Posts Tagged ‘life’

Blood Thicker Than Water? (Pt. 2)


2010
01.14

What counts, relationship through blood or relationship through experience?

I ask this question, not because I’m in the situation, but because it’s valid. Let’s say that there are two families, A and B. One family has two sons, A1 and A2. The other family has one son B1. A1 is 1 year older than A2 & B2. Families A & B are mortal enemies. However, at birth A2 & B1 were switched by Person X without either families knowing. When A1 was 10, he saw that Family B killed their parents and vowed to take revenge.

Twenty years later, both A1 & B1 who are now living as brothers are both successful and are set to ruin anyone that has to do with Family B (that includes A2 of course). Family B is equally successful. In the process, A1 hurts A2 and parents of Family B hurts B1, not lethally of course. Furthermore, Person X reveals the truth to both families.

Let’s take an assumption that the sins of Family B to Family A cannot be forgiven. If you were to meditate the story, will you allow A1 to continue with the revenge and in the process hurt A2, B1 continue on with the revenge against his blood family, A2 to defend and retaliate and in the process hurt A1, and finally the parents of Family B to do the same which and hurt B1 in the process?

I myself has no definite answer to this query, but I am leaning towards favoring experience. Nobody can turn back time and the moments shared by people are too precious. Memories linger, matters don’t. A2 could be as well dead as far as A1 is concerned and vice-versa.

In my meditation, I would finish the story by completing the revenge without A1 and B1 feeling remorse. They’ve shared a connection – a bond that cannot be unbound.

Family is not defined by the parents and children. Family is a close and unique bond between people. Such bond can only be created through shared experiences. conventionally, this bond develops in a blood relation because they become together as soon as the children are born. So basically, a family is a collection of very close bondage.

Blood Thicker Than Water?


2010
01.13

Case 1:

Boy A & Girl A are children of Parent A. Girl A is 1 year younger than Boy A. They don’t look alike.
Parent X fosters Boy A 1 year after birth.
Parent Y fosters Girl A 1 day after birth.
Parent A – died after the mother gave birth to Girl A. There is no known relative.

Situation:
25 years later, Boy A & Girl A met, fell in love, and got married. Their blood relationship is never revealed; not even in death.

Will you consider this incest?

Social Diseases: Possession


2009
02.12

It is undeniable that we live in a material world. Possession fuels mankind. Possession causes reactions within the system. Unconditional relationship is somewhat a form of possession because binding oneself to another is a form of ownership. The most obvious form of possession would be financial — monetary, real assets, etc. It has become a lifetime struggle for a person to possess financial stability which is an impossible feat. It is impossible because just like what Puff Daddy & Ma$e rhymed, “Mo money, mo problem.” Man has no sense of satisfaction.

Possession is the root of all problems. Then man would dream of wealth, now man dreams of a simple life. The latter would be as much of a struggle as the former. It would be most rewarding if one lives a simple life, but that means liberty from society and that is not an easy thing to do. Since man is naturally possessive, stripping himself of all possessions would lead him to succumb to despair.

Freedom from the grasp of the possessive nature of man is the second phase towards detachment. There are two ways to achieve the feat: wealth and surrender. Wealth and self-control would be a great combination into dissing society. The effect would be paradoxical, but effective. It is not an easy task to be wealthy or have self-control. Either one is a task that takes a lifetime to master.

The easiest  way to muster the hurdle of the second phase would be a surrender. That is to surrender oneself from being possessive. That is, furthermore, to totally abstain from possessing. Not even meditation is accepted because it still leaves a fingerprint of possession. Hermitage would be the perfect example. It is not impossible to relocate oneself to an utterly remote location that has fertile land. There the hermit can cultivate, grow and create only the necessities.

Attaining a simple life is hypocrisy because in reality, one can only live a simple life after he accumulates wealth. One may say that their lifestyle is average and thus simple. That is a lie because one works not to maintain, but to gain.

Changes


2009
02.05

What scares the beejeesus out of me is change. It’s very difficult for me to accept changes. Acceptance is a hard act. I’m only a simpleton. I especially cannot cope with drastic change. Why can’t changes be spontaneous and subtle?

The cycle of life within the planet has become abnormal. Changes occur without a process. People have skipped a step to reach the destination. There are no longer means to an end. The journey has been forgotten, instead we teleport to the destination. And the result isn’t pretty. Many are affected; the environment and whatnot.

I look to the future it makes me cry
But it seems too real to tell you why
Freed from the century
With nothing but memory, memory

- Taken from Everything Must Go by the Manic Street Preachers

Choice


2009
01.15

This entry was inspired by e-lo-(u)-ise’s YM status (dated 10/25/2008).

The complexity of living is caused by none other than choice. The simpleton in me loathes the most profound trait of a human being which is free will. At the same time, free will is a requirement in the ideals that I strive for.

Having to choose amongst things is very troublesome. Many preferences must be considered and distinction is usually not profound, hence leaning towards one or the other is inevitable. The complexity, that is to have a monochromatic possibilities for an act, leads to a complex and messy situation. I don’t like messy situations.

On the other hand, all beliefs that I learned and live by have free will as the requisite. I can do anything I want without a care for others — that is free will; my choice. A life without free will is impossible even if a dictator exists. Let us say that a dictator exists and that dictator is outside the realm of living. (Aha! I’m injecting the concept of an Almighty.) The decisions that the dictator made would still pave the way for the actions of the human. Though indirectly, the choice is still there.

So what have I deduced from this mumbo jumbo? Choice can be avoided if and only if one is still; only in death.

Benjamin Button


2008
12.26

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a story of a man born and lived backwards — agewise that is. Benjamin was born in his eighties and aged backwards. The story was told perfectly (I can’t agree on adaptation because I have not read the book) through the film. It took three hours to show how Benjamin aged to infancy and finally closed his eyes. I’m very sensitive when the story’s main theme is time. For this one, though not entirely a time travel, I’m satisfied. The story ought to be taken as an existential observation. The fact that no matter where we begin, there is always an end. A scene that I was mostly touched was when Benjamin learned how to miss someone from a friend who said that death is relevant in life because that’s the only way we would know the importance (or how valuable) someone is. For anyone who’ve been following what I’ve been writing here, I’ve said over and over again that the only way to avoid grief is through detachment. It’s a contrapositive of “Benjamin”.

Brad Pitt has always been an underrated actor. Hopefully he gets what he deserves.

Trip To The South


2008
12.06

INTRODUCTION

Before December begins, I should have used all my vacation days from work. It was the last two weeks of November. Usually, I spend my vacation in the overseas, but this year, I opted for a domestic trip with Frances.

I did not plan the trip ahead of time like I usually do things. Planning a trip most of the time does not work for me because things happen in between. I’ve been irking to go south this time, especially to Texas. It has been in the back of my head. Only financial burden and fear was pinning me down. That’s another thing why I don’t plan my trips; I get over the fear. So during the weekend when I picked up Frances from the airport (she came from Las Vegas, but originally from Vancouver, BC) I was thinking about the trip while driving. From there, I decided to do it. Face the music later. (more…)