Instruction for Life

From the Dalai Lama, spoken as a “gentle reminder” on the eve of the Millennium.

1. TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT GREAT LOVE AND GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS INVOLVE GREAT RISK.
2. WHEN YOU LOSE, DON'T LOSE THE LESSON.
3. FOLLOW THE THREE R'S:
a. RESPECT FOR SELF
b. RESPECT FOR OTHERS, AND
c. RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL YOUR ACTIONS.
4. REMEMBER THAT NOT GETTING WHAT YOU WANT IS SOMETIMES A WONDERFUL STROKE OF LUCK.
5. LEARN THE RULES SO YOU KNOW HOW TO BREAK THEM PROPERLY.
6. DON'T LET A LITTLE DISPUTE INJURE A GREAT FRIENDSHIP.
7. WHEN YOU REALIZE YOU'VE MADE A MISTAKE, TAKE IMMEDIATE STEPS TO CORRECT IT.
8. SPEND SOME TIME ALONE EVERY DAY.
9. OPEN YOUR ARMS TO CHANGE, BUT DON'T LET GO OF YOUR VALUES.
10. REMEMBER THAT SILENCE IS SOMETIMES THE BEST ANSWER.
11. LIVE A GOOD, HONORABLE LIFE. THEN WHEN YOU GET OLDER AND THINK BACK. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO ENJOY IT A SECOND TIME.
12. A LOVING ATMOSPHERE IN YOUR HOME IS THE FOUNDATION FOR YOUR LIFE.
13. IN DISAGREEMENTS WITH LOVED ONES, DEAL ONLY WITH THE CURRENT SITUATION DON'T BRING UP THE PAST.
14. SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. IT'S A WAY TO ACHIEVE IMMORTALITY.
15. BE GENTLE WITH THE EARTH.
16. ONCE A YEAR, GO SOMEPLACE YOU'VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE.
17. REMEMBER THAT THE BEST RELATIONSHIP IS ONE IN WHICH YOUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER EXCEEDS YOUR NEED FOR EACH OTHER.
18. JUDGE YOUR SUCCESSES BY WHAT YOU HAD TO GIVE UP IN ORDER TO GET IT.
19. APPROACH LOVE AND COOKING WITH RECKLESS ABANDON.

Running a Marathon

I have always admired athletes of long distance sports (e.g. running/ swimming marathons, cross-country runners, pentathlon). Well, I admire athletes on a whole but admire those who take part in long distance sports or those that require a very high endurance; especially the athletes who came back from major injuries. "Why?" most would ask. What makes such athletes different from the rest? Well, all (good) athletes would first require discipline. It takes a lot to become a good athlete and the most basic is discipline. No drinking, no junk food, getting to training on time, etc. All this require discipline which also requires a certain amount of determination. However, in long distance (or high endurance) sports, an athlete would require more determination as well as perseverance and patience.

One thing I realised from countless training (and seeing others exercising to lose weight), it is easier to train for power than it is for stamina. If you really want to train for stamina, you must be able to endure lots of pain and aches but still go on. Imagine running after a bus for 1 bus stop (700 meters) and compare it to running after that bus for 8 bus stops (5600 meters). By the time you reach the 3rd bus stop you would probably be suffering from stitch, feeling breathless, tired and the strains on your muscles. What makes some people stop at the 3rd bus stop and others to go on until they catch the bus at the 8th bus stop? You guessed it, determination. What are the odds of catching the bus if you have a 40 kg load on your back?
In this case, you would also require perseverance.

And why do you require patience, you ask. Patience, all athletes would require some of it. One thing I noted is that the results of stamina training, more often than not, shows much more slowly than that of power training. It is very easy to build up muscles and gain power (more easy to build up the muscles though) but much patience is required in training for stamina. One can get weary and drop out easily. If you were getting back from a major injury it would take you at least 2 times more determination and training time than when you initially started training (without injuries). You will just drop dead without perseverance and can get impatient very easily. Do not try it.

Throughout life, we go through many situations which resemble marathons. Some of them can be shorter than others. Sometimes we carry a load with us - responsibilities, maybe? These loads in life can really weigh down on us (if we let them). Even a 5 kg load and feel like it is 500 tonnes! When that happens, we can choose to let go, give up or carry on. It might be good to let go, or give up or go on depending on the timing and circumstances. Most importantly, it depends on yourself. The same goes for hope. You can choose to see it. Even in the darkest hour, you might catch a glimpse of it if you searched hard enough. You might be required to fight for it or even create it yourself. Hope can fuel perseverance too. All in all, it is the experience that counts. Learn from them and (hopefully) become wiser.

Prologue

The purpose of this blog is to record what is the insightful thought of a group of misanthropes. I find that we often have these posts in our individual blog but look messy when they are with other random post. I decided to separate my thoughts and my feelings into 2 blogs, feeling remains in the old one while put my thought here. Hence, I start recruiting members of the floor, no reply yet at the moment. I might come out with crazy entries which I really want to avoid which is the main reason I am getting others to control this blog as well. Do not be surprised if there is any entry in Mandarin, Japanese or other languages other than English. There might be poems and idioms being thrown around in this place but enjoy your stay here.