Top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed.
By Bronnie Ware (who worked for years nursing the dying)
By Bronnie Ware (who worked for years nursing the dying)
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Chapter 14.1: Who 'in their right mind' would choose suffering by choice?
"We are dedicated to the defense of rights of individuals to free and truthful life.
In other words, our passion is liberty.
Passion translates as suffering.
And I would contend, in the political context as in the religious one, it implies suffering by choice.
A deliberate decision to grasp the cup that we would rather let pass. It is not a decision made lightly.
We do not enjoy suffering, we are not masochists.
It is because of the high value we put on the object of our passion that we are able, in spite of ourselves, to choose suffering."
I concur wholeheartedly with what she has to say; I apprehend.
I understand the backlash of passion (as with any form of attachment), and the sacrifices that needs to be made.
Still, I made a deliberate decision.
That deliberate decision started the night before Bersih - to go, or not to go.
I've watched Bersih 2007 plenty times before. I have mentally prepared myself for the worst.
I visualized that I might get kicked, punched, and beaten up badly that I might lose my limbs for the rest of my life, etc. I might get arrested, and get locked up in the jail for an indefinite period of time. I might be one of the few people (~10 people) who were there in our yellow shirt.
Going means risking my life, and my freedom.
After all that visualization, I asked myself if I would accept the worst of such consequences like death or being disabled for the rest of my life.
I answered yes. I will accept such consequences if it happens.
[No, I have never participated in a demonstration.
In fact, I was at a point of life where I was about to live the 'monastic' way - accepting that personal transformation was the only real way I could change the world, and to focus very much internally. I doubted if any demonstration will achieve anything.]
So my plan during Bersih was actually to sit down and meditate in front of the police or army forces for an hour.
I will be there - alone or not - to stand for my own values.
(Again, having laid out the 4 reasons I live my life for, years go, helps. I will try, to the best I can, to stay true to this - to stay true to myself. If I die doing what I live for, then what did I lose? (You don't lose what you don't cling to) Then, I may also well say, "My life was worth it. I lived for my values - won't cower to threats against my values/living purpose; never was a day less than 100%. I lived and leave without regrets. And, not forgetting I will smile before my last breath. What is it that you're sad for me?")
[It helps that I think about death pretty early in life. 17?]
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Chapter 14: Politics
Sometimes I think, thanks to categorization to simplify the understanding of knowledge, we are oversimplifying and misunderstanding things. (Yes, it helps our understanding to a certain extend; maybe it helps us to understand half the truth, but 50% is mediocre.)
Labeling and categorizing things makes us see knowledge and matters as discrete - science, economics, philosophy, politics, you, me, her, they, etc.
I think, the other half of the truth lies in the context, the relatives, or the interconnections.
“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”
East is only east because of west - to the west of it.
Since people often ask me why I am "involved in Politics", I will hereby explain and examine this matter.
Can we actually say "I don't care about Politics?"
Yes, you can; but that would be impossible. (Since, everything affects & is interconnected to one another. Politics, moreso.) Unless, you sincerely do not care about the hole in the roads, your Education, your safety, your life, your money (lost to corruption), your family's well being/life, or you've achieved such a Zen state that nothing can ever bug or affect you. In that case, I'll have to either pay my highest respect to you, or stop to wonder what has become of you?
Labeling and categorizing things makes us see knowledge and matters as discrete - science, economics, philosophy, politics, you, me, her, they, etc.
I think, the other half of the truth lies in the context, the relatives, or the interconnections.
“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”
East is only east because of west - to the west of it.
Since people often ask me why I am "involved in Politics", I will hereby explain and examine this matter.
Can we actually say "I don't care about Politics?"
Yes, you can; but that would be impossible. (Since, everything affects & is interconnected to one another. Politics, moreso.) Unless, you sincerely do not care about the hole in the roads, your Education, your safety, your life, your money (lost to corruption), your family's well being/life, or you've achieved such a Zen state that nothing can ever bug or affect you. In that case, I'll have to either pay my highest respect to you, or stop to wonder what has become of you?
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Chapter 13: Education
Many people often ask me why I decided to drop out from college (not that I was failing, I was on the Dean's List of one of the World's Top 10 ranking university for International Relations undergraduates; World No. 8 for Masters and was one of the few international students - if any - awarded with a Leadership Award Scholarship). They also asked why I decided to self-study. :)
Here's the unrefined "Why I dropped out", off the top of my head:
Chapter 12: Beauty.
There was a day where I saw an advertisement for Personal Image Branding & Consulting workshop in Bangsar. The workshop - which includes make up classes - boasts that attending it would boost self-confidence. I could not disagree further.
If anything, I think that make up makes a person less confident.
Has anyone really thought of the implicit implication to their ego and "being"? (In comparison, the implication of applying all these chemicals to our skin becomes quite minuscule 1 A blind allegiance and focus on the tangibles with a complete disregard of the intangibles breed ignorance and suffering - without one even realizing why one's suffering.)
How can a person be more confident when they don't even love themselves for who they are - as they are?
I beg to digress.
I accept that I have dark eye circles, wrinkles, and I don't have flawless skin. The list goes on.
Regardless, I will love, accept, and take good care of myself.
"You, yourself, as much as anybody else in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
“Love yourself—accept yourself—forgive yourself—and be good to yourself, because without you the rest of us are without a source of many wonderful things.”
I interpret it as if you spend all your time drilling over your "self" how you look etc etc, and forget about giving and helping others; really, you will only devise your own demise and misery. You will never feel good that way - maybe only as long as your 'mask' is on. And, is that even a real good feeling?
If anything, I think that make up makes a person less confident.
Has anyone really thought of the implicit implication to their ego and "being"? (In comparison, the implication of applying all these chemicals to our skin becomes quite minuscule 1 A blind allegiance and focus on the tangibles with a complete disregard of the intangibles breed ignorance and suffering - without one even realizing why one's suffering.)
How can a person be more confident when they don't even love themselves for who they are - as they are?
I beg to digress.
I accept that I have dark eye circles, wrinkles, and I don't have flawless skin. The list goes on.
Regardless, I will love, accept, and take good care of myself.
"You, yourself, as much as anybody else in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
“Love yourself—accept yourself—forgive yourself—and be good to yourself, because without you the rest of us are without a source of many wonderful things.”
I interpret it as if you spend all your time drilling over your "self" how you look etc etc, and forget about giving and helping others; really, you will only devise your own demise and misery. You will never feel good that way - maybe only as long as your 'mask' is on. And, is that even a real good feeling?
Chapter 11: People Empowerment
So, I was recently asked by a friend for a reply on this: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150451719566263&set=a.10150107120786263.278614.717236262&type=1&theater
Malaysian, any comment on this post? (don’t attack or fighting, this is only one of the example that how people laugh at us on doing this, how can we handle and explain to them better?)
Malaysian, any comment on this post? (don’t attack or fighting, this is only one of the example that how people laugh at us on doing this, how can we handle and explain to them better?)
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We want to educate, activate, and empower the people.
A government is only a mirror of its people. (Their attitude etc. Ie: If the people only talk and talk and talk and don't do anything, the government will also only talk and talk and talk and don't do anything. If the people don't care, the government don't care. Why should they?)
The simple formula of change (no miracles and magic involved):
We shan’t talk about a change in the government without a change in the people.
But, we shan’t talk about a change in people, without first a change in ourselves.
Start small, start now.
A jug fills drop by drop.
Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.