It is curious that our own offenses should seem so much less heinous than the offenses of others. I suppose the reason is that we know all the circumstances that have occasioned them and so manage to excuse in ourselves what we cannot excuse in others. We turn our attention away from our own defects and when we are forced by untoward events to consider them, find it easy to condone them. For all I know we are right to do this; they are part of us and we must accept the good and bad in ourselves together.
But when we come to judge others, it is not by ourselves as we really are that we judge them, but by an image that we have formed of ourselves from which we have left out everything that offends our vanity or would discredit us in the eyes of the world. To take a trivial instance: how scornful we are when we catch someone out telling a lie; but who can say that he has never told even one, but a hundred?
There is not much to choose between men. They are all a hotchpotch of greatness and littleness, of virtue and vice, of nobility and baseness. Some have more strength of character or more opportunity and so in one direction or anther give their instincts freer play, but potentially they are the same. For my part, I do not think I am any better or any worse than most people, but I know that if I set down every action I my life and every thought that has crossed my mind, the world would consider me a monster of depravity. The knowledge that these reveries are common to all men should inspire one with tolerance to oneself as well as to others. It is well also if they enable us to look upon our fellows, even the most eminent and respectable, with humor and if they lead us to take ourselves not too seriously.
2009年4月18日 星期六
2009年4月17日 星期五
2009年4月16日 星期四
Successful Living
The first requirement of effective living is that we should have some sort of aim. Generally speaking, the difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful one is that the former knows what he wants and bends every effort towards securing that end, while the latter has only a vague idea of what it is he is trying to do with his life.
Such a person may have day dreams in plenty, may wish vaguely to be and do this, that, and the other; but that is a vastly different thing from having a definite objective in living – an all constraining aim towards which all interest and effort are directed.
Ask half a dozen people what their aim in life is. You will be amazed to discover how greatly most of them will be taken by surprise at the question and how they will have considerable difficulty in answering it with any certainty. More important is ask yourself with the same question.
What is your own dominant air? What do you want to do and to be? Unless you can answer this question at once in a few crisp sentences, you have not really started on the path of successful living.
The aim need not b anything very startling like making a fortune, or establishing a nationwide chain of business, or writing a best seller. It may be to widen your general culture by ordered and regular reading. It may be to become as efficient as you possibly can be in your own job, even though that job is a limited one. It may be to engage in some sort of voluntary social service. It may be to lay in your own home the basis of a truly happy family.
Any one of these aims could become an engrossing and satisfying pursuit, greatly enriching your own life and that of the community in which you live.
The human spirit is capable of almost inconceivable triumphs. We shall save ourselves some unnecessary frustration and heart break, however, if we choose an aim which is reasonably within the scope of the powers with which we have been endowed.
Once the aim is fixed, we must be willing to under go the necessary discipline and to attain the necessary knowledge and competency to fulfill it.
Somebody once said, “Genius is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.” Many people fail to achieve their object because, while enamoured of the aim, they are less enamoured of the effort required in its fulfillment. They think how lovely it would be to play like Paderewski, but they are not willing to practice long hours daily as he did. They dream of writing a best seller, or of having their name in lights, but imagine that such things can be achieved simply by thinking about them!
Whatever our aim, we need an insatiable thirst for knowledge about it. On the tombstone of a famous scholar are the words, “He died learning.” Learned as he was, he never imagined that he knew everything that was to be known.
But mere theoretical knowledge is not enough. The runner needs to know all about the science of starting, about poise, about breathing. But he learns to run by running. So, too, the artist will learn about perspective, anatomy, color blending and much besides, but he perfects his art by painting!
No aim can be achieved without determination. The difficulties that can be overcome, the problems that can be solved and the success that can be achieved by the exercise of the will, are simply astonishing. Here lies one of the truly dynamic powers of the human spirit.
But coupled with the will there must be an emotional drive of imagination, too. The interest and enthusiasm with which we give ourselves to the task in hand determine to a large extent the measure of success we shall achieve. We do best those things which we love doing.
Such a person may have day dreams in plenty, may wish vaguely to be and do this, that, and the other; but that is a vastly different thing from having a definite objective in living – an all constraining aim towards which all interest and effort are directed.
Ask half a dozen people what their aim in life is. You will be amazed to discover how greatly most of them will be taken by surprise at the question and how they will have considerable difficulty in answering it with any certainty. More important is ask yourself with the same question.
What is your own dominant air? What do you want to do and to be? Unless you can answer this question at once in a few crisp sentences, you have not really started on the path of successful living.
The aim need not b anything very startling like making a fortune, or establishing a nationwide chain of business, or writing a best seller. It may be to widen your general culture by ordered and regular reading. It may be to become as efficient as you possibly can be in your own job, even though that job is a limited one. It may be to engage in some sort of voluntary social service. It may be to lay in your own home the basis of a truly happy family.
Any one of these aims could become an engrossing and satisfying pursuit, greatly enriching your own life and that of the community in which you live.
The human spirit is capable of almost inconceivable triumphs. We shall save ourselves some unnecessary frustration and heart break, however, if we choose an aim which is reasonably within the scope of the powers with which we have been endowed.
Once the aim is fixed, we must be willing to under go the necessary discipline and to attain the necessary knowledge and competency to fulfill it.
Somebody once said, “Genius is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.” Many people fail to achieve their object because, while enamoured of the aim, they are less enamoured of the effort required in its fulfillment. They think how lovely it would be to play like Paderewski, but they are not willing to practice long hours daily as he did. They dream of writing a best seller, or of having their name in lights, but imagine that such things can be achieved simply by thinking about them!
Whatever our aim, we need an insatiable thirst for knowledge about it. On the tombstone of a famous scholar are the words, “He died learning.” Learned as he was, he never imagined that he knew everything that was to be known.
But mere theoretical knowledge is not enough. The runner needs to know all about the science of starting, about poise, about breathing. But he learns to run by running. So, too, the artist will learn about perspective, anatomy, color blending and much besides, but he perfects his art by painting!
No aim can be achieved without determination. The difficulties that can be overcome, the problems that can be solved and the success that can be achieved by the exercise of the will, are simply astonishing. Here lies one of the truly dynamic powers of the human spirit.
But coupled with the will there must be an emotional drive of imagination, too. The interest and enthusiasm with which we give ourselves to the task in hand determine to a large extent the measure of success we shall achieve. We do best those things which we love doing.
2009年4月15日 星期三
2009年4月14日 星期二
Your Success Is Your Choice
Dear Yi Jun,
All of us ought to be able to brace ourselves for the predictable challenges and setbacks that crop up everyday. If we expect that life won’t be perfect, we’ll be able to avoid that impulse to quit. But even if you are strong enough to persist the obstacle course of life and work, sometimes you will encounter an adverse event that will completely knock you on your back.
Whether it’s a financial loss, the loss of respect of your peers or loved ones or some other traumatic event in your life, these major setbacks leave you doubting yourself and wondering if things can ever change for the better again.
Adversity happens to all of us and it happens all the time. Some form of major adversity is either going to be there or it’s lying in wait just around the corner. To ignore adversity is to succumb to the ultimate self-delusion.
But you must recognize that history is full of examples of men and women who achieved greatness despite facing hurdles so steep that easily could have crashed their spirit and left them lying in the dust. Abraham Lincoln overcomes a difficult childhood, depression, the death of two sons and constant ridicule during the Civil War to become arguably greatest president ever. Helen Keller made an impact on the world despite being deaf, dumb and blind from an early age. Franklin Roosevelt had polio.
There are endless examples. These were people who not only looked adversity in the face but learned valuable lessons about overcoming difficult circumstances and were able to move ahead.
All of us ought to be able to brace ourselves for the predictable challenges and setbacks that crop up everyday. If we expect that life won’t be perfect, we’ll be able to avoid that impulse to quit. But even if you are strong enough to persist the obstacle course of life and work, sometimes you will encounter an adverse event that will completely knock you on your back.
Whether it’s a financial loss, the loss of respect of your peers or loved ones or some other traumatic event in your life, these major setbacks leave you doubting yourself and wondering if things can ever change for the better again.
Adversity happens to all of us and it happens all the time. Some form of major adversity is either going to be there or it’s lying in wait just around the corner. To ignore adversity is to succumb to the ultimate self-delusion.
But you must recognize that history is full of examples of men and women who achieved greatness despite facing hurdles so steep that easily could have crashed their spirit and left them lying in the dust. Abraham Lincoln overcomes a difficult childhood, depression, the death of two sons and constant ridicule during the Civil War to become arguably greatest president ever. Helen Keller made an impact on the world despite being deaf, dumb and blind from an early age. Franklin Roosevelt had polio.
There are endless examples. These were people who not only looked adversity in the face but learned valuable lessons about overcoming difficult circumstances and were able to move ahead.
2009年4月13日 星期一
2009年4月12日 星期日
The "Competition" Meant
Once my mother told me a story. In Africa, when an antelope wakes up every morning, the first thing it thinks about is, “I must be able to run faster than the fastest lion or I will be killed.” At the same time, a lion wakes from his dream. The first thing the lion thinks about is, “I must be able to catch the slowest antelope or I will starve to death.” So, almost at the same time, the antelope and the lion get up and start running toward the rising sun.
This is life: full of chances and challenges. Whether you are an antelope or a lion, you must go ahead when the sun rises. For students, it is just the same. If we do not study hard, sooner or later, we will fall behind the other students. At first, I did not know what the word “exam” meant. Later, I knew an exam was a kind of competition. In competitions, there are always winners and losers. As I grew up, I got to know competition well. In one’s life, there must be competitions, so people can improve.
Each time I saw children playing games and heard their laughter, I wished I were that age again. However, I remembered my parents’ words: “You must work very hard in order to have a good future.” So I picked up my pen and began to study hard again.
I was still not sure what competition really meant. On day, I was taking part in a Malay-speaking competition. When I went to the stage, I saw other students looking at me kindly. I suddenly knew what competition was. It is not as cruel as my teacher and parents told me. In fact, competition is the opposite: it is kind and necessary.
I learned a lot from realizing this fact. Now I understand more about the world. Competition is important for us all.
This is life: full of chances and challenges. Whether you are an antelope or a lion, you must go ahead when the sun rises. For students, it is just the same. If we do not study hard, sooner or later, we will fall behind the other students. At first, I did not know what the word “exam” meant. Later, I knew an exam was a kind of competition. In competitions, there are always winners and losers. As I grew up, I got to know competition well. In one’s life, there must be competitions, so people can improve.
Each time I saw children playing games and heard their laughter, I wished I were that age again. However, I remembered my parents’ words: “You must work very hard in order to have a good future.” So I picked up my pen and began to study hard again.
I was still not sure what competition really meant. On day, I was taking part in a Malay-speaking competition. When I went to the stage, I saw other students looking at me kindly. I suddenly knew what competition was. It is not as cruel as my teacher and parents told me. In fact, competition is the opposite: it is kind and necessary.
I learned a lot from realizing this fact. Now I understand more about the world. Competition is important for us all.
2009年4月11日 星期六
生命的路是要自己从荆棘中踏出来的
亲爱的母亲：
外婆已届暮年，日薄西山，由于女儿孙子众多，探望外婆的人也多。尤其是新年或生日期间，亲友来访络绎不绝，作为子孙的，都会奉献红包向她祝福添寿。可是她都会把红包奉还。也许金钱对她没那么重要，子孙满堂才是件乐事；故红包回敬子孙，祝福子孙事业昌盛进步。
记得念高中时，因家里经济拮据，我交不出八十六元的学期费。我犹如热锅上的蚂蚁，心急如焚。一向性子硬，不肯屈膝求人的我，只好迎着头皮，低颜向外婆求借。
俗语说：“渴望一滴如甘露，醉后添杯不如无。”当时虽然三几十元，却可以改变我的一生命运。离校后，穷有穷干，苦有苦干，儿孙自有儿孙福，凭自己的努力，突破困境，就如鲁迅所说：“生命的路是要自己从荆棘中踏出来的”。财富与幸福不是等待别人赐给的，而是要自己创造的。光明来自黑暗，幸福来自痛苦，从苦境中才能了解人生真谛。祝：吉祥幸福快乐
外婆已届暮年，日薄西山，由于女儿孙子众多，探望外婆的人也多。尤其是新年或生日期间，亲友来访络绎不绝，作为子孙的，都会奉献红包向她祝福添寿。可是她都会把红包奉还。也许金钱对她没那么重要，子孙满堂才是件乐事；故红包回敬子孙，祝福子孙事业昌盛进步。
记得念高中时，因家里经济拮据，我交不出八十六元的学期费。我犹如热锅上的蚂蚁，心急如焚。一向性子硬，不肯屈膝求人的我，只好迎着头皮，低颜向外婆求借。
俗语说：“渴望一滴如甘露，醉后添杯不如无。”当时虽然三几十元，却可以改变我的一生命运。离校后，穷有穷干，苦有苦干，儿孙自有儿孙福，凭自己的努力，突破困境，就如鲁迅所说：“生命的路是要自己从荆棘中踏出来的”。财富与幸福不是等待别人赐给的，而是要自己创造的。光明来自黑暗，幸福来自痛苦，从苦境中才能了解人生真谛。祝：吉祥幸福快乐
2009年4月10日 星期五
Ambition
It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would probably be a kinder world: without demands, without abrasions, without disappointments. People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collective. Competition would never enter in. Conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past. The stress of creation would be at an end. Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions. The family would become superfluous as a social unit, with all its former power for bringing about neurosis drained away. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor. Anxiety would be extinct. Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart.
Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be!
There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events? Now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, or all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one’s own. But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment and regard for posterity.
We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth or the immediate circumstances of our up bringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.
Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be!
There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events? Now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, or all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one’s own. But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment and regard for posterity.
We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth or the immediate circumstances of our up bringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.
2009年4月9日 星期四
选择放下就能活在当下
锦莲：
新生命的诞生是旧有生命的传承与延续，从中你可感到一种无法言喻的神奇力量。西班牙就有句谚语说：“孩子是天上掉下的礼物，要好好珍惜，才能保存！
偏偏太有责任感的你放不下，抛不下手边一堆的工作。这似乎是成人世界的责任与义务，也可以说是无奈与感伤。因此你女儿与你只维持四个多月的因缘，也许她来这个世界想传达一些信息给你。请你好好的去体会与觉醒。再别把女儿的往生当成赌注，让她在天之灵能安息。祝：选择放下就能活在当下。
新生命的诞生是旧有生命的传承与延续，从中你可感到一种无法言喻的神奇力量。西班牙就有句谚语说：“孩子是天上掉下的礼物，要好好珍惜，才能保存！
偏偏太有责任感的你放不下，抛不下手边一堆的工作。这似乎是成人世界的责任与义务，也可以说是无奈与感伤。因此你女儿与你只维持四个多月的因缘，也许她来这个世界想传达一些信息给你。请你好好的去体会与觉醒。再别把女儿的往生当成赌注，让她在天之灵能安息。祝：选择放下就能活在当下。
2009年4月8日 星期三
Which Are You?
A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her father, a cook, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a mug. Turning to her he asked, “Darling, what do you see?”
“Carrots, eggs and coffee,” she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.
“What does it mean, Dad?” She humbly asked.
He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” he asked his daughter.
When adversity knocks on hour door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Her father, a cook, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a mug. Turning to her he asked, “Darling, what do you see?”
“Carrots, eggs and coffee,” she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.
“What does it mean, Dad?” She humbly asked.
He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” he asked his daughter.
When adversity knocks on hour door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
2009年4月7日 星期二
2009年4月6日 星期一
Your Beliefs
Your beliefs are very powerful and have the power to create or to destroy your life. In most cases, whatever you believe is what you will become. If you believe that you are loser, that you never get a break in life that you can’t accomplish anything, these things will be your reality. Believe that you are unlimited, that you can do anything you commit to doing and when you do, your accomplishments will know no bounds.
You control your beliefs and that is how you ultimately control your life. This is a very important point. So how do you develop beliefs that will empower you?
Many of our beliefs come from our environment, the world we live in on a daily basis. If your environment is limiting your beliefs, then work very hard on changing it. If you are constantly around people who negative and limiting, find other people to hang out with. Get around positive, successful people.
Beliefs also come from past experience. That is why it is so important to experience success on a regular basis. Set small, achievable goals and then try your best to reach them. “I will finish this project by early afternoon.” “I will do my colloquium with sketch shown the next hour.” “I will exercise for 30 minutes for 5 km this evening.” When you start to experience success, then start to believe in success and that leads to more and bigger successes.
Beliefs come from knowledge. The more you learn the more things you will know to be possible. Always take advantage of opportunities to learn something new. It will bring new possibilities into your beliefs and your life.
Most importantly, you can develop new beliefs by setting and visualizing goals for your life. Define your goals clearly and with precision. Then, in your mind, see yourself achieving them in all of their sensory details. Mentally live the experience, see the sights, hear the sounds, smell the aroma, feel the feelings. Your nurtured beliefs will lead you to their reality.
You control your beliefs and that is how you ultimately control your life. This is a very important point. So how do you develop beliefs that will empower you?
Many of our beliefs come from our environment, the world we live in on a daily basis. If your environment is limiting your beliefs, then work very hard on changing it. If you are constantly around people who negative and limiting, find other people to hang out with. Get around positive, successful people.
Beliefs also come from past experience. That is why it is so important to experience success on a regular basis. Set small, achievable goals and then try your best to reach them. “I will finish this project by early afternoon.” “I will do my colloquium with sketch shown the next hour.” “I will exercise for 30 minutes for 5 km this evening.” When you start to experience success, then start to believe in success and that leads to more and bigger successes.
Beliefs come from knowledge. The more you learn the more things you will know to be possible. Always take advantage of opportunities to learn something new. It will bring new possibilities into your beliefs and your life.
Most importantly, you can develop new beliefs by setting and visualizing goals for your life. Define your goals clearly and with precision. Then, in your mind, see yourself achieving them in all of their sensory details. Mentally live the experience, see the sights, hear the sounds, smell the aroma, feel the feelings. Your nurtured beliefs will lead you to their reality.
2009年4月3日 星期五
新的出口，就在放下当中
锦莲：
你女儿不幸的消息确实令我们无不震惊与难过。一时间难以接受活人早已化为骨灰的事实，在百般悲伤和无奈的情况之下，我们盼望你能够早日走出忧伤和放下悲痛。
生有日，死也有时，无人有权利掌管生命，将生命留住；也无人有权利掌管死期。这生命中最后的争战；没有一人能幸免。人类为有安然学习，勇敢去面对和接纳早已不能改变的事实。因此，当你跌入生命的幽谷时，不妨不挣扎也不怨天，选择放下，全然地拥抱幽谷的一切，这时，你会发现原来新的出口，就在这放下当中。祝：幸福快乐。
你女儿不幸的消息确实令我们无不震惊与难过。一时间难以接受活人早已化为骨灰的事实，在百般悲伤和无奈的情况之下，我们盼望你能够早日走出忧伤和放下悲痛。
生有日，死也有时，无人有权利掌管生命，将生命留住；也无人有权利掌管死期。这生命中最后的争战；没有一人能幸免。人类为有安然学习，勇敢去面对和接纳早已不能改变的事实。因此，当你跌入生命的幽谷时，不妨不挣扎也不怨天，选择放下，全然地拥抱幽谷的一切，这时，你会发现原来新的出口，就在这放下当中。祝：幸福快乐。
2009年4月2日 星期四
The "SECRETS" To A Great Life
A great life doesn’t by accident. A great life is the result of allocating your time, energy, thoughts and hard work towards what you want your life to be. Stop setting yourself up for stress and failure and start setting up your life to support success and ease. A Great life is the result of using the 24 /7 you get in a creative and thoughtful way, instead of just what comes next. Customize these “SECRETS” to fit your own needs and style and start creating your own great life today!
1. S – simplify. A great life is the result of simplifying your life. People often misinterpret what simplify means. It’s not a way to remove work from your life. When you focus on simplifying your life, you free up energy and time for the work that you enjoy and the purpose for which you are here. In order to create a great life, you will have to make room for it in yours first.
2. E – Effort. A great life is the result of your best effort. Creating a great life requires that you make some adjustments. It may mean reevaluating how you spend your time or choosing to spend your money in a different way. It may mean looking for new ways to spend your energy that coincide with your particular definition of a great life. Life will reward your best effort.
3. C – Create Priorities. A great life is the result of creating priorities. It’s easy to spend your days just responding to the next thing that gets your attention, instead of intentionally using the time, energy and money you have in a way that’s important to you. Focus on removing the obstacles that get in the way of you making sure you are honoring your priorities.
4. R – Reserves. A great life is the result of having reserves – reserves of things, time, space, energy, money. With reserves, you acquire far more than you need not 6 months living expenses, but 5 years worth; not 15 minutes of free time, 1 day. Reserves are important because they reduce the fear of consequences and that allows you to make decisions based on what you really want instead of what the fear decides for you.
5. E – Eliminate distractions. A great life is the result of eliminating distractions. Up to 75% o your mental energy can be tied up in things that are draining and distracting you. Eliminating distractions can be a difficult concept to many people, since they haven’t really considered that there is another way to live. Look around at someone’s life you admire. What do they do that you would like to incorporate into your own life? Ask them how they did it. Find ways to free up your mental energy for things that are more important to you.’
6. T – Thoughts. A great life is the result of controlling your thoughts so that you accept and allow for the possibility that it actually can happen to you! Your belief in the outcome will directly dictate how successful you are. Motivated people have specific goals and look for ways to achieve them. Believing there is a solution to the same old problems you encounter year after year is vitally important to creating a life that you love.
7. S – Start. A great life is the result of starting. There’s the old saying everyone’s familiar with “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” In order to even move from the couch to the refrigerator, you have to start. There’s no better time to start than today. Don’t wait for a raise, or until the kids get older or the weather is better. Today, right now, is the right day to start to take a step in the direction of your heart’s desires. It’s what you do TODAY that will make a difference in your life tomorrow.
1. S – simplify. A great life is the result of simplifying your life. People often misinterpret what simplify means. It’s not a way to remove work from your life. When you focus on simplifying your life, you free up energy and time for the work that you enjoy and the purpose for which you are here. In order to create a great life, you will have to make room for it in yours first.
2. E – Effort. A great life is the result of your best effort. Creating a great life requires that you make some adjustments. It may mean reevaluating how you spend your time or choosing to spend your money in a different way. It may mean looking for new ways to spend your energy that coincide with your particular definition of a great life. Life will reward your best effort.
3. C – Create Priorities. A great life is the result of creating priorities. It’s easy to spend your days just responding to the next thing that gets your attention, instead of intentionally using the time, energy and money you have in a way that’s important to you. Focus on removing the obstacles that get in the way of you making sure you are honoring your priorities.
4. R – Reserves. A great life is the result of having reserves – reserves of things, time, space, energy, money. With reserves, you acquire far more than you need not 6 months living expenses, but 5 years worth; not 15 minutes of free time, 1 day. Reserves are important because they reduce the fear of consequences and that allows you to make decisions based on what you really want instead of what the fear decides for you.
5. E – Eliminate distractions. A great life is the result of eliminating distractions. Up to 75% o your mental energy can be tied up in things that are draining and distracting you. Eliminating distractions can be a difficult concept to many people, since they haven’t really considered that there is another way to live. Look around at someone’s life you admire. What do they do that you would like to incorporate into your own life? Ask them how they did it. Find ways to free up your mental energy for things that are more important to you.’
6. T – Thoughts. A great life is the result of controlling your thoughts so that you accept and allow for the possibility that it actually can happen to you! Your belief in the outcome will directly dictate how successful you are. Motivated people have specific goals and look for ways to achieve them. Believing there is a solution to the same old problems you encounter year after year is vitally important to creating a life that you love.
7. S – Start. A great life is the result of starting. There’s the old saying everyone’s familiar with “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” In order to even move from the couch to the refrigerator, you have to start. There’s no better time to start than today. Don’t wait for a raise, or until the kids get older or the weather is better. Today, right now, is the right day to start to take a step in the direction of your heart’s desires. It’s what you do TODAY that will make a difference in your life tomorrow.
2009年4月1日 星期三
父亲把信心，毅力及勇气留给我们
亲爱的母亲：
祖父二战时忠烈爱国，牺牲国土，故爸爸自幼丧父，其母亲因生活困苦而改嫁。虽然如此爸爸也没因而生活有改善。因姑婆膝下无子，把父亲的抚养权争夺过来，切没得到姑婆的宽待。父亲这一辈子生活坎坷曲折，年青时还无端端被英殖民地政府捉去坐牢。自此以后爸爸学会了制鞋手艺。他以敬业乐业的精神做了这辈子的鞋匠养活我们一家人。虽然他没像林梧桐般拥有金山银山富可敌国的财富，但他把信心，毅力及勇气遗留给了我们这一代。这三者具备，则可让我们轻易立足于社会。爸爸是一支有泪的蜡烛，他点燃了我们的生命。 祝：有心就有福
祖父二战时忠烈爱国，牺牲国土，故爸爸自幼丧父，其母亲因生活困苦而改嫁。虽然如此爸爸也没因而生活有改善。因姑婆膝下无子，把父亲的抚养权争夺过来，切没得到姑婆的宽待。父亲这一辈子生活坎坷曲折，年青时还无端端被英殖民地政府捉去坐牢。自此以后爸爸学会了制鞋手艺。他以敬业乐业的精神做了这辈子的鞋匠养活我们一家人。虽然他没像林梧桐般拥有金山银山富可敌国的财富，但他把信心，毅力及勇气遗留给了我们这一代。这三者具备，则可让我们轻易立足于社会。爸爸是一支有泪的蜡烛，他点燃了我们的生命。 祝：有心就有福
2009年3月31日 星期二
True Nobility
In a clam sea every man is a pilot.
But all sunshine without shade, all pleasure without pain, is not life at all. Take the lot of the happiest – it is a tangled yarn. Bereavements and blessings, one following another, make us sad and blessed by turns. Even death itself makes life more loving. Men come closest to their true selves in the sober moments of life, under the shadows of sorrow and loss.
In the affairs of life or of business, it is not intellect that tells so much as character, not brains so much as heart, not genius so much as self-control, patience and discipline, regulated by judgment.
I have always believed that the man who has begun to live more seriously within begins to live more simply without. In an age of extravagance and waste, I wish I could show to the world how few the real wants of humanity are.
To regret one’s errors to the point of not repeating them is true repentance.
There is nothing noble in being superior to some other man. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self.
2009年3月30日 星期一
敬老尊贤，血脉相承
亲爱的母亲：
父亲在世时，教会我们敬老尊贤。他最尊敬我们的亲爱外婆。每当外婆来访，他必须亲自放下工作出来迎接问好。外婆早已把父亲当儿子，可是父亲逝世切不告知婆婆老人家，何孝有之？哀哉！
虽然父亲未曾向我们提起过他敬爱的曾祖母，但他对曾祖母的恩惠念念不忘。因为曾祖母是他自幼从中国南下南洋的唯一至亲。当曾祖母往生后，父亲都一直保留着其遗照，但因种种不为人知的缘故，父亲勉强把曾祖母的遗照挂在工厂一处暗不见光又不显眼的板上，天天守望着其可怜的孙子在困苦中补鞋磨鞋求生活。一眼望去，曾祖母有着贤慧慈祥的音容，但有些人切望之生惧。有道是疑心生鬼。心中有疑，什么都挂碍。心中坦然，念念只有佛，就什么事都没有。
但愿有一天，曾祖母和父亲的遗照能堂堂正正挂在大厅堂保佑着李家子子孙孙血脉相承，延续家族的精神，出人头地，光荣耀祖。祝：选择放下，就能活在当下。
父亲在世时，教会我们敬老尊贤。他最尊敬我们的亲爱外婆。每当外婆来访，他必须亲自放下工作出来迎接问好。外婆早已把父亲当儿子，可是父亲逝世切不告知婆婆老人家，何孝有之？哀哉！
虽然父亲未曾向我们提起过他敬爱的曾祖母，但他对曾祖母的恩惠念念不忘。因为曾祖母是他自幼从中国南下南洋的唯一至亲。当曾祖母往生后，父亲都一直保留着其遗照，但因种种不为人知的缘故，父亲勉强把曾祖母的遗照挂在工厂一处暗不见光又不显眼的板上，天天守望着其可怜的孙子在困苦中补鞋磨鞋求生活。一眼望去，曾祖母有着贤慧慈祥的音容，但有些人切望之生惧。有道是疑心生鬼。心中有疑，什么都挂碍。心中坦然，念念只有佛，就什么事都没有。
但愿有一天，曾祖母和父亲的遗照能堂堂正正挂在大厅堂保佑着李家子子孙孙血脉相承，延续家族的精神，出人头地，光荣耀祖。祝：选择放下，就能活在当下。
2009年3月28日 星期六
Be Happy
“The days that make us happy make us wise.” – John Masefield
This line by England’s Poet Laureate startled me. What did Masefield mean? Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it.
Finally, I seemed to grasp his meaning and realized that here was a profound observation. The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception, not fogged by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom, and without the blind spots caused by fear.
Active happiness not mere satisfaction or contentment – often comes suddenly, like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied it. The grass is greener, bird songs are sweeter, and the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglass correcting your spiritual vision.
Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes, your vision is cut short as though by a wall. Happy, the wall crumbles.
The long vista is there for the seeing. The grounds at your feet, the world about you – people, thoughts, emotions, and pressures – are now fitted into the larger scene. Every thing assumes a fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.
This line by England’s Poet Laureate startled me. What did Masefield mean? Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it.
Finally, I seemed to grasp his meaning and realized that here was a profound observation. The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception, not fogged by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom, and without the blind spots caused by fear.
Active happiness not mere satisfaction or contentment – often comes suddenly, like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied it. The grass is greener, bird songs are sweeter, and the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglass correcting your spiritual vision.
Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes, your vision is cut short as though by a wall. Happy, the wall crumbles.
The long vista is there for the seeing. The grounds at your feet, the world about you – people, thoughts, emotions, and pressures – are now fitted into the larger scene. Every thing assumes a fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.
2009年3月27日 星期五
2009年3月26日 星期四
Forever Friendship
A friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
Sometimes in life, you find a special friend.
Someone who changes your life just by being part of it.
Someone who makes you laugh until you can’t stop.
Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world.
Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it.
This is Forever Friendship.
When you’re down and the world seems dark and empty;
Your forever friend lifts you up in spirits and makes that dark and empty world suddenly seem bright and full.
Your forever friend gets you through the hard times, the sad times and the confused times.
If you turn and walk away, your forever friend follows.
If you lose you way, your forever friend guides you and cheers you on.Your forever friend holds your hand and tells you that everything is going to be okay.
And if you find such a friend, you feel happy and complete;
Because you need not worry, you have a forever friend for life,
And forever has no end.
Sometimes in life, you find a special friend.
Someone who changes your life just by being part of it.
Someone who makes you laugh until you can’t stop.
Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world.
Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it.
This is Forever Friendship.
When you’re down and the world seems dark and empty;
Your forever friend lifts you up in spirits and makes that dark and empty world suddenly seem bright and full.
Your forever friend gets you through the hard times, the sad times and the confused times.
If you turn and walk away, your forever friend follows.
If you lose you way, your forever friend guides you and cheers you on.Your forever friend holds your hand and tells you that everything is going to be okay.
And if you find such a friend, you feel happy and complete;
Because you need not worry, you have a forever friend for life,
And forever has no end.
2009年3月25日 星期三
2009年3月24日 星期二
Old Age
After return back from climbing the Mountain Kinabalu, I realize that I am not a young man anymore; I am growing old now. Psychologically there are two dangers to be guarded against in old age. One of these is undue absorption in the past. It does not do to live in memories, in regrets for the good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead. One’s thoughts must be directed to the future and to things about which there is something to be done. This is not always easy; one’s emotions used to be more vivid than they are and one’s mind keener. If this is true it should be forgotten and if it is forgotten it will probably not be true.
The other thing to be avoided is clinging to youth in the hope of sucking vigor from its vitality. When your children are grown up they want to live their own lives and if you continue to be as interested in them as you were when they were young, you are likely to become a burden to them, unless they are unusually callous I do not mean that one should be without interest in them, but one’s interest should be contemplative and if possible, philanthropic, but not unduly emotional. Animals become indifferent to their young as soon as their young can look after themselves, but human beings, owing to the length of infancy, find this difficult.
I think that a successful old age is easiest for those who have strong impersonal interests involving appropriate activities. It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercise without being oppressive. It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you and because mistakes are an essential part of education. But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with your children and grandchildren. In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material services, such as making them an allowance or knitting those jumpers, you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.
Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel biter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrow and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble.
The best way to overcome it so at least it seems to me is to make your interests gradually wider ad more impersonal, until bit by bit the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river small at first, narrowly contained within its banks and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea and painlessly lose their individual being. The man, who in old age can see his life in this way, will not suffer from the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will not be unwelcome. I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do and content in the thought that what was possible has been done.
The other thing to be avoided is clinging to youth in the hope of sucking vigor from its vitality. When your children are grown up they want to live their own lives and if you continue to be as interested in them as you were when they were young, you are likely to become a burden to them, unless they are unusually callous I do not mean that one should be without interest in them, but one’s interest should be contemplative and if possible, philanthropic, but not unduly emotional. Animals become indifferent to their young as soon as their young can look after themselves, but human beings, owing to the length of infancy, find this difficult.
I think that a successful old age is easiest for those who have strong impersonal interests involving appropriate activities. It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercise without being oppressive. It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you and because mistakes are an essential part of education. But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with your children and grandchildren. In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material services, such as making them an allowance or knitting those jumpers, you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.
Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel biter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrow and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble.
The best way to overcome it so at least it seems to me is to make your interests gradually wider ad more impersonal, until bit by bit the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river small at first, narrowly contained within its banks and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea and painlessly lose their individual being. The man, who in old age can see his life in this way, will not suffer from the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will not be unwelcome. I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do and content in the thought that what was possible has been done.
2009年3月23日 星期一
待人退一步，爱人宽一寸
亲爱的母亲：
爸爸年纪大了，大脑相应迟钝，反应能力也都降了，眼睛耳朵也不灵了，原本钝熟的驾车技术，也变得让人不太放心了。爸爸老了，孩子们为何不知道？我们做子女的敏感度不高，没及时发现，给爸爸一个方便，让他好好安度晚年。爸爸的逝世深深刺痛了我的心。
人间世情的反复变化不定，人生之路曲折艰难充满坎坷。在人生之路走不通的地方，要知道退一步让人先行的道理；在走得过去的地方，也一定要给予人家三分的便利，这样才能逢凶化吉，一帆风顺。所谓待人退一步，爱人宽一寸，人人为我，我为人人，在人生道中就会活得很快乐。祝：幸福快乐
爸爸年纪大了，大脑相应迟钝，反应能力也都降了，眼睛耳朵也不灵了，原本钝熟的驾车技术，也变得让人不太放心了。爸爸老了，孩子们为何不知道？我们做子女的敏感度不高，没及时发现，给爸爸一个方便，让他好好安度晚年。爸爸的逝世深深刺痛了我的心。
人间世情的反复变化不定，人生之路曲折艰难充满坎坷。在人生之路走不通的地方，要知道退一步让人先行的道理；在走得过去的地方，也一定要给予人家三分的便利，这样才能逢凶化吉，一帆风顺。所谓待人退一步，爱人宽一寸，人人为我，我为人人，在人生道中就会活得很快乐。祝：幸福快乐
2009年3月21日 星期六
Our Courage
The courage of life like conquer Mountain Kinabalu is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures – and that is the basis of all human morality.
To be courageous requires no exceptional qualifications, no magic formula, no special combination of time, place and circumstance. It is an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all. Politics merely furnishes one arena which imposes special tests of courage. In whatever arena of life one may meet challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience – the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men – such man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of past courage can define that ingredient –they can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they can’t supply courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul.
To be courageous requires no exceptional qualifications, no magic formula, no special combination of time, place and circumstance. It is an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all. Politics merely furnishes one arena which imposes special tests of courage. In whatever arena of life one may meet challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience – the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men – such man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of past courage can define that ingredient –they can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they can’t supply courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul.
2009年3月20日 星期五
2009年3月19日 星期四
A Journey To Mountain Kinabalu
Have you ever wandered what it feels like to have the first sunlight through your eye? It is an amazing experience. Standing quietly on Low’s Peak with my friends and colleagues in the cold pre-dawn hours, we saw the clouds rolled slowly towards to us, and as our surroundings gradually became misty the dawn broke on the horizon and filled the sky with brilliant colour.
How are dare to scale the Low’s Peak of Mountain Kinabalu will know that was challenging. Trekking up the Mesilau trail was tough as we encountered 80 degree steps with no railings and tall rocks with no ropes to help us climb up, plus we had to jump on slippery rocks with shaky knees.
During the 8 hour walk to Laban Rata, our goal on the first phase of the climb, we braved freezing rain and winds. I felt so vulnerable but I kept plodding on, telling myself that every five steps I took were better than nothing at all.
About 2 km from Laban Rata, my body felt numb but the cold wind was merciless and I could feel sharp pains all over. By that time, it was sheer instinct that drove me and my compatriots forward in the dark. We had made arrangements to stay at Laban Rata Hut and I had to walk to get there after we having our dinner at Laban Rata Rest House about 4 pm. More discouragingly, there was a blackout and the temperature hovered around less than 9 Celsius. Despite being dressed full climbing gear, I struggled to stay warm for a few hours before the climb at 2 am.
After the briefing by the Head Guide – Gardis, 10 of us set set off on our journey to the peak at 2:30 am. When we reached the rocky cliffs after Sayat-Sayat check point, we were strictly reminded not to let go of the rope. The sheer cliff was nearly at a 70 degree angle and very slippery without wearing the mountain shoe name Adidas Malaysia. So physically, I was pushed to the limit.
But in the end it was all worth it when 6 or our group reached Low’s Peak and I mad it to South’s Peak; I felt whole range of emotions that brought pride, freedom, relief and joy. I have a camera to capture the moment before the Mountain Guide chase us down, and I stood quietly absorbing every second of God’s wonderful creation.
How are dare to scale the Low’s Peak of Mountain Kinabalu will know that was challenging. Trekking up the Mesilau trail was tough as we encountered 80 degree steps with no railings and tall rocks with no ropes to help us climb up, plus we had to jump on slippery rocks with shaky knees.
During the 8 hour walk to Laban Rata, our goal on the first phase of the climb, we braved freezing rain and winds. I felt so vulnerable but I kept plodding on, telling myself that every five steps I took were better than nothing at all.
About 2 km from Laban Rata, my body felt numb but the cold wind was merciless and I could feel sharp pains all over. By that time, it was sheer instinct that drove me and my compatriots forward in the dark. We had made arrangements to stay at Laban Rata Hut and I had to walk to get there after we having our dinner at Laban Rata Rest House about 4 pm. More discouragingly, there was a blackout and the temperature hovered around less than 9 Celsius. Despite being dressed full climbing gear, I struggled to stay warm for a few hours before the climb at 2 am.
After the briefing by the Head Guide – Gardis, 10 of us set set off on our journey to the peak at 2:30 am. When we reached the rocky cliffs after Sayat-Sayat check point, we were strictly reminded not to let go of the rope. The sheer cliff was nearly at a 70 degree angle and very slippery without wearing the mountain shoe name Adidas Malaysia. So physically, I was pushed to the limit.
But in the end it was all worth it when 6 or our group reached Low’s Peak and I mad it to South’s Peak; I felt whole range of emotions that brought pride, freedom, relief and joy. I have a camera to capture the moment before the Mountain Guide chase us down, and I stood quietly absorbing every second of God’s wonderful creation.
2009年3月18日 星期三
2009年3月13日 星期五
On Going A Jounery To Mountain Kinabalu
School holiday is star tomorrow; I will going to conquer Mountain Kinabalu tomorrow until 18 of March 2009. Within this few days, I can’t continue to write my blog regularly. I will be continuing after return back from Sabah.
The pleasantest thing in the world is going a journey like this; but I prefer to go by myself. I can enjoy society in a class room; but out of doors, nature is company enough for me. I am then never less alone than when alone.
“The fields his study, nature was his book”.
I can’t see the wit of walking and talking at the same time. When I am the country I wish to vegetate like the country. I am not for criticizing hedge-rows and black cattle. I go out of town in order to forget the town and all that is in it. There are those who for this purpose go to mountaineering-places and carry the metropolis with them. I like more elbowroom and fewer encumbrances.
The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, feel, do, just as one pleases. We go a journey chiefly to be free of all impediments and of all inconveniences; to leave ourselves behind, much more to get rid of others. It is because I want a little breathing-space to muse on indifferent matters. That I absent myself from the town for a while, without feeling at a loss the moment I am left by myself.
The pleasantest thing in the world is going a journey like this; but I prefer to go by myself. I can enjoy society in a class room; but out of doors, nature is company enough for me. I am then never less alone than when alone.
“The fields his study, nature was his book”.
I can’t see the wit of walking and talking at the same time. When I am the country I wish to vegetate like the country. I am not for criticizing hedge-rows and black cattle. I go out of town in order to forget the town and all that is in it. There are those who for this purpose go to mountaineering-places and carry the metropolis with them. I like more elbowroom and fewer encumbrances.
The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, feel, do, just as one pleases. We go a journey chiefly to be free of all impediments and of all inconveniences; to leave ourselves behind, much more to get rid of others. It is because I want a little breathing-space to muse on indifferent matters. That I absent myself from the town for a while, without feeling at a loss the moment I am left by myself.
2009年3月12日 星期四
2009年3月11日 星期三
Learn To Live In The Present Moment –- At Moscow
This is the magnified version of IKEA. Higher resolution as well, so that you can see the вход beneath, which means enter... the meaning of here is the Entrance. -- Yi Jun
Yi Jun write in his blog “Days In Moskva” on 8 March 2009 about “Auchan Session”. He feels that is always the hard time in Moscow when he is going to shopping. He spends around 2400 Rubles to buy stuff -- about RM240. I can imagine what a difficult time if he buy so much of thing, and he have to carry all the way back with public transport to his dome without any aid of others. The shopping there is not as nice as what we have in Malaysia, where we can drive the car into the basement parking lot which then later takes the escalator right into the shopping mall with trolley. Over Russia life more like suffering all the time. Thinking back in Malaysia, he realizes how lucky he was. But those were the nice old days.
To a large degree, the measure of our peace of mind is determined by how much we are able to live in the present moment. Irrespective of what happened yesterday or last year and what may not happen tomorrow, the present moment is where you are – always!
Without question, many of us have mastered the neurotic art of spending much of our lives worrying about a variety of things – all at once. We allow past problems and future concerns to dominate our present moments, so much so that we end up anxious, frustrated, depressed and hopeless. On the flip side, we also postpone our gratification, our stated priorities and our happiness, often convincing ourselves that “someday” will be better than today. Unfortunately, the same mental dynamics that tell us to look toward the future will only repeat themselves so that “someday” never actually arrives. John Lennon once said, “Life is what’s happening while we’re busy growing up and people we love are moving away and dying, our bodies are getting out of shape and our dreams are slipping away. In short, we miss out on life.
Many people live as if life were a dress rehearsal for some later date. It isn’t. In fact, no one has a guarantee that he or she will be here tomorrow. Now is the only time we have and the only time that we have any control over. When our attention is in the present moment, we push fear from our minds. Fear is the concern over events that might happen in the future – we won’t have enough money, our children will get into trouble, we will get old and die whatever.
To combat fear, the best strategy is to learn to bring your attention back to the present. Mark Twain said, “I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” I don’t think I can say it any better. Practice keeping your attention on the here and now. Your efforts will pay great dividends.
To a large degree, the measure of our peace of mind is determined by how much we are able to live in the present moment. Irrespective of what happened yesterday or last year and what may not happen tomorrow, the present moment is where you are – always!
Without question, many of us have mastered the neurotic art of spending much of our lives worrying about a variety of things – all at once. We allow past problems and future concerns to dominate our present moments, so much so that we end up anxious, frustrated, depressed and hopeless. On the flip side, we also postpone our gratification, our stated priorities and our happiness, often convincing ourselves that “someday” will be better than today. Unfortunately, the same mental dynamics that tell us to look toward the future will only repeat themselves so that “someday” never actually arrives. John Lennon once said, “Life is what’s happening while we’re busy growing up and people we love are moving away and dying, our bodies are getting out of shape and our dreams are slipping away. In short, we miss out on life.
Many people live as if life were a dress rehearsal for some later date. It isn’t. In fact, no one has a guarantee that he or she will be here tomorrow. Now is the only time we have and the only time that we have any control over. When our attention is in the present moment, we push fear from our minds. Fear is the concern over events that might happen in the future – we won’t have enough money, our children will get into trouble, we will get old and die whatever.
To combat fear, the best strategy is to learn to bring your attention back to the present. Mark Twain said, “I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” I don’t think I can say it any better. Practice keeping your attention on the here and now. Your efforts will pay great dividends.
2009年3月10日 星期二
真正的好人从尽孝开始
亲爱的母亲：
父亲在痛苦中不告而别，他的离别让我深深感触到父亲的伟大。从回忆中我把他生平的点点滴滴用文字记录下来，然后恳求伊浚把它打成电脑放进部落格内；让子孙追思父亲生平的事迹。
父亲可算是尽了做爸爸的责任。虽然他自幼失其父；但夜半会为孩子扑被。虽然他受教育不深；但曾督导孩子读书写字。虽然他童年无温饱；但他工作半夜回家不忘打包夜宵。虽然他会打骂妻儿；但从未遗弃这个家庭。他养活了我们一家人；所以我们做子女的须懂得尽孝道，能孝才有善，真正的好人从尽孝开始。祝：安心有福。
父亲在痛苦中不告而别，他的离别让我深深感触到父亲的伟大。从回忆中我把他生平的点点滴滴用文字记录下来，然后恳求伊浚把它打成电脑放进部落格内；让子孙追思父亲生平的事迹。
父亲可算是尽了做爸爸的责任。虽然他自幼失其父；但夜半会为孩子扑被。虽然他受教育不深；但曾督导孩子读书写字。虽然他童年无温饱；但他工作半夜回家不忘打包夜宵。虽然他会打骂妻儿；但从未遗弃这个家庭。他养活了我们一家人；所以我们做子女的须懂得尽孝道，能孝才有善，真正的好人从尽孝开始。祝：安心有福。
2009年3月9日 星期一
Our New Neighbor
There was a funny family with two young kids’ just moves in opposite our house. This new neighbor lived in the house number 8. The husband and wife were same character as the old house owner who wouldn’t let everyone park a single car in front their house. They even chase away anyone with scold even we did not block their gate door. Sometime they also simply throw rubbish in front their own house. What a nasty neighbor. The wife even throws a pair of her slipper to our dog. Look at the picture as a prove. I feel it’s funny. For me, all of this just a small matter, I not bother so much!
It is not enough for us to say, “I love God”; but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love god and you don’t love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. We must be willing to give whatever it does not to harm other people and in fact to do well to them. This requires that we be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in us and we bring injustice, not peace to those around us.
It hurts Jesus to love us. We have been created in his image for greater things, to love and to be loved. We must “put on Christ”, as Scripture tells us. And so we have been created to love as he loves us. Jesus makes himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, the unwanted one and he says, “You did it to me.” On the last day he will say to those on his right, “whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me,” and he will also say to those on his left, “whatever you neglected to do for the least of these, you neglected to do it for me.”
When he was dying on the Cross, Jesus said, “I thirst.” Jesus is thirsting for our love, and this is the thirst for everyone, poor and rich alike. We all thirst for the love of others that they go out of their way to avoid harming us and to do good to us. This is the meaning of true love, to give until it hurts.
It is not enough for us to say, “I love God”; but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love god and you don’t love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. We must be willing to give whatever it does not to harm other people and in fact to do well to them. This requires that we be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in us and we bring injustice, not peace to those around us.
It hurts Jesus to love us. We have been created in his image for greater things, to love and to be loved. We must “put on Christ”, as Scripture tells us. And so we have been created to love as he loves us. Jesus makes himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, the unwanted one and he says, “You did it to me.” On the last day he will say to those on his right, “whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me,” and he will also say to those on his left, “whatever you neglected to do for the least of these, you neglected to do it for me.”
When he was dying on the Cross, Jesus said, “I thirst.” Jesus is thirsting for our love, and this is the thirst for everyone, poor and rich alike. We all thirst for the love of others that they go out of their way to avoid harming us and to do good to us. This is the meaning of true love, to give until it hurts.
2009年3月7日 星期六
2009年3月6日 星期五
Be An Optimist
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If you change your mind – from pessimsm to optimism – you can change your life.
– Claipe Safran
Do you see the glass as half-full rather than half empty? Do you keep your eye upon the doughnut, not upon the hole? Suddenly these clichés are scientific questions, as researchers scrutinize the power of positive thinking. Research is proving that optimism can help you to be happier, healthier and more successful. Pessimism leads, by contrast, to hopelessness, sickness and failure, and is linked to depression, loneliness and painful shyness. If we could teach people to think more positively, it would be like inoculating them against these mental ills.
Your habits count but the belief that you can succeed affects whether or not you will. In part, that’s because optimists and pessimists deal with the same challenges and disappointments in very different ways. When things go wrong the pessimist tends to blame himself. “I am not good at this.” “I always fail.” He would say. But the optimist looks for loopholes. Negative or positive, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. If people feel hopeless they don’t bother to acquire the skills they need to succeed.
A sense of control is the litmus test for success. The optimist feels in control of his own life. If things are going badly, he acts quickly, looking for solutions, forming a new plan of action and reaching out for advice. The pessimist feels like fate’s plaything and moves slowly. He doesn’t seek advice, since he assumes nothing can be done. Many studies suggest that the pessimist’s felling of helplessness undermines the body’s natural defenses, the immune system. Research has found that the pessimist doesn’t take good care of himself. Feeling passive and unable to dodge life’s blows, he expects ill health and other misfortunes, no matter what he does. He munches on junk food, avoids exercise, ignores the doctor and has another drink.
Most people are a mix of optimism and pessimism, but are inclined in one direction or the other. It is a pattern of thinking learned at our mothers’ knees. It grows out of thousands of cautions or encouragements, negative statements or positive ones. Too many “don’t” and warnings of danger can make a child feel incompetent, fearful – and pessimistic. Perhaps this is the reason why Yi Jun was inclined in pessimism more that optimism like what he mentions about my education way for him in his blog “Days In Moskva” on 7 February 2009:
For if dad taught something, it is always to be obeyed. – Yi Jun
As conclusion, pessimism is a hard habit to break – but it can be done.
– Claipe Safran
Do you see the glass as half-full rather than half empty? Do you keep your eye upon the doughnut, not upon the hole? Suddenly these clichés are scientific questions, as researchers scrutinize the power of positive thinking. Research is proving that optimism can help you to be happier, healthier and more successful. Pessimism leads, by contrast, to hopelessness, sickness and failure, and is linked to depression, loneliness and painful shyness. If we could teach people to think more positively, it would be like inoculating them against these mental ills.
Your habits count but the belief that you can succeed affects whether or not you will. In part, that’s because optimists and pessimists deal with the same challenges and disappointments in very different ways. When things go wrong the pessimist tends to blame himself. “I am not good at this.” “I always fail.” He would say. But the optimist looks for loopholes. Negative or positive, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. If people feel hopeless they don’t bother to acquire the skills they need to succeed.
A sense of control is the litmus test for success. The optimist feels in control of his own life. If things are going badly, he acts quickly, looking for solutions, forming a new plan of action and reaching out for advice. The pessimist feels like fate’s plaything and moves slowly. He doesn’t seek advice, since he assumes nothing can be done. Many studies suggest that the pessimist’s felling of helplessness undermines the body’s natural defenses, the immune system. Research has found that the pessimist doesn’t take good care of himself. Feeling passive and unable to dodge life’s blows, he expects ill health and other misfortunes, no matter what he does. He munches on junk food, avoids exercise, ignores the doctor and has another drink.
Most people are a mix of optimism and pessimism, but are inclined in one direction or the other. It is a pattern of thinking learned at our mothers’ knees. It grows out of thousands of cautions or encouragements, negative statements or positive ones. Too many “don’t” and warnings of danger can make a child feel incompetent, fearful – and pessimistic. Perhaps this is the reason why Yi Jun was inclined in pessimism more that optimism like what he mentions about my education way for him in his blog “Days In Moskva” on 7 February 2009:
For if dad taught something, it is always to be obeyed. – Yi Jun
As conclusion, pessimism is a hard habit to break – but it can be done.
2009年3月5日 星期四
2009年3月4日 星期三
Love To Your Life
However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you richest. The fault finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poor – house. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms – house as brightly as from the rich man’s abode; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there, and have as cheering thoughts, as in a palace. The town’s poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any. Maybe they are simply great enough to receive without misgiving. Most think that they are above being supported by the town; but it oftener happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means, which should be more disreputable. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Turn the old, return to them. Things do not change; we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.
2009年3月3日 星期二
2009年3月2日 星期一
Life
Have you ever, at any one time, had the feeling that life is bad, real bad, and you wish you were in another situation? You find life make things difficult for you, work sucks, life sucks, and everything seems to go wrong …
Read the following story … it may change your views about life:
After a conversation with one of my friends, he told me despite taking two jobs, he brings back barely above 1K per month, he is happy as he is. I wonder how he can be as happy as he is considering he has to skimp his life with the low pay to support a pair of old parents, in-laws, a wife, two daughters and the many bill of a household.
He explained that it was through a incident that he saw in one country that happened a few years ago when he was really feeling low touring three after a major setback.
He said that right in front of his eyes, he saw a mother chop off her child’s right hand with a chopper. The helplessness in the mother’s eyes, the scream of pain from the innocent 4 year old child haunted him until today.
You may ask why did the mother do so; had the child been naughty, had the child’s hand been infected? No, it was done for two simple words – TO BEG! The desperate mother deliberately caused the child to be handicapped so that the the child could go out to the streets to beg.
Taken aback by the scene, he dropped a piece of bread he was eating halfway. And almost instantly, a flock of 5 or 6 children swamped towards this small piece of bread which was covered with sand, robbing bits from one another – the natural reaction of hunger.
Stricken by the happenings, he instructed his guide to drive him to the nearest bakery. He arrived at two bakeries and bought every single loaf of bread he found in the bakeries. The owner was dumfounded but willingly sold everything. He spent less that $100 to obtain about 400 loaves of bread and spent another $100 to get daily necessities.
Off he went in the truck full of bread into the streets. As he distributed the bread and necessities to he children (mostly handicapped) and a few adults, he received cheers and bows from these unfortunate. For the first time in his life he wondered how people can give up their dignity for a loaf of bread which cost less than $0.25.
He began to tell himself how fortunate he is. How fortunate he is to be able to have a complete body, have a job, have a family, have the chance to complain what food is nice and what isn’t nice, have the chance to be clothed, have the many things that these people in front of him are deprived of …
Now I begin to think and feel it, too! Was my life really that bad? Perhaps --- No, I should not feel bad at all … What about you? Maybe the next time you think you are, think about the child who lost one hand to beg on the streets. “Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want; it is the realization of how much you already have.”
When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don’t see the one which has been opened for us. It’s true that we don’t know what we’ve got until we lost it, but it’s also true that we don’t know what we have been missing until it arrives.
Read the following story … it may change your views about life:
After a conversation with one of my friends, he told me despite taking two jobs, he brings back barely above 1K per month, he is happy as he is. I wonder how he can be as happy as he is considering he has to skimp his life with the low pay to support a pair of old parents, in-laws, a wife, two daughters and the many bill of a household.
He explained that it was through a incident that he saw in one country that happened a few years ago when he was really feeling low touring three after a major setback.
He said that right in front of his eyes, he saw a mother chop off her child’s right hand with a chopper. The helplessness in the mother’s eyes, the scream of pain from the innocent 4 year old child haunted him until today.
You may ask why did the mother do so; had the child been naughty, had the child’s hand been infected? No, it was done for two simple words – TO BEG! The desperate mother deliberately caused the child to be handicapped so that the the child could go out to the streets to beg.
Taken aback by the scene, he dropped a piece of bread he was eating halfway. And almost instantly, a flock of 5 or 6 children swamped towards this small piece of bread which was covered with sand, robbing bits from one another – the natural reaction of hunger.
Stricken by the happenings, he instructed his guide to drive him to the nearest bakery. He arrived at two bakeries and bought every single loaf of bread he found in the bakeries. The owner was dumfounded but willingly sold everything. He spent less that $100 to obtain about 400 loaves of bread and spent another $100 to get daily necessities.
Off he went in the truck full of bread into the streets. As he distributed the bread and necessities to he children (mostly handicapped) and a few adults, he received cheers and bows from these unfortunate. For the first time in his life he wondered how people can give up their dignity for a loaf of bread which cost less than $0.25.
He began to tell himself how fortunate he is. How fortunate he is to be able to have a complete body, have a job, have a family, have the chance to complain what food is nice and what isn’t nice, have the chance to be clothed, have the many things that these people in front of him are deprived of …
Now I begin to think and feel it, too! Was my life really that bad? Perhaps --- No, I should not feel bad at all … What about you? Maybe the next time you think you are, think about the child who lost one hand to beg on the streets. “Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want; it is the realization of how much you already have.”
When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don’t see the one which has been opened for us. It’s true that we don’t know what we’ve got until we lost it, but it’s also true that we don’t know what we have been missing until it arrives.
2009年2月28日 星期六
2009年2月27日 星期五
When Love Becons You
When love beckons you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you, yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you, believe in him, though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tender’s branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
But if, in your fear, you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure, then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing – floor, into the season less world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love.
Love melt and belike a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love.
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy.
To return home at eventide with gratitude.
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon lips.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tender’s branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
But if, in your fear, you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure, then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing – floor, into the season less world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love.
Love melt and belike a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love.
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy.
To return home at eventide with gratitude.
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon lips.
2009年2月26日 星期四
2009年2月25日 星期三
Pursuit Of Happiness
We chase after it, when it is waiting all about us.
“Are you happy?” I asked my son, Yi Jun, one day because he always look unhappy. “Yes or no, it depends on what you mean,” he said.
“Then tell me,” I continued, “When was the last time you think you were happy?”
“Perhaps 6th December.” he said.
It served me right for putting a serious question to someone who has joked his way through life. But Yi Jun’s answer reminded me that when we think about happiness, we usually think of something extraordinary, a pinnacle of sheer delight – and those pinnacles seem to get rarer the older we get.
For a child, happiness has a magical quality. I remember making hide-outs in big pipes, playing cops and robbers in the woods, getting a speaking part in the school play. Of course, kids also experience lows, but their delight at such peaks of pleasure as winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved.
In the teenage years the concept of happiness changes. Suddenly it’s conditional on such things as excitement, love, popularity and whether that zit will clear up before prom night.
In adulthood the things that bring profound joy – birth, love, marriage also – bring responsibility and the risk of loss.
In dictionary defines happy as “lucky” or “fortunate”, but I think a better definition of happiness is “the capacity for enjoyment”. The more we can enjoy what we have, the happier we are. It’s easy to overlook the pleasure we get from loving and being loved, the company of friends, the freedom to live where we please, and even good health.
Yesterday, I added up my little moments of pleasure. First there was sheer bliss after I enjoy my delicious breakfast and had the house to myself. My wife and younger son was going back Sri Cheeding home village. Then I spent an uninterrupted evening writing my blog, which I love. When they com home, I enjoy another pleasure – intimacy. Sometimes just the knowledge that he wants me can bring me joy.
You never know where happiness will turn up next. Perhaps you like lonely shopping day, but sometime shopping with a group of people can chats and really cheers you up.
I get a thrill from driving. One day I stopped to let a car turn onto a side road. The driver grinned and gave me hand up sign. We were two allies in a world of mad motorists. It made me smile.
We all experience moments like these. Too few of us register them as happiness.
Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a blend of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work. I doubt that my father was 74 years old, who raised 5 children and took in shoes making. He did have a network of close friends and family, and maybe this was what fulfilled him. If he was happy with what he had, perhaps it was because he didn’t expect life to be very different.
We, on the other hand, with so many choices and such pressure to succeed in every area, have turned happiness into one more thing we “gotta have.” We’re so self – conscious about our “right” to it that it’s making us miserable. So we chase it and equate it with wealth and success, without noticing that the people who have those things aren’t necessarily happier.
While happiness may be more complex for us, the solution is the same as ever. Happiness isn’t about what happens to us – it’s about how we perceive what happens to us. It’s the knack of finding a positive for every negative, and viewing a setback as a challenge. It’s not wishing for what we don’t have, but enjoying what we do possess.
2009年2月24日 星期二
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2009年2月23日 星期一
Childhood Days
When you came into the world, she held you in her arms.
You thanked her by weeping your eyes out.
When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you.
You thanked her by crying all night long.
When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk.
You thanked her by running away when she called.
When you were 3 years old, she made all your ms with love.
You thanked her by tossing you’re your plate on the floor.
When you were 4 years old, she gave you some crayons.
You thanked her by coloring the dining room table.
When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays.
You thanked her by plopping into the nearest pile of mud.
When you were 6 years old, she walked you to school.
You thanked her by screaming, “I’m not going!”
When you were 7 years old, she bought you a baseball.
You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbor’s window.
When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream.
You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.
When you were 9 years old, she paid for piano lessons.
You thanked her by never even bothering to practice.
When you were 10 years old, she drove you all day, from soccer to gymnastics to one birthday party after another.
You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.
When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies.
You thanked her by asking to sit in a different row.
When you were 12 years old, she warned you not to watch certain TV shown.
You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.
Those Teenage Years
When you were 13, she suggested a haircut that was becoming.
You thanked her by telling her she had no taste.
When you were 14, she paid for a month away at summer camp.
You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.
When you were 15, she came home from work, looking for a hug.
You thanked her by having your bedroom door locked.
When you were 16, she taught you how to drive her car.
You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.
When you were 17, she was expecting an important call.
You thanked her by being on the phone all night.
When you were 18, she cried at your high school graduation.
You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.
Growing Old and Gray
When you were 19, she paid your college tuition, drove you to campus, carried your bags.
You thanked her by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of your friends.
When you were 20, she asked whether you were seeing anyone.
You thanked her by saying, “It’s none of your business.”
When you were 21, she suggested certain careers for your future.
You thanked her by saying, “I don’t want to be like you.”
When you were 22, she hugged you at your college graduation.
You thanked her by asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.
When you were 23, she gave you furniture for your first apartment.
You thanked her by telling your friends it was ugly.
When you were 24, she met your fiancé and asked about your plans for the future.
You thanked her by glaring and growling, “Mother, please!”
When you were 25, she helped to pay for your wedding, and she cried and told you how deeply she loved you.
You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.
When you were 30, she called with some advice on the baby.
You thanked her by telling her, “Things are different now.”
When you were 40, she called to remind you of a relative’s birthday.
You thanked her by saying you were “really busy right now.”
When you were 50, she fell ill and needed you to take care of her.
You thanked her by reading about the burden parents become to their children.
And then one day she quietly died.
And everything you never did come crashing down like thunder.
“Rock me baby, rock me all night long.”
“The hand who rocks the cradle … may rock the world.”
Let us a moment of the time just to pay tribute and show appreciation to the person called mom though some may not say it openly to their mother. There’s no substitute for her. Cherish every single moment. Though a times she may not be the best of friends, may not agree to our thoughts, she is still your mother! She will be there for you … to listen to your woes, your bragging, your frustrations, etc. Ask yourself … have you put aside enough time for her, to listen to her “blues” of working in the kitchen, her tiredness? Be tactful, loving and still show her due respect though you may have a different view from hers. Once gone, only fond memories of the past and also regrets will be left.
Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Love her more than you love yourself. Life is meaningless without her …
You thanked her by weeping your eyes out.
When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you.
You thanked her by crying all night long.
When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk.
You thanked her by running away when she called.
When you were 3 years old, she made all your ms with love.
You thanked her by tossing you’re your plate on the floor.
When you were 4 years old, she gave you some crayons.
You thanked her by coloring the dining room table.
When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays.
You thanked her by plopping into the nearest pile of mud.
When you were 6 years old, she walked you to school.
You thanked her by screaming, “I’m not going!”
When you were 7 years old, she bought you a baseball.
You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbor’s window.
When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream.
You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.
When you were 9 years old, she paid for piano lessons.
You thanked her by never even bothering to practice.
When you were 10 years old, she drove you all day, from soccer to gymnastics to one birthday party after another.
You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.
When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies.
You thanked her by asking to sit in a different row.
When you were 12 years old, she warned you not to watch certain TV shown.
You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.
Those Teenage Years
When you were 13, she suggested a haircut that was becoming.
You thanked her by telling her she had no taste.
When you were 14, she paid for a month away at summer camp.
You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.
When you were 15, she came home from work, looking for a hug.
You thanked her by having your bedroom door locked.
When you were 16, she taught you how to drive her car.
You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.
When you were 17, she was expecting an important call.
You thanked her by being on the phone all night.
When you were 18, she cried at your high school graduation.
You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.
Growing Old and Gray
When you were 19, she paid your college tuition, drove you to campus, carried your bags.
You thanked her by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of your friends.
When you were 20, she asked whether you were seeing anyone.
You thanked her by saying, “It’s none of your business.”
When you were 21, she suggested certain careers for your future.
You thanked her by saying, “I don’t want to be like you.”
When you were 22, she hugged you at your college graduation.
You thanked her by asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.
When you were 23, she gave you furniture for your first apartment.
You thanked her by telling your friends it was ugly.
When you were 24, she met your fiancé and asked about your plans for the future.
You thanked her by glaring and growling, “Mother, please!”
When you were 25, she helped to pay for your wedding, and she cried and told you how deeply she loved you.
You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.
When you were 30, she called with some advice on the baby.
You thanked her by telling her, “Things are different now.”
When you were 40, she called to remind you of a relative’s birthday.
You thanked her by saying you were “really busy right now.”
When you were 50, she fell ill and needed you to take care of her.
You thanked her by reading about the burden parents become to their children.
And then one day she quietly died.
And everything you never did come crashing down like thunder.
“Rock me baby, rock me all night long.”
“The hand who rocks the cradle … may rock the world.”
Let us a moment of the time just to pay tribute and show appreciation to the person called mom though some may not say it openly to their mother. There’s no substitute for her. Cherish every single moment. Though a times she may not be the best of friends, may not agree to our thoughts, she is still your mother! She will be there for you … to listen to your woes, your bragging, your frustrations, etc. Ask yourself … have you put aside enough time for her, to listen to her “blues” of working in the kitchen, her tiredness? Be tactful, loving and still show her due respect though you may have a different view from hers. Once gone, only fond memories of the past and also regrets will be left.
Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Love her more than you love yourself. Life is meaningless without her …
2009年2月21日 星期六
2009年2月20日 星期五
Grateful To Life
Once President Roosevelt’s house was broken into and lots of things were stolen. Hearing this, one of Roosevelt’s friends wrote to him and advised him not to take it to his heart so much. President Roosevelt wrote back immediately, saying, “Dear friend, thank you for your letter to comfort me. I’m all right now. I think I should thank God. This is because of the following three reasons: firstly, the thief only stole things from me but did not hurt me at all; secondly, the thief has stolen some of my things instead of all my things; thirdly, most luckily for me, it was the man rather than me who became a thief ...”
It was quite unlucky for anyone to be stolen from. However, President Roosevelt had such three reasons to be so grateful. This story tells us how we can learn to be grateful in our life.
Being grateful is an important philosophy of life and a great wisdom. It is impossible for anyone to be lucky and successful all the time so long as he lives in the world. We should learn how to face failure or misfortune bravely and generously and to try to deal with it. If so, should we complain about our life and become frustrated and disappointed ever since then or should we be grateful for our life, rise again ourselves after a fall? William Thackeray, a famous British writer, said, “Life is a mirror. When you smile in front of it, it will also smile and so will it when you cry to it.” If you are grateful to life, it will bring you shining sunlight. If you always complain about everything, you may own nothing in the end. When we are successful, we can surely have many reasons for being grateful, but we have only one excuse to show ungratefulness if we fail.
I think we should even be grateful to life whenever we are unsuccessful or unlucky. Only by doing this can we find our weakness and shortcomings when we fail. We can also get relief and warmth when we are unlucky. This can help us find our courage to overcome the difficulties we may face, and receive great impetus to move on. We should treat our frustration and misfortune in our life in the other way just as President Roosevelt did. We should be grateful all the time and keep having a healthy attitude to our life forever keep having perfect characters and enterprising spirit. Being grateful is not only a kind of comfort, not an escape from life and nor thinking of winning in spirit like Ah Q. Being grateful is a way to sing for our life which comes just from our love and hope.
When we put a small piece of alum into muddy water, we can see the alum can soon make the water clear. If each of us has an attitude of being grateful, we’ll be able to get rid of impulse, upset, dissatisfaction and misfortune. Being grateful can bring us a better and more beautiful life.
It was quite unlucky for anyone to be stolen from. However, President Roosevelt had such three reasons to be so grateful. This story tells us how we can learn to be grateful in our life.
Being grateful is an important philosophy of life and a great wisdom. It is impossible for anyone to be lucky and successful all the time so long as he lives in the world. We should learn how to face failure or misfortune bravely and generously and to try to deal with it. If so, should we complain about our life and become frustrated and disappointed ever since then or should we be grateful for our life, rise again ourselves after a fall? William Thackeray, a famous British writer, said, “Life is a mirror. When you smile in front of it, it will also smile and so will it when you cry to it.” If you are grateful to life, it will bring you shining sunlight. If you always complain about everything, you may own nothing in the end. When we are successful, we can surely have many reasons for being grateful, but we have only one excuse to show ungratefulness if we fail.
I think we should even be grateful to life whenever we are unsuccessful or unlucky. Only by doing this can we find our weakness and shortcomings when we fail. We can also get relief and warmth when we are unlucky. This can help us find our courage to overcome the difficulties we may face, and receive great impetus to move on. We should treat our frustration and misfortune in our life in the other way just as President Roosevelt did. We should be grateful all the time and keep having a healthy attitude to our life forever keep having perfect characters and enterprising spirit. Being grateful is not only a kind of comfort, not an escape from life and nor thinking of winning in spirit like Ah Q. Being grateful is a way to sing for our life which comes just from our love and hope.
When we put a small piece of alum into muddy water, we can see the alum can soon make the water clear. If each of us has an attitude of being grateful, we’ll be able to get rid of impulse, upset, dissatisfaction and misfortune. Being grateful can bring us a better and more beautiful life.
2009年2月19日 星期四
未尽反哺心
亲爱的母亲：
一场的交通意外便夺走了我们亲爱的父亲。至今我心里还未能平复，唯恨自己在父亲有生之年未尽点孝心。回想起念宽柔一小时，父亲不惜为了孩子们，刻意向星马鞋厂老板借车回拉庆家载我们一同去学校。虽然次数不多，但显现出他对子女的厚爱。当时我们年少无知，体会不出，也不懂得感恩，只会自豪与高兴。当父亲年事已高时，动作反感也怠慢了。我们应该尽点孝，反哺心；住在同一个屋檐下，出席同一个宴席，载送父亲以保进出平安。可是这么简单的事我们并没做到。“慈乌失其母，哑哑吐衰音，昼夜不飞去，经年守故林。夜夜夜半啼，闻者为沾襟；声中如告诉，未尽反哺心.” 我们虽是人，切不如一只鸦。衰哉！祝安康。
一场的交通意外便夺走了我们亲爱的父亲。至今我心里还未能平复，唯恨自己在父亲有生之年未尽点孝心。回想起念宽柔一小时，父亲不惜为了孩子们，刻意向星马鞋厂老板借车回拉庆家载我们一同去学校。虽然次数不多，但显现出他对子女的厚爱。当时我们年少无知，体会不出，也不懂得感恩，只会自豪与高兴。当父亲年事已高时，动作反感也怠慢了。我们应该尽点孝，反哺心；住在同一个屋檐下，出席同一个宴席，载送父亲以保进出平安。可是这么简单的事我们并没做到。“慈乌失其母，哑哑吐衰音，昼夜不飞去，经年守故林。夜夜夜半啼，闻者为沾襟；声中如告诉，未尽反哺心.” 我们虽是人，切不如一只鸦。衰哉！祝安康。
2009年2月18日 星期三
Youth
Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means the temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite of adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than in a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self – distrust, fear and despair – these bow the heart and turn the spirit back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being’s heart the love of wonder, the sweet amazement at the stars and the star like things, the undaunted challenge of events, the unfailing child – like appetite for what – next, and the joy of the game of living.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self – confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.
In the central place of your heart there is a wireless station, so long as it receives message of beauty, hope, courage, grandeur and power from the earth, from man and from the Infinite, so long are you young.
When the wires are all down, and all the central places of your heart are covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and only then, are you grown old indeed.
Youth means the temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite of adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than in a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self – distrust, fear and despair – these bow the heart and turn the spirit back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being’s heart the love of wonder, the sweet amazement at the stars and the star like things, the undaunted challenge of events, the unfailing child – like appetite for what – next, and the joy of the game of living.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self – confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.
In the central place of your heart there is a wireless station, so long as it receives message of beauty, hope, courage, grandeur and power from the earth, from man and from the Infinite, so long are you young.
When the wires are all down, and all the central places of your heart are covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and only then, are you grown old indeed.
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