Spirituality - Bringing it into your life isn't a bad thing
Tuesday, November 13, 2007 by River of Karma
Most people, and by this I mean those who aren't spiritually inclined, tend to think of the term "Spirituality" as some fancy fangled, new-agey marketing hype that originated from the hippie movement of the 70's.
You remember Hippies don’t you – Those bell-bottom wearing, paint wielder, Peace
spouting, "Flower Power" denizens who…….nevermind, I’m digressing.
Anyway, these same people who think Spirituality comes in a quality inspected Manufactured Wrapping also think that anything that relates to 1)Meditation, 2) Chakra, 3)Chi, 4) blowing bubbles, is being Spiritual.
Which was what happened to me when in conversation with an almost sister-like friend quite recent, when after I remarked how "you should bring spirituality into your life", her answer was "I'm not into the whole meditation thing".
And I thought “I said spirituality”.
But it hit me soon after why. It’s been misunderstood. People think that by meditating, you're being spiritual. I'm inclined to say it's the opposite. If you're spiritual, you (might) meditate.
What do I mean?
It's like what I told my pet sister – Spirituality is about yourself.
It's about introspection. It's about connecting back with yourself. It's about looking at yourself, only deeper. This is the simplest I can say – About you.
The simple act of sitting and figuring out your strengths could be a spiritual exercise. Volunteering could be a spiritual exercise. Heck, some singers have been known to say singing their vocals is the closest they come to meditation.
Take an expedition of any spiritual blogs (mine included) and the common theme (pattern) of posts is "The reconnection with yourself". Granted, depending on which blog you read, you see the teaching a little different – In some it's about how access the chakra, others its how heal with food or maybe even tap into the healing energy latent in all people.
Different blogs have different approaches, but in the end it’s fundamentally all about "You" and how "You" do those things above for "Your" mental and spiritual growth.
“Growth”, the essential key term. This is why people who are spiritual tend to meditate.
Taking 5, 10 or even 15 minutes out of the business of your day to just relax and ease the inner turbulence of your mind into the calm of a gentle stream can do absolute wonders for physical lethargy, mental tension, heck even bring you back into concentration. It’s the most powerful example. Mind you, my explanation does meditation injustice as I make no reference to chakra opening, mental change or even the deeper Kundalini rising.
Keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be meditation. Understanding Holy Scriptures works for many. One blog I read often, The Absent Mind, by Mike Slack, is fine example of the common man spiritualist who strives to understand the proper teaching of the Gita and Buddhism. By internalizing what he learns, Mike blogs his growth and how he sees the world differently.
Because in the end, as we grow, the world around us also changes. When in fact, what actually changes is our view and how we see things. Or as Gandhi once said “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.
So the next time someone tells you to be more spiritual, take it as compliment. Because its all about growth, and who doesn’t want that now.
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Hi,
Al Jazeera Bersih Rally Forum – 2 Parts Videos - Nazri, Khairy,& Malik Imtiaz with Anchor Teymoor Nabili – Events; Police Handling& Force, Press Coverage, Grouses Free & Fair Election Democracy; No need for Institutional Reforms
Part I – Forum ( 8 min )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PsrZymwf4c
Part II – Forum ( 9m 40s )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kogzruff2uI
cheers, multidimid
http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2007/11/al-jazeera-bersih-rally-forum-videos.html
People tend to confuse the medium with the message quite often, and spirituality is not immune to this.
I the end, you're absolutely right... it's all about yourself
Hey Vitor,
Thanks for dropping by. You know, I totally forgot that point. Ppl do sometimes confuse the medium. I supp when ppl realise the true nature of spirituality, we mite see a lot more changes. Who know.
multidimid - thanks man.
I found it rather ridiculous that the information ministry will be sending an official warning letter accusing Al Jazeera of being one-sided when reporting the Bersih rally while all major news media in Malaysia has been one-sided when reporting about incidents or news in Malaysia such as corruption, election, racial issues, the list can go on and on.
How often do we see the local radio, TV stations and major newspapers report comments or interviews with opposition leaders? I don't get to see Anwar or Lim Kit Siang appear on TV more than groups of impotent BN monkeys.
Zainuddin should really look back and see what our local major news media have been reporting before accusing other networks as being one-sided in reporting events happening in Malaysia. It will be like throwing shit back into our own faces if they know what our local news media have been reporting on the Bersih rally.
I pity the local journalists and news reporters working in these news media. Not only are they controlled by the ruling party in what to and what not to report, they even ended up telling lies to Malaysians. That is the kind of pathetic journalism they are practising. I don't even know if I should call it journalism anymore.
This country has racist laws that discriminate against minority citizens. Over the last 3 decades the discrimination has gotten from bad to worse.
The policies of this government reminds us of South Africa's apartheid days which was condemned by all humanity.
I wonder how these racists can reconcile their actions with the tenets of their religion.
In 1957, Malaysia had the second biggest per capita income after Japan, but now we are at the tail end among the front-rank developed nations in Asia.
In 2005, Malaysia per capita income increased by only 17 times from 1967, as compared to South Korea which increased 100 times. Hong Kong 40 times, Singapore 45 times and Taiwan 60 times.
Malaysia is far richer in natural resources than the other countries. Singapore for example has no forest, oil, palm oil, rubber, etc.
The difference is in the development and utilisation of human resources. Malaysia has failed to make full use of the human resources in the country.
The statistics indicate that Malaysia was competitive with the other countries up to 1967. Thereafter, the Asian tigers like Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan leapt forward to lofty heights.
In 1966, the bumi policy was formally announced as a policy and in 1971, the New Economic Policy was launched. The various measures and regulations from these two policies slowed down economic growth considerably. Traders, businessmen, entrepreneurs, medium and small industries were put off by these policies.
The reaction of international countries was negative, and many investors shied away from Malaysia. Foreign direct investments declined considerably to US$3.9 billion in 2006, whereas Asean countries had FDI of US$30 billion for Singapore, US$7.9 billion for Thailand, US$10 billion for Vietnam. China had US$70 billion FDI in that year.
The New Economic Policy which compels reservation of 30% for malays in all economic activities has dampened investment interests of both foreign and local investors.
With the launching of liberalisation policies in 1978, China leapt forward and it is on the way to become a world economic power by 2030.
Malaysia too must implement global policies like liberalisation of all economic functions. Bumiputraism and New Economic Policy are the outdated measures, and must be replaced by more enlightened and pragmatic measures.
If Barisan stubbornly clings to old baggage policies, then it can be predicted that Malaysia per capita income will continue to lag behind the Asian tigers.
Hisham decidedly subdued speech to Umno Youth at the party's recent general assembly was in mark contrast to his racist histrionics of last year. This showed one thing: even these morons in Umno are teachable after all.
We know that morons are slow learners, but then as we have seen even Umno morons are teachable. We just have to repeat the lessons more often, and increasing the punishment more severe each time they regress or forget their earlier lessons.
My objective as a committed cyberspace commentator is to make that rouge gallery bigger. I will not be satisfied nor will I stop, until that gallery has the country's biggest rogue included in its rooster.
Isn't a shame to call it Islamic when the entire Umno regime is corrupted to the core and acts with impunity as though there is no God.
I would say Kelantan is more Islamic than the entire Umno regime.
This Umno regime violates every single injunction of God.
How different is the Bersih rally from Hindraf protest? You tell me. In the former, it was mostly malays, the latter predominantly Indians.
Imagine the paradox, one society who has all the privileges and the other without any. This is not an issue of race or religion, but relates to the rights of Malaysians. Opinions and views can differ but the cause is the same; of entitlements and rights as a Malaysian.
Many things swing by our lives but two major rallies within a short span, what does it personify?
These rallies show that Malaysians care and the public will generally support it as we cannot continue to be oppressed by the few and their orchestrated manipulation. Stop reading the mainstream press. The younger generation is much wiser in their perception, fortunately or unfortunately, towards the frustration that prevails in the system.
In the macro sense, most Malaysians are tolerant, law abiding and seek a peaceful society for all.
What we seek is a better place for us to live harmoniously without any division manipulated for the benefit of the few.
Hey, it is not a perfect world but there is always somebody fighting for animal rights, democratic, economic, environmental, political, religious or socialist issues. You can't solve the world problems but you can make your society a better place if you could listen rather than turning to defiance for the benefit of the few.
The only option the audiences have is to "doubt" the credibility of our mainstream media, and this trend is a big shame to the local media - I feel sad for their situation.
Any way you look at it, the rally by Bersih to send a memorandum to the King for a clean and fair election was a stunning success.
Although the local press has down played the significance of the demonstrations, the sea of yellow among the brave protestors drenched in rain facing the police force, is the beginning of the common peoples awakening, partaking their democratic rights in wanting a better deal from the present regime.
Although the police force and the prime minister had warned the public not to participate in the so-called illegal rally, it has fallen on deaf ears for those who are fed up with government abuses and excesses of power.
To think that nearly 40000 people took part in the demonstrations speaks volumes about the ordinary peoples brave attempt to make their voices heard about the ills of the present regime to our constitution monarch.
While the police force had used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowds and even though scores of people were arrested, no loss of lives was reported, thank God for that.
I suppose in the globalised world that we live in, autocrat leaders dare not excessively beat up those who oppose them, as it will be highlighted in the foreign media. While the local demonstrations is mild compared to Burma and Pakistan, still one wonders why the police had to use force to disperse the crowd.
As usual, we can expect the leaders in this country to denounce the demonstrations and call these brave souls "traitors" to the nation for taking their grievances to the streets. But if all avenues for a proper dialogue between civil group and the government are closed and the government is arrogant and does not want to listen to the people's voice of despair, expect more streets demonstration.
Let us hope that the King can reform the election rules in this country which favour the ruling parties. May our next general elections be untainted by money politics, phantom voters, one-sided medias and government machineries working in favour of the incumbent.
Watchdogs from other nations should be invited to observe the next general elections to ensure that the present regime cannot steal the elections as in 2004 where a lot of opposition leaders lost their seats due to phantom voters.
After all, Umno just had their last assembly where the delegates are confident that the voters will support them in the next polls. Fight like a man. Do not hide behind the government's skirt where all the dirty tricks are used to deny the opposition opportunities to win seats.
The present regime is in denial about all the ills that affect this nation. They, especially the dinosaur politicians who have been in power for more than two decades, still think that our people are uneducated and can be hoodwinked in any general elections.
Well, let them dream! May the Bersih rally mark an important milestone for the peoples desires to have a better Malaysia for our children and grandchildren to inherit.
God bless you all for your bravery in facing the police forces awesome power to intimidate people from exercising their political rights.
Those Umno pea-brained morons are products of Mahathir. Difference is that Mahathir did all the talking and walking and kept his morons in cages.
Now, Badawi is not the talker nor walker, if fact, he is the sleeper. So much that these pea-brained morons have been let loose to display their stupidity of the highest degree.
Malaysia is now famous internationally for having morons running the country, one such moronic act was being performed live on Al Jazeera. Please don't mention anymore name, we may have underage kids reading.
Each time I read such comments, it always makes me feel how lucky I am to out of Malaysia.
Emigration is not for everybody but those who have done so, ultimately feel highly rewarded in terms of the future for themselves and their kids.
Imagine them growing in an environment devoid of racial, ethnic and religious discrimination.
More importantly, they are now exposed to a wider community that embraces multiculturism, meritocracy, fair go and personal freedom. Guess which group will be better equipped to face the future challenges in this world?
Malays have done wonders in terms of denying truth, while doing so, through policies of government raked in ill wealth for years. Malays are rich, I mean really rich.
Malays had certain qualities that other races in this country do not, but I must emphasise "had". Qualities such as "speaking less", contended, know how to read and understand the holy Quran (I know that nowadays Muslim kids spent 10 years of religious classes in school and end up not knowing).
But all done and said, the day malays deny their past, is the beginning of their end. Malays were Hindus once, as was the whole South East Asia, later some South East Asia went for Buddhism while the others went for Islam.
Who taught South East Asia races to plant paddy in a systematic manner? Who taught South East Asia races language skills, reading and writing?
The very essence of everything that South East Asia races are based on till today was taught by Tamils. Don't you guys notice that South East Asia races have similar writing codes, that are because it is based on Tamil. It even sounds like Tamil.
For peninsula: Tamils called the local inhabitants as "malai allu", basically means "people who dwell in the hills", this would mean Orang Asli, for they dwell in the hills, what is known as malays today was non-existent.
As malays are well known to do, they incorporated this term "malai" whence they started to land in the peninsula from Nusantara, and claimed the term "malai" as their own. This race has this peculiar trait of claiming that which is not theirs.
Deny this, and you deny your past, anyone who denies his past, denies his future. Malays……….be my guest.
Guess who is the master race? The master race doesn't doing some weird policy (NEP), or go around brandishing some knife, which if you really put some thinking into it, put the race on a sure path to beggary.
The reason why I commented as above is because I want malays to know that they are not tuan punya tanah.
For myself, as a Tamil, I will state what my forbearers have done centuries before, the truth is, no one owns this land, this land is owned only by - the one and only one - God.
This soil needs administration, not ownership. Accept that.
This vicious, coward and corrupted Malaysia government is so afraid of ordinary people, especially the working class, expressing their discontent through peaceful protests - a democratic right.
The main ruling party, Umno elites, capitalist leaders who falsely profess themselves to be devoted Muslims have indeed hijacked the religion.
Almost my whole life, I defended such ideological racial-religious supremacies out of a false sense of patriotism and loyalty. This is why we need to learn, educate ourselves and think critically throughout our lives in order to be a true human being.
Furthermore, to fight against the real enemy - the greedy and corrupted criminals from the ruling elites and capitalist classes, be it from Umno, MIC, MCA and so on - although the Umno leaders are the most and main deceitful culprits.
Opposition parties globally also need to be heading towards this, especially against the extremely vicious and corrupted third world ruling elites, governments and capitalist classes.
I just got spammed....