Monday, February 7, 2011

It's Up To You

You will have noticed that I have included an image in my blog banner. The picture depicts a situation that can be viewed as sunrise or sunset. This is just to remind myself that I can chose see a gloomy view of sunset or a hopeful view of sunrise. I hope you like it too.

Incidentally, the two times of the day I like the most are just after sunrise and about an hour just before sunset. At these times, I feel very serene and like to take long walks, especially if it along the beach, wooded area or high up in the mountains. By the way, these are some of my other best days:
- best day of the week is Friday
- best day of the month is payday
- best day of the year is bonus day

Traffic this morning was surprising smooth and there was also ample parking space. I met up with Liz at Newlife. She looks good and does not give any hint of being a cancer patient. Beaming with joy when she spoke and full of life. I hope she will continue to be this way. We chattered for a while. Later she passed me some of the low dose naltrexone pills that will last me 200 days of use. Thank you for being so kind. In return, I also gave her some Liver pills that I think she will need to nurse her Liver back to health.

I have been going through a period of low for sometime now. I feel lousy. As in the past, when under such circumstances, I would begin self motivation. The way I get out of the rut is by watching some movies or dramas. This time round I am watching a Korean costume drama series. Basically, the motivation that I get from watching the series is that no matter how bad the situation seems, the rule is never to give up. Always hold to the very end. A friend always reminds me that there will always be provisions.

I like to watch Korean costume dramas because I get to see beautiful sceneries (yes, the actresses too). Stunning beautiful mountains, forests and beaches.

5 comments:

  1. Bro CT,

    All of us, being humans, have our share of moments of joys and cheerfulness; similarly, everyone have their innermost painful and bitter moments. This so-called desert experience can either be perpetually painful or it can be purifying – the difference lies in the depth of one’s spiritual life and relationship with God.

    Many mystics have shown that what is important with spiritual life is not what we possess – virtue, goodness, humility, integrity, etc – but rather, a relationship with the Divine; a self realization of the God within you. When one is aware of this, then who we are, what we are and what we face “decreases” and God “increases”; detachment from the world. The Christian scriptures expresses this beautifully - God chooses what is weak in the eyes of the world to confound the strong; He chooses what is lowly to confound the proud; He chooses what is nothing in the eyes of the world to confound that which is.

    In Hinduism, detachment is the realization of God; where the mind becomes totally detached to the attractions of the world, so that spiritual progress can result. Detachment is just another form of being screwed around by your own human thoughts or emotions. The real solution is to change your thinking in a very deep way so that your thoughts no longer dictate your emotional state. What Buddhism teaches is non-attachment. Sathya Sai Baba once said that detachment gives peace even amidst troubles.

    As a drop of water on a lotus leaf disappears in no time, even so, we should know that our life is transient and will disappear very much like that and in no time. The world is full of sorrow and the human body is full of disease. Our life is full of turbulent thoughts and is like a dilapidated house. Under these conditions, it is possible to live in a peaceful manner, only by following the Divine path and getting over all our worldly attachments. So long as one does not know who God is, one cannot escape these sorrows.

    One form of detachment is the practice of equanimity. Detachment is not being indifferent to the world or to life or to those we care for. It basically means taking the sting out of our human emotions or thoughts that are based on superficial considerations and secular criteria. Transcending beyond your human emotions and thoughts and being compassionate to yourself, life and people around you will lead you live this short worldly life more fully and perhaps, see more of the Divine in all situations and circumstances. We all came into the world with absolutely nothing and one day, all of us will return to our Creator, hopefully, with something, that is a relationship with Him who made us and gave us life.

    You must use the time you have to find God in all things as only with through this lens that all your sunrises and sunsets, days, months and years, minutes, seconds and hours, moments and breath, becomes a great joy and a gift from God. You may even discover that the situation you are in can be a life renewing experience; transforming pain into purification, loneliness into divine silence, self pity into an experience you can share to inspire others, hopelessness into total reliance on God…like it or not, you must embrace your condition and not let cancer rule your life; instead, there is a God out there who will not allow you to suffer more than you can, a God who knows that you can make the best out of this to touch lives. Everything can be beautiful again, if you choose to contemplate all through the eyes of the Divine. That I believe was what gave you inspiration, hope and strength. Everything is still there, you need to be quiet, meditate on the scriptures and you will find the answer which was always hidden within your heart.

    cont...

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  2. cont...

    Don’t start embedding hopelessness, roadblocks and anger into your life. Don’t expect everyone else to give you way just because you are sick. Live each day as your last with the motto, how can this last day be better than the first? We are all going to die sometime so don’t you dwell in self pity. There is a reason why patients are called patients – time is never in their control – but you must spend time to realize you need less of you and more of God.
    There is a time for everything…a time to weep and a time to laugh…your time now is to live…so that through you, many others will be inspired and live for fully!

    Hope this will encourage you a wee bit more! God bless!!

    By the way, both the sunrise and sunset also symbolizes a new dawn, a new day, a new you!

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  3. Dear CT,
    I have found another company that sales the raw Noni jc. and I have ordered a case; I would like to send you a bottle as a gift. That way if it does not benefit you...you are not out anything. If you would send me an address to my email: lanoble_woman@yahoo.com
    I will send you a bottle.

    Wishing you well,
    Mona

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for sharing your insights about God.

    I would just like to quote what HE The Dalai Lama said about religion:

    The best religion is the one that gets you closest to God. It is the one that makes you a better person.

    Whatever makes you
    - more compassionate,
    - more sensible,
    - more detached,
    - more loving,
    - more humanitarian,
    - more responsible,
    - more ethical.

    The religion that will do that for you is the best religion.

    I am not interested, my friend, about your religion or if you are religious or not.

    What really is important to me is your behaviour in front of your peers, family, work, community, and in front of the
    world.

    Remember, the universe is the echo of our actions and our thoughts.

    The law of action and reaction is not exclusively for physics. It is also of human relations.

    If I act with goodness, I will receive goodness. If I act with evil, I will get evil.

    What our grandparents told us is the pure truth. You will always have what you desire for others.

    Being happy is not a matter of destiny. It is a matter of options.

    Take care of your Thoughts because they become Words.

    Take care of your Words because they will become Actions.

    Take care of your Actions because they will become Habits.

    Take care of your Habits because they will form your Character.

    Take care of your Character because it will form your Destiny,

    and your Destiny will be your Life

    … and …

    There is no religion higher than the Truth.

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  5. Dear Mona,

    Thank you for your generosity. I will contact you via email about the arrangements.

    ReplyDelete