Be Strong: How to Deal With Pain and Hardships in Your Life
23 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Every now and then life throws us in the deep end and tells us to swim. We find ourselves in overwhelming situations that we don’t know how to deal with. It might be the death of a loved one, a personal illness or a case of serious depression. In this post I want to give you a few ways to deal with the pain and hardships that you will encounter in your life. I hope it will inspire you just a little bit.
The first thing I want to talk about is the fact that pain and hardships are inevitable. No one can escape them. Every single one of us, at some point in our life, will experience pain, suffering and hardships of some form or another. My goal in saying this is not to depress you but rather to inspire you. How is this inspiring you might ask? Well it is simple. Being aware of the fact that you WILL experience suffering is a cause for hope because, unlike many other people, you now have a chance to prepare for it. And people who prepare are never as badly affected as those who don’t.
The next step is to realize that pain and hardships won’t last. We have heard it all before. What goes up must come down. What comes together must eventually part. What is composite will soon break. What is accumulated will one day be dispersed. Everything in our universe is impermanent. Nothing can escape it. As depressing as this sounds it also has an upside. The next time you are going through some pain or hardships you can remind yourself that it won’t last. You can look at everything in history and feel secure in knowing that, no matter how bad things seem now, the problems won’t last forever. What a wonderful thing! Like all things, suffering is also impermanent.
There is something very powerful about knowing that other people are going through what you are going through. Realizing that you are not alone is an extremely good way to deal with pain and hardships. The next step in this idea is to realize that thousands of other people have gone through what you are going through and come out the other end. They have made it through and won. They haven’t died, lost hope or given up. They have faced the very same thing as you (whatever it is) and they have come out the other end. Never forget this.
Love Is More Important Than Hate
22 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Love and hate are one of the strongest opposites in our dichotomous thinking. Why then unhappy love often turns into deep hate and ruined relationships? A person in love loves everyone. This overwhelmingly positive feeling can change the world drastically. A person in hate becomes an enormous destructive force. It drives an abyss of violence.
Love may be more powerful than hate because love can lead to hate, whereas hate never produce love. Love is more powerful because it gives birth to new positive challenges. Love changes a person, enriches the world, extends the horizons, enhances opportunities, brightens friendships, and deepens emotions. A person in love has a specific aura, a peculiar kind of energy that is given off and scattered in all directions.
However, love can go away. It simply disappears, vanishes. So powerful to disappear, or love never goes away. Love’s components are intimacy, passion and commitment, with all their variations. Consummate love that balances them all is rare. If Romeo and Juliet had lived longer, would they have loved each other with the same intimacy, passion and commitment? I have doubts. Love is powerful because it can transform. It is, in fact, a transforming process of flexible relationships, in which intimacy remains stable.
Who ever lived to hate? Love is powerful because it drives, navigates, directs and makes our existence meaningful. Hate invites loneliness, whereas love denies it. Hate ruins personality, whereas love builds ego identity. Hate results in acts of violence, whereas love leads to amazing acts of kindness. Hate destroys, whereas love creates. Hate is war, whereas love is peace. Hate is bad, whereas love is good. Hate is revenge, whereas love is construction. Hate is meaningless, whereas love is meaningful. It is impossible “to love to hate”. It is always “love” that gives birth to “love”. That’s the reason why love is more powerful than hate.
Discover your powers. Discover love in yourselves. Be sure you are more powerful than to love than to hate. Keep love inside and all will always be fine.
Lead a Healthier Life
22 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
We hear a lot about living a healthy lifestyle, but what does that mean? In general, a healthy person doesn’t smoke, is at a healthy weight, eats healthy and exercises. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
The trick to healthy living is making small changes…taking more steps, adding fruit to your cereal, having an extra glass of water…these are just a few ways you can start living healthy without drastic changes.
One of the biggest problems in America today is lack of activity. We know it’s good for us but avoid it like the plague either because we’re used to being sedentary or afraid that exercise has to be vigorous to be worth our time. The truth is, movement is movement and the more you do, the healthier you’ll be. Even moderate activities like chores, gardening and walking can make a difference.
Adding a little movement to your life can:
- Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes
- Improve joint stability
- Increase and improve range of movement
- Help maintain flexibility as you age
- Maintain bone mass
- Prevent osteoporosis and fractures
- Improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
- Enhance self-esteem
- Improve memory in elderly people
- Reduce stress
Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to mean drastic changes. In fact, drastic changes almost always lead to failure. Making small changes in how you live each day can lead to big rewards, so figure out what you can to be healthy today.
Uniforms Should Be Enforced In School
18 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
School should be based on how you learn, not how you look. They should enforce the school uniform policy so that no one has to worry what everyone else is wearing and concentrate on schoolwork. Times are changing in the world, there are more gangs, increase in teen violence, and most of all there are teen hormones. If people wear whatever they like how will kids ever learn in school nowadays?
There are fundamentally two benefits associated with school uniforms: a focus on learning, as well as a reduction of violence on campus. Many school administrators and parents believe that uniforms create a better learning environment at school. First and foremost, students are not distracted by how they look, and therefore, spend more time learning at school. The peer pressures of stylish dressing with the “best” brands are alleviated, and students can focus more upon their schoolwork, rather than social appearances. In fact, the socioeconomic differences present among students are equalized with school uniforms, minimizing the pressure to “fit in” with the right clothing choices. The mandate of uniforms on campuses will reduce tardiness, skipped classes, suspensions, and discipline referrals.
In addition, with the visual uniformity present across all students, the instance of school pride will increase. Similar to athletic team uniforms, dressing cohesively increases pride, unity, and a renewed commitment to the school. With uniforms, a more professional tone is set in school, encouraging students to take their studies more seriously.
Secondly, uniforms at school reduce the prevalence of violence, which is a major concern for many public schools. Outsiders who do not belong on campus are easily identified, and thus, do not pose a great threat to the students. Uniforms also reduce the “cliques” and gangs on school campuses. When it is not easy to identify members of gangs, the fights and violence decrease. When everyone look alike, there are less risk of being caught in gang fights for wearing the wrong color. With uniforms, no one is killed over a pair of Nikes or a Starter jacket. Students can no longer be disrupted by who is wearing which gang color, and therefore, the campus is kept safer with less incidences of fighting.
Whereas some parents believe that uniforms are more cost-effective than purchasing the latest stylish clothes, other parents argue that the cost of uniforms is steep. Typically, uniforms are more expensive up-front, as the parent must invest in all of the staples; however, as the school year progresses, there are fewer purchases that need to be made. On the other hand, students cannot wear their uniforms outside of school, and thus, there is the double-cost of both uniforms and a casual wardrobe. On regular school semesters, most of the child’s time will be spent doing his/her home works assignments and studying after school hours and will not have time to go out except during the weekends. Therefore, the cost of casual wardrobe will not be a big issue.
Deciding whether uniforms are right for your child depends upon the individual circumstances. If your child has a high need for self-expression, then uniforms may create unhealthy resentment. On the other hand, if you believe that your child needs to focus more on academics than physical appearances, then uniforms may help level the social pressures associated with independent dressing. Understanding what elements are most important for you and your child will help you determine if school uniforms are a right fit.
Chinese Superstitions
16 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Every culture has their own beliefs and with each generation becoming more educated these beliefs have been relegated to the status of superstitions. What could not be explained in olden times have been dissected, analyzed and relegated to either being a superstition or tradition. It is undeniable that Chinese are superstitious. But some of the superstitions have underlying reasons behind them. I am going to try explaining about Malaysian Chinese and their superstitions or taboos the way my mother explained it to me as a child.
Do not open an umbrella inside the house because a snake will come in. I have put that theory to a test and no snakes have ever come into my house so I think that it was just a taboo to prevent the floor from getting wet should the umbrella still hold remnants of the last rainfall.
There are lucky and unlucky numbers in Chinese culture. For instance, the number eight is lucky and symbolizes prosperity. Conversely, the number four is unlucky because it sounds like the Chinese word for death. Seven is death, and one is loneliness. The number nine is good because it sounds like the Cantonese word “sufficient.” This is adhered by many Malaysians as it is better to be safe than sorry.
Do not whistle or play the flute at night because you will attract spirits to you. Although I have not really tested this one out, I have at times done it without thinking and I do not think that I have attracted anything, as yet! My analytical mind would say that this taboo was just to be courteous to the neighbors.
Do not clip fingernails or toenails at night because it will cause you to see spirits. I have a habit of doing this at night because it is the only time when I am really at leisure to indulge in myself and no I have not seen any spirits or ghosts of any kind. I would say that this was a safety issue because of poor lighting and the use of pen knives to trim nails in olden days.
Do not say inauspicious things even in jest as these will come true. I think a lot of Malaysians still adhere to this just because it would be rude and unacceptable in our society to do otherwise. Even among very close friends when we think that jokes can be taken as such, offence is sometimes taken.
There are just too many superstitions that have either been slowly taken out or forgotten altogether from our culture by the younger generation. Although I do not believe in all the taboos, I strongly believe in preserving knowledge of it as part of our cultural heritage. Too many young ones are forgetting and adopting ways that defy their own upbringing. The way things are now, it wont be too long before all is forgotten be it superstition, myth, tradition or culture.
Respecting Your Elders
16 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Our elders have accumulated a lifetime of experience. Let’s begin by showing them respect and listening to them when they have something to say about the most important things. They made mistakes so we don’t have to; they toiled so that we never will, and they lived through a time in history that would have killed us.
Our elders suffered, toiled, and engineered the benefits that we take for granted today. For that, they deserve not only respect, but gratitude, a place of honor, and some time to listen to what they have to say. They are not a burden to us nor society. Having respect for those who have greater life experience is the foundation of a good and civilised society.
I’m A Rat!
09 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
I was born in the Year of Rat. What year? That I won’t tell as a woman never tells her age. The Rat is respected and considered a courageous, enterprising person. Rats know exactly where to find solutions and can take care of themselves and others without problems. They use their instinctive sense of observation to help others in times of need and are among the most fit of all the Animal signs to survive most any situation.
Rats are smart, magnetic, well-liked, affable, quick-witted, surreptitious, selfish, protective and calculating. Rats have a knack for influencing people. With their strong intellectual powers and great insight, they are also great puzzle solvers. They are quick to understand others and are incredibly practical people. Rats apply their talents to their everyday lives, making them obliging, generous and compassionate to other people. Generally, they are liked and respected by everyone. Like all Rats, however, they can be determined to seek their own gain, and will not mind using these talents to achieve it – though generally without losing anyone’s respect in doing so.
Generally friendly and sociable, the Rat is one of the extroverts of the Animal Zodiac. Often, the Rat is lively and genial, and has a special gift for easing the minds of others. It is not surprising that Rats have a lot of friends. They are great speakers and intriguing conversationalists, and can generally find something to say on just about any topic or subject. To the people they love, Rats can be amazingly charitable, popular and supportive, and will go out of their way to be certain their loved ones are content. On the other hand, if the Rat does not like someone, he is considered fair game and can be used to achieve any and all of the Rat’s desires. At the end of the day, though, the Rat is a loyal friend and will be there for his companions through thick and thin.
Rat people possess prudence and perception. They can anticipate problems, and are always able to see the big picture. They can hone in on issues at hand and make measurable judgments. These skills, combined with their sense of aspiration also make them clever operators. Status, money, title, and recognition are important to the Rat. They have keen senses of observation that allow them to foresee upcoming business opportunities as well as potential occupational problems. The Rat makes a better boss than an employee and, although motivated, they can be pinned down by routines. Rats work better in flexible situations where they can be freely creative.
The Rat horoscope describes me to the “T.” I guess no one is perfect and I do agree with certain flaws in my character as mentioned. But life as a Rat in whole has been good…..
