The Truth Is Out There

Since time immemorial, people have been in search for truth. People have turned to religion to find explanations of things that they can't explain. Religion has an explanation for everything, and that is the concept of a supreme creator - God. Indeed it is easy to just accept God. Without question, you can attribute all things to God. What is the origin of the sun? the planets? the universe? None other but God. How about the plants and animals? How about the origin of man? Religious fanatics, without a doubt, would say that the origin of everything is God.

However, there are some people who have turned to science to find explanations of things that they cannot fathom. Science is factual. Mathematics is absolute. To prove an existence of something using science and mathematics makes the discovery irrefutable. Now is the age of science. People who pursue knowledge rely on scientific facts to answer complexities of life. 

The truth is out there. It is up to the person to decide which kind of truth he wants to believe in. There is a saying that a person would only want to believe what he wants to believe. Truth is absolute, but ironically, it is also relative. So what is the truth? The truth is inside of us, we just have to discover it by ourselves.

Realization

Today, I listened to a friend who had a fight with her husband. From what I heard, her husband seemed insensitive, uncommunicative an unappreciative. Her story made me think of my own situation, and it made me thankful that even though my husband is far away right now he is very thoughtful, and he doesn't fail to communicate.

I pondered about my friend's marital situation and it made me realize how lucky I am to have my husband who is kind and loving. I sent a message to my husband through Skype, telling him how much I miss him especially that Valentine's is coming, and he sent me this picture as a reply.

The picture made me cry. As usual, he always says the right things, and that's why I love him so much.

Breathe

In Japan, people work themselves to death so often that they have a term for it: KAROSHI. It can be literally translated from Japanese as "death from overwork." It's a terrible thing, and maybe not just Japanese suffer from this, but other people as well. It's ironic that even with technology helping us to make our lives easier, people nowadays are more stressed than before. Workaholics want to accomplish many things that they sometime forget to breathe. We all need to BREATHE. If you have so many tasks to do, breathe. It will help you bring into focus, and help you realize that work is just work. Breathing can transform your life. It will help you realize and enjoy each moment of this life. Let us not die because of our work. Let us have some time to breathe so we can spend our life with our loved ones too.

Doting Grandparents

Whenever my children get sick, I try to keep my cool, remain calm and collected and be rational about everything. My mother and father on the other hand, panic and advise me to go to the doctor ASAP. When this happens, we have a disagreement, and they become an expert in parenting all of a sudden and boss me around.

I think grandparents love their grandchildren exaggeratedly. They become overly excited about very little things, and become overly anxious with a simple mosquito bite. It is annoying, but I can't blame my parents. I was an only child. Maybe when they were younger, they wanted to have other children too. Now that I have kids of my own, they dote on them, and who am I to reject this over affection?

For their peace of mind, I go to the doctor, even if its unnecessary. Because if I don't, they threaten to punish me, as if I'm still 10 years old. 

Why Do We Shout In Anger?

This is not my original composition. I saw this from Facebook which was shared by a friend. I believe, a guy who calls himself Story Weaver made this story. It's so beautiful, I just had to share it.

A Hindu saint who was visiting river Ganges to take bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled 'n asked.

'Why do people shout in anger shout at each other?'

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout.'

'But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.' asked the saint

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples.
Finally the saint explained, .

'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.

What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small...'

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper 'n they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other 'n that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'

He looked at his disciples and said.

'So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.'

Starting 2013 with a List of Challenges

Every January, it has been a tradition for most people to make New Year's Resolutions.


resolution (n) - a firmness of purpose or determination; something determined or decided

People make resolutions every start of the year and many end up discontinuing these resolutions by February. Exercising for example is one common resolution for most people. Chubby people, such as myself, would try to exercise vigorously during the first week of January, and then finally give up on it when the results are not that immediate. Another resolution, such as reading the Bible, would also be in one's list, but then after reading the book of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, etc., some people would get bored, and forget reading the rest of the year.

Resolutions are not just things that you want to do, but are also things that you want to quit. Some would like to quit smoking. At first, they would be successful, but in a moment of weakness, or perhaps, in a moment of heightened emotional state, one would succumb to the attraction of nicotine, and would be a worse smoker than before. Some people, would like to quit drinking coffee. Some, want to quit their current job. Only a few people become successful in quitting. Others, continue to do what is comfortable, too afraid to leave the comfort zone.

Resolutions are not just things that you want to do, or things that you want to quit. Resolutions are also things that you want to change about yourself. Every year, people would promise to be more patient, more loving, more generous, more understanding, more passionate, more responsible, and so on. People try to change outwardly, and try to exercise their self control. In January, most people seem to be kinder. Most people seem to always be in control of their feelings. However, in the following months, they are back to their usual self. This is a fact. Change is not something outward. It's something inward. It's very difficult to change into someone that you're not. Deep inside, we really do not want to change, because our personality is what makes us different from others. Subconsciously, we use the concept of individuality as an alibi for us to remain the same. In the end, we realize that we are the same kind of person like who we were last year.

So this year, I am not making resolutions, nor promises to myself. This year, I made a list of challenges instead. These challenges have equivalent rewards. The motivation of doing the things in my list, is having the sense of achievement, and the reward that comes after each task. Many people are motivated by rewards, so I am using this strategy instead.

For example, this year, I made a blog entitled: 365-Day Instagram Challenge 2013. This year, I challenged myself to take one photo a day. My reward at the end of the year is a new digital camera or a cellular phone with a better camera resolution.

I will treat 2013 as one big contest. Life itself is indeed a challenge. The fact is, if you succeed in any endeavor, there is a prize waiting for you. This year, I listed them down and I will treat them not as a resolve or as a promise to myself, but as challenges that I have to do in order to have that sense of self-fulfillment. If I lose the challenge, then I have no reward. At least I don't have to punish myself if I fail to accomplish the task.

There will be no more resolutions this year, only challenges. What I need now, is to focus on the prizes that await me and also the strength to follow through.

The Book That Was 2012

Today I reviewed the events that happened in my life written in The Book That Was 2012. As I read through the pages of yet another chapter of my life, I discovered things about me that were both inspiring and unsettling. I figured that even I get surprised with my actions sometimes.

2012 has taught me how to ask forgiveness, especially to the ones that I have wronged before. These persons forgave me and I was able to find a little measure of peace which gave me an ultimate high. Last year I also faced my fear and had a pap smear. Going to the doctor and having some invasive test upsets me so, but I overcame, and with that, I also had a little measure of peace and will never be afraid of pap smears again.

I realized that I have read a lot of life-changing books last year, most of them were Newberry Winner awardees like The Giver and The Hundred Dresses. Unfortunately, I should have also read the Bible, which I seldom did, and I think I failed God in that aspect. I also was able to watch a lot of movies last year, like The Avengers, The Hunger Games and Rurouni Kenshin, but now I realize that I should have done more important things, like learning how to drive a car, or learning how to swim.

2012 has given me carnal temptations which I have fought valiantly. I realized that the devil will try to oppress you with these kind of things, but I remained faithful, because I fear God and I have love. But I also had moments of weakness and because of that I remember that I would just sit in a corner and cry uncontrollably because of my low self-esteem and self guilt.

I have learned how to let go of someone I love so that he would be able to achieve his dreams and have self-fulfillment and self-respect. I realized that letting go was hell at first, but it gets easy with time.

Reading The Book That Was 2012 has made me realize a lot of things that I need to improve on, like my patience for example. There were a lot of things that I accomplished, but I realized that I could have accomplished more. This 2013, I will strive to be better. I will learn from my mistakes and continue to do the good things that I have done before. I will learn new things and spend more time on things that matter. I can't wait to write my next chapter.

I Love My Job

One thing I learned in life is that no matter how your job seems to suck, you have to love it. You should wake up every morning and psych yourself by saying, "I love my job, I love my job, I love my job." Say it like an incantation, and try to convince yourself. 

Who says that working would be easy? Sooner or later, you will come to realize that working is not just all about the money. If you're an elementary school teacher like me, prepare to NEVER get materially rich. But, remember this: Ten years from now, when you see your students all grown up and successful, you will come to realize that being a teacher is not so bad after all. Finally, the realization would sink in and then you would be able to say now, with conviction, that you really DO LOVE your job. 

There are perks to being an elementary school teacher. There are perks to your current job. . . maybe you just have to wait for quite a while to find out, so, don't you just quit yet.

Here Come The Businessmen

It's the Christmas season once again. Here come the businessmen! Apparently, people forget what Christmas is about. Some use the Christmas season as an opportunity to do business. It's sad, but true. Everywhere you look, establishments like department stores commercialize Christmas and promote consumerism and materialism. Businessmen work double time during Christmas to sell unimportant things to people. People in return get suckered into buying things that they don't need. They get suckered to buy things for other people even if they are not obliged.

People may argue that Christmas is a time for sharing and giving gifts so that's why they do these things. What they don't understand is that Christmas is not just about giving gifts, or charity work. What they don't understand is that Christmas has become too commercialized that its meaning has been forgotten.

What is CHRISTMAS really? Is it really Jesus' birth? Or is it just an invention to promote materialism? Do your research and then you decide. Are we really required to give gifts on Christmas day? Should we continue making these opportunists rich? The answer is up to us.

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My Paranoia Comes to an End

Admit it. You too have become paranoid about that Mayan End of the World thing. Whenever there's a doomsday prediction, I can't help but be a little paranoid about it. It's not because I have so little faith. It's probably because I'm a sucker for doomsday predictions, and I can't help but think, "What if the prediction is right?" December 21, 2012 came and went, and it was pretty much an uneventful day. There was no blackout. No aliens. No flood. No nothing. Late at night, the apocalyptic film, 2012, was shown in Star Movies. People regarded the film funny, now that the End of the World did not come. . . yet.

I'm sure that the End will come. But I hope that it's not so soon. I just hope there would be no more doomsday predictions because they really make me paranoid and nervous. I guess i have to strengthen my faith, because the end is uncertain. I guess this irrational fear comes from unpreparedness. I'm just glad that I survived the said Mayan Apocalypse. In 2013, i'm sure i would not waste my time on trivial things and make every moment count. We really don't know when the world will end. But we know that all good things come to an end, so we better cherish these things before it's too late.

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