Be the Sun

Be the Sun.

A friend had recently confided in me an issue he had.
Friend: "I need you advice. I have a close friend who had cultivated some bad habits. I tried to save him from destroying himself but its difficult. Any way I can save him?"
Simple Bear: "Don't save him."
Friend: "And leave him to walk towards his own demise? I can't do it."
Simple Bear: "I mean don't have the mentality of being a savior. We are the only ones who can save ourselves; no one else can. He is the only one who can save himself. We can only facilitate the process of him saving himself through support."
Friend: "But I can't just ignore him."
Simple Bear: "Do your best. Be there for him. If he doesn't develop any self awareness or insight into his own problems, there is a limit to what others can do for him. It is like a person lost in an underground maze but doesn't realize that he is lost. Be like the sun in the sky at the end of the maze to guide him into the sunlight. Till then, if he doesn't realize that he is lost, telling him that he is lost may not work."
Friend: "Just be the sun."
Simple Bear: "Yes. You need to be self-illuminating."
Friend: -_-!

To light up the worlds of others, we must first light up our own worlds by ourselves, to be our own Suns.

May all be well and happy.

With Loving-Kindness
Simple Bear 27.08.2016.

Pokemon Go (A Life Perspective from a Bear's Perspective)

Pokemon Go (A Life Perspective from a Bear's Perspective)

Yes. The craze is here. Everyone is out in the streets, in the parks, in the malls looking for the cute pokemons.

The eccentric bear in me was thinking about how the augumented reality Pokemon Go game relates to our reality.

Disclaimer: the following perspectives is from a non-player's limited understanding of the game.
Pokemons

The cute creatures are like the positive values e.g. empathy and compassion in our lives. We need to go around to find opportunities such as doing volunteering work to 'catch them all' The values (pokemons) may arise (appear) anywhere, anytime; we need to be aware to 'catch them within'

Pokemon Gyms
The gyms are like our daily interactions with everyone especially in difficult situations and people (strong pokemon gym leaders) in which we can have an opportunity to train ourselves and 'grown the values (pokemons) within'

Pokemon Stops
The stops are like opportunities in which we can learn skills e.g. meditation, mindfulness techniques (pokeballs) to help us in 'catching more values (pokemons)' in our daily lives. We need to have self-awareness to 'catch and grow the positive values within'

The pokemon eggs are like concepts e.g. compassion and empathetic joy, values that we can learn theoretically and grow within (the hatching and growing of pokemons).

Pokemon Go Incense
The incense is like generating positivity within. I believe adopting positivity (utilizing incense items) will attracts positivity (pokemons). When we are positive (utilizing incense items), we are more likely to be aware and notice the positivity (pokemons) around us.

Of course there is the risk of injuries in the craze of catching pokemons. Likewise in the cultivation of values (training of pokemons), we need to take care of ourselves. In the 'craze' to cultivate (train), we may just do the opposite and hurt ourselves and others in the process.

While everyone is catching pokemons outside

I think I will get myself busy in finding my opportunities. Have a safe and good time everyone. Be well and happy.

With Loving-Kindness
Simple Bear 07.08.2016.

Interpretation of a dream.

Interpretation of a dream.

Woke up in the middle of the night with my heart racing.

It was a vivid dream.

In the dream, there was a man filled with egoistic rage, wishing to destroy the worlds and there was another man, filled with pain, wishing to save the worlds.

The dream ended when the man, filled with pain invokes a 'curse' by sacrificing his life, condemning the man, filled with anger, to be trapped in a mirror.

In the dream, I can feel what the anger and also the pain. I was both. It was as if I took turns acting as one in the moment and another in the next.

As I woke up and sat in my bed, feeling the anger in one moment, and the pain in another, I remembered I had a similar dream once, a couple of months ago. In the earlier dream, the two men were there but the ending is different. The man, filled with rage was torturing the man, filled with pain. Both seems so real.

Instinctively, my breaths slowed down as I sat at the edge of my bed. The anger and the pain ebbed away. I could feel myself slowly coming back to this sensory world; I could feel the touch of my body with the fabric of the bed, the smell of rain, the sound of the rain drops outside the windows.

The question arises. Was it just a meaningless dream? Or does it have a more metaphorical meaning behind it?

What is the possibility of two dreams with the same characters with different endings occurring in a time period?

It was the manifestation of my thoughts, my emotions. I was both.

In the earlier dream, the man filled with anger was my own frustrations with my own expectations and disappointments, which manifested itself as the man, filled with pain. I was 'torturing myself' with my own unfulfilled expectations. Subconsciously, I was struggling within but denying it externally. The anger (frustrations) was the pain (disappointments with expectations).

The dream last night was symbolic of the fruit of my struggles. Giving up my expectations, the disappointments and the frustrations which accompanied it, diminishes within. It was only a momentary victory, I have not gone beyond them yet; the mirror is symbolic of introspection. It is a reminder that peace within requires constant awareness and introspection, like the first light of dawn, which breaks the darkness of the night.

"The future is unknown, have faith in peace as your company; even when the end is near, there is no fear."
Simple Bear 21.07.2016.

I fell asleep again, with peace as my blanket covering me. And I woke up to a new self again, with the morning light illuminating my room. Grateful.

May all be well and happy.

With Loving-Kindness
Simple Bear

Volunteering

Volunteering

"Volunteering is the sharing of happiness."
Simple Bear 20.07.2016.

The sharing is mutual. When volunteers spend their time and effort to share their happiness with others, they also receive happiness shared by those they shared their happiness with in the process.

And that is something to be grateful for; for happiness to arise in oneself and others, conditions must be optimal.

May all be well and happy.

With loving-kindness
Simple Bear 20.07.2016.

P. S. Inspired by a conversation with a friend on perspectives of volunteering during a volunteering session. Grateful for the inspiration.

Goodbye me

Goodbye me

Spent my afternoon accompanying the elderly at two elderly homes.

One of them spoke to me about his life story, his time as an apprentice in the 1970s, his time in the shipyard; From his smile, I knew he had enjoyed his youth. He spoke to me about his beliefs, his philosophies in life. He told me how the rise of capitalism, and focus on the individual had eroded the very value-fabric of society that he once enjoyed his youth in. And as he speaks, tears filled his eyes. 
I could feel his concern for his fellow men.

He told me that he has dementia and is slowly forgetting the things that matters to him. He smiled but
I can sense his fear; his fear of forgetting all which makes him, him.

Goodbye Me

Goodbye I say, gently to me
My memories of me
My youth, my love, my life
There is no need for any more words
Cause I won't remember anyway
Say if you must
Before the next moment come
Cause I can't promise
Beyond now.
Don't be sad I am leaving
Piece by piece
Till I can't be heard any longer
At the end, what is left
Is only a picture of the former
The wind still the whispers fall
Say goodbye, goodbye me

Thanks for inspiring this reflection Uncle. Hope you live your life as happy as you can till the time comes.

May all be well and happy.
Simple Bear 25.06.2016.

Am I a Teddy Bear?

Am I a Teddy Bear?

Got a seat on the train beside a young mother with a toddler in a pram.

I was doing my readings on my phone when I noticed the child looking at me with her big round eyes. I smiled back.

A minute or so later.

I felt a pair of tiny hands on my big fat right thigh.

I looked at the cute toddler and she was trying to grab onto my thigh, like grabbing the leg of a teddy bear.

Her mother was embarrassed, trying to stop her.

I am not a teddy bear. I am not a toy.

I decided it was inappropriate to stare at the toddler with fury in my eyes. She will get tired of trying.
After some time, she stopped. I guess she finally understand that my thighs are too fat to be grabbed.
And this is not the first time this happened. I guess next time when people asked whether I am good with babies, I can tell them I think I am. They may think I am a teddy bear.

Right and Wrong.

Right and Wrong.

Been reading a lot of articles about the various hate crime and messages around the world, reminded me of a conversation that I had a while ago with an acquaintance, A. He asked me what is the definition of right and wrong in the sphere of perspective relativity.

A: "Everyone has their own definition of what constitutes right and wrong, in the sphere of religions, philosophies and cultures. What is exactly right and wrong? Is there an absolute?"
Simple Bear: "The way we view the world is relative. I can't speak for others; I can only speak for myself. If I said there is an absolute, not all will agree; if I said there is not, not all will agree. What is the utility in clinging on to the word 'absolute'? What do we want out of the desire for an absolute definition of right and wrong? Everyone may have their own reasons to desire so. Perhaps, that in itself, is absolute"
A: (*irritated) "So, what is your definition of right and wrong?"
Simple Bear: "Not harming oneself and others is right; harming oneself and others is wrong."
A: "That's all?
Simple Bear: "That is my absolute."
A: -_-!

Not all will agree but at least I do.

May those who had suffered from hate find love and peace.

May all be well and happy.
Simple Bear 14.06.2016.