Learning from Life

"We participate in life, not life participate in us, no, that will make us more like the objects around us, absorbing the world..."
-Alex Lee on life lessons,
MSN- Josh 20/10/2008 10.05pm

There is nothing not subjective in a world where you can justify killing, therefore any comments on this quote will be accepted =)

Respect

"Respect can only be gained by first giving your respect first."

The problem with all conflicts is that all humans want to be noticed and respected.
However, many are not prepared to give respect as they are blinded by their pride and vainity.
By giving our respects to others, then only can we hope for their mutual respect.
If we demand respect without respecting the other, it will only lead nowhere.

Make a change, respect everybody today regardless of race, religion, creed, age and social status.

Freedom for all!

Happy Merdeka!

Why focus on differences when we can focus on our similarities ??

Differences is destruction

Something just prompt me to write this out...I used to be one of those people who would stand up and argue my thoughts out. However, it didn't take me long to realise that we can actually just focus on our similarities rather than on our differences. There is no doubt that all of us are different from every aspect, physically, mentally and even spiritually. Everyone has their own mindset, and the truth is if everyone fights to equate what we think, it comes down to violence and distraught. 

Why can't we get this fact straight into our heads? Talk about the things that we like, talk about common interests, don't you think the world would be a better place? It is because of people who want to justify their thoughts, their believes and that is why humans are still at war with each other (when they claim to have reached a level of civilization). Ironic...

Let go, if you can't accept something, DON'T go against it instead go WITH it. If you cannot come to a mutual agreement, then let that difference flow THROUGH you instead or going against it. All you people out there are trying to prove that you are right, but what you guys do not realise the destruction you are creating towards others, the people that you love and care for.

As god gave us free will, and I know many will never agree with what is written here, then again it is plainly your own free will and your choice, this is just an individual's point of view, if you cannot accept it then just let it pass through you..... don't fight back. 

Take what suits you and those that don't, should be very well left alone.

Overcome: Feeling of "nothingness" part 1

It is a feeling of emptiness, monotony and negativity rushing in and out of your mind leaving you in a bershon state of mind. You feel you have no place in this world and everything is turning its back on you. Fortunately I can tell you that its just a phase of life that will and can be overcomed. Here are some methods that will help you overcome that dark phase.

An idle mind is the devil's workshop

As stereotypical as it may sound, its truth cannot be denied. Therefore you should fill your mind with an abundance of activities. Find different ways to do the same things everyday, unleash your creativity, and you will realise that life does not just stop right there and in fact, there are many mysteries that would unfold as the day progress. 

Here is an example of how I manage to overcome this phase. I really wanted to give in really badly and that very night, I took an initiative to draw out a calendar and rushed downstairs to get it printed. With that blank calendar, I filled it with all the events I would be facing, from exams to movie day-outs. And for the monotonous days, I would cancel out those days with a marker after the day is over to mark my victory in conquering that day. I swear that this calendar "thing" changed the way I look at my days...

Talk to someone, your best friend, or any listening ear

Just when I felt so dead lazy to even move a bone, I managed to talk to a very good friend of mine, one that would be there when you're down. As usual, he saved my sanity by flooding me with words of encouragement and positivity. This has also helped me look at the silver lining in every cloud and I remember him saying this...(continue to next topic)

"Just let the positive take control"

As easy as it sounds, just let the positive take control. We cannot avoid negative thoughts, that is why we need to accept both positive and negative thoughts. Let the positive remain and use the detachment method (by wakko_kookies in the previous post) for the negative ones. With these, I can focus my thoughts on what I want to think about, and those negative ones could just take a hike !

Set goals

It is hard to set goals when everything is going against your plans. But you must force yourself to set a goal, a tough one, one that is almost unimaginable and work towards it. Before you even reach that goal, you will realise that the destination is not important and instead the journey is what matters most... finally as you work your goal , u will also realise that you have control over this dark phase...

These are briefly some of the ways to conquer your idle thoughts... stay tuned for part 2

Fear

What does a student, worker and politician have in common?

They all have fear...


A student fears that he might not get a good grade or finish his assignments on time.

A worker fears that he might lose his job.

A politician fears that he might lose his power base.


More importantly, these people are what we are... ask yourself, what do you fear?


-What is fear and why do we fear?
Fear is a feeling of going from certainty to uncertainty. Humans love to be on a consistent and safe path and any uncertainty would mean going through the unknown which we are afraid of and try to avoid.


-Why is fear bad?
Well, we all know fear leads to negative thoughts and sometimes even plays tricks in our minds. Fear disturbs the peace of mind and clarity needed for us to go on with our lives smoothly. It limits our abilities and makes us slaves of fear itself.

So let me tell you my friends, do not fear.
Buddhist philosophy tells us not to cling on to things for everything is impermanent.
Everything, good and bad will be lost sooner or later. Friends break up, family members die, good things will come to an end and so will all bad things. Knowing this, why do we still fear?

The character Morrie in the bestseller novel "Tuesdays with Morrie tells us to learn to "detach". Here, Morrie tells us that if we fear something, we should learn to detach, which he goes on to tell us how to.

How can we detach from a feeling if we have not experienced it? Therefore, Morrie tells us to allow good and bad feelings into our hearts, diving straight into these emotions and experiencing it head on. For example, if we love somebody but are afraid to confess our feelings because we are afraid, we will never bring the relationship to the next level.

However, by diving straight into it and confessing our feelings, we get to know what love or grief is. Now that we have experienced the feeling, we recognize that emotion and we can now tell ourselves to detach from that emotion.

Since fear is the uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty, by experiencing the things we fear, we have conquered the unknown and we need not fear any longer.

-Cheers and have a good day!-

A positive thought a day, keeps the doctor away...

Actually it is all there, everything you ever wanted is there, but what keeps you away from it are the daily repetitive obstacles that constantly bring you down and has the ability to pull you further into its trap.

Yes, those falls are painful and tempts you to give in. Some people fall and never get up, some fall and always return to their feet. Those who can stand up again and again truly understands the concept of the hourglass philosophy by Niccolo Machiavelli.

"The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it." - Niccolo Machiavelli

The sand is the obstacle, once the sand escapes, then of course we would have a clear view. So the concept here is simple, of course we would not be able to get rid of all the sand, but you do realise that by turning the hourglass the other way around actually helps you to see clearer through one part and when that one part gets filled with sand again, then you just turn it the other way around...

That is to say, the sand (obstacle) will forever be inside the hourglass, but what you can do is to turn it to see the clearer side, and so on.... giving up means allowing the sand to block your vision when actually a pot of gold is waiting for you on the other side.

Factory In Production!

Think... Think...

Did you know only one in two humans’ today posses cognitive skills?
Which are you?

You are probably the better half… Thinking about the questions is clear proof that you posses cognitive skills!

So welcome to our humble abode of the thinking minds.
We look at everyday experiences and thoughts from the sunny side. We break-down everything and analyze it from the postive perspective. =)

Why would we do so?
-Well, because we feel that this world is WAY too saturated with negative things defined as "realistic" but ask yourself, if positive feelings is a very real feeling and is experienced by everyone, everyday, how can positive feelings not be "realistic"?

We intend to be that light people talk about when in the dark. We want to shine light into their lives and encourage them to step out of darkness for we choose where we want to be in life. We can choose to be in the dark OR we can choose to live life from the brighter side.

So here it is,
A blog of the life journeys of two friends who have seen much from both sides.
Come join us in the path of enlightenment, come and bask in the sun.