What if?

What if you're not really you?

When it's time for us to die, it's usually our soul that moves on doesn't it? Our soul is what leaves the body. 

What if your soul is the real you? What if your body is simply a temporary place that your soul lives in? 

If that's the case then is resurrection possible?

Think about it...

Joy to the World

Joy and pleasure are usually considered as one thing. A small branch from happiness.

That's actually very inaccurate. 

Joy and pleasure are very different from each other. 

Imagine...

You were taken away from your parents, kidnapped. You're abused by the kidnappers, forced to work day and night. After 5 years, they finally found you and you reunite with your parents...AFTER 5 YEARS!

The feeling in this situation is joy. 

Imagine...

You have so much work to due with so little time. It's important that you get it done in time but you just can't focus...what do you do? You go and have a cigarette. To calm your nerves, to try and focus.

You feel pleasure in doing this. 

Joy comes naturally, it's pure and natural. It gives you a sense of true happiness and the feeling stays with you. You see it as a happy memory that you strive to have. Pleasure also gives you happiness but after a while, it turns around and kicks you in the back. You feel happy during the process but it's fake, it's not everlasting. It's like a scar. 

Joy comes in when you're truly happy. You feel happy inside and outside. You're bubbling with happiness. Pleasure also has the same affect but it disappears quickly, leaving you wanting for more. You can have more, but it'll always disappear like it did the first time. Joy stays with you, and it doesn't ever back stabs you. 

Try to find what makes you feel joy, not pleasure. 

If you feel that doing something that hurt others gives you joy, you're lying not only lying to others, but you're also lying to yourself. You feel PLEASURE hurting others and deep, deep down in the depths of your heart, you feel guilty and ashamed. It is smothered under the false identity that you claim to be joy, but it's actually pleasure. Joy would not harm others, or harm yourself. 

Don't let pleasure, the fake happiness, steer you into doing something you'll regret. 

Joy is contagious. Spread joy. 

Acknowledged

Imagine...

In this mysterious land, if you lift your middle finger, it is a sign of peace. Can you imagine how silly and insulting, in some ways, that can be? Or...
All the foul words you know, they're all synonyms of good. Such nonsense isn't it?

The example above is all in the perspective a human being. We talk in our own language in which, over many years, we've developed to communicate more efficiently. Communication and interaction becomes effective and efficient with our language. 

Since we learned it as a child, the language no longer seems outlandish or bizarre but in reality, all these languages that we know so well are actually just a made-up system. This language we speak is not a fact, it can not be proven. It is not true nor is it false. It's like the equator. It's useful, it's helpful but it's not real. Still, we all know what an equator is and we still use it. 

I understand I'm telling you something you already know but I bet you've never really thought about it before. Sometimes, you analyze these simple things you just naturally assume you already know and you may just shock yourself with what you realize. 

The belief that pointing a middle finger at someone is a terrible insult is not a fact. It's simply just a belief that everybody in the world follows and believes. Since it's being universally acknowledged, we naturally assume it as a fact, even though it's not. We, human beings, made it as an insult. In fact, if history were to change, for some reason, the middle finger might really become a sign of peace or maybe a something positive. It is really up to us how we see it though if you sum everything together, these insults and foul language we use in the world are really not that bad. 

We humans believe it to be bad, therefore we assume it to be bad and view it as a terrible insult when really, it's all up to us how we see it. Still, you should always be rational and responsible and not use these insults or inappropriate languages even after you've learned what I've just explained. You should still respect and use the customs and beliefs this world as set out but keep this information in mind. 

Realize these obvious things that to many are completely oblivious to...

the Now

In a single day, I find that there are a lot of moments where I just sit and simply think or observe the view. During these moments, I discover a lot of things just by observing the world carefully. It sounds pretty silly but sometimes, you just get carried away so much that you never focus on the present, the Now. Even though you live in the present, your mind, your brain wanders of  to think about the past and the future. 

Thinking is an addiction. I'm not telling you to not think. Besides, it's one of the characteristics that differ from animals, the ability to think. Still, people do too much excessive thinking and most of the time, it's about something useless and unimportant. 

Maybe you're thinking about a past memory that you love, or hate. Maybe you're imagining what would happen to something in the future or if something is going to happen. You're completely forgetting about the present! It becomes an addiction, if you think about it. You just love to think! It's not something many people realize. 

To stop excessive thinking is not an easy thing to do, it's actually very hard because once it becomes an addiction but what I suggest, you only need to think when it's necessary. Don't imagine or daydream, it's not worth your time, it actually wastes your time. You spend so much time spending thinking about the past and future, you just naturally forget to live in the present! 

...remember to live in the present...

True Joy

It's something I've been noticing that is happening so often after I began to read the book "The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment". In some spectacular way, I find that there are moments where I sit and just suddenly feel a burst of happiness inside of me.

It's very strange and weird, you might think. The feeling usually comes all of a sudden. It makes me feel all bubbly from head to toe. During these moments, I feel happy that I have loving parents, a good education, a cozy home, amazing friends, and most importantly, an air conditioner. It gets so hot here in Vietnam at night! :D The simple feeling of not being hot is enough to make me happy.

I guess you might think that the trait is a part of me, that I'm already a really happy person. Still, I've never had these joyful moments before I read the book. It's as if I saw the world in a different way and appreciate what I have now. It's truly a priceless feeling to experience.

What I'm trying to say is...try to be happy with where you are. Appreciate what you have now, live in the present and not the past or the future. Don't evaluate the past to think what you should've done. Don't try to predict the future and worry over it. Just simply, "live in the now". You're missing precious time from the present if you worry over the past and the future. This is one of the most valuable lessons I've learned from the book.

For now, you might not have a clue what I'm talking about, but the feeling of joy is just so valuable to me that I want others to experience the feeling as well. I do suggest you to read this book, but if you choose not to, still keep in mind that you should always appreciate what you have and simply be happy!

"The Power of Now" is a great book. I haven't finished reading it yet since the explanations and interpretations are so in depth and inspirational that it simply needs time for the information to sink in. Still, I believe that reading the book will somehow help you open your eyes to a different perspective and open your mind to a higher level. To see the world in a more peaceful way and understand the basic means of life.

For the next few days, try to be happy. See the good in things and not the bad. You'll see that when you are happy, it affects others who are around you to also be happy as well.

Make your day better just by being happy. :D

Control

Imagine...

You're sitting in your usual seat at the school canteen. Suddenly, somebody turns and hit you hard on the back... 

What do you do? You should take revenge don't you? Turn around and hit the person to be fair. So you do and then the fight begins.

I find that this type of situation happens way too often. Whether it's something as simple as a poke or as serious as a punch. When this happens, people tend to act subconsciously. But wait! The other person started it didn't they? Why should we keep quiet and endure it? 

The way I see it, the person who tempts you first is the "bad guy" and once you react, you immediately become the "bad guy" as well. That makes you no different from them.

A fun fact about me: I'm not ticklish. Even though it's been established as a fact to everybody at school, some people still want to poke me sometimes. When they do, I don't squirm or laugh at all. They would poke again and walk away.

These people are looking for fun and trouble as well. The moment you react, they get what they want. To prevent this, you simply don't give them what they want: don't react.

This happened just last Thursday. A real troublemaker at my school turned around and spoke foul language to my Korean friend (he's a boy), tempting him for absolutely no logical reason. Without thinking, my friend stood up and the two ended yelling bad words in Korean at each other. Truthfully, I think it's really stupid of both of them. If my friend had ignored him, the other boy would get bored (and embarrassed since he's just talking to himself) and turn around to keep eating.

I suggest, for the next week or two, keep your eyes open for these types of situations. Look to see if the other person reacts and see how it ends.

I do realize it's something that's not easy to do at first because in that exact moment, it's almost like your brain is in control of your body instead of your soul. It takes practice, I guess.

This has always been something that bothers me because it's so obvious and yet nobody seems to notice. It's amazing what you discover when you realize what's right in front of you.