Purpose of life

Our culture taught us to be competitive, stay competitive, in order to win and survive. We often have the impression that we need to excel academically to be happy in life. Parents want us to be good at everything we do, and we are often placed in comparison with the others.

No one taught us to search for happiness.

We are constantly in search of our purpose of living. Why are you here today? What is your purpose here?

Benjamin Franklin asked himself “What good shall I do this day” every single morning, and he ended his day with “What good have I done today?” It is clear that he made “kindness” his purpose of living.

Some others may put “money” and “successful” as their purpose of living, or simple ones like “love” and “being home”. We need a motivation to live on. While achieving those aims can help you achieve happiness, but can we sustain that happiness?

I strongly believe that while you may have different kinds of purposes in life, one must not run away from this question, “Am I happy with what what I’m doing right now?” So perhaps the next time you feel down, or bored with what you’re doing, consider this: have you done anything that made you happy lately? Find something interesting to do, something you like or interested in but gave up because of time, or something that you’ve yearn to do it, yet being put aside because of all sorts of excuses. Happiness is something that you ‘go after’, rather that ‘wait and see’.

So, have you done anything that made you smile today?

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Do it selflessly

If one decides to devote himself to help those in need, please do so willingly. Please don’t whine and complain how badly others are doing, when that’s the reason they need your help in the first place!

We should try to lead a life as a problem solver, not a trouble maker. One do not advance and grow if you keep turning in circles, trapped in the problem or fault.

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A choice, leading to another

I’ve always loved this poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Our lives are filled with choices that we have to make. Be it choices that we are thankful for, or choices that we have to live with regrets, they will just lead you further, and there is just no turning back. We just can’t turn back time.

There is no right or wrong in any decisions you’ve made, but rather, is it the most suitable path you’ve chosen. Most importantly, avoid decisions that you’ll have to live with regrets later.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—   
I took the one less travelled by,   
And that has made all the difference.

Image from http://zenpencils.com/comic/60-robert-frost-the-road-not-taken/

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Self-centred

Dear friend,

Perhaps I thought too much about myself that I’ve forgotten about your needs.
And perhaps I cared too much about my feelings that I disregarded yours.
And perhaps I’ve clouded you with too much of my pessimistic thoughts.
Perhaps I could be a little more optimistic like you.

I’m sorry.

But you need to know that whenever you need anything, I’ll be there.
And maybe I need to put my feelings aside and listen to yours.
At times I should have been a better listener.
Our friendship needs to be mutual benefit rather than a one man band.

Let me know, and I’ll be there.

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Shining bright

After photographing fireflies for a couple of times this month, I realised that we could very much learn from the fireflies.  

They may be small, but together, they lit the forest. They keep glowing, even when it rains, and till the very last moment of their life. 

They persevered during hardship, for a better future. They took months to mature, and glow the brightest during this season. 

Opportunities are for those who are well prepared. When you are prepared, be it hardship or challenges, you’ll be able to overcome it. All the best to everyone!

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Back online

It has been a while since I last posted here on Blogger. I've been doing much web redesigning work for others that I started asking myself, "When will I have time to design a proper blog layout of my own?" 

After a few comments by the others that the previous template was heavy and slow loading, I've decided to look for something lightweight instead. So here you go, a new template where I can blog and share photographs at the same time. 

As my schedule is pretty much packed most of the time, I find it harder and harder to take photographs. I'll try my best to take a few more shots to share with everyone. At least check out my Instagram, where I use it to post most of my day-to-day shots.

Till then, take care. All is best. 

Photo of the day, mystical forest of fireflies, taken in 白鮑溪 (BaiBaoXi) Hualien, Taiwan.

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The road not taken

It has been nearly a year since I last played a role in the Medical Fun Night. We did crazy stuffs that night, including me dressing up as a girl.

It was indeed a road not taken. The first time to dance on stage and also the first time to dress like that. To say that it’s pretty crazy was an understatement – it was insane.

However, looking back, it was a different experience. It shows that one’s potential is limitless, and we should try something new. That dress up made me a better person, I was able to understand how it feels like to be laugh at publicly, and how you can cope with this.

Later on people did try to humiliate me and laugh over those photographs of memories, but to be frank, I felt stronger at heart. What could be worse than this? I told them, “I’ve taken a road not taken, experienced it and grow from the experience. What did you learn in return?”

In short, life is filled with ups and downs, but when you look back at it, it will only be filled with fond memories to think of, and how much wiser you’ve grown out of that experience.

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The feeling of closeness

When you’re out there, you need to adapt to your surrounding, to get yourself comfortable with the culture you’re in. And these are the people who helped you the most: Friends.

Although the time together is brief, and time flies through your life quickly, they are important people who make you realise the importance of having someone close who could laugh with you when you’re happy, and cry with you when you’re down.

A pat on the shoulder means so much, and as soon as they come by, they’re off again in search of their own dreams. So in the mean time, cherish the time you have together.

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Place of Living

 

Where we stay or live plays an important role in our daily lives. From how we interact with the people surrounding us to how the environment affects our wellbeing, a place we stay meant so much to us. A grown person can head back to a place called 'home' even if it is a rundown suburb with much poverty and hardship. It is where we used to belong, poured our emotions into it, and grow up in.   

A place can affect us dearly. Spatial segmentation may give us more personal space, but too much of privacy could lead to some potential issues. When we have more personal space, we leave out 'connectedness' from our daily lives, and this lead to losing sight of community as a whole. Individual tolerance of the others may be threatened. In addition, people finding privacy difficult to obtain, such as children, may spend more time out of their homes, away from the surveillance of responsible adults. All these affect the everyday life and health of the people in this place.

A place may also be affected by global capitalism, where the rich will remain rich, and the poor will become poorer. Be it legal or illegal dumping of toxic wastes, the people who suffered from this exposure to hazard are the people of low income or defenceless ethnicity. As the voices of these people are often neglected, they are defenceless against the party causing harm, and even help from government comes slow.

The local community grows differently too, according to the people occupying the space. In places with great access to resources such as high income and education, the extensive ties formed in the local community may be shallow and short term. However, places with much needs may have less extensive ties, but the bonds may be deeper, involving frequent contacts and greater intensity.

As we study how human interacts with each other in a local vicinity, we may observe a trend of the place, and this actually affects how we should provide support to the community. I believe that when a medical professional is involved in the wellbeing of the society, he would better understand how to provide the services to them, as he understands better the cause of sufferings.

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Fire of Hope

 

Life is always about meaning.

You live in search of meaning.

That is your flame of hope.

 

If you do not cling on to that meaning of life,

you’ll lose your steps quickly,

and you’ll fall.

Still, if you are strong enough, why not dream again?

Why not start a new search, another meaning of life?

We are what we are because of our dreams and hopes.

 

So keep that flame ablaze in search of your very own meaning of life.

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