假如一個人短暫的瞬間陷入新聞報導，只有純粹的恐怖行動。事實上，沒有什麼事是正向或充滿希望的。當我坐著，我們對於法國發生的災難感到不知所措，以及察覺恐怖主義者的威脅恐嚇潛伏在每個街燈柱下。最近當地我們見到四個人被砍死於大眾捷運系統，這屠殺了一個小學生在她所屬學校區域範圍內的權利。你藉著思考著這個世界已經完全的瘋了而被寬恕，”沒有”是你唯一的錯誤信念問題。地球如今是安全並接納歷年來的世界歷史。我們的文明是親切、溫柔的，大多數的人試著解決非常現實的問題並為了全部生活型態而製造一個誘人的地方，然而為什麼我感覺不到保障及安全？為什麼在我內心仍感到如此恐懼。
Perception
我常常提醒自己，這個世界由我自己創造，假使我想活在正向意念的生活，我可以；假使我想活在沮喪失敗中，我也可以：我將隨意的支配。話雖如此，我總是對我奇特的想像力有興趣。近來歐洲的暴力事件呈現，讓我納悶它就像活在他們晚期的19世紀，有比較好嗎？乍看之下，它呈現一個更和平的地方，全球文化及優點的頂峰。當然，許多視為理所當然的裝置才剛開始存在，包括現代的汽車(1886年被卡爾‧賓士創造)、電話(1876年亞歷山大‧格拉漢姆‧貝爾取得專利權)以及飛機(1903萊特兄弟第一次成功飛行)。從一個歷史的觀點，這個時期有如實地被描繪嗎？它優於我們當今的時代嗎？對於高階的事物，無疑地是好太多了。首先，你的學校教育是極優於一般人。第二，你的晉升機會，在軍隊及政府官僚都是優秀的，高等教育的男士(總是男士)被派駐到世界各地，它是一次極大的冒險。
Life Matters!
When I first came to Taiwan, I was impressed with the heat and the insects, especially the cockroaches. I had virtually never seen such a bug before. What I remarked on was that they were much like water: ubiquitous, they were everywhere.
The Answer
Last week, was “my week of everything.” My computer, at the most urgent of moments, began to make a curious humming sound. This increased to a piecing crescendo and then, with a belated shudder, stopped. “No worries,” I remarked to myself. “I have my phone.” I was busy and work ended in the wee hours of the morning. At home in bed, I glanced over at the device nuzzled next to me on my night table: I was safe. Sadly, when I awoke, there was a command on its screen: “Type in your Android Password.” Now, I don’t have an android password and, to be honest, I don’t even know what that means. All my attempts at restarting the phone failed. Totally nonplussed, I was forced to conduct a class totally digitally naked: I had no electronic crutches whatsoever: humbling to say the least. I succeeded and thus realized that all this technology is but a modern Jean Passepartout, (1) nothing more. On my way to the office, I stopped at the electronic shop. Thinking that it was simply a misplaced command, I nervously proffered the phone and gingerly, and sheepishly, presented the problem. After feverishly pushing numerical and alphabetical buttons and having the mobile emit various burps and buzzes, the technician looked at me with a disgusted glare of incredulity. “In my ten years in the cell phone industry, I have never encountered this problem,” he announced. I am a technical Luddite and seem to have that effect on devices. The next series of conversations resulted in terms such as “unheard of, motherboard, irreparable and words of that ilk.” I felt crestfallen, to say the least. Then I was reminded of the age old adage attributed to King Solomon in second Corinthians: to paraphrase – “This too shall pass.” (2) And pass it did. Within a week, my computer was running as if no problem had every existed and my “smart phone” was as clever as ever, maybe even cleverer.
Your body
Like many people, I go to a gym. My body is not young, so like all machines, its elements are subjected to “wear and tear.” I have a lot of respect for my corporeality and I know that it is a finite entity; therefore, it must be protected and preserved. I am one of the club’s older members, so I am left with the opinion that most of us have given up the fight against our aging body: that being said, countless stomachs protrude unnecessarily. I, on the other hand, believe that with a little nurturing, we can live continue to live active and fulfilling lives well into our latter years. This also includes our intellectual activities. Our mind is much like a muscle, the more we keep it limber, the stronger its elasticity. Attending any youthful rock concert or art exhibit is enough to snap you back fifty years to your youth: great fun – though hard on the senses, especially the ears. I recently went to one such activity and found myself at the very front row. I had to defend my position from a crush of eager attendees, all wanting to seek a better view of the stage. Having fended off the attackers, I was able to “enjoy” the following three hours of musical onslaught. The lingering result of the valiant defense of my locale was that I was virtually deaf for the following three days. But as Franz Kafka (1883-1924) reminds us,” Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
Continue reading Your body
If I could change the world, I would…
Most people conclude the phrase; “If I could change the world, I would …” with, “I don’t know!” The immediate question that is called to mind is, why not? The “why not” is because most of us truly feel powerless in our reality. Once again, we must ask the question: “Who creates this reality?” the succinct and somewhat tragic answer is, “I do!” Now to be fair, we are overwhelmed with trivia and it fully blinds us from any introspection whatsoever; but, are we not “fighters?” Did we not build our societies on the efforts of those who had come before? This is a clarion call to all fair-minded individuals to embark on a path of thought and introspection. We must not be fooled by the digital juggernaut that threatens to cripple us, both intellectually and spiritually. It is time to think!
Faith & Hope
Faith: In Western culture, our churches and synagogues are empty. They were, of course, once filled to overflowing – gushing forth humanity at the close of the service. Was faith any stronger then than it is now? Attendance at a religious service is certainly on the decline: but survey after survey shows that we are a searching lot. (1)
The Struggle
Do you remember when you were extremely young and you wanted to accomplish a mission or project? I recall a very traumatic experience when my little pedal-car got stuck in a mud hole. I couldn’t go forward nor go back. I did not want to leave the miniature vehicle because that would sully my shoes: even at an early age, my parents had instilled me with the concept that clean shoes constituted a gentleman. I was forced to maneuver the car backwards and forwards. Finally, it broke free and I was propelled across the gravel driveway, almost hitting a tree. I had learned Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. (1) I was lucky that I didn’t experience the real result of the axiom
Action
You may ask yourself. “How am I actually going to get my message out into the world?” This is a very interesting and clever question. First and foremost, you are going to have to be “just a touch brave.” To paraphrase Osho: “There are no heroes and no cowards: there is only action.” (1) Public speaking is not a natural process for most people. You will become nervous: your palms will perspire and your heart rate will increase. You must accept this as natural. There are many techniques that you can use to calm yourself. Mindfulness, (2) for example, is an excellent meditation technique. At the onset, it is imperative that you unflinchingly believe in “your message,” (I want to save the world, for example): this is paramount. Then you are able to proceed. There are several “tried and true” methodologies that will greatly assist you as you build your communication skills. Firstly your discourse must be rational: it must be predicated on a thesis or idea (A); it must hold an interesting and articulate main body (B+C+D) and possess a succinct and clever conclusion that ties back to the original thesis (A).
Age
Age is an extremely interesting phenomenon. Like so much of history, you can talk about it, visit its sites of trauma and battles, but never truly experience it: you just weren’t there. So it is with time. You can hear its descriptions and attempt to create its images, but this is mostly nonsensical until you live through it. When I was young, the aged were distant and surreal. They appeared oddly out of place in a world filled with beautiful things. This included my grandparents.