Eshin Direct

Affirmation Revisited

Ten years ago, Savage Garden released the song Affirmation and the statements it contained resonated strongly with me. I listened to it recently while I was training and released that maybe ten years further on in my life, it might be fun to revisit those lyrics and see if they still held their relevance and meaning for me.

I believe the sun should never set upon an argument

This I still believe. In most cases I will need to have the nastiness sorted out by the time I sleep. That’s not to say I can’t sleep on an argument, but it’s a real pain to getting on with life if it does happen that way.

I believe we place our happiness in other people’s hands

This I no longer believe. Our happiness is firmly within our own hands. We need to be comfortable with ourselves and build our own internal happiness before we can add the happiness that others bring to our lives to that foundation. If other people control our happiness, then ultimately you have no control over your life.

I believe that junk food tastes so good because it’s bad for you

Not really sure what I believe on this. Actually, it’s probably a little true since the fast food chains spend millions to work out the correct taste that can be franchised to appeal to our taste buds. Having said that, there are some theories that suggest that if you limit your diet to specific foods, your appetite begins to “expect less” and not crave some types of food.

I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do

Yup, still believe this, at least in my case. Although I don’t believe this should apply to everyone.

I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem

I used to believe this but I’m not sure about this now. So many choices of magazines out there, appealing to so many styles, there is bound to be a magazine or style that appeals to someone to make them feel “in”. Esteem comes from within, but then if you believed that happiness comes from without, then this statement might be a little more true.

I believe I’m loved when I’m completely by myself alone

Well, you have to love yourself to be true to yourself. So I suppose this still applies.

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned

Of course, this is what Karma is all about. Sort of the definition of karma really.

I believe you can’t appreciate real love ’til you’ve been burned

Most definitely.

I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side

A nice hippy attitude to life that oddly enough maintains the status quo. In some cases, it is actually greener and you need to progress. In other cases, you make it to the other side and the grass is greener until it gets to the state that you were in before. The question then becomes a matter of whether you want to make the effort to get to the other side, with that knowledge.

I believe you don’t know what you’ve got until you say goodbye

Hmm. Tough one. Nope, no longer believe that. I think if you’ve lost enough, then you can learn and appreciate things before you actually lose them.

I believe you can’t control or choose your sexuality

I don’t think you can control your sexuality. You can choose to override your sexuality and like either men or women. If we can override our natural instincts to jump into flaming buildings to save someone else, we can choose something as simple as sexuality.

I believe that trust is more important than monogamy

Yes, trust is. But really, what exactly is this statement saying? As long as you have trust you can be polygamous?

I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul

Awww, that’s sweet.

I believe that family is worth more than money or gold

Yes, but without money or gold or financial security, you won’t be able to provide for your family.

I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair

Why is the struggle for financial freedom unfair? Life is sort of unfair in any case, but is the struggle unfair or financial freedom unfair? Actually, its pretty simple. I think most of us set ourselves up for failure in the struggle for financial freedom by applying for our first credit card.

I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires

I sort of disagree with the above statement but I’m sort of not a millionaire.

I believe forgiveness is the key to your own happiness

Not really. Forgiveness is nice. Being at peace with yourself is the key to your own happiness. Again, this statement is looking for the external factor to provide that happiness.

I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed

But of course, newly wedded couples are notorious for not actually consummating the marriage by actually undressing.

I believe that God does not endorse tv evangelists

I don’t think God endorses any religion to be honest.

I believe in love surviving death into eternity

It’s a romantic notion.

It’s strange what we believe when we are younger and what age and experience teaches us. I wonder what I will believe in ten years when I read this post again?

Debunking the Da Vinci Code

It always amuses me to see these programmes that profess to reveal the truth behind the Da Vinci code. More often than not, they debunk the Da Vinci Code theory with as much fanfare and congratulatory backslapping that one would expect from just having defeated a dragon. It would seem a Herculean task as any akin to proving that Star Wars has no place in our origins¹ or that Lord of the Rings was in fact a work of fiction. Okay, so the claim at the beginning of the book might be questionable but let’s face it, that’s the only claim they make to be true.

What I find amazing is that the hardcore Christians out there are trying very hard to destroy the Da Vinci code as if it was reality. One wonders at how much wealth the Vatican has to draw upon to fund TV shows painting the book in a questionable light, flood the market with enough Templar books to debase the currency of the thought, or even fund a second-rate performance by Tom Hanks in a blockbuster epic that fell flat on its face².

So let me get this straight. The idea of a Jewish man at the time being married and having children is preposterous while virgin births and walking on water are taken as common sense?

Magical fancies aside from the Church, I think that the book has been powerful to open people’s mind to a truth different from St. Augustine’s universal faith. May the struggle continue towards understanding.

1. A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away… [↩]
2. Oh be still my conspiratorial heart. [↩]

At One with Death

In close family, I have only faced death once with my sister passing away. In the last week, life has relinquished itself to death three times in my vicinity. The first was the passing of someone I knew through my girlfriend, the second was my grandfather and the third was the father-in-law of my uncle.

Continue reading ‘At One with Death’

Terminal Napping

No good dreams usually come from napping in the afternoon. Especially with the gloomy, rainy weather that we’ve been having these last couple of days. Must be the rain from the typhoon that passed over Hong Kong yesterday.

Dream was strange just now. I was in my girlfriend’s apartment in a divided city like Hong Kong in that there were two physical, distinct parts to it. Anyway, the apartment itself was strange in that it was also divided into two distinct parts connected by a horizontal travelator. I remember my girlfriend being there but she was going out with friends and then my mate being there asking me why it was separated that way. He asked why it was laid out like a terminal, which I countered that it wasn’t…

… which morphed into a terminal with airline and ground staff with a suitably rousing song that even CX could be proud of. Except that it was for Malaysian Airlines (derisive snort from the Singaporeans in my dream).

The dream was weird but wouldn’t it be cool to have an apartment separated by a traveletor?

The Slumber of My Fears

My dreaming has been troubled of late and last night, they seemed to want to manifest themselves all in one go. I wouldn’t say these were my biggest fears but they certainly things that I feel averse to or just don’t like.

First segment was me riding a scooter. Yep, I hate automatic bikes but this particular scooter was rigged to have an exceptionally high visor that blocked your view, forcing you to crane over the top. The segment ended with me on this scooter chasing a similar scooter up a ramp in an abandoned car park which felt like it was in London. My fear of Quadrephenia perhaps?

I guess the visor being blacked out symbolized my own inability to see the future and economically, a scooter is less than a bike. The chase just represented the chase for economic stability and freedom. It’s all a game.

The second segment featured me at my girlfriend’s new apartment. That in itself is not a fearful thing. What was scary was that the TV console kept moving and being shifted around. Not quite sure what that meant. Also, ants. It seemed a legion of ants had found some spot on her carpet and I just couldn’t find the bug spray. Then she threw a party and my (well, ours now) MacBook was put outside on the balcony. Yep, you guessed it, it fell down three stories and was pretty much smashed. It’s a fear – who wouldn’t worry about the computer being destroyed utterly – but did it really manifest something greater?

The last segment was me and a toothache. My tooth was about to fall out it was so painful. There were other elements to this segment but I can’t remember them clearly. It is probably because when I woke up this morning and brushed my teeth, I did draw blood and one tooth did ache a little. It’s still there but I really need to go see a dentist soon.