Quote

When you talk too much about nothing

you know you're only ranting

to try and prove yourself to the world

because deep down inside

you know you are just like every one else.

Insight 91: That’s the Way…

A lot of people live by the rule of Celine Dion's song 'That's the way it is' or K.C. and the sunshine band's 'That's the way I like it'. In both extremes, one believes in fate while the other believes in control.

Sadly, people who stake their lives on fate usually are very unhappy people. All they ever say to themselves and others are their 2 infamous words, 'That's Life'. They put their hearts and souls in the hands of the divine and give up the thought of being ambitious and adventurous to remain as humble servants. They abide by a set of laws that govern their lives and hardly question its authenticity. In so many ways and on so many levels they are blinded to everything else except in what they believe to be life and death.

On the other hand, those who have their minds set on mastering their lives will go all the way to do what they must to reap everything from the earth because they feel they have the right to. From power crazed leaders to dominating individuals it's all about seizing the day and plundering the land.

Needless to say, both ends of the spectrum defy the joy of living. For those caught in between the two, life can be confusing and complicating, like how someone once told me he doesn't want to be too holy and yet he wants to be righteous.

First of all, whether life is an event of inevitable predetermined course or it is a multiple choice consequence, it is not living when there is no joy in it. Imagine finding out that you will amount to nothing much because your life has only one road to travel, will you willingly accept it and trudge throughout your existence to make it a reality? But if you feel you have the power to reign over others for your personal gain, how will you live with yourself when solitaire comes around?

Striking a balance in life is something everyone has to find on their own because everyone has a different degree of confidence, hope, compassion and love. There is no right or wrong method and there is no good or bad stratum to be on. We just go on to do what we do best and loving it with no guilty conscience hovering over our heads and no greed dictating our hearts. You don’t have to be one or the other but ultimately we travel down the same yellow brick road.

Insight 90: Vicious Energy Vampires

You know you're an Energy Vampire when:

- you're ignorant. Your asnwer is usually 'I don't know' but the truth is 'I don't want to know' or 'I couldn't be bothered to know'.

- you tire and drain the people around you out. Your mindless chatter serves no purpose other than put others in a bad light when you bring up distasteful tales and awful rumors.

- you don't know what you want in life and refuse to take the trouble to find out more about what you can do. You rather waste your time than to listen to your inner voice.

- you look around your room, your house or your surroundings and find accumulated chaos. You think nothing of it but you know deep down inside that your life is a mess.

- you keep wanting to run away from something or someone. You want to leave the country to find greener pastures so that your life will improve and become better.

- you talk too much. You just talk and talk and talk about making things happen but never lifting a finger to actually doing it.

- you justify your existence with excuses. You love to call attention to yourself that you are born with a set of principles, values or non changeable attitudes.

- you are always angry. You prefer to shout and raise your voice because you believe that is the only way to speak to others who are not as competent as you.

- you are arrogant. You think you are better than everybody else by status, wealth or IQ but you are still an airhead after all.

- you are offensive and name calling behind your back is a norm.

- you lack self esteem and confidence in yourself and you want and demand respect from others because you feel you deserve it.

- you pick your friends whom you can lean on, depend upon or are just a call away to fill your lonely days and vacuous nights.

- you prefer to fight and pick up a weapon than to find a solution or a truce.

- you are frustrated and unhappy with yourself. You can't accept the person that you are, the way you look or the person you have become.

- you bring nothing but heartache, anger, confusion, fear and a series of upsetting emotions to others whenever you are around.

So what do you do when you are a vicious energy vampire? You suck the life out of everyone you meet, especially people who are optimistic, positive and sensitive. If you don't awaken soon you will lose everything and everyone because there's just so much one can give.

Insight 89: Nothing More to Say

I've met a lot of people who seem to have the same disease everywhere I go. This disease, though not technically one, is the disease of unhappiness, and that's not the worst of it. The worst of it is how people actually want to be unhappy and stay unhappy. From a broken marriage to a dysfunctional family to a sexual identity crisis to all forms of dissatisfactions stemmed out of their very existence.

For those who believe that life on earth is suffering and the rewards are in heaven then to these believers there is nothing more to say. But to those who want to find happiness in this brief life of ours than what are you doing being unhappy all the time?

The common answers I get are 'it's too complicated even to think about it', 'the reality of it makes it impossible', 'there's just no way out of it', and the famous or infamous 'you don't understand'. To all the people who don't want to find a solution than there is nothing else to say.

This woman claims that her life is a mess because she has to work from office to home and be a mother, wife, lover and career woman at the same time. That man says he has to provide for the entire family from his parents to his siblings to his sibling's siblings because they can't provide for themselves. Then there is this boy who wants to please his parents and there are parents who want the best for their children. Of course not forgetting the lovers who want to get married with all the strings attached and the spouses who detest one another and want to severe all the strings. Don't they all have something in common?

What about taking it easy? What about simplifying your life with less accumulation and more compassion? What about communication over accusation? What about forgiveness rather than deep seated hatred? What about compromise? What about acceptance? What about change?

The concept of unhappiness was embedded into our heads from old teachings and traditions that one must take the bitter to get to the sweet. In many aspects, it's call learning or experience. But we tend to forget there is a sweet at the end of it. So many of us remain at the bitter and submit to it instead. So for those who know how to make a fast buck out a bunch of guilt ridden, depressed and pitiful people they will be the ones who claim power and possessions.

All these parasites have to do is to please you and distract you with objects of desire. But you know you will not find happiness even in the prescribed drugs and lavish entertainments, momentary hallucinations and 15 minutes of recognition, the perfection of love and ideals of being human. Ultimately, you can only find your own true happiness by taking the inner journey to get to know yourself. Knowing who you are, what you want in life and what your real passion is.

If you think this is all crap than there is nothing more to say.

Insight 88: Why is a bad day sometimes a good day?

We meet all kinds of people every day and sometimes it happens to be a fruitful and enjoyable company but sometimes it can be repulsive in every way. These encounters usually leave us feeling like victims when it is unpleasant and embarrassing, especially if our demands are not yet.

I know an IJ nun who is the most good-natured and dulcet person I've ever come across and everyone take a liking to her almost instantaneously for the serene presence she brings. She told me once that an obnoxious bus driver, who almost served as the conductor, gave her a difficult time when she couldn't produce the exact amount of change he wanted. He continued to put her down and embarrassed her in front of everyone else as he rambled on. When this sister related the story to me she blushed sheepishly as though she was in the wrong. I couldn't help but get angry deep inside and ask the question 'How could anyone treat this sister so badly when she is the nicest person on earth?'

So why does that happen? Why must some people destroy your wonderful day by being nasty for no good reason? If you have read The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield talks about energy and how we try to steal it from one another when we run short of it. In the case of the nun, she is brimming with optimism and inspirations most time I've seen her. So it's not unexpected if someone is always trying to snatch her light away.

But on the other hand, if you believe in the law of attraction then why did the nun get such this mistreatment in the first place? Did she ask for it? One of the things I can conclude is perhaps she did ask for it. Asking for something is usually not direct or blatantly obvious. For example, if she tells the universe she wants to help someone relief the fear or depression in them perhaps that was what she got. Perhaps when the man shouted at her in front of everyone there was someone in the crowd who could identify with this chauvinistic behavior and was the starting point to help her make a decision in life. In fact, the ugly scene would have affected everyone in their own way and the nun actually did more good for them than anyone realized. The driver himself might have had a chance to confront his conscience after working hours as well.

Of course, no one wants a bad experience or to be disgraced in the eyes of the public but sometimes these occurrences are what we have been asking for, unconsciously. Perhaps this is what we want so that we will open our eyes and be awakened from the stupor we have been living in. To snap out of the day dreaming we have been fooling ourselves all this time. Or maybe, this is our way to contribute back to people who need a sign, an inspiration to let them know that they are not alone and that it's okay to free themselves from their own imprisonment.

Insight 87: Being Spiritual

It seems being religious and being materialistic at the same time is acceptable because I've heard hundreds of times affirmed by religious leaders and followers that it is all right. When I was a kid I beloved what the adults said but as I come closer to the age of reason this paradoxical concept confuses me.

Today, since I am more spiritual, I realize this two don't mix well. It is okay to be rich and have abundance but the question is why would you want so much of everything? Once you step into a different level of spirituality your love for nature and the environment heightens and you understand we are a part of everything which is energy and that evolution is inevitable. It's not about purchasing lands and properties, raking in the big bucks and having something to show to the world that makes you who you are. The self and personal discovery is within and has no price tags.

Working for a living is one thing but working to accumulate wealth is another. Although I have seen more people simplifying their lifestyles with less clutter in their homes but the majority still want to go to their place of worship and fill their houses with things. This ironic indulgence just doesn't make any sense when society, on the whole, just want abundance for the sake of having it even when they know happiness doesn't come attached to it.

Religion has always been contradictory in its entirety even since it was introduced. While teaching about the love of God they also tell you about the God of war. While saying 'money is the root to all evil' they also tell you it's okay to be rich and wealthy. They demand that you serve God but they put in the same demand that you serve man. They preach about forgiveness but sanctions the ideals of punishment. But on a spiritual level you learn to embrace all things great and small, to not draw a line between right and wrong because there is no need to and to be considerate, responsible and compassionate while religion teaches you to be tolerant, exclusive and sympathetic.

Spirituality is about clearing the baggage, not gathering them, simplifying the things we can, not complicating them, searching for the truth, not distorting it and sharing the journey with everyone, but not color coding or creating a social hierarchy with a set of commandments.

Here, as I sit and writing this, some religious ceremony is going on outside my apartment window. There are solemn prayers alternated with pop songs. I'm not sure if it is a part of the ceremony or being religious and secular at the same time helps deepen their faith.

And finally spirituality is about hope, not helplessness.

Insight 86: The Law of Abundance

I have always been a firm believer of the law of abundance even before 'The Secret' told us about it and gave it a proper name. However, my kind of understanding about this copiousness is not external but rather internal. Everyone is always seeking abundance from outside sources from natural fuel to accumulated wealth, inspirational notions to conceptual  arousals, unconditional love to humane compassion. Everyday we hear lamentations and read news about the maxim 'what if there is no more?' that haunts many of us when we fear losing it.

People sometimes forget how rich they can be from inside. Everyone is afraid of waking up one day to find that they have run out of ideas or resources externally from writers fearing they might come to a deadend for plots, artists afraid they may draw a blank from their reserves, developers who find there is no more lands to develop and industries that will come to a stall without alternative resources. Everyone is just afraid.

We spend so much time trying to gain the world we lose ourselves instead. And this loss is disheartening when we don't realize how much of potential we have. It's not what we accumulate on the outside that makes us whole or satisfied, it's what we can contribute from the inside that makes it worth the while. By reaping the abundance from within we need not be afraid of anything because we would be able to solve every minor and major problems that comes to us. And most of all there is no running out of material or answers because each time we spend what we set out to spend there will always be more we can extract from.

If each and every human being can come up with ideas to solve every imaginable problems the world would advance even faster than where we are now. It's because of the lack of faith in ourselves and disbelieve that we have more than what we need deep down inside we prefer to steal from one another to make up for the fear of none. Countries that go to war and individuals who start fights are basically sharing the same ideology of scarcity that they will not have enough to go round.

So the next time you come up short with something physical or tangible remember that the abundance inside will help you navigate your way out to find what you need. And there's sufficient to last you this lifetime and many many more.