyful. At this present time, how many of us are doing both, or any one of them for the matter. As I say, XMAS is fictitious.
*disclaimer : This is my personal view, and I know it does not apply to all of us.., but I am pretty sure a lot of us needs to read on and reflect.
First of all, I have read in the news that parents in US are appealing to toy makers not to advertise their toys anymore on media. This is because when their kids see the ads, they would want to buy, and the parents cannot afford them anymore. As parents, I do know how that feels. How you ever look in the eyes of a child who can not have the things they deserve so dearly, the disappointment, the helplessness look hurt the parents more than anything on earth. My wife bought Faith a 3-in-1 toy, that can last Faith till she is 3 years old, for about SGD$160, and I was thinking Faith does not know how lucky she is... and this will be the first lesson I will (try to) teach her this Christmas.
Secondly, what is with the decorations and the music of Christmas? Don't they ever change? It's always the same old carols, and these songs (with all artiste doing covers) are played on high intensity from a week before Christmas. And suddenly on Boxing Day, they are gone, as if Christmas never came. So much work and money went into decorations, gifts and feasting and at the blink of an eye, all the festivity didn't seem to exist. Malls are eager to take down the decorations as quickly as they were put up, to make way for the Lunar Chinese New Year... When is the time for us to soak in the spirit of Christmas? I guess in seasonal countries, one could feel that Christmas spirit a little better.
I have decided not to say anymore lest I sound like the Grinch. To end it all, I believe the giving spirit should not be restricted to just Christmas and should not just be to your family, friends and colleagues. There is a great deal of people far less fortunate than us, and we should all work together to make this world a better place for all to live in.
Blessed be.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Heart Space #35: Life is like a Lopsided GPS
Life is like a lopsided GPS. The world is our map, and we are free to roam wherever we desire. However, in life, the start and end points have been predetermined for us.
For starters, a lot of us used the "Where am I" function to find oneself, whereas there is the other group who do not worry about where they start, but more excited of the journey ahead. Eventually, everyone moves, no one stays where they are. Making that first step without knowing how long the journey or what it brings required some leap of faith, but it was not that difficult.
We set our waypoints, stops and detours. All these merely alter the route and distance to our final destination. Some are happy with the straight and fast highway; whereas some prefer the longer and more scenic route. Whichever way you take, no two routes yield the same result. The bumps you hit, the stops and the tolls you have to pay vary from person to person. With the knowledge that whatever decisions we make, will have an impact on our future path, we learnt to plan ahead. We carefully take up insurance, more calculated risks, safer short cuts and so on, so that we can avoid the pitfalls that other people had failed.
Along the way, regardless of how carefully we plan our route; there are times when we are unexpectedly bumped off the road. Or we complain that the route suggested (by circumstances) is not the one we intended. Little did we know that this new path has its very own sights and experience that life determines we should experience. Do we count our blessing that things have gone this way? Or do we keep harping on the mindset that things would have been better if it has gone the way you intended?
End of the day, how much control do we really have? I believe the only control we have, is how we deal with each bumps, stops and detour along our route, for that is the one thing that makes the journey bearable
Life is like a lopsided GPS. The world is our map, and we are free to roam wherever we desire. However, in life, the start and end points have been predetermined for us.
For starters, a lot of us used the "Where am I" function to find oneself, whereas there is the other group who do not worry about where they start, but more excited of the journey ahead. Eventually, everyone moves, no one stays where they are. Making that first step without knowing how long the journey or what it brings required some leap of faith, but it was not that difficult.
We set our waypoints, stops and detours. All these merely alter the route and distance to our final destination. Some are happy with the straight and fast highway; whereas some prefer the longer and more scenic route. Whichever way you take, no two routes yield the same result. The bumps you hit, the stops and the tolls you have to pay vary from person to person. With the knowledge that whatever decisions we make, will have an impact on our future path, we learnt to plan ahead. We carefully take up insurance, more calculated risks, safer short cuts and so on, so that we can avoid the pitfalls that other people had failed.
Along the way, regardless of how carefully we plan our route; there are times when we are unexpectedly bumped off the road. Or we complain that the route suggested (by circumstances) is not the one we intended. Little did we know that this new path has its very own sights and experience that life determines we should experience. Do we count our blessing that things have gone this way? Or do we keep harping on the mindset that things would have been better if it has gone the way you intended?
End of the day, how much control do we really have? I believe the only control we have, is how we deal with each bumps, stops and detour along our route, for that is the one thing that makes the journey bearable
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Heart Space #34: Bottled Up.
Today, I feel just so saddened. It's one of those days, where something (or a lot of things) bothered you, yet you cannot single out any of these things.
However, I am just wondering sometimes is it better to bottle things up, since saying them out will only make things worse than it already is? A few possible outcomes if my grievances are poured out; 1. things get better for a day or two, 2. have a long debate, 3. More feelings get bottled.
It's not as if I did not say out in a subtle way, in fact, I was pretty outright about it. I simply do not feel loved. It is doubly hard, trying to be joyful/loving on the outside, hoping it be reciprocated and yet at the same time deep inside, the yearning for love is eating you from within. All these are made worse with the sadness and darkness that constantly looms around.
Yes, it worries me somehow. When all you can do (like most people would) is to accept and not talk about it, then just how much can you bury? Are we wired to have the depth of acceptance, or are we simply overly cautious of the repercussions of events should we not hold our mouths shut? I believe that we all have our fair share of hitting our limits; or encountered times when we just could not hold the raging emotions. Did these flares of emotions resolve the conflict, or bring about the change? No... at least to me.
This is not me... and I am unwilling to be depressed for the remaining of my life. Yet, I will find new ways to accept, and be amazed by my new found depth.
Today, I feel just so saddened. It's one of those days, where something (or a lot of things) bothered you, yet you cannot single out any of these things.
However, I am just wondering sometimes is it better to bottle things up, since saying them out will only make things worse than it already is? A few possible outcomes if my grievances are poured out; 1. things get better for a day or two, 2. have a long debate, 3. More feelings get bottled.
It's not as if I did not say out in a subtle way, in fact, I was pretty outright about it. I simply do not feel loved. It is doubly hard, trying to be joyful/loving on the outside, hoping it be reciprocated and yet at the same time deep inside, the yearning for love is eating you from within. All these are made worse with the sadness and darkness that constantly looms around.
Yes, it worries me somehow. When all you can do (like most people would) is to accept and not talk about it, then just how much can you bury? Are we wired to have the depth of acceptance, or are we simply overly cautious of the repercussions of events should we not hold our mouths shut? I believe that we all have our fair share of hitting our limits; or encountered times when we just could not hold the raging emotions. Did these flares of emotions resolve the conflict, or bring about the change? No... at least to me.
This is not me... and I am unwilling to be depressed for the remaining of my life. Yet, I will find new ways to accept, and be amazed by my new found depth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
