History

What is true and what is believed to be true?

Education have given us much knowledge we need to live the life that we should. What have we learnt in school? Or rather what have been taught in conventional schools all this while?

The world is ever changing because of technology, new discoveries are made every second of the day. What are we holding on that we believe to be true? Your answer might most probably be everything that is written in books of all disciplines, journals and archives, and also probably the newsprint or the World Wide Web. Everything we see we always believe to be true.

What if, the truth is all along known but hidden?
What if, the truth is something that cannot be seen?

Has anyone ever had even the slightest urge to question what seems to be hard fixed?
Has anyone ever thought that some things have been deliberately hidden from us?
Has anyone ever been through circumstances that cannot be explained by any knowledge?

If you even have the slightest experience of something out of the norm, it is actually an enlightenment. It depends on whether or not you accept it with open arms. It is an eye opener. It is the important turning point that the universe is trying to show you and it is entirely up to you to feel the importance of it. Nobody can force you. Nobody has the right to.

We have been led to believe in many things that only limits our mind. Do you know that the best way to achieve all that you want is not to have all the knowledge in the world but to have all the experience life has to teach you? How have you been brought up to believe? Is it safe to say that our parents have been telling us to study hard so that we can get a high paying job in future, to not have to worry about money anymore?

I know at least I have been told this way and so does many of my friends. And so, we believe that the only route to success is through education. If you flunk in your grades, you are doomed to becoming a low paid worker. There is no way you are going to have a career path that leads to fortune. There is no way of getting out of poverty. You definitely need to find a job that puts food on the table.

Do you know that some of the most renowned people in history are actually school dropouts? There is no need to go very far and deep in search of the people. Albert Einstein is certainly one very good example. He did not finish school not because he was a failure but is very much due to the non-agreement with the syllabus being taught in school.

If you do not do well in your grades, that does not mean you are not great. The reason is simple. The syllabus cannot explain to you all the questions you have in your head. Whatever that your mind is thinking, it is way beyond the understanding of the current education system. This is actually great. It is because of people who have different thoughts that the world can improve. It is because of people who act differently that makes diversity in the world that we live in. It is because of people who become different that can actually make the difference in the entire world. Just imagine if everyone is the same. How boring can life be?

Think of it this way. Education is good to have only if education is updated whenever there are new discoveries. All the artifacts that the modern people find should be told in schools. All the new experiments that the laboratory are doing should be taught in schools. All that is known to a few should be made known to the children in schools. They are the future and they should be given the privilege of such information so that they can continue the legacy of discovery.

With technology, new information is discovered everyday. Utilize true history to make the better future.

 

History is not a burden on the memory but and illumination of the soul.

John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (John Dalberg-Acton), English Catholic historian, 1834-1902

Language

What is the voice within?

We are so into everything that we have been led to understand so much that we have forgotten the fundamentals of life itself. When we were first born, everything was clear. The slightest movement means a whole lot more than just a movement. Life was simple.

What happened to ourselves? What made things seemingly so simple become a whole different story as time goes by?

Changes happen. Changes happen in all directions. We have been taught that there are three dimensions in our world. Thus come the very common phrase when everything seems to be not working for us… we are pulled from left right center. If you decipher carefully this phrase, it is just linear. Everything that we have been taught, our minds see as one single line, even though we learn so much in school that we live in a three dimensional world.

How do we pull ourselves out from such misleading phrases in life? Perhaps you would be thinking to make the dimensions yourself through the words that you use to phrase things differently. But then, the phrase will sound awkward… we are pulled horizontally vertically diagonally. These are very huge words to use when thinking of a situation we are in.

What is being described in our text books may be the knowledge that has been passed down through generations of scientific research. Parts of them may be true but a bulk of them still remain open to discussion, if we may. Mainstream history and science may not buy into any new ideas that do not fit into the existing journals. Whatever that is written seems to be hard fixed in the common people’s lives.

Why are we limiting ourselves into the theories of others?

We are all individuals. We are capable of having our own mindset. We have the power to influence ourselves to become our better selves. It is all in the mind. But there seems to be something missing out there. How do we actually do that?

Have you ever been in a room with a hundred people? When a person walks in, you can straightaway identify if the person is of caliber or not. That feeling is almost instantaneous. There is no explanation needed.

I remember a story told to me some years ago. An experiment done by a person of caliber to test if majority of the humans are depending on visual or seeing through their heart. The room is full. A man in suit walks in and the entire crowd cheered upon him thinking that he is the person of caliber that they are looking forward to listen to. And so the person did the entire presentation effectively. During the questions and answers session, a participant rose with a question that the person could not answer. Then, the person redirected to say that the answer is so simple, even my driver can answer it, pointing to another man that did not look like anyone important.

Our five senses love to play tricks on us, especially our eyes. Whatever we see we will think is the absolute truth. In actual fact, the man on stage was the driver while that uninteresting man sitting amongst the audience was the person everyone should look up to. Moral of the story is to always feel with your heart, not to let your five senses block the most important sixth sense in you.

Listen to yourself. Travel within to look deeper into what you are really looking for. What is the first question you ask yourself every single day? What is that question that you thought is not important and yet is shaping your life? What are you looking for?

Always ask questions. Even when the questions seem redundant. Even when the questions seem repeated. Even when the questions seem unimportant. What are we doing here? What is our purpose in this life? Are we really who we see everyday in the mirror? What is our destiny? Where do we come from? Which direction are we heading to? This world that we live in, is it really existent or it is all in our imagination?

No language can describe our life if we let go of all the barriers we have been setting up our entire lifetime.

 

The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.

Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein (Ludwig Wittgenstein), Austrian-British philosopher, 1889-1951

Enlightenment

A relaxed body, mind, and soul.

When you wake up in the morning and you feel at peace with everything. This is the best feeling ever. It is as if nothing else matters. It is as if everything in your life is as is because you want it to be. Everything is already in place for you. Everything you need you already have.

How many times have you ever had this feeling? If it is daily, congratulations. Perhaps your life is the ultimate life that everyone want to have. Perhaps you are leading the life of a saint. You can let go of all the sufferings. You can let go of all the happiness and sadness, all the joys and worries. Everything and anything that comes your way, you are able to neutralize to the point it is neither good nor bad.

How many people can achieve such enlightenment? If you think that only a handful, you may be right or wrong. Perhaps it is just the community we are all living in. Whatever everyone does is correct in our perception because majority always wins over minority. Perhaps it is just the environment we are all living in. Whatever we first see every single morning is the absolute truth we are living in.

Sometimes what we see might be true but most of the time it is not. Our eyes love to play tricks on us. Whenever we see something as good, we tend to follow to that same direction without realizing that every effect has its cause, every cause has its course, and every course has its effect. This is a vicious cycle of life. We are all connected whether we believe in it or not.

Connection between all lifeforms and the universe is inevitable. We can never see this with our naked eyes. It can only be felt through deep connection between ourselves and all there is. We, at this modern age lack the connection. The current way of life we are living in almost forbids us to see beyond our eyes. We have been led to believe in something the minority wants us to believe in.

Have you ever questioned the importance of education? This is the one most important part of the life of every living soul. But why are education in classroom settings? Why are certain subjects so important that we must study upon? How about spiritual lessons that have been intentionally left out and replaced with religious studies? What kind of moral are we teaching our children and ourselves?

These are perhaps some of the many questions that you might have asked yourself at some point of time. But because the vast majority are doing the same things, it is only natural for you to stop questioning and go with the norm, in order to be accepted by the society. Your parents told you that good grades secure great paying jobs. This will change your current situation for good.

But… WHO ARE WE?
What are we doing here? What is our purpose here?

If we are just here for the sake of being here then there is no purpose at all. There must be a higher meaning to everything that is in our lives. The next question is perhaps where… Where can we find our purpose of life?

The answer is simple.

Travel within. The only answer to whatever question you have is within. Somehow, we have been led to believe that information technology means everything and will be able to provide answers for any questions we ask. Do you know who are the people feeding the answers to the World Wide Web? They are just regular people like you and me with a slight difference.

They are the people who dare to dream. They are the people who put off all roadblocks in search of the truth. They may sound obscure. Whatever they say may sound too good to be true or too easy to achieve. In this day and life, simplicity is the hardest way of life. We have been trained to think in complicated ways. We have to let go of the past to live in the present to create the better future.

Life is really simple. Enlightenment comes from within.

 

When we wake up from our confused state of mind, that is enlightenment.

Karma Sungrap Ngedon Tenpa Gyaltsen (Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche), Abbot of Dzogchen Monastery, 1965-present

Journey

Where is the place you would like to explore?

The general public will probably name out the most interesting places they see that everyone else has been to. Very often, these are places of tourism that everyone wants to visit in their lifetime. When our eyes see as beautiful, our mind thinks it is beautiful. Therefore, this is the place we put in our bucket list of all the other beautiful places we must visit before the end of our lifetime here.

When can you finally finish off your bucket list?

Like most people, you would probably think that you need to work hard for money, save up most of it in order to be able to finally buy a ticket to get to the place where you want to visit. You would probably also think of the exchange rates which you might need to start buying the currency when the price is low, in preparation for the vacation that is coming.

What do you need to bring to enjoy fully the experience?

Many things. You will probably pack up a whole luggage full of what your mind thinks is a necessity. Wherever you go, you have to bring all the so called basic necessities in your life. You lunge along all your beautiful clothes, shoes, bath needs, facial needs, hygiene needs, vanity needs, and etcetera. Some will even go to the extreme to bring along a hair dryer, towel, blanket because of the insecurity of not having everything from home.

How do you enjoy your time there?

People of the current era have the luxury of digital devices being made smaller and more convenient. Everywhere everyone goes, there will be a whole bunch of people taking photos for remembrance. While this is to ensure that you have a record of the happy moments in life, this is also something that binds people in a responsibility to capture nicer angles each time a picture is taken.

Why do you want to visit the place?

Perhaps this is the most important question of all. There is always a reason for every action. Sometimes you may argue that it is impromptu but there is an explanation for the way you react to any situation. Even if you feel that you are taking the trip because of the beautiful pictures you see on the internet, it means something has captured your heart. You just have to look deeper.

Life is simple and yet not so simple. As simple as we want life to be, there are always situations that come along that seems to make it complicated. It is not complicated at all, it is just our mind playing a trick on us. We are just used to the norm. Whatever that appears to be out of the norm is a problem. To our minds, problems are out of the way complicated.

It is all in the mind. If you think that all problems cause chaos, then that is what will come into your life. On the other hand, if you see all problems as opportunities for you to explore your strengths, everything becomes easier. We are so clogged up in our mind to think in one way we forgotten that there is always an alternative way to everything. We are too concentrated in the problem itself we lack the ability to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Find the light. If you understand nature well enough, you will understand. Perhaps the only place you need to visit is the place that keeps you sane and promotes your calmness. The place need not be somewhere only reachable by plane or ship or car. It can be near home. Perhaps you only need to take a stroll to the garden near your home in the heart of the night.

Everyone is asleep. There is stillness. There is total silence. There is tranquility. There is space. Dreams are travelling in every direction. The sky is almost pitch black. You concentrate in the darkness. You see some blinking spots amidst the darkness. All of a sudden, the sky is bright with beautiful stars lighting up your life. Life is beautiful. When daylight comes, your exploration continues.

When you remove all distractions, the journey of life begins.

 

We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.

Valentin Louis Georges Eugene Marcel Proust (Marcel Proust), French author, 1871-1922

Different

Sometimes the best things in life come in the most unexpected manner.

We have probably heard of this phrase numerous times throughout our lifetime. As a child, we do not understand what it meant because in the eyes of a child, everything is colourful and beautiful. As the years go by, our perception changes. We have been through experiences that tells us otherwise. Is it really so or only the way we see as is?

Many of times we encounter ambiguity. What does this mean?

Have you ever been in a situation whereby everything seems so clear and yet you have no idea how to proceed to the next step. It is like you already know what to do in the next step but somehow you remain stationary as if you have no idea of it. This may not happen often but in the back of your head you know that you have been through such a situation before. Have you ever wondered why?

For example, you drive to work daily using the same route. Day in day out you are driving at the same time with the same car on the same journey. Somehow, one fine day, something is different. Something may have caught your attention and you suddenly find yourself not knowing what to do. Perhaps you would say that the something is new and that is the reason you do not know how to react. But if you think back, how many new things you have already encountered in that same journey? How did you handle those new things? Why is your encounter today any different from the past experiences?

If you really seek, you will know that it really is just yet another event that happens along the way. It is no different from all the other events that have happened. It is our perception that changed everything. We, in our human bodies, have a great mind. We just love to hold everything we see as true and everything we hear as worth believing. How often have you asked yourself what exactly is the truth?

Once a wise lady told me that if you recite out a thousand times of a lie, it will soon become a fact. It does not matter anymore where the story comes from. If does not matter who started making up stories. If it is told enough times to ourselves, we will believe it is true. The moment we believe it is true, we are able to influence the people around us into making them believe it is true as well.

Who can tell if Einstein’s theories are the only equations that is correct? Who can tell if the center of gravity of earth is really in the core? Who can tell if what we study so religiously in schools are facts? Everything can change. In fact, everything changes over time. Whether or not we live to see the day is another matter by itself.

Some people are wiser than others because they already understand that no theory in the world means anything. Having all the knowledge in the world does not make you a wise person, it just saturates you with information. Having all the information in the world does not mean anything if you do not put it to practice. Having practiced everything you have studied upon does not mean you have really learnt your lesson. The lessons of life is simple. In our lifetime, simplicity seems difficult.

We have chosen to see with our eyes when we should with our heart. There is a reason why a person only has one heart. Every organ we have has their own function. Two eyes to see the right and wrong, two ears to listen to the good and bad, and one brain to decipher the observation and think of a closure. The closure can be a decision or the final destination. Follow the one heart we have to show us the path to enlightenment. Open up to receive all the good things coming towards us.

The body, mind, and soul are three parts in one entity for many. Be different. Be as one.

 

They laugh at me because I’m different; I laugh at them because they’re all the same.

Kurt Donald Cobain (Kurt Cobain), American singer-songwriter and musician, 1967-1994

Uncertainty

What is it in for me?

Sometimes we do discover opportunities that require us to be taking some risks. Yes, there may be a risk whereby we lose it all. Yes, there may be a risk whereby we will fall deep and hard. Are you willing to take that risk?

Everything is just down to one simple calculation. How much are you willing to give in order to take? We are always in the scenario whereby we need to weigh between choices that is placed in front of us. Perhaps you have never had the need to make such big decisions. Perhaps you have had the need to do so but you have been avoiding it for the past ten or twenty or even thirty years.

Most of the time, the choice is between getting it right and getting it far. There is always a conflict that cracks your head. You do not know whether or not you should proceed. It becomes harder when things are set in written agreements. You are not sure whether or not you should be putting your signature on it. You are not a lawyer, you cannot see the fringes that may be hidden somewhere inside.

If you do it, you stand a chance of losing everything. What does everything mean to you? Does it really mean that you will lose everything or does it only mean that there is a possibility you may be taking a risk of losing things that you hold dearly to? It is time to put on the thinking cap. What is at risk? Have you had everything arranged the way you should? Are you willing to go all out?

If you do not do it, you stand a chance of losing your future. What does your future mean to you? Is it something very far from sight or is it the thing that you really want, day in day out thinking about? If you do nothing about it now, will you ever regret in future? If you see other people succeeding in their endeavours, will you envy them? Are you willing to sacrifice your future for your doubt now?

Weighing between the two can be hard. You always want the best of both sides. You always want the best for now and for future. This is merely chasing for perfection. Nothing is ever perfect in the world. Even God is not perfect. Even his Holiness is not perfect. It is the imperfection that makes us the perfect creation. At least we know we are not robots or clones.

Varieties is the best thing that ever happen in the world. Varieties keep us happy and healthy. There are plenty of choices out there that each of us can choose from. We can choose to be us or somebody else. We can choose to do the things that we like. We can choose to have the things that we love. We can choose to be with the people we care. The choice is in our hands.

What do you choose now for yourself?

Are you more willing to be you, whoever you are now?
Or are you more willing to be you, whoever you are ten years from now?
Who are you ten years from now?
Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
When is the right time to start something new to be the person you want to be ten years from now?
How do you react to circumstances to make yourself the person you want to be ten years from now?

The most complicated question can sometimes be answered with the simplest word of all.
NOW!

If not now, then when? If you are contemplating now, think back ten years before, were you contemplating back then? Why did you not take action back then? What stopped you from doing what you should back then? Where are your friends now, those who have taken action back then? How is the hesitation back then different from your worries now?

Uncertainty is the biggest certainty in life. Do what you must to make your life worthwhile.

 

Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.

Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewits (Carl Von Clausewits), Prussion general and military theorist, 1780-1831

Free

To do or not to do?

Sometimes we wake up in the morning we are totally blank. Most of the time we do have something in mind. Perhaps that something has been in our mind since the night before or even for the past whole week. We are just not sure whether or not we want to really do it.

What is the cause of the halt?

Whatever that is in your mind, what is the issue with it? Why are you not taking action to doing it yet? What is bothering you so much that you do not want to act on it? Is it because of uncertainty? Is it because of the risks involved? Is it because you are just not ready for it? Is it because you are worried that the people around you will mock you? It is because you do not know how?

Where there is a will, there is always a way.

STOP! Stop your procrastination right now. Just ask yourself this one question:
# How bad do you want it? #

If you really want to do something, nothing in the world can stop you. If you keep giving yourself excuses, nothing can help you. No matter how high your motivation is, it really does not matter unless you do something about it. No matter how happy you may feel when thinking about it, nothing really matters unless you are really in it. No matter how big or small your dream is, it is just going to remain a dream unless you build upon it.

Your dream may be big. Everyone has their own big dreams at some point of their lives. It does not matter what that dream is. It only matters if you take initiatives to work towards making your dreams come true.

Sometimes, just by thinking you already have what you want will simply bring you to it, even though you do not yet have it. Sometimes life is as such. When you want something bad enough, you think about it all the time. You believe that you are going to get it one day. You picture yourself in that happy state of mind when you already have it. You remember that feeling all the time. You remind yourself over and over about that thing that you love so much. The universe will find a way to put it in front of you. You will get it one way or the other. Sometimes the outcome is even better than imagined.

I always tell people that I have manifested my dreams before. The most important of all is the dream since I was a kid. Of course when we were kids we had many dreams, most of which are just day dreams. But there is this one dream that I have manifested and have brought immense light into my world of darkness. Perhaps you have already read my previous articles telling of this story but I am really proud of this and I will tell it over and over to remind myself that the Law of Attraction really works.

I love dogs, all kinds of dogs, big or small. One species in particular that had captured my heart so deeply is the German Shepherd. Their intelligence and loyalty is just… indescribable. They are willing to sacrifice everything, including their own lives, to protect the humans they love. I told myself that I would like to have one when I grow up. Perhaps I have wanted it so badly this dream dwell right inside my subconscious mind for the longest time ever. Consciously, I have forgotten about this during my teens and my work and married life.

I was just living the normal lifecycle that everyone is living. Get through with school. Get a job. Get married. Start a family. One miscarriage brought me into total darkness for six whole years. I was in deep depression that I thought I hid well from others. One day, this little abandoned German Shepherd puppy lookalike came to our doorstep. He lit me up instantly. My husband finally saw the light in me once again. As much as he is afraid of dogs, he is willing to adopt this puppy into our lives. Our Max is four now. This miniature German Shepherd lookalike has brought so much happiness into our lives.

I have finally let go of the prison I set myself in. I am 100% depression free now. I can talk about my depression. I can talk about my loss. I can finally talk freely without holding myself back. I can finally be myself with the arrival of our beloved Max.

Letting free your mind can bring you what you really want deep within.

 

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.

Lewis Benedictus Smedes (Lewis B. Smedes), Christian author and theologian, 1921-2002

Listen

What do you hear the first thing in the morning?

Listen to yourself.

If you begin with a clear mind, very likely you will sleep peacefully at night too. You may start to question this because however clear the mind is in the morning, there will always be something that happens during the day that gathers over a period of time and soon clutters the mind. This is very true. But if you know exactly how you can declutter daily before you sleep, your mind will be cleared within minutes.

Very often, it is our usual practice to let things linger within for no particular reason. Perhaps you like to mull on happenings to find a solution to a problem. Perhaps there are things that you have not finished doing that is bothering you. Perhaps it is your health condition that is keeping you awake at night. Find the reason. Talk to people during the day.

If you are finding it hard to talk to people, just get a notebook and write down all your thoughts and feelings throughout the day. It does not take much effort to doing so. Manually writing things down give you the sense of belonging. You know you have actually thought about this problem you are facing. Perhaps, now is not the time you get the answers. So, it is time to just let go. Look through your notebook, think about what you have left out, and write it down. If there are still things lingering in your mind, just write it down. Place the notebook next to your bed and tell yourself that all your problems and worries are taken care of. Go to sleep with a sense of relief.

There is a reason why the notebook should follow you by your side at all times even when you sleep. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to think of the things that are bothering you, you still find it hard to remember to write it down. There may be times when you suddenly spring out of bed with your heart pumping so fast you feel all the negatives coming your way. It is like having the whole world fall onto you. With your notebook right next to you, it will be easy to just pick it up and write it down. Write whatever your heart tells you to. Just continue writing until you calm down. Listen to yourself. You will know when it is time to get back to your beauty sleep.

Listen to your inner self.

The human mind is a bag of tricks. It is always playing around with events of the past and the future. How often do you really observe what is happening now?

There is always a calling but we fail to listen. We are always thinking of the past success or failures. Many of times, we let the past success bring us to a level so high we cannot tolerate when the waves hit us right now. It is hard to understand why the past success is not continuous. It is unbelievable how we can be brought up so high only to fall deeper and harder. Sometimes we let past failures bog us down to thinking that it is impossible to excel now. This is just plain limiting beliefs. What we failed at in the past may not continue to be a failure now. Perhaps the time was just not right. Perhaps we have not met with the right people to enlighten us. Never ever give up your dreams.

There are people who are always busy thinking about the future instead of living life now. Are you one of them? Do you ask these questions? What if people laugh at me? What if I fail? “WHAT IF’s” can be turned into a positive notions if you are living here and now. What if I succeed? What if I am better than I thought I would be? What if I can help others achieve their goals too? These are very strong notable instincts that all animals have. These are the instincts that the top 1% of the people around the world have. The world “afraid” does not exist in their dictionary. The choice is in your hands. Choose to be just you or the better you.

Listen to your animal instincts. Attack when the time is right.

 

The word listen contains the same letters as the word silent.

Alfred Brendel KBE, Austrian pianist and lecturer, 1931-present

Kindness

Amidst the hustle and bustle life in the city.

Life is a state of being. Life is strange in many ways. It has been known scientifically that we are all made up of matter but we lack the understanding of what matter really is, and what really matters in life. Perhaps we are being clouded by the things we see around us, material things. Perhaps our minds are too congested to even think what life really means.

We seek kindness in our everyday life

We hope very much for people to be kind to us in all directions. We hope our life to be smooth sailing all the time. While having hope means a lot to those who lack of something but what hope really means is the lack of ability to make it come true. What then, can we do to make our dreams become reality? What is it that we need to fulfill in order to not just relying on luck and hope?

What we want others do for us we have to first do for others. If you want people to be kind to you, you have to first spread the kindness. This has been known through history of mankind but somehow the transmission of information has been halted due to many reasons. It no longer matters the reason information is not brought to us, it only matters what we do to correct it.

Whatever that had passed, leave it to the historians. Whatever that will happen in the future, leave it to the predictors. Our responsibility is to identify what we want and really take action into seeing it through. Some people are quick to decide while some takes much longer to find themselves. Perhaps we have been looking too hard to find something that is there in plain sight.

Most often, we spend time over thinking. This does not help at all, and in fact, it complicates the matter so much you become confused. When your mind is overwhelmed, it functions is a berserk way. Everything seems important. Everything seems urgent. Everything seems to matter. You get stressed. You try to control your emotions. You become depressed.

Depression is somewhat a silent killer. Many people do not realize that when a person is in that state of mind, that person would be thinking of many ways to self-destruct. While that person may have depression, they will be seemingly normal in the eyes of others. They are great actors. They are able to hide the side of them that they do not wish to show anybody. Even their closest family may not be able to identify that they need help.

What can we do then? If we are not able to identify, we cannot help them.

Perhaps we have been looking in the wrong direction. We do not treat the symptoms, we have to cure the disease. How about being kind to everyone around you? How about treating everyone the same? How about lending a helping hand to people even if they did not ask for help? How about having a conversation with the people you care about? How about stopping your procrastination and aimless jokes about other people?

Making fun of someone makes you feel great but can cause a disaster in the person’s life.
Making fun of someone makes other people laugh but can cause the person to silently bleed.
How do you feel when one day you are the one in the hot seat?
How do you feel when someone makes fun of something you hold dearly of?
Always put yourself in the shoes of others before spitting out words.
Always use your brain before your mouth.

Being kind to others means being kind to ourselves. While this may not make sense now, it will all come together when the time is right. The universe works in a very simple yet complex way. The universe knows no emotion, it only works towards what is true to our minds. What you think, you act. What you act, you get. Just remember this. What goes around comes around.

Be kind to yourself and others. Kindness will find its way back to you at times when you need it most.

 

We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin), English filmmaker and composer in silent film, 1889-1977

Simple

There is just so many things that needs to be done. Which is more urgent?

Humans have the greatest minds in the entire world but humans have also made things more complicated than it should be. Life is really simple. You wake up, you get through the day, and then you sleep. This is basically all we need to do every single day. How complicated can this be?

In this day and time, having a simple life seems so distant. We have too many things on our plate. There are too many distractions pointing us to different directions. We just cannot decide on anything when the time comes. The most common question people ask these days is probably one that nobody in the ancient history would even imagine any of their descendants asking.

How to live a simple life? I have no time, no money, and no skill to do it.

Seriously?

We have been too cluttered with the outside world that we just forgotten to connect with our inner self. This is the only reason we are feeling totally lost, especially at times like this. When the whole world is on lockdown. When you are sustaining a pay cut. When you risk losing your job. When everyone else is talking about the pandemic. When the people around you seem to be changing but you are still the old you, stagnant. You still think the world revolves around you.

It is time to wake up. Nobody is stuck. Everybody has been put to the test. When there is a huge challenge, there is the opportunity unlike any other you have ever seen before. You need to grab that opportunity to make you become the better version of you. What are you waiting for?

The world is on lockdown. You have all the time you need to ponder on what makes your life simple. What other time better can you think of if not now? How much time do you need to think? Does it take a whole year to sit in the loo? Perhaps you do not yet realize this but sitting in the loo actually is the best time to find clarity. When you are passing motion, that is the time when your strength to force trash out is at its peak. Notice the feeling right after that peak. Does it feel like a big sense of relief? Notice that second this happens, notice how clear your mind is. You only need this moment. Your body is clear of shit, your mind is clear of clutter, and your soul is pure.

Living a simple life really only mean simple, nothing more than that. Do not be brainwashed by anyone else. We see things differently. We live through life differently. You may have friends telling you that living a simple life means to have a cottage in the countryside away from the city. Then you would be having all sorts of objections to it because living away from the city means you will have to commute very far each day. It is just not economical. If it is possible for you to live in the countryside, you are free to do so. But if not, then what is wrong with the place you are living in now? Any place can be simple. You buy less things. You keep less things. That is a simple life. Just that.

You say that you are a very messed up person. You do not know how to simplify things. You love to keep all memorabilia. You want to have everything just in case one day you might use them. You do not know how to differentiate which ones are important and which ones are not. You are always living thinking of the future. Really, it is not a skillset to learn to let go of things. It is all in the mind. You do not know which ones to throw out, simple, just close one eye and junk everything out. Put yourself in the situation whereby you have lost everything and you need to rebuild your life. What do you really need in your life? Do you still need that magazine you bought two years ago but never flipped a page? Do you still need that dress you bought five years ago just in case you attend a ball but has never seen the light?

In the end, you will realize what you really need is just you, and probably your phone.

Finding yourself takes little to no effort. Living a simple life gives you time, saves you money, and require no skill at all.

 

Best rule for a simple life… Care with no reason, Love with no expectation.

Ritu Ghatourey, Indian writer