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Friday, October 26, 2012

A constant reminder in life:

Adapted from my personal blog "Just Believe" on 26th October 2012:

We all started out as innocent kids, and then we grow; then came the lucrative offers of life that blinded our initial purpose of living, we became greedy, and nothing seems to be ever enough, even till the point when things seem perfect and we feel like we are in control of our life. Imagine one day, you receive a horrendous news, knowing you have a few more months to live. Your world came crushing down, but nothing is going to change that fact. This is a story of Dr. Richard Teo, whom I supposed is a well-known aesthetics practitioner. It's a story to inspire and remind us that life should be lived to the fullest, and to never ever lose sight of what really matters to us.

Here's the link to his transcript:
http://www.heavenaddress.com/Dr-Richard-Teo-Keng-Siang/424153/379719/content

"When I faced death, when I had to, I stripped myself off all stuff totally and I focused only on what is essential. The irony is that a lot of times only when we learn how to die then we learn how to live. ... Don't let society tell you how to live. Don't let the media tell you what you're supposed to do okay because that's what happened to me. And I led this life thinking all these things are going to bring me happiness. I hope you will think about it and decide for yourself how you want to live your life. Not according to what other people tell you to do and you have to decide whether you want to serve yourself or whether you are going to make a difference in somebody else's life. Because true happiness doesn't come from serving yourself." 
- Dr Richard Teo 

He passed away on the 18th October 2012. May he rest in peace.

Everyone must have been through a lot at the age of 23. We are constantly in search of our identity, questions the purpose of our existence and what we really want in life. There are others who have been through worse. We all learn through the hard way. Some are luckier, they get to learn through secondary experiences.

While living and pursuing our dreams, we are often side-tracked by the temptations and obsessions our dreams offer in life. We indulge in those thoughts and gradually forgetting our sincerity in achieving the dream. Life became purposeless. We lost our moral compass along the way. All we see is money, fame and power, all the superficial tangible or intangible objects in life. Blinded by greed, jealousy and pride, we refused to acknowledge our mistakes and swayed minds, and we only understand happiness by being materialistic and individualistic, never really knowing what true happiness is. We are living a life envisioned by the society and our greed, and forgetting what we truly want in the process.

The wake-up calls come only when we face similar situations like Dr. Richard, or by means of others ways, which make us realize the way we live is wrong. Sometimes, it's too late for us to relive our lives. In fact, we can't relive the past, because all of us only have ONE SHOT of living, and that's it. It's never too late to repent, to set things right again, but don't live in regrets. We are lucky because he shared his story to constantly remind us the meaning of life, and it certainly doesn't revolve around money or fame, because everything is impermanent.

At each phase of life, rumours will never cease to spread. There will be people gaining pleasure by continuously making fun of you, putting you down and doubting your sincerity. There will be people thinking poorly of you for spreading your happiness. Let them be because it's all impermanent, time will prove everything and they need time to grow. I know because I once lived in those shadows, and then became part of the black hole. It felt terrible. They do so because they don't know who you really are, and I dare say so because I'm still getting to know myself. Everyone changes with time. I've several fake and superficial friends before and because of them, I learnt who my true friends are and who matter most to me, I met wonderful people along the way and I really appreciate all of them.

Right now or at certain points in life, we may seem lost, not knowing what to do or what we really want in life, and we just go with the flow. It's okay for it's just part and parcel of living. Just breath, stay cool (:P) and live the moment. I know I'm in no such position to give any suggestions for I have so much more to experience and learn in life. One thing I'm sure of is to be yourself and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Remember: "All the art of living lies in the fine mingling of letting go and holding on." ~Henry Ellis

"You can dream big, you can wish upon the star, you can go the distant, but don't you ever lose sight of what's really important and always stay true to yourself." ~Ti Tiana

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