My friend
Stay with me
Be here
Share presence but not conversation
I feel heard
Walk alongside me
Be next to me
Share stories but not consolation
I am accompanied
Tell me otherwise
Be thought-provoking
Share options but not condonation
I can see light
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Sunday, June 9, 2019
The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living
"The unexamined life is not worth living" is a famous dictum uttered by Socrates at his trial for impiety and corrupting youth. Choosing death rather than exile, these final words deeply reflect Socrates' core values. It is a pronouncement that entails proactive introspection of what the meaning of life is. More importantly, it involves the thinking of what allows us to make our choices and decisions by reasoning them. Are we using logic to form our judgements? Or are we passively driven by ideas from others? It implies the autonomy of being the master of our fates and not being directed by the world. The statement is indeed the bedrock of philosophy, literally meaning the love of wisdom. To put it in another way, the love of wisdom is through self-examination and rational thoughts are what make us human and worth living.
I tend to disagree with that. Deploying rationality will also neglect the emotional part of us which defies logic but which simultaneously makes us authentic and vulnerable. Whether it is worth living or not is an individual and subjective choice, which in its own right is already a fundamentally proactive decision. The respect of one's personal decision, at a collective level, is what truly makes us alive as human beings and lives worth "living".
I tend to disagree with that. Deploying rationality will also neglect the emotional part of us which defies logic but which simultaneously makes us authentic and vulnerable. Whether it is worth living or not is an individual and subjective choice, which in its own right is already a fundamentally proactive decision. The respect of one's personal decision, at a collective level, is what truly makes us alive as human beings and lives worth "living".
Monday, June 3, 2019
Spiritual Alchemy
Alchemy has origins from medieval times and comes from the Greek word khemeia which means "the art of transmuting metals". In particular the attempts were to convert base metals (impure) into gold (pure) or the universal elixir that would promise immortality and cure disease. The philosopher's stone mentioned in Harry Potter is the legendary substance equated with that. Shrouded in mystery and secrecy, it is a quest that remains both mystical and captivating to many for thousands of years. Although it is often dismissed as pseudoscience, it is in fact a forerunner of modern chemistry.
But there is a much deeper meaning to alchemy than how it is superficially defined, and the study of which is analogous to spiritual practice. The key word to look for is transmutation which is the conversion of one element to another. To expand this further. it involves a Latin expression "solve et coagula" in the alchemical process - "solve" is to decompose and separate (dissolve), while "coagula" describes the process of bringing elements back together in a new and higher form (coagulation). To put it in spiritual terminology, it is the letting go of our egos, fears and wounds that no longer serve us, deleting them and thereby implanting new beliefs that will allow us to integrate with our authentic selves. The ultimate goal of alchemy is to achieve magnum opus (the great work). Metaphorically, to create a magnum opus in life is to create an interrelationship between mind and matter or the external and internal worlds so as to experience love, joy and harmony.
Nuclear scientists have proved that the fabled transmutation of lead to gold is indeed possible. In spiritual alchemy, we obviously do not require particle accelerators and a vast input of energy. What we really need is realisation, detachment and most importantly, self-love.
But there is a much deeper meaning to alchemy than how it is superficially defined, and the study of which is analogous to spiritual practice. The key word to look for is transmutation which is the conversion of one element to another. To expand this further. it involves a Latin expression "solve et coagula" in the alchemical process - "solve" is to decompose and separate (dissolve), while "coagula" describes the process of bringing elements back together in a new and higher form (coagulation). To put it in spiritual terminology, it is the letting go of our egos, fears and wounds that no longer serve us, deleting them and thereby implanting new beliefs that will allow us to integrate with our authentic selves. The ultimate goal of alchemy is to achieve magnum opus (the great work). Metaphorically, to create a magnum opus in life is to create an interrelationship between mind and matter or the external and internal worlds so as to experience love, joy and harmony.
Nuclear scientists have proved that the fabled transmutation of lead to gold is indeed possible. In spiritual alchemy, we obviously do not require particle accelerators and a vast input of energy. What we really need is realisation, detachment and most importantly, self-love.
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