Last updated on 18 Aug 2009

Some people believes that everything happens for a reason; as do I. However, I find that people sometimes get overly hung up with finding the reason. The reality is that, the reason may not always be significant; or even make much sense. In those situations, I just accept that shit happens. C’est la vie.

Just the other day, my wallet went for a dunking. As for where, I will leave that up to your imagination. This was following a series of unfortunate events earlier in the day. Now, that is enough to completely ruin anyone’s day. You may even be tempted to credit Murphy’s Law; but not me. I reckon Murphy’s Law is a bit overrated.

I was a bit surprised myself at how I handled the situation. Understandably, I was upset. However, it didn’t take long before I see the funny side of things. There was even a smile on my face. Things could have turned out worse. It could have been my Nokia N82 which was in the other pocket. It could have been a public toilet. The fact is that it was something that can be easily fixed.

The next time something gets you down, don’t be feeling sorry for yourself. Bad shit happens to people who feels shit. Instead, learn from the situation and move on. Look at the bright side of life. There is almost always something positive about a situation; if you look hard enough.

Last updated on 18 Aug 2009

Here are the things that I like; and in certain cases, would like to do. This is a list that is bound to grow. Here goes. I like…

• post-it notes
• music
• simplicity
• electronic gadgets
• the smell of air after it rains
• sipping cappuccino while enjoying the view of the square
• running on the beach
• flying with or without wings
• pushing the limits of the human mind
• thunderstorms in the evening
• seeing the smile on people’s face
• the Christmas season
• ice skating
• the feeling after a good workout
• believing that there is good in everyone
• …

Last updated on 6 Sep 2008

I once read a book. Shocking, I know. I can’t remember the title now but it was one on computing; specifically bits of information. According to the book, all living organisms have one simple purpose—to ensure the survival of its species. I don’t agree with all the points made in the book, but this one does seem to have some credibility. If you think about it, any species that does not have survival as its primary goal is unlikely to be here today. The species would had become extinct fairly quickly.

If that is true, we do have a lot of spare time on our hand. The way I see it, once the primary purpose of life is fulfilled, either directly or indirectly, what you do with the rest of the time is unimportant. As long as you don’t do anything to jeopardise the survival of the species, enjoy life.

Now, take a moment and ask yourself this. Are you happy? If not, why not? And what are you doing about it?

Last updated on 6 Dec 2008

You may well be aware that there is no big fat man in a red suit flying around the world on a reindeer sleigh during Christmas, delivering presents to all the nice children. But believe you me, Santa Claus does exist.

You may have seen him today. You may have talked to him and yet not realised it. He could even be right there beside you at this exact moment. So, who is this secret Santa?

He is actually your mum and dad. Your best friend. Your work colleague. Even that stranger you passed on the street yesterday. Come to think of it, you’re him. Santa Claus is simply a physical manifestation of the spirit of giving and sharing, which is in each and every one of us.

For many years, I blindly accepted all the things that I was taught. Some things make sense, others didn’t. I never questioned them. The fact that they came from my parents and teachers seemed a good enough reason for me to accept them. All this started to change when I learnt that it is perfectly okay to question things. In fact, that is the only way to learn. It is how this series came about.

One topic in particular that grabbed my interest is religion. It never sat very comfortably with me. A lot of things about religion didn’t make sense. When I start to question them, they start to fall apart. Things doesn’t fit and the answer religion provides is faith. What is faith? Faith is believing in something without any logical proof. If one can have faith in religion, what’s there to stop another from believing otherwise? Absolutely nothing. What is even more perplexing is that millions of people seems perfectly happy with it.

Ultimately, it doesn’t bother me too much whether you believe in religion or not. If you’re happy believing in whatever you believe, there isn’t much point in bursting your bubble. I could definitely see why religion is such an important part of people’s life. In fact, the world will be very different if there is no religion. However, for those having the same dilemma that I was, here is my take on religion.

I was born and raised a Catholic. Today, my view on Catholicism is vastly different than it was a few years ago. So much so, that I’m practically a non-believer. I believe in God the same way I do in Santa Claus, which is not what most people’s idea of God is. It is nicely summed up by the following quote from the movie, Stigmata. Though not a direct quote from the Bible, there is something similar. What does this mean to you?

The kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you;
Not in buildings of wood and stone.
Split a piece of wood and I am there,
Lift a stone and you will find me.

The following are the fundamental issues that killed religion for me.

• Certain religions, such as Christianity and Islam, believe that they are worshiping the one and only true God. Does Christians think that the Muslims are worshiping a false God, and vice versa? That is for the Christians and Muslims to answer, as I truly don’t know. To me, God and Allah are one in the same. They are just physical manifestation of all things good. Ignoring that, all religions are practically the same. They promote good over evil; peace and happiness. I once heard that religion divides, spirituality unites. I couldn’t agree more.
• Different people interprets the sacred texts, such as the Bible and the Qur’an, differently. Some choose to take the content literally, others figuratively. This leads to multiple interpretations that can be wildly different at times. I myself take the Bible figuratively. That is part of the beauty of it. It’s like poetry.
• The source and history of religion is by far my biggest issue. Who created the sacred texts? Correct me if I’m wrong but weren’t they written by humans. People seems to simply accept it without questioning the whole process of how these sacred texts came into existence. For me, unless the whole process is well understood and transparent, the content of these texts are nothing more than the work of a genius.

I used to believe that being a Catholic made me a better person. What I have come to realise is that religion doesn’t make a person better or worse. Whether someone is good or bad has nothing to do with their believes. It is all in the choices you make in life—how you treat others. This is what saddens me about the Jihadist. It reminds me of the Crusades.

Last updated on 23 Nov 2008

We are all familiar with the concept of right and wrong. Over the last few months, after spending a lot time breaking down the concept, I have come to view right and wrong in a very different light.

For something to be right or wrong, there must exist a set of rules, such as the case in law, science, and mathematics. That is the reason why one can say, 1 + 1 = 2 is right and 1 + 1 = 11 is wrong.

I’ve since come to realise that there is no right or wrong when it comes to life because there are no rules for living your life. At least not that I’m aware of.

Actually, I lied. There are at least two main category of rules that governs how most people live their life—legal and moral. Legality is defined by a set of well-defined rules known commonly as the law. Morality, on the other hand, is more subjective. These are generally enforced through religious and social rules. Most of these rules exist to provide order and peace in society.

One important point to bear in mind is that all these rules are defined by people. While some are established through democracy where you and I have a say, others are created by an authoritative body. A fact of life is that people change. As a consequence, these rules also change. What is considered wrong today may become right tomorrow, and vice versa.

I admit that I have issues with authorities. While I generally try to live by the rules, I don’t have much problems bending them either if they are against my principles. Once you see the rules for what they really are, you start seeing things differently. This way of thinking does scare me sometimes.

The next time you’re faced with a tough decision, rather than trying to make the right choice, ask yourself this instead. “Can I live with the consequences of my choice?” Some decisions are evidently better or worse than others, but they are neither right nor wrong.

Last updated on 26 Jul 2008

One’s experiences will undoubtedly influence one’s view of the world. Therefore, it is only fair that I share mine as it may explain why my opinions are biased a certain way. Alternatively, you may skip this post for now and continue with the other bits I have to share. Then, feel free to psycho-analyse me and come back once you think you have figured me out and see how close you are.

Now, I don’t have the best memory but I’ll tell you what I can remember.

I had a typical childhood. I am fairly cautious with the term typical as, most of the time, I don’t believe that people truly know, or sufficiently understand what goes on in another person’s life for them to be able to draw any conclusions. In this case, what I meant is that my childhood had its moments of ups and downs—fun times and sad times. Nothing overly exciting or traumatic. In short, well loved and cared for.

I am a middle child with three other siblings. Your stereotyping instincts may kick in right about now and start to build up a mental profile of who I am. Remember however that stereotyping is a form of generalisation, and while it may hold true for a large percentage of the group, it is not true for all. From the various descriptions of the middle child syndrome that I came across, they do, to some extent, apply to me.

I had a religious upbringing. Baptised a Catholic as an infant. Attended regular Sunday masses. Started with Sunday school, and later progressed to Bible studies. Though I wasn’t all that keen on Bible studies, it was the right thing to do. I had my first holy communion, and subsequently my confirmation. I was a very active member in the Catholic youth scene.

Financially, I thought we were alright. There were the rich friends that made me envious but there were also those less well-off that made me realise just how fortunate I am. We had a fairly comfortable life. My parents were thrifty but did indulge us every now and then. Thinking back, a lot of the things I wanted but never got, didn’t really matter anyway. There is a common saying, money is the root of all evil. I’m not sure if I agree, but money did cause us some grieve.

The story thus far has been pleasant. However, life is not quite a fairy tale.

to be continued…

A beautiful mind is a journey of self-discovery for me, which will ultimately result in some significant changes in my life. As for you, this is a chance to peek into the inner workings of another person’s mind. It is meant to inspire, provoke, and potentially alter the way you see the world.

I’m not a psychology or philosophy major, but do have a keen interest in these subjects. These posts are simply me putting my thoughts onto a blog; nothing more. You may not agree with everything here but I’m very open-minded and is always willing to hear your point of view.

The A beautiful mind series of blog posts is maintained and structured differently than the rest of the blog. If you intend to follow the series, you may want to bookmark this page now. I may update past entries from time to time as I learn more about a particular aspect of my life. Therefore, it pays to keep an eye on the last updated dates below.

Let the journey begin.

Posts

1. My life thus far – 26 Jul 2008
2. There is no right or wrong – 23 Nov 2008
3. Santa Claus does exist – 6 Dec 2008
4. Why are we here? – 6 Sep 2008
5. I like – 18 Aug 2009
6. The bright side of life – 18 Aug 2009