Today, on my way out of camp, I passed by 2 personnel from the French Navy. As I passed them, I smiled at them and one of them returned the gesture. I don’t know why but it made me feel… good? Haha maybe it’s the gladness that comes when a stranger returns your positive gesture? It didn’t feel like any of the previous interactions I had with other foreign visitors. Despite it being a simple smile, it felt genuine.
It made me think of how wonderful it is that, a gesture as raw as a simple smile could ignore differences in language, culture and beliefs and invoke a sense of familiarity and comfort in 2 strangers (or at least in me). Fundamentally, above our careers, insecurities, above everything else, we’re defined by our common identity in humanity; and it’s in seemingly mundane humane gestures we recognise that we’re not that different after all.
Maybe it’ll do us good to keep this truth close to our hearts, before being so quick to mete out our judgements or pre-conceived notions toward the people around us. Or at least to show tolerance when faced with people you can never agree with? After all, when have we truly paused to appreciate our common humanity?
Here’s another Googled quote I found quite meaningful:
“Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Sincerely,
A fellow human
Monday 25 April 2016
Saturday 23 April 2016
Know Yourself
“The world says: "You have needs -- satisfy them. You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don't hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more." This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom. The result for the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
I’m not gonna lie, I found this quote online. In fact, I googled “selfishness” in the hopes of getting a quote about it. No substance? I think not. More like, resourceful. But that’s not the point. I found the content of the quote very real. Just think about it. Why do we study? To get a degree? Work and get a stable income? At least that’s what a significant portion of my generation believes. Ultimately the world and our choices centre around our individual self-interests. There is an atmosphere of self-centredness amidst the occasional self-gratification we obtain from our perceived altruism. Truth is, it’s in our nature. Though we can’t deny that society and the world has a part in shaping our passion for all things “us”, all of us are selfish fundamentally. Makes you think about all the good virtues we learnt like ”人之初性本善” huh?
This is not really a call to action, to empower you to make someone else’s day brighter just for the sake of proving this keyboard warrior wrong. Neither am I a cynic proclaiming that all altruistic work is pointless and to stop doing good altogether. I don’t really know what this is. I guess it’s important for us to recognise this part of identity as human? To remember that no matter how much good you think you do, you’re no better than your neighbour. Once we acknowledge this fact, then will we be able to drop the pretense and pride that comes with our altruism. Even then, we can't selfish natures in check.
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
I’m not gonna lie, I found this quote online. In fact, I googled “selfishness” in the hopes of getting a quote about it. No substance? I think not. More like, resourceful. But that’s not the point. I found the content of the quote very real. Just think about it. Why do we study? To get a degree? Work and get a stable income? At least that’s what a significant portion of my generation believes. Ultimately the world and our choices centre around our individual self-interests. There is an atmosphere of self-centredness amidst the occasional self-gratification we obtain from our perceived altruism. Truth is, it’s in our nature. Though we can’t deny that society and the world has a part in shaping our passion for all things “us”, all of us are selfish fundamentally. Makes you think about all the good virtues we learnt like ”人之初性本善” huh?
This is not really a call to action, to empower you to make someone else’s day brighter just for the sake of proving this keyboard warrior wrong. Neither am I a cynic proclaiming that all altruistic work is pointless and to stop doing good altogether. I don’t really know what this is. I guess it’s important for us to recognise this part of identity as human? To remember that no matter how much good you think you do, you’re no better than your neighbour. Once we acknowledge this fact, then will we be able to drop the pretense and pride that comes with our altruism. Even then, we can't selfish natures in check.
Saturday 16 April 2016
For tomorrow will worry about itself
Recently an opportunity opened up for me, an interview for a potential teaching scholarship. As with most scholarships, this one has a bond for about 4 years? And I’ve been thinking more about it – whether I really want this for myself, whether it truly is my passion to teach. Honestly if you ask me I’m kinda caught between a few choices right now and I’m pretty sure, like many of my peers, I’m terribly uncertain about which one is the “right” path for me.
You know how they say “follow your dreams”? Well what if you’re clueless about your own passions? Or what if the epiphany you’ve been expecting is long overdue? I think it’s much more complicated than that. If one starts thinking of their future where I am right now, the mind could conjure up so many considerations – job prospects, comfort of living in the future, will my parents be proud of me? Maybe that’s why I avoid thinking too much about it, too much comes up. See, it’s not as simple as “following your dreams” anymore. Eventually the path one takes up could be for a variety of reasons, the ability to generate stable income being one of the more popular ones.
The question then, to ask is will I enjoy what I’m setting myself up for? Because I’m probably gonna be doing that for the most part of my life. You know what I think? I believe we’ll never be able to know for certain. To quote a certain someone (played by Tom Hanks): ”Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” Truth is, life is that unpredictable.
And I guess for me, the only real thing that relieves my anxious heart is the fact that somewhere deep down (in the recesses of this flawed heart :o ) I know that wherever God places me, it’s truly for a greater purpose. Though I’ve tended to neglect this great truth many a times, every time I consider it, somewhere, some burden within me is relieved. And no, I’m most definitely not exaggerating haha, though some of my friends staunchly abhor anything that gives off a whiff of “religion”.
Point is, there’s always gonna be surprises in life (that’s what makes it exciting right? :P). How you deal with them is thus telling of your personality and fundamental belief. I’ve seen people who spent much of their time awake worrying about what the future holds, even being engaged in mind-numbing working in an effort to get a reprieve from their worries. What for? Embrace the challenges that life throws, for that’s what makes us uniquely human, our adaptability. For believers, trust in the Lord’s work in your lives and pray that we’ll all be sensitive to His reality, wherever we are.
Hey, since you’ve already read this much, do me a favour and read this(:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
You know how they say “follow your dreams”? Well what if you’re clueless about your own passions? Or what if the epiphany you’ve been expecting is long overdue? I think it’s much more complicated than that. If one starts thinking of their future where I am right now, the mind could conjure up so many considerations – job prospects, comfort of living in the future, will my parents be proud of me? Maybe that’s why I avoid thinking too much about it, too much comes up. See, it’s not as simple as “following your dreams” anymore. Eventually the path one takes up could be for a variety of reasons, the ability to generate stable income being one of the more popular ones.
The question then, to ask is will I enjoy what I’m setting myself up for? Because I’m probably gonna be doing that for the most part of my life. You know what I think? I believe we’ll never be able to know for certain. To quote a certain someone (played by Tom Hanks): ”Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” Truth is, life is that unpredictable.
And I guess for me, the only real thing that relieves my anxious heart is the fact that somewhere deep down (in the recesses of this flawed heart :o ) I know that wherever God places me, it’s truly for a greater purpose. Though I’ve tended to neglect this great truth many a times, every time I consider it, somewhere, some burden within me is relieved. And no, I’m most definitely not exaggerating haha, though some of my friends staunchly abhor anything that gives off a whiff of “religion”.
Point is, there’s always gonna be surprises in life (that’s what makes it exciting right? :P). How you deal with them is thus telling of your personality and fundamental belief. I’ve seen people who spent much of their time awake worrying about what the future holds, even being engaged in mind-numbing working in an effort to get a reprieve from their worries. What for? Embrace the challenges that life throws, for that’s what makes us uniquely human, our adaptability. For believers, trust in the Lord’s work in your lives and pray that we’ll all be sensitive to His reality, wherever we are.
Hey, since you’ve already read this much, do me a favour and read this(:
Matthew 6: 25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
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