Seven Deadly Sins (Re-defined)

Sins is an important chapter in any religious studies.  The existence of sins contributes to human suffering regardless of one's denomination.  To alleviate our pain, we need to repent and not to add on guilt to ours sins and multiply our suffering.  Repentance, however, can only happen with understanding - understanding of the motivation and reasons behind our sins that we have committed.  When we name the seven deadly sins and try to gain some insights and empathy, would you see them differently?

Pride -  Is it out of fear of not being valued and recognized?
Envy - Is it because of fear of being imperfect and incomplete?
Wrath - Is it due to fear of being separated and attacked?
Gluttony - Is it attributed to fear of insecurity and loss of control?
Lust - Is it actually fear of not being loved and accepted?
Sloth - Is it stemmed from fear of shame and failure?
Greed - Is it caused by fear of inadequacy and deprivation?

Now, what is the verdict?  Are they deadly sins or deadly fears?  If yes, should the "sinners" be berated or empathized?

Serendipity

We know that serendipity is the gift of finding something good while seeking something else.  But this intriguing word that is naturally connected with good fortune also has an interesting story behind it.  Serendipity was invented by the writer and politician Horace Walpole in 1754 as an allusion to Serendip, an old Persian name for Sri Lanka.  In a letter that Walpole wrote to his friend he explained an unexpected discovery he had made about a lost painting of Bianca Cappello by Giorgio Vasari by reference to a Persian fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip.  The princes, he told his correspondent, were "always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of".  

Once in a while we might have beneficial occurrences of events in our lives which is regarded as a fortunate stroke of serendipity, and they usually come with a smile when we mention them.  Is it a stroke of luck or pure randomness?  Or is it by chance or part of destiny?  What is relevant though is that serendipity always comes unplanned and without expectations.  And when there is no expectation, you do not get attached to a desired outcome and be forceful. You are open to whatever that comes along and embrace any change with open arms.  There is complete spontaneity as you have no preconception on what might pop up. 

If this occasional development of serendipity can render us happy and pleasantly surprised, then maybe we can be as unplanned as we can in terms of outcome on all matters. It is not saying that we do not have plans and strategies in lives, but we need not be caught up with the results if we truly love what we do and do what we love.  Let whatever deemed to happen, happen.

Destiny or Creation

Is everything already written in the stars?  Is there a force that controls the future?  Or is there a God's or divine plan that has everything being monitored?  I do believe that there is a grand scheme of things that governs what we are supposed to learn in this lifetime.  And I would even choose to believe that there is more than one possibility on how things can unfold to become what are so-called our destinies, all against the backdrop of parallel universes.  And precisely because there are so many possibilities, we are not fated.  While our paths might be pre-determined, we are also creating every second with our thoughts.  How we are creating and what we are creating will lead us to "download" what will become our chosen path, amongst all.  Indeed, the more we can go with the flow and not judge our experiences, the more we can accept our encounters with peace and joy.  Perhaps what we have to cultivate is the faith that it will be an "optimal" path in front of us.

As always the universe will provide us with what we need in terms of our personal growth rather than what we want in terms of what we desire.  Through the understanding of this very fundamental principal, you come to know what equanimity truly means, which is to achieve a state of serenity and even-mindedness and thus see everything that arises without discrimination.