What To Do When Life Is Getting Too Difficult

A happy Monday, everyone! 

Since I am running a bit late with my posting again let me just share with you some personal tips that maybe are not new to you anymore or things you already practice yourselves.

At present times, when almost anywhere, economic depression is occurring, not everyone has jobs that can provide their everything, not everyone is experiencing financial freedom, everyone is stressed by one thinf or another. In other words when the going is just too tough, and running out of it is not an option, what do we do?  

Physically running out pf situations may not be possible, but mentally and emotionally separating one’s self from harsh reality for a little bit, to rid of too much pressure, to avoid going into depression is entirely possible.

I am not into astral projection, although if others have ways to do that, maybe you can share me the trick?  Anyway, when I say emotional and mental separation, it is a state where one tries to project your senses away from the things or thoughts that bother you too much they give you nightmares even though you are wide awake . (Did you experience shuddering while thinking what happens if your worst fears come to life?)

So, here are some of the best ways I have discovered so far (mind you, the tips are just some ways for you ro cope with the stress building up, it does not make the problems go away, but maybe will give you a breather and a chance to think with a much clearer mind):

1. Indulge in creative activities

•      Find out where your creative talent lies. It could be in writing (that is why I have created this blog). It could be in dancing (create your own dance moves that can shake this world up down to their toes). It can be in creating videos (may it be funny, full of drama, or a song). 
• Get some sewing done and create your own DIY projects (I made a wallet for myself. Sewed it for two weeks)
• 

2.  Movie/drama binge-watching

      I can watch an entire 20-episode of Korean Drama in one day. The life stories unfolding on a screen can make me forget my own life stories and even at times garner new ideas or philosophies from them.

3.  Reading books/ stories

      I thank Wattpad and WordPress for this. These two sites are my gateways to a world different from mine.

4. Appreciate nature

     Take a walk. Observe your surroundings. Appreciate the weather, the wind, the trees, the birds, any little things that you never take notice of before.

5. Get into contemplative exercise

     Yoga is one such exercise. One of such like exercise I had once taught us about self-communion. In a retreat, we once taught how to commune with the Holy Spirit. We were told to go to a place by ourselves and try to relax pur mind, closing off any distracting sound or movement and ask for the Holy Spirit to come. I tell you, it’s quite effective.

     Another experience was back in Grade Four where a teacher taught us how to relieve stress by concentrating and imagining oneself in a serene place surrounded by nature.

I hope these tips help you fight your own way through the maze of your own life. Feel free to find other ways to do so as long as it keeps from doing any dangerous stuffs.  

Have a great week, everyone!!!

    

     

Fighting Fate

Annyeong! (Hi!)

Are you ready for another walk down the Korean drama lane?

The quote above from Publilius Syrus is just one of the many quotes featured in the ongoing Korean t.v. series entitled Criminal Minds starring Lee Joon-gi (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Joon-gi).

By the way, Publilius Syrus was a Latin writer famous for writing sententiae which are brief moral sayings such as proverbs, adages, maxims often quoted without context.

Anyway, as expected I am pulled again into the vortex of my mind and sent various thoughts spiralling into it as I tried to decipher the meaning behind this line.

Lately, the events happening in my life make me feel like I am riding the craziest ride of my life. The ups and downs I had taken made me dizzy and felt suspended in bated breath all throughout the ride. I feel I haven’t reached the end of it, my heart still on my mouth, choking me with apprehension. 

Seeing the quote made me agree with Publilius Syrus. Fate indeed is not satisfied with one calamity. I just hope and pray that when it released its hold on me, I can still stand on my feet again. I am beginning to weaken under its relentless onslaught but my faith won’t allow me to get carried away and wallow in depression. I am maybe weary and wary, my heart often beats like a deafening roll of drums in my ears, but I can’t afford to acknowledge my weakness for the sake of the people dependent upon me. 

I may cry out my frustrations and fears and doubts in the best possible way I know but I can never let them seep into my every being. I have to fight over and above these calamities fate brought upon me. I have to win this fight!

Faith Changes Everything

Annyeonghaseyo! (Hello!)

It’s another serious talking today, guys and so as not to disappoint you, I have another quote from a Korean drama to share with you. 

The photo above (yehey, I was finally able to upload photos!), show a quote from the Korean tv series entitled Falsify starring Nam Goong Min (http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Nam_Goong_Min) as Han Moo-Young, who became a media jackal to unveil the truth behind the death of his brother who was murdered through a seemingly vehicular accident by a man with a tattoo for trying to correct falsified stories he published instigated by the director of the newspaper company he worked for and revealing social corruption involving the biggest newspaper company, the chief prosecutor and a secret organization.

The quote Han Moo-Young said to one of the victims of false accusation in the drama was this:  

“You may feel like you’re in the desert without a compass, but nothing will change if you keep on dwelling on your emotions.”

There are times in our lives that we feel how unfair fate it seems, that we feel like we were left in the middle of the desert without a compass, uncertain of which direction to take.  It is somewhat akin to a fish taken out of water and left to gasp for air and plop itself helplessly, seeking a way to breathe and survive.

No matter how much we wail and “plop” and let ourselves be enslaved by our dire situation, nothing will indeed change if we kept on dwelling on it.  

And although according to Friedrich Nietzsche: “Hope, in reality, is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man,” I’d rather continue to hope while positively thinking that all will come to pass.

My Dear Friends, what we all must bear in mind, when the road ahead becomes so difficult you can’t see a thing beyond a foot, when it seems all that surrounds you is a boundless desert, when life is seemed hopeless, is to never, ever lose faith.

Remember:

If The Devil Is Man’s Creation

My  Dear Readers, with a long weekend to enjoy here in Philippines, I had spent it on some creative hand-sewing that has taken a bit of my concentration in writing thus the delay of posting this article.  Hmm, must discipline myself more to stick to my schedule, right?

Anyway, today, let me share with you another quote I chanced along while watching Criminal Minds (http://asianwiki.com/Criminal_Minds_(Korean_Drama) starring my favorite actor Lee Joon–Gi (http://asianwiki.com/Lee_Joon-Gi), a quote from Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist and philosopher whose literary works explore human psychology during the troubled times of 19th-century Russia and engage in various realistic philosophical and religious themes.

As a born Christian, I was taught by my mother things about God, the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary and about evil things Satan has caused to mankind. As I was growing up, I attended catechism, and even read the Bible from cover to cover when I had to stop schooling for one year to undergo surgery. From such, I learned about the existence of Satan or Lucifer or the devil.

What I meant to say is that, from time immemorial, we knew of the existence of the devil as much as we knew of the existence of God. Whatever we see or feel that encompasses what we understood or classify as evil is caused by or wrought of the devil. 

With this quote from Fyodor Dostoyevsky, it can make us realize that if the devil does not exist, and we, humans, only made it up, meaning putting a specific name to which we find or consider as evil, the devil will indeed probably look like a human.

Despite what we might have read in the Bible, specifically from Ezekiel 28:12, that Lucifer is said to be the “seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty,” we can only attribute to it something our human mind can decipher, that is, based on that description he might look like this…

But if we wish to reiterate especially to small kids how evil Satan or Lucifer is, he will probably look just like an ugly man would with horns and tail.

Whatever the real face and looks of the devil, what we should remember is that he can take on forms and images we least expect.  He might look like a lamb but act as a wolf.  He might look innocent as a sheep but cunning as a fox.  Most, of all, he can be just like any human.

Is Conviction a Foe or Ally of Truth?

Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies. – Friedrich Nietzsche

This week I am following an ongoing Korean drama series entitled Criminal Minds which mind you features one of my favorite Korean actors, Lee Joon-Gi.

This drama  focuses on a group of highly-trained profilers in the fictional National Crime Investigation (NCI) team who tries to profile and track down criminals to solve cases.

When we say profiling, by the way, it means “the recording and analysis of a person’s psychological and behavioral characteristics, so as to assess or predict their capabilities in a certain sphere or to assist in identifying a subgroup of people.” (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/profiling)

Anyway, while watching it, the above-stated quote came up and sparked my interest and imagination.

So, our topic today is about conviction.  What does conviction mean?

Conviction means a strong belief or opinion or the feeling of being sure that what you believe or say is true.

If conviction is such, how then it becomes a dangerous foe of truth rather than an ally?

Let us site an easy example how this line of thinking must have come about.

For example, in common household products we use, detergent powder for one, let’s say I have been using this one product for several years and strongly believe that this product is the best ever product by far. Even when surveys or vast promotions occur, since I firmly believe that the product I have been using is the best, I probably will insist on what I believe and deny whatever evidence other people will present.

On that example, you can probably see where and when conviction can become a threat to what is true. Can you picture out how much more dangerous can it be if on a larger scale?

A person who firmly believes he is not doing a grave mistake despite of it being morally wrong will continue to commit the same mistake over and over again despite the fact or truth that it is wrong, for he had convinced himself he has abide by his own beliefs.

This must be how those committing crimes from petty theft to plunder have convinced themselves to do what they do so as not to buckle down at the prick of their conscience.

That is when conviction becomes the truth’s foe rather than an ally. That is, when we let ourselves be blinded by our wrong beliefs to the point of denying the truth despite of it glaring at us like the sun at midnoon hour.

Truth as Wide as the Sky

“You can never cover the sky with your palm.” – Prince Jin Seong/Lee Yeok, Queen for Seven Days Korean Drama

Queen for Seven.Days is a story about two brothers fighting for the throne to the Kingdom of Joseon due ro rhe evil manipulations and machinations  of state councilors who wished to have their tight hold over the leader of the nation, as well as a poignant love story of a couple who chose to part for each to live and love each other for a long period of time.

From the many memorable dialogues this drama series had, one of the lines which caught my heart and imagination is the above-quoted line.  Prince Jin Seong uttered these words during one of the altercations between him and his older brother who was the King when the latter was trying to subdue him with the ever-present thought that the younger brother (Prince Jin Seong) is out to take the throne from him, knowing that their father, the former king, wanted him to abdicate the throne to his younger brother once he had already come of age.

This quote, “you can never cover the sky with your palm” is, of course, a metaphor which means that one can never really hide the truth.  

As how it is not possible to cover the sky with your palm, unless you delude yourself that you are able to by covering your eyes instead, just as when we try to deny the glaring truth by trying to close our eyes to it or by trying to look the other way when we see something that should not be but feel we have no power or the right to be involved in, but still deep in our heart and if we let our conscience prevail, we know we can never totally evade or deny reality.

“The truth will always prevail” is another way to say it, but sad to say, no matter how wide the sky, most people nowadays will choose to cover their eyes with their palm rather than meet the glare of the sun and be blinded or burned, for often the truth can be as blinding or as hot as the sun and many peole will rather settle for half-truths or little white lies than to know or accept reality, they will be willing to become a racing horse let loose on a track with its eyes covered with blinkers or blinders.  

If you are honest enough, can you ever say to yourself, you had never ever tried to cover the sky with your palm?

Smile as Bright as the Sun

“Smile often in order to have more reasons to smile about.” – Princess Hye-myung, My Sassy Girl Korean Drama

It’s just another ordinary Sunday to ponder about life and its drama.  So today, let me share with you, one of the catching quotes I read from a Korean drama I was watching lately.

You must have noticed by now that I seemed to be a bit partial with Korean dramas. What I particularly love from watching them are the moral values and teachings imparted in most stories especially the historical dramas. 

So, the above quotation has not failed to enlighten me and inspire me for this week’s post.

The previous months had been quite challenging for me that there came a point where I thought there seemed to be no reason to smile about.  I wake up in the morning and go about everything I was supposed to do for the day. I was on automatic mode. I work with a gloomy feeling, with my chest so heavy.

But then I realized, who am I punishing with this kind of attitude?  The more I think seriously of my situation, the heavier my heart became. God saw me through those difficult times, so I chose to trust Him fully with everything. With that thought, that choked feeling, the heaviness in my heart lifted. I can smile again.

I decided, whenever things got too heavy, I just need to think of something to smile about to lift my spirit up again, and whenever the heaviness of the heart started, I sing or hum, at least.

Why let ourselves be shackled ny our worldy worries when there must be a lot to smile about? Miracles happen everyday, we just need to acknowledge it for it to change our life and make our day brighter. 

A positive attitude is like a magnet. It pulls in positive energy that can repel negativeness away. Let us exude that positive energy and prevent darkness from prevailing. Smile as bright as the glaring sun in a hot summer day.

Do Miracles Exist?

“If you desperately long for something, it brings you a miracle.” – Prince of Qing, My Sassy Girl Korean Drama

Do miracles really exist?  In a world where many lived in squalor and poverty, where almost everyone is struggling to get by day by day, will it not be like manna from heaven to hope for a miracle to happen when one needed it most?
Several times this year, I had been in very tight spots, experiencing not only physical but also emotional stress, what with ailments in the family and financial distress brought on by these to add up to the already escalating financial setbacks an ordinary rank and file employee experiences, living on a mere pittance for what suffice as a salary.  It was like walking on a thin plank hanging up on a cliff, while carrying a time bomb set to blow up anytime.

Several times during these ordeals, I almost buckled down underneath the pressure building up in the pit of my stomach.  So many times, I was brought to tears on my knees, praying for God to listen to my heartfelt petition for a way out of these situations.
Looking back, no matter how difficult the road we call life had been, no matter how many times I had fallen and gotten bruised, no matter how many hurdles I had to tackle on the way, I realized no hurdles had been that insurmountable, I could still get up and tend to my wounds, life still goes on the way it wanted to be.  

Then while watching one of the Korean Dramas I love to follow, I came upon this beautiful line and it dawned on me, “wow!  That is quite true!”  I was  desperately longing for solutions to the problems besetting me, then when it comes to a point where all hope seemed lost, a solution suddenly comes along, my prayer gets answered. 

Cynics would say, they are mere coincidence.  Science might even explain it’s just a normal phenomenon. But for people like me, desperate to hold on to that short thread of hope thrown my way, I believe miracles do exist. 

Dark Clouds

The clouds are dark over the horizon
Are they because of the change of season?
Are they omen of things beyond reason?

Or do they offer hope of redemption?

The summer that passed by had been arid

The weather was tremendously humid

The rain was scarce just like money in pockets

No matter how much we pray over our wallets.

Beyond those clouds, is there a ray of hope

We can set our eyes on and help us cope,

With all our trials and difficulties,

With all of our problems and our worries?

(N. B.:  Dear Friends, sorry for my whole week of absence.  Had internet connection problems.)

Are We Really Free?

A happy Monday morning, everyone!

And to all my countrymen:  Happy 119th Philippine Independence Day!

My regular blog post should have been published yesterday but since today we will be celebrating the anniversary of Philippine Independence, I decided to postpone publishing and cover our own local celebration of the said event.

Before the program started, of course, people were still milling around in their gorgeous Filipiniana attires, the city officials and department heads of local offices posing for posterity while the various sectors in their uniforms waited for the program to start.

The program started at around 7:30 in the morning with the entrance of colors, which means the entrance of the Philippine flag and the banner of the city.  

This was followed by the offering of flower wreath at the center of the public plaza, in front of the flag pole, by the City Mayor, Vice Mayor together with the Filipino World War II Veteran President of the city.

The twelve Philippine revolutionary flags followed, escorted by the twelve Sanggunian Panlungsod Members, and paraded up the stage, their brilliant red color so vibrant to represent the bravery and boldness of the Filipino soldiers in their fight for freedom against the Spanish oppression of that time.

Wreaths, pots and bouquets of flowers were also offered under the monuments of the two Philippine heroes the city honors, Andres Bonifacio and Dr. Jose P. Rizal.

The city officials then marched up the city hall’s balcony to reenact the first-ever Independence Day Celebration held in Cawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898.

The program ended after a dance presentation by the city representatives to the Panaad Folk Dance competition and by a young maiden singing “Ako ay Filipino”.

Every year, every local government units, anywhere in the Philippines try to recreate the spirit of patriotism evoke by the first celebration of the Philippine Independence and try to enliven the occasion and impart the values of such event in the younger generations.

Yet, with or without the sad events still happening in Marawi, are we really free?

With all our talks about freedom, aren’t we still bounded by some ideas that limit us from experiencing it totally?  Or aren’t we limited by our inhibitions to embrace the changes that comes with the times?  Or aren’t we afraid to accept the consequences brought by grasping it with both hands for fighting for it might mean giving up our everything for it?

Fighting for our freedom does not always mean taking up arms and walking up and down the streets shouting for it.  

Our everyday thoughts and actions, our efforts and struggles, towards liberation from pangs of hunger and escape from the shackles of poverty, are also embodiments of our continuing fight for freedom.  

We might say we are already a Republic, a democratic country freed from dominion of other countries, but still, our existence is a continuous struggle not only from domination of powerful countries who continuously try to plunder our natural resources but also from the debilitating effects of corruption for the past several decades.

Freedom has its many faces.  And our struggle to keep it can also vary in many ways.

Even within our ownselves, an inner struggle continues.  We wish to fight our tendencies to bury ourselves underneath seemingly unimportant desires for lavish spendings and luxurious things but we often fail to discipline and curb them.

We wish to have more courage and determination to crawl out of our hand-to-mouth existence, but opportunities to do so is just so out of our reach that despite working eight hours a day, five days a week, earning supposedly thousands of pesos per month but what we bring home at the end of a pay day is barely enough to tide us over a few days.

We might always know deep in our hearts the value or importance of freedom but for us whose struggles towards liberty from poverty and harsh existence is ever-continuing, we might feel it or see a glimpse of it at times we receive our bonuses but we would always seem just dream of it and pray that manna will hopefully fall from heaven.