Guideposts on the footpath to inner peace.

We live in a fast pace moving world. Everything around us seems to evolve quickly it seems. In one moment we heard about the concern of air pollution in Beijing leading to the 2008 Olympics and next we realized that that the Olympics is already in its full swing with medal tallies reported daily. Back at home front, the somber speech by the Singapore PM reminds us of the challenging times ahead, the economic uncertainty and the global economic slowdown amidst record oil price hike and ever uncertain global political situation.

Our quality lives don’t seem to be improving that much either at times it seems. There seems to be increasing workload and work pressure, financial concerns and constraints and our deteriorating health as we aged. To top it all, it is already August and soon we will be entering another new year. We seems to live in mundane, cyclical and predictable life, well except for the fact that we don’t seems to know how we could achieve the kind of financial independence and success we all longed for. Our peace it seems is placed on how much we could save for our retirements, evident from the many hopeful Toto punters that try their luck during the recent 8M Toto draw.

It is important for us to achieve inner piece if we are to succeed in life. Success in life should not be measure entirely in dollars and cents. After all, who could predict that an American tourist would end up stab to death over Beijing? Some say it is his karma, being at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Why is it that there are many people who enjoy watching sci-fi and action movies, even though the story plot might seems out of this world and outrageously ridiculous at times?
I must admit I am one of those regular movie fan goers who won’t mind spending 10 bucks or more to watch a movie, even if Channel News Asia Melanie Oliverio rates the movie one out of 5 popcorns rating. Why is that so? It is simply because deep within us adults there lies the childhood creature that longs to get away from the reality of this world, to escape into a world of fantasy, even it if it means just for a couple of hours entrench in the man made movie fantasy world. Speaking of Melanie Oliverio, I think she forgot that one man’s meat is another man’s poison so to speak. She is better off reserving some of the movie review comments and ratings to others who are less biased towards action movies.


Excerpt below a write out by Clergyman Henry van Dyke nearly over 100 years ago that I would like to share with you my dear friend and readers.

"To be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions, but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies and often of your friends... these are little guideposts on the footpath to peace."