Everything's all right

NO matter what kind of situation you are in; no matter how troubled you are right now; no matter how penniless you feel, or how desperate you are for hope, joy and peace of mind, everything will be all right in the end.
Sounds crazy, I know but it's true. This life is not what it seems, nor how horrendous your life is right now. Everything will truly be right eventually.
How do I know? Because I have experienced it. Remember when you were a tiny tot or even a bewildered teenager years ago, when something happened that seemed to put an end to all your dreams.
Well, now that it's years later, how do you feel? Do you think you have survived reasonably well from that fiasco or major "catastrophe"? See, everything turns out well in the end, didn't it?
That's how it is with everything else in life. Even if you die (no, it's really not that terrible), it will be all right once you have "crossed" over to the other side.
Once again, how do I know? Written accounts of NDE (Near Death Experiences) have revealed that it is all right to expire as human beings. Death is in the natural order of things. As we are born, so must we die. The entire process bespeaks of a grander scheme of things.
If you are in a dilemma right now, rest assured you will emerge from the dark tunnel in one piece in the end. Do not fret. Do not be overly anxious. Do not live in quiet desperation.
The circle of life does not permit anything to go awry in its finality. Anything that happens is for a reason. If you feel pain in the process, it's because certain things must be set in motion.
But joy and happiness is a matter of choice. Should you choose to be happy, nothing can stop you. Should you choose to be sad, again nobody can stand in your way. The way to happiness is a dual carriageway of express proportions.
Therefore, choose to be happy. Never be sad. It's so sad to want to be sad. What's the point of feeling miserable?
AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS - these words were engraved in hallowed walls of the old Testament. Those five words have a story that more or less sums up the human existence.
Many eons ago, a king told one of his smarter subjects to find something that can make a happy man sad, and a sad man happy. Find it or don't come back, said the King to his loyal subject.
So this poor bloke journeyed across the lands for months, and then years. Finally, at wit's end, he finally encountered an old man at a bazaar in a forgotten town. The old man saw the despair on the King's subject's face, and asked: "What is it that you need, my good man?"
The subject told his story. After listening to his plight attentively, the old man said: "I think I have what you need." The old man scribbled five words on a parchment and gave it to the subject.
The guy read it and smiled. He quickly returned to the palace. The King was pleased to see him. "So, what have you got for me? Did you find the answer?" asked the King.
The parchment was handed over to the King. After he read it, the smile on the King's face faded. Despite his enormous wealth and infinite privileges as the King, the Ruler looked sad and uttered, "how true these words are!" With that, he walked slowly back to his chambers.
And so it was written and found to be true for all of God's children living here on earth - And this too shall pass. The king who just read those words knew one day, he too shall die, or perhaps become sick and then die. In the end, all that he has will end.
When a poor man who may be terribly sick reads those words, he will interpret it as the end of his suffering - one day. For both men at both ends of the spectrum, no matter what kind of situation, they are in, one day for both of them, it will come to an end.
Thus, the moral of the story is do not form any everlasting attachment to your human condition or earthly possession. They will come to naught in the end. Everything that a rich man has will only be taken as far as his grave, and there the wealth shall stay.
Hence, hear ye, all shall be all right in the end. So it is written, so shall it be done.

Why Men Like Knives

IS IT so strange to understand why men in general tend to be fascinated by knives, swords, guns and weapons of minor destruction. In the absence any substantive scientific evidence, I am inclined to rationalise the entire issue by linking it to man's biological urge to hunt.
Embedded deep in a man's DNA is a gene that compels him to play the role of the hunter. It goes back to the prehistoric age when caveman fends for his family so that the survival of the race is assured.
Now eons later, with the necessity for hunting being transformed into working for a living and supporting the family, man continues to find the subject of knives and guns pretty interesting.
The hunting gene is still there. It has not lessened the primodial urge to hunt, kill and conquer.
Knives are likened to a very useful tool to achieve certain aims. A knife can kill an animal for food. It can shape things. It can be used for utility purposes. It can establish authority in the absence of a clear-cut leader.
A knife is to a man's function, just as trinklets are to a woman's beauty. Try explaining to a woman why she doesn't need a whole cupboardful of costume accessories and you will receive a earful.
Conditions on Earth may have changed over the millennia but men and women have changed that much.
Hence, if you are a woman and if you happen to see a man carrying a knife, don't jump to the conclusion that he may be a killer. That guy is just reacting to an instinct that is inherent in the helix of his psychology.

The Politics of Religion

EVER wondered why leaders of religious movements seem to have so much power? Well, it's about time you realise that religion is one of the best avenues to gain power over people.
Over the centuries across the world, religious leaders have used their office to provide succour and also to gain favours of enormous earthly proportions.
That's not the most alarming thing (earthly possessions). The most disturbing consequence of religious development is the spread of hatred and the indoctrination of death in exchange of heavenly rewards.
If you have a TV at home or read at least one newspaper a day, you would realise that influential clerics regardless of creeds have abused their powers relentlessly and much to the alarm of true spiritual leaders.
Seriously, one would have thought that humans in general are armed with lots of common sense than to be taken in by these hate mongers who are using their religious hold on devotees to realise their own earthly, personal agendas.
However, religions of different hues have been miused and abused since time immemorial. Mankind is generally superstitious and is usually susceptible to threats of the inexplicable kind.
The politics of religion is a field that has created many dark chapters in the history of the human race. Millions have died in the hands of common folks who have been swayed and driven to commit horrendous acts of brutality on their own fellow brethern. These dastardly deeds have been instigated by so-called men and women of religion.
Therefore, the first rule of the thumb is to be aware of the fact that a true spiritual leader never spread the gospel of hatred, nor would he in any way wishes to see the destruction and suffering of others.
The moment a religious leader calls for the death of others, he should be shouted down as a charlatan and a fraud. God does not want any suffering or even the slightest hurt perpectuated on his people on earth. That is not the divine plan.
The divine plan is happiness, enlightenment and soulful joy of being one with the Almighty.
At this crucial juncture in man's history, we must keep our eyes wide open, and our hearts warm to the faults of others. In our quest for peace and happiness on earth and among humankind, we must stay alert to the constant and frantic calls from the false prophets who demand the suffering and if necessary the death of others.
Religion has become politics of the most deadly kind. We must chuck gullibility out of our lives. It is being used as a vehicle for selfishness, hostility, aggression and conquest.
If mercy, love and forgiveness become very much part of our persona, such darts of hatred will be deflected from our lives.

Holidays are a must

IF YOU have not gone on a holiday, it's about time you do. Vacation is one of the most therapeutic exercises in the world. First, you leave all your professional worries behind (I hope so).
Second, you revert to your good old self (please, most of us are not naturally grumpy). Third, you make wonderful discoveries on your travels, that is, if you travel out of town or just cruising on the highway to nowhere.
It is also a time for pulling the family together. It's a time to make new friends and see the "other side of the mountain". Goodness, all of us can do with some time-off now and then.
In one single calendar year, we should have a minimum of four breaks. In fact, if you can manage to pull off six, you are a genius. Holidays work wonders for the tired mind and tarnished personality.
Your family will be glad to get back their "old" man of the house, and you won't be so uptight about the small stuff that seem to bother you all the time on a daily basis.
Go on vacation. If you can, extend it. I have just tried it and it was wonderful. It reminded me that there's a whole wide world outside my office walls. There are so many interesting people elsewhere and I know I am not alone.
On top of it, there are so many beautiful things to see and so many nice people to meet.
Suddenly, it seems money is not so important after all. Chasing after that promotion and looking out for No. 1, begin to sound rather silly. You also get a glimpse of your limited time on earth and the mortality that comes with it.
Holidays make you appreciate your family. It tells you that your time shared with them is memories personified and they will become part of your life forever.
Ultimately, it sets your bearings right again. For those who have forgotten how to go on vacation, it's time they be reminded. There's not only the truth out there, there's an entire universe waiting to be discovered. And also your heart and soul call out for some self-renewal.
The light at the end of your office tunnel is actually the beam of sunlight shining bright just for you. Get off your butt and leave your cares behind. Heaven awaits you!!

The Joy of Going Home

IF you are the type who loves your family and vice versa, going joy is a daily joy. Thus, you can quickly and easily come to the conclusion that no matter what happens you will at least have 300 days of happiness out of a possible 365.
Happiness is seeing wife, children or even your pet dog welcoming you home, as if you were serving in Kandahar for the past 12 months. Isn't it such a pleasant feeling to know that there are actually people having a great time just seeing your face.
Many fathers and working mothers take this little family situation for granted. We take for granted the blessings that are bestowed upon us without us even asking for them.
Yes, we see our family members everyday but to have them opening the door for you and maybe even giving you a hug - now that's a bonus which many lonely bacholers or single women would give an arm and a leg for.
You have have two million bucks sitting in the bank for you but money can only provide financial security. Money does not jump up and hold you in its arms and plant kisses on your face.
This is one of mankind's greatest gifts. It is the pleasure of giving expressions of love to others. It is holding their hands, hugging them and giving others a smile when they step into your house.
I am a working father of many years. I am also very lucky. My wife opens the gate for me every morning when I go to work. She's there to open the door when I arrive home. Sometimes, I take for granted these little acts of kindness.
Fortunately, I also remember them with great fondness, love and gratitude. Truly, I tell you, lucky is the man who has people welcoming him home on a daily basis.
This is just one little miracle that takes place in many homes all over the world every day. It is what holds families together. It is something that lights up a man's life after a long, hard day in the office.
The joy of going home has its poignancy when a mother or a father has been away from home for a long time. The reason may be war, it may be out of economic necessity, it may be even over a misunderstanding.
Whatever the reason, going home has its benefits. It has pleasure only understood by people who long for such coming together by family members. It is knowing no matter who you are, or what you have been through, your family always loves you and you are always welcome home.
So coming home or going home has a special significance in all our lives. Even animals can sense a familiar person. A dog wags its tail. A cat purrs around your feet. A parrot may even say "hello".
A child knows the pleasure of going home. In his innocence, he jumps for joy, shouts and heads for the kitchen to look for the cookie jar. It is happiness expressed best in the purity of a child's soul and in total innocence.
The joy of going home cannot be understated. It is something that reminds us that love is forever. It is universal and it is what makes the world go round.
Have your little journeys in life by all means but there's nothing like going home. There's that familiarity that tugs at your heart-strings. There's an ambience that makes your home special. A familiar aroma that you can truly identify with and it is emanating from your home.
Going home also means reconciling with joyful memories. It is about sharing and caring. It is knowing about mortality and the preciousness of time. It is what makes us human.
Listen to your heart. When you are most tired, when you are frustrated, when you needled by pinpricks of trouble - you will always want to go home.

Be That Candle In The Dark

HERE'S something to think about. While three quarters of the world are moaning and groaning about how cruel life is treating them, other more enlightened individuals should be the "eye of the hurricane", the oasis in the desert or even be the "calm that accompanies every big storm."
It is not difficult to be the only person who's unaffected by all the chaos that surrounds you. All you have to do is to develop and inculcate a mindset that kickstarts into an icon of serenity when trouble comes a-visiting.
First, you have to learn to meditate. There's meditation and there's meditation. The real one fills you up and then transform your being. It sounds a bit corny and even slightly ridiculous but truly it is not so.
Meditation is that avenue to inner peace that has eluded some of the best human beings with the grandest intentions. It should be done without effort. To reach a dominion not of man but of spirit, one must follow the path of the spirit. That is without trying, one is there.
I wish I have a simpler explanation but there is none forthcoming from my side. Pure meditation is a journey without distance. It opens vistas unknown to human sight but crystal clear to the soul within.
Once you have "arrived", the circle is complete, so to speak. There's no need for explanation, you are there. Zen monks call it "being". From there you become the "candle" which I have mentioned.
You will emit an aura that others sense but do not see or feel. You will affect the composure of others. If they are troubled, they become composed in your presence. If they are sad, a certain peace will descend on on. If they are hostile, calmness enters their hearts.
It is what Chinese monks call the "Tao". It is a formless form. It is a tranquillity devoid of exterior signs. All darkness fades in the presence of the "candle". Where such celestial light shines, darkness finds no home.
Every man can achieve that level of awareness. It is a sign that you have "arrived." When you become the light, all sorrow vanishes, all misery takes flight, all unhappiness will cease to exist.
There's no need for wants where the light dwells. There's no desire for material possessions when the need is gone. There's no wish for happiness because it is already exists.
Be that candle, my friend. Everyone can do it. It begins with wishing, wanting and an inextinguishable quest to seek the higher consciousness. When the student seeks the master, the master appears.
Now that the earth is teetering on the edge of sociological chaos and ecological disaster, all the more "candles" are needed. Shine your light upon those who will need to "find their way home".
Be the torch to guide other lost souls home. Shine your light in the darkened corners of your neighbours' hearts. Brighten their minds with your knowledge, bring calm and peace into their hearts, awaken their souls with thy light and guide them across the chasm that they have widened for themselves.
For that is the responsibility of all those who hath become light beings. Bring them all home. To do this is to do it to oneself. For we are all one. The joy that accompanies each successful soul triggers a chain of joy that spreads across the heavens and on earth.
Know that that is thy mission on earth. Heaven watches and sends its messengers across the galaxies for all that is to be fulfilled. Amen.

Exercise your way to longevity

IT IS a modern malaise that individuals don't exercise until they hear Death's knocking at the door. Now why do they do that at such a late hour in their lives.
Yes, there are all kinds of modern fitness centres that are equipped to exercise every part of the human anatomy. These centres have personal trainers, doctors on their panels, dieticians and physical educationists.
In the "old" days, your mother and mine used to walk for miles to the grocery shop or visit relatives. Adults in those days think nothing of walking miles to get what they want.
These days, people find it hard even to walk quarter of a kilometre to buy a newspaper. On top of that, most middle class families now travel everywhere in aircon vehicles. Society has become so affluent that modern conveniences are taken for granted.
The end result is people built up big, fat bank accounts and feeble bodies. Physical bodies gradually retrogress and illnesses cropped up earlier in individuals' lives.
The sad fact is that personal good health can no longer be taken for granted. Teenagers are getting heart attacks. Young adults are victims of sudden death syndrome. Young women suffering from illnesses that are foreign to their mothers and grandmothers.
Why is all this happening? The answer lies in our lifestyle. Gone are the ways of the yesterday when sweating was considered normal at any time of the day. These days sweating is only reserved for gyms.
Yes, there is a discernible surge in applications to join health clubs but most of the membership numbers are not sustainable. People drop out faster than the recruitment of new members.
Are we becoming a society of weaklings? The choice of food is also another contributory factor. Many of the processed food items found in supermarket are deemed unhealthy for long term consumption.
Scientists are beginning to find out more and more about the hazards of consuming too much processed food. This is partly due to the preservatives put into the cans and packages of edible items.
If our forefathers thought nothing of walking miles everyday, today our lives are focused on getting from point A to point B without breaking into a sweat. Some of us think it is unbecoming to be caught in a sweaty state.
The sweat stains will tarnish our image and spoil our clothes. In the end, it simply means we try our best to sweat as little as possible. This of course means we hardly exercise our bodies.
The human body is built for daily workouts. If we don't exercise our body, it will atrophy. It will begin by atrophying in parts and in the end, it will be the sum of the total. By that time, it would be time to check out of Planet Earth.
So to make a long story short, we all must exercise. We should make it our daily routine. It should not be considered a chore. It must be as essential as breathing, taking a bath or simply lifting our hands.
Exercise is the panacea for a lot of ills. A brain that does not exercise will be of little use to its owner. A pair of legs which see little movement will soon be a liability to its owner.
Therefore, exercise for the good health and long life. We must do it beginning today or else we are doing ourselves a great disservice. If our earthly existence is cut short unnecessarily, we are being unfair to our loved ones. They need us to make their lives fuller, and vice versa.
Longevity is balanced on the pole of good thoughts and strong body. It is not something new. It is not a big secret. It is simply common sense.

From Cradle to Grave

MEMORIES. From your earliest memories - it could be as early as three years old - come the flavour and sentimentality that will form your persona as you add maturity and years to your life.
These are the remnants of childhood experiences that each and everyone of us carries with us to our graves. Of course, there may be times when a sudden and traumatic event is thrust upon you.
In the case of such an event, you may envision your entire life in five seconds but such incidents are rare.
Man's life experiences are made up of past memories. An individual can only have memories if he has experienced them or seen them through the eyes of others. What benefits do we derive from memories which we carry within us from cradle to grave.
Bad experiences quickly become bad memories. These have a tendency to be pushed far into the recesses of our mind. Sometimes they are shut down almost forever until another bigger trauma jolted them out of cold storage.
Pleasant memories are like balm for an aching soul. These are the candles in the dark when we need them most. For example, if we are caught in a life-and-death situation and we are not sure if we can make it out alive, then good memories become the rope to safety or sanity for us.
A man who is floating alone in an open sea will remember all the nice things about the loved ones waiting and praying anxiously for his return. Sometimes love alone can save a life.
Hence, memories serve as a raft for us to float out from the sea of woes to the land of hope and love.
A man who has lost his memory is a man without hope. He wanders like a lost sheep. He has no ties, no past, no present and almost no future. That's how important memories are.
A child who has good memories will grow up to be a nice person because there are no bad experiences to affect his personality adversely. A child who has more than his share of bad memories enters adulthood with a burden that would take a lot of effort to shake off.
Thus, we have troubled lives in our midst. These are the people who are unable to unshackle the chains of bad memories that have continued to trouble their minds and hold their hearts to ransom.
An individual who can control his memories can shape his present and alter his future. Therein lies the escape route for all those who harbour bad experiences aka bad memories and unwittingly continue to grope in the darkness of their minds.
All of us can control our minds, that is if we are not certified insane. The idea is to fill every living second of our lives with pleasant experiences. We accept the good, receive the joyful and retain the pleasant.
We make it a lifelong habit to be nice, to be kind and always to be optimistic. Armed with these weapons of mass happiness, we should be able to conquer the gloom and doom that surround the pessimistic and sorrowful.
Let it be known that in THIS life, all of us have a choice. Choice is one of God's greatest gifts to us humans. We can choose to be sad. We can choose to be bad. We can choose to be miserable and we can definitely choose to be happy and hopeful.
The road to unhappiness is not a one-way road. It is a six-lane highway. The rest of the lanes are called joy, hope, happiness, confidence and serenity!
Now, go and choose the road of your life.

The Power of Qi

JUST when you thoughts human beings are quite useless, you learn that all humans have powers beyond belief. What!!!??? You exclaim. Yes, my friends, long before man invented the Atom bomb and proceeded to threaten his own existence, there were others who have already harnessed and mastered the energies of the universe.
Before you call 911 and suggest psychiatric evaluation, remember that this form of energy is latent in all of us. The Chinese have been practising it for ages. So have the Indians.
The Indian masters who use this kind of power within their being are known as yogi masters. Yogi masters are the ones you heard about being buried in the ground for seven days and then emerging fresh as a daisy.
Chinese kung fu masters used their Qi to heal others, foretell the future and break objects that cannot be broken by ordinary mortals. The power of qi can be harnessed by just anybody.
There are exercises that can be done but it will take some discipline to link body, mind and soul. It takes meditation and a certain purity of heart to make that journey to catch a glimpse of eternity.
Hogwash, you say? Apparently, many other people think so too. A lot of Westerners think people in the East have been eating too much rice and begin to suffer from hallucinations about all these godly powers.
In the days of yore, Chinese martial arts experts used qi to attain physical strength unheard of even in modern times. There have been whispers that some ancients martial arts masters who have lived beyond 300 years.
Today, if you get to live to celebrate your 80th birthday, you are considered truly blessed. Statistics have shown that people are dying at a younger age.
Qi is a kind of bio-kinetic energy. It is the body's ultimate weapon. No disease can stand against it. It can render a man ageless. Qi can make a person lifts great weights and endure ordeals that would have killed ordinary people like squashed flies.
The power of qi helps link all men, regardless of race or creed. Qi does not seek to overcome, instead it seeks to communicate. It can bridge all lapses of communication, including with those whoo cannot speak your language. Qi alters the state of the universe.
It is the ethereal spirit that conquers times and space.
Qigong masters see beyond earth and set their sights on a dimension of love, positive energy and total peace.
If by now, you are turned off, rest assured one day you may understand the implications of all that is, all that was and all that is made possible.
For those who seek qi, not all will find its jewel. Yes, you can reach the upper limits of your mental powers but you wouldn't be able to achieve kundalini.
Know that the world you live in right now is an illusion. Know that the place you call home is actually not your own. Qi in its finest moment sees the falsity of all that exists.
Qi is one with everything. You may search for qi but if your heart is not ready, it will not come to meet you.
But you must not give up. Walk in the path of doubts and see the light that is qi.
Qi is the light that sets you free. Seek it, find it and forever be one with it, and you will never be in want of anything for the rest of your life.

Death - the twin brother of Life

DEATH is one subject that most people shun. They think it is something avoidable or they are just plain superstitious.
Death is as normal as the sun rising at the break of dawn. For something to be born anew, to replenish, to rejuvenate, there must be death. Death taken in its singular context of the end of what is triggers thoughts of gloom, darkness and a finality that can't be overcome.
All my life, I have encountered Death. I experienced it at first hand when I was a first-year student at university when a colleague was killed in an accident. He was 21 at that time. I was one of the pall bearers.
Then through the years, friends and loved ones passed away one after another. After a while, it became rather normal.
Despite knowing that death is very much part of our lives, we strive our best to delay its arrival, or premature visit. Ninety-nine out of 100 people are afraid to die. To them, death means lost opportunities, of achieving great deeds, of making significant contributions, of leaving loved ones behind, of departing "before their time", etc.
Basically, people just don't want to die. That's sounds rather silly and yet it is only too real a feeling. So what is Eternity going to do? Nothing really, just let Nature takes its course.
A friend died only 48 hours ago. One day he was there, real as Life itself, next day, news of his sudden death appeared in the daily newspaper. It came as a shock even though as people governed by logic, we shouldn't be surprised. But surprised we all are.
My friend's death brought to the surface once again of how frail our existence is. We long to live a good life. We want to get mileage out of our journey on earth but we deliberately ignore the fact that we will perish like everything else that is living in one form or another.
Why do humans fear Death so much? Is it something that is bad for us? Is it something that will hurt us? The answers to both preceding questions are No.
We read of accounts by people who have had Near Death Experiences. Almost all said there was nothing to fear, and it was actually quite pleasant.
In fact, most of them didn't want to return to the land of the living but they were told that "it was not their time". When is it really anybody's time? What shall we do in the meantime.
The answer lies in how we live and how well we conduct matters while we are still breathing. Death by all acounts is not the Grim Reaper. Neither is he Joe Black as Hollywood has described him.
Death is just another name for that bridge that links us to our real home. It is the tunnel that leads us to our real existence. On earth, it is the kind of stuff that dreams are made of.
After all that is said and done, how should we treat Death? We should treat it like a friend. We should look upon Death as a person who comes to welcome us to the world which we heard about but do not have the courage to venture into.
Death is the friend we should get to know but have always shunned. He's probably the kindest among the whole lot on earth. Death knows no pain, knows no sorrow and no attachment to all things unimportant.
Death seeks nothing, gives everything, is merciful, and is the conduit that leads others to a world that they deserve but do not crave for while on earth.
Death is the twin brother of Life. If you do not know Life, you will certainly know very little of Death. If you hold life dear to your heart, you may catch a glimpse of Death.
But do not welcome Death. He is not one that takes orders. Death liaises with Eternity. Death counsels the terminally ill and weary. Life teaches us to appreciate all that is given to us. Death teaches us that Life has got a place in our hearts but Death will always have our interests in eternity.