曾经相信过正义，后来知道，原来同时完全可以存在两种正义，而且彼此抵触，冰火不容。选择其中之一，正义同时就意味着不正义。而且，你绝对看不出，某些人在某一个特定的时机热烈主张某一个特定的正义，其中隐藏着深不可测的不正义。
曾经相信过理想主义者，后来知道，理想主义者往往经不起权力的测试：一掌有权力，他或者变成当初自己誓死反对的“邪恶”，或者，他在现实的场域里不堪一击，一下就被弄权者拉下马来，完全没有机会去实现他的理想。理想主义者要有品格，才能不被权力腐化；理想主义者要有能力，才能将理想转化为实践。可是理想主义者兼具品格及能力者，几希。
龙应台：不相信 <目送>
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
In the midst of God, yet unmoved
I had a vacation in Taipei and visited some rather scenic places. While I was trying to absord and enjoy all of it, I notice the locals seem just moving around in their business as if the beauty does not exist.
Well, I am such as time, in the midst of (things of) God, yet unmoved.
Familiarity breeds contempt?
I do not know.
Is it really familiarity? Am I really familiar? How familiar am I?
Can I be so familiar and remain unmoved?
Well, I am such as time, in the midst of (things of) God, yet unmoved.
Familiarity breeds contempt?
I do not know.
Is it really familiarity? Am I really familiar? How familiar am I?
Can I be so familiar and remain unmoved?
Serious and Trivial
There are serious things in life being trivialised.
There are trivial things in life being emphasized.
When the serious things are triviailised, it means we spare too little thoughts and efforts than we ought to.
When the trivial things are emphasized, it means we spare too much thoughts and efforts than we ought to.
The big question is WHY?
When we cannot and don't know how to handle the serious things.
And to compensate what we cannot, we shift our lack to the emphasizing of the trivial.
Emphasizing of the trivial is good distraction for self and also help us in the traction/ deception to others
Though we cannot handle the serious, but we can still look like we are dabbling in the "serious".
+++
Screwtape Letter #17
The woman is in what may be called the "All-I-want" state. All she wants is a cup of tea properly made, or an egg properly boiled, or a slice of bread properly toasted.
But she never finds any servant or any friends who can do these simple things "properly" because her "properly" conceals an insatiable demand for the exact, and almost impossible, palatable pleasures which she imagines she remembers from the past; a past described by her as "the days when you could get a good servant" but known to us as the days wen her sense were more easily pleased and she has pleasures of other kinds which made her less dependent on those on the table.
There are trivial things in life being emphasized.
When the serious things are triviailised, it means we spare too little thoughts and efforts than we ought to.
When the trivial things are emphasized, it means we spare too much thoughts and efforts than we ought to.
The big question is WHY?
When we cannot and don't know how to handle the serious things.
And to compensate what we cannot, we shift our lack to the emphasizing of the trivial.
Emphasizing of the trivial is good distraction for self and also help us in the traction/ deception to others
Though we cannot handle the serious, but we can still look like we are dabbling in the "serious".
+++
Screwtape Letter #17
The woman is in what may be called the "All-I-want" state. All she wants is a cup of tea properly made, or an egg properly boiled, or a slice of bread properly toasted.
But she never finds any servant or any friends who can do these simple things "properly" because her "properly" conceals an insatiable demand for the exact, and almost impossible, palatable pleasures which she imagines she remembers from the past; a past described by her as "the days when you could get a good servant" but known to us as the days wen her sense were more easily pleased and she has pleasures of other kinds which made her less dependent on those on the table.
Order Order!
1. Order : Hierarchy, Sequence, Priority
2. Order : Command, Instruct
The word Order, despite its various defintions speaks of clarity, giving things unity and harmony.
We have an order - hierarchy, organization structure) so that we know who do what, with view how all contribute towards the matter concerned.
This order also proivdes the sequence and priorty of things, though not necessary importance.
The 2nd 'order', to command, to instruct, is like oil to the machine (1st order)
But many a times when we fail to understand the first 'order' fails, we fail to appreciate the 2nd 'order'.
Then we become disorder, we order people around.
The order is still there but people do not come together, and things don't come together.
2. Order : Command, Instruct
The word Order, despite its various defintions speaks of clarity, giving things unity and harmony.
We have an order - hierarchy, organization structure) so that we know who do what, with view how all contribute towards the matter concerned.
This order also proivdes the sequence and priorty of things, though not necessary importance.
The 2nd 'order', to command, to instruct, is like oil to the machine (1st order)
But many a times when we fail to understand the first 'order' fails, we fail to appreciate the 2nd 'order'.
Then we become disorder, we order people around.
The order is still there but people do not come together, and things don't come together.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Cross of Wonder
I know Christ die on the Cross
I know He die for us all.
If a wicked person is crucified, I understand why.
If an average person is cruicified, I may ask why.
If a good person is crucified, I ask why.
If a loved one is crucified, I demand why.
If a good person I love is crucified, I refused any why.
So when I say Christ crucified, what have I understood, accepted and refused?
I know He die for us all.
If a wicked person is crucified, I understand why.
If an average person is cruicified, I may ask why.
If a good person is crucified, I ask why.
If a loved one is crucified, I demand why.
If a good person I love is crucified, I refused any why.
So when I say Christ crucified, what have I understood, accepted and refused?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
"Is there something I am born to do?"
"Is there something I am born to do?"
This is a million dollar question, well at least for a Career Consultant.
This is the million dollar question I am trying to 'solve' for myself, but I discover it has become an blinded, egoist trip. It is at the end a pursue of self-identity, and it has become a pursue ahead of God. It has become a pursue of its own, or maybe it was the intention of the pursue from the start.
We all have very grand idea about ourselves. Something we are born to do, and it is ususally something great and when the 'job' does not show up, we feel demotivated, short-changed, missing out on our 'destiny'.
Mahud was a simple man who lived in a small village and made his living by selling vegetables at a busy market. He was comfortable enough and liked his work. But one day the angel Khabir appeared to him and told him to jump in the river. Without thinking, Mahud leaped into the flowing water.
He was carried downstream until a man on shore threw him a rope and pulled him out. The man offered Mahud a job in his fishing business and a small room where he could live. Mahud appreciated the man's kindness and took the job and worked at it, rather happily, for three years. Then Khabir appeared to him once more and told him to move on.
Mahub obeyed immediately and walked from village to village until in one place a man offered him a jonb in his fabric shop. This was new to Mahib, but he took the job and learned the trade and worked there relatively happy until the angel appeared again and sent him on. Mahud worked at odd jobd for years in this manner, alwys moving along when the angel instructed.
When Mahud was an old man, he had gained the reputation of a holy man. Peiple begain cxoming to him with their illnesses and worries begging him for cure and counsel. One day a visitor to his village asked him, "Mahud, how did you get to where you are now?"
Mahud thought for a moment and said, "it is difficult to say."
It is difficult to say because Mahud's only talent was his openness to the directives coming from the angel whose name means "The All Aware." Mahud had the precious ability to recognize the call to move on and the openness of the heart to follow it.
This is a story about calling and obedience to the call. But let's remember that at root obedience means "listening". To find your way you have to pay close attention to the signs about when to change your job, when to get unstuck and reenter the flow of life, and when to retire to a life of healing and teaching.
Unfortunately for us, an angel isn't going to physically appear and tell us what to do next. But the angel of the story does represent something that is real for all of us: a sense of destiny, vocation and direction. The word vocation comes from the Latin word vox, voice. A vocation is a call.
Why would a sense of direction in life be called a "vocation"? Is the voice of the angel only supernatural or mystical? Or is there something natural about the capacity of life to "speak" to us and gives us hint where to go?
The question is not so much does the world give us a direction, but are we able to read the world for its information? Are we able to also sense our calling from our internal inclination.
Well, if we are so full of ourselves, can we hear?
This is a million dollar question, well at least for a Career Consultant.
This is the million dollar question I am trying to 'solve' for myself, but I discover it has become an blinded, egoist trip. It is at the end a pursue of self-identity, and it has become a pursue ahead of God. It has become a pursue of its own, or maybe it was the intention of the pursue from the start.
We all have very grand idea about ourselves. Something we are born to do, and it is ususally something great and when the 'job' does not show up, we feel demotivated, short-changed, missing out on our 'destiny'.
Mahud was a simple man who lived in a small village and made his living by selling vegetables at a busy market. He was comfortable enough and liked his work. But one day the angel Khabir appeared to him and told him to jump in the river. Without thinking, Mahud leaped into the flowing water.
He was carried downstream until a man on shore threw him a rope and pulled him out. The man offered Mahud a job in his fishing business and a small room where he could live. Mahud appreciated the man's kindness and took the job and worked at it, rather happily, for three years. Then Khabir appeared to him once more and told him to move on.
Mahub obeyed immediately and walked from village to village until in one place a man offered him a jonb in his fabric shop. This was new to Mahib, but he took the job and learned the trade and worked there relatively happy until the angel appeared again and sent him on. Mahud worked at odd jobd for years in this manner, alwys moving along when the angel instructed.
When Mahud was an old man, he had gained the reputation of a holy man. Peiple begain cxoming to him with their illnesses and worries begging him for cure and counsel. One day a visitor to his village asked him, "Mahud, how did you get to where you are now?"
Mahud thought for a moment and said, "it is difficult to say."
It is difficult to say because Mahud's only talent was his openness to the directives coming from the angel whose name means "The All Aware." Mahud had the precious ability to recognize the call to move on and the openness of the heart to follow it.
This is a story about calling and obedience to the call. But let's remember that at root obedience means "listening". To find your way you have to pay close attention to the signs about when to change your job, when to get unstuck and reenter the flow of life, and when to retire to a life of healing and teaching.
Unfortunately for us, an angel isn't going to physically appear and tell us what to do next. But the angel of the story does represent something that is real for all of us: a sense of destiny, vocation and direction. The word vocation comes from the Latin word vox, voice. A vocation is a call.
Why would a sense of direction in life be called a "vocation"? Is the voice of the angel only supernatural or mystical? Or is there something natural about the capacity of life to "speak" to us and gives us hint where to go?
The question is not so much does the world give us a direction, but are we able to read the world for its information? Are we able to also sense our calling from our internal inclination.
Well, if we are so full of ourselves, can we hear?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
UNable but ENabled
In recent I have come to some realization of the word “ENABLED”
Prior to this, in all honesty, as much as I acknowledge God but I know things I can still get done somewhat. God is just a nice icing on top on the cake. Many a times, I was working from a position of “I KNOW and I am ABLE”.
But for the last one years and more, I landed in a fallow period. I have stepped into a place of “I do Not KNOW and I am UNable”. But it was a needful fallow.
In this position and reading the Bible, I realise living out the Word of the Lord is not only difficult, but also humanly impossible,
When that was revealed, I was invited into another understanding of the Lord - learning the way and the work of the Spirit. It is a calling to have a real experience of the way of the Lord, the enabling of the Spirit. "I still do not know, and I am still Unable but I am ENabled”.
All throughout the Lord is guiding. But it is only in hindsight that I am able to understand and appreciate what I have been through, where I am now and shall be going next.
If I can try to quote the words from the testimony of a pastor: “I began to feel what I call now the tangible anointing that I never felt before. I began to understand that was the gift of the Spirit working.”
Prior to this, in all honesty, as much as I acknowledge God but I know things I can still get done somewhat. God is just a nice icing on top on the cake. Many a times, I was working from a position of “I KNOW and I am ABLE”.
But for the last one years and more, I landed in a fallow period. I have stepped into a place of “I do Not KNOW and I am UNable”. But it was a needful fallow.
In this position and reading the Bible, I realise living out the Word of the Lord is not only difficult, but also humanly impossible,
When that was revealed, I was invited into another understanding of the Lord - learning the way and the work of the Spirit. It is a calling to have a real experience of the way of the Lord, the enabling of the Spirit. "I still do not know, and I am still Unable but I am ENabled”.
All throughout the Lord is guiding. But it is only in hindsight that I am able to understand and appreciate what I have been through, where I am now and shall be going next.
If I can try to quote the words from the testimony of a pastor: “I began to feel what I call now the tangible anointing that I never felt before. I began to understand that was the gift of the Spirit working.”
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