Let It Shine

There are many sayings;

Put your heart to it.
All it needs is some heart.

A heart may be broken. Time and time again. Yet for some reason it never dies. The reason?

It's what's in the heart that matters. Not the heart itself.

Just like a diamond encased in metal. When exposed to extreme heat, the metal melts but the diamond doesn't.

Similarly with the human heart, it may shatter to pieces, crack, melt, disintegrate and yet the power of it remains the same.

What shines is not the heart but what that comes from the heart. Let that shine without boundaries just as a sparkly diamond shines its light to looking eyes.

Icebergs

There is a saying;

There is more to it than meets the eye.

Life is like an iceberg.

Cold, harsh, steep, jagged rocks, strong winds and so on.

But just like an iceberg, there is more to life than meets the eye.

Just like diving underwater to see the whole iceberg,
Life gets bigger and more magnificent the deeper you go into it.





There is meaning to life. We just may not have found it yet or have already found it but do not yet understand it.
Likewise, there is meaning to every event in life. We may not understand it completely just yet but as you dive deeper and as time goes by, you will.


Life is like an iceberg, it's not what that is seen that matters.
It's what that is not seen.

The Book

If there's a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.

~Toni Morrison

We have all read books before. Or at least one book. When we read, we tend to picture the characters and actions of the book in our minds making it more interesting.

Now each book that we read, its about different people and a different story yet sometimes, the happenings in the book may relate to the reader so well that it may actually show a way to solve a certain problem in life. Can we call that a storybook ending? You tell me.

Here's the point; do you realize that we are ALL writers? No?

Well, we are.

Now here's another point; you may not know because you are not WRITING the book.

What does that mean? First a writer then not writing it? Am I insane? Maybe....

3rd point; we are the main characters in the book.

Still not getting me? Oh well....

LIFE is a book.

An ant's life is a book. A tree's life is a book. A dog's life is a book. YOUR life is a book.

Each and every day that passes by, we are putting more and more into the book without really realizing it. And in this book there more chapters than one can ever imagine. If I was given the chance to title the chapters of the book about my life, I would start off with "Chapter 1: The Birth" and end it with "Epilogue: The Last Moments"

Why do I say that life is a book?

Well, when you look back at times that you once had with friends and family and all, it's like a book. You turn back the pages to take a look of the story then. What if you forget? It's as if the pages of the book were torn out.

Here's the best part. A book is really detailed. When you look back into the past, you actually remember your feelings at the particular time. Also, a book shows you that what you feel at the moment may not be the biggest thing that is affecting your life but something else. Something between the lines.

A book has so many emotions in it. Love, hate, anger, jealousy etc. and yet 99% of the time, it has a happy ending. So does life.

=)

Help

"To be helpless is to be hopeful."

Have you ever felt helpless? Have you ever felt so powerless that you want to do something but you just can't because you either don't know what to do, how to do it, when and where?

I have felt that way many times. One of the strongest would be when I see stray animals that are undernourished, weak and diseased walking along the roads. I just wish that I could do something to help these poor animals. There have been people who have set up shelters on their own for the sake of helping these unfortunate animals. Yet, how can I do it without money? To help these animals, I need money. Even when you bring in an animal to the SPCA, you are required to pay for them to take the animal in, even though it is a stray.

Another would be when I walk around the streets or sidewalks, I see people begging. Some of them look quite well off. But some of the just look really in need. I feel compassionate for them. When I can, I give them something, either a few ringgit or maybe some food. When I do that and they smile at me gratefully and saying "thank you", I feel that I have done something that seems insignificant to me but it's a great deal to them. I feel that I could help with so much more.

I admit that I'm no angel. Many times I see some of them who are amputees but they have a prosthetic beside them. And I think to myself, "If they can afford a prosthetic, why must they beg?". I have taken into option that the medical bills might have wiped out all of their savings. However, if they have the resource of a prosthetic, they can work. True that many employers do not want to take people who are less able but that does not mean that there is no work for them. Yet, they choose to take the easy way by making themselves look pitiful.

Another strong feeling I get is when I hear or see about orphans and disabled children in care homes all around the world. These children have a bright future ahead of them yet all we can do is give pity to them. A lot of patience is needed in caring for this energetic group, and also for the not so energetic. Education is an important part of these kids lives yet most of them can't go to school because the homes that they live in do not have enough funds to support them.

Last but not least, the old folks home. Old folks. That is how it is officially labeled? Not parents? Mothers? Fathers? Guardians? They are easily forgotten. The race for financial strength is so strong that we forget the contributions that have been given while growing up. When I step into the old folks homes, all the aunties and uncles there have a hopeful look on their faces, wondering if it is one of their relatives who have come to visit.

Their children so easily forgot what they did to raise them. Financial? You gotta work? Take care of your kids? These people have risked work AND money just to get you where you are today. And you put them in a home, you rarely visit. Sometimes, they cry themselves to sleep because they think that their children or grandchildren have forgotten about them.

I have many dreams that have yet to be fulfilled. Many times I have and will feel helpless. But I will not give up.

Religion

There is a saying;

The faith of a person who believes in something that they can't sense with the human 5 senses are countless times stronger than the faith of those who believe in something that which they can only sense with the 5 senses.

There are various religious believes in this world. The dictionary defines religion as believing in gods or in one God. Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Jewish, even animism. These are just the tip of the iceberg.

There are so many religions in this world to the point where some don't even know which god to believe in and instead call themselves freethinkers meaning that they believe that there is a God, or there is a higher power at work but they just don't know which God it is.

To some, religion is an identity. To them, having a religion defines who they are. Without it they are nobody and people around them know them for their religion. In this case, these people believe in whatever they believe in just because it makes them known to people. They do not take what they believe seriously and to heart. It's just for the sake of personal gains.

To some others, religion is a necessity. It is a must in their lives. Without it, they are lost and hopeless in life. The religion is like a manual on how to live their lives day by day. These people are really strong in their faith of what they believe in. However, there could be bad side effects to this strong belief of theirs. Should they take whatever teachings of the religion literally, it may cause danger to others and/or themselves. I choose not to elaborate on what I mean by that. I only dare say that I have personally witnessed people doing something that is not exactly good and they claim it is for their religion's sake that they do that.

There are also the group that choose to believe in a religion as a guideline to life. They take the teachings of that particular religion that they believe in and apply in life for the better good. These people also have strong faiths but they know the limits and that not all the teachings are to be applied.

I am a Christian. I used to be a Buddhist. However, Christianity was my choice and Buddhism wasn't. It was just because my whole family was a Buddhist that I was considered a Buddhist. I chose to be a Christian. I have my believes and I have my faith.

Some condemn me for it and yet I stay on. Why? Because religion is not something to be condemned. I believe that in every religion, we are called to love one another regardless of our believes. If you actually condemn other religions just because you don't believe that it's real, what does that make you? Is that what your teachings teaches you?

"Condemn those that do not believe in this religion for they are fakes and are not worthy to be a part of your life."

Is that it? Is that what you are called out to do?

Sometimes, we call ourselves religious. We tell ourselves that what we do is right and there is no wrong to it. Well, think again. Denial is strong but we are also called to be humble. Humility is a huge factor that is missing in today's world.

All in all, religion is a choice. It is up to the person what they choose to believe in. We were given the right of free will for this very reason. There may be multiple gods up there and they put up a bet to see how many followers they can get. I do not know.

All I know is, I chose to believe. And I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. Curse me for it, condemn me for it. It's my choice, and you can't really do anything about it. Because I chose to believe.

God bless. =)