Defective humans

3-legged baby. Is that a defect? Maybe we, the 2-legged beast, are the defectives babies. Maybe, just maybe, 98% of humans are born with defects and those 3-legged (2%) babies are normal.

I wondered, if defects in humans are defined as anything that is not normal, i.e. different from the majority. Or can our biologist actually identify that we are suppose to have 2-legs only and the third one has no function, only hindrance.

the rate of change

happiness is the rate of change of current status...

so at some point in your life, if you do not take a plunge, then it'd be difficult to maintain that +ve rate of change. In other words, it is difficult to maintain happiness throughout your life without feeling sad at one point.

This also explains why people are never satisfied. When life becomes stagnant, they become unhappy. Either physically improve your current status, or mentally lower your expectation...that should help to create the effect that there's a +ve rate of change.

And thus happiness.

the philosopher and me

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." Henry David Thoreau

...

Do not think. Just do it. (No, Nike is not sponsoring this blog).

Thousands of years ago, there is no electricity, PS3 or TV. So when people has finished herding the cows and sheeps, they just sat on the grass gazing at the stars and thinking about the purpose of man. I bet, that's how philosophers are born.

In Modern days, however, we do not think of such things until maybe we are past 50. Unless, you are a philosopher by profession or you are like me waiting for my Visa to go to UK for my phD. Then you'll probably do not have plenty of time to think about life, death, purpose and what it meant.

For such a long time I’ve been thinking how to pursue a successful life. As much as I like to complain, I feel I am very fortunate to say this: every part of my life so far is a success.

This is because life is like a marathon. It’s not what you achieve ultimately that matters. It’s what you achieve along the way. Every small achievement that you picked up along your life. That’s what success is.

Sometimes I look too far ahead in life, and I think, “what’s the point of me involving myself in this debate competition or what’s the point of me pursuing my phD degree, because in the end I am just going to work, get married, raise my kids and all these would be irrelevant.” But what would be relevant if I look so far ahead? Some friends of mine, would go full force for their careers, thinking that this is relevant. But is it? Would it still be in many years to come?

Just do whatever I think is right. But whatever I do, I do it to the best. Do not ask if this would bring me success in my life. Put in 200%, get busy, and success would usually come your way when you are too busy looking for it, albeit in an unexpected manner. It has worked for me for the past 28 years - in school, in my debate 'career', in my job at Maxis. So it should still work.

Death and the moments before it

Does human fear death above all else?

My grandma (mom's side) is very sick. She's very old. She has diabetes. She feels pain awake or when asleep. She couldn't move much. And she knows the time has come. There's nothing we can do for her. So she's just waiting.

One day, this would happen to mom too. One day, this would happen to me. I can't imagine how I could take that. I can't imagine myself and my loved ones awaiting helplessly for death. But it will come. Why then am I doing all the things I am doing if this is inevitable?

Thus the question: Does human fear death above all else? That everything good will one day come to an end, no matter what you do?

I think the moments before death is much worth to fear than death itself.

The moments before death. The moments leading to your death. Parting with love ones, losing your ability to move and talk, the immense pain. I think this, is what we are really afraid of.

Death, I reckon it's a rather quick process. So there's nothing to fear.

And it would seem that life is nothing, but the imminent await for the death. All we can do, is enjoy every second of our lives, as long as it is. Let death comes as it comes.

Prelude: blogs are like bins...rubbish bins

I never understood how blog got popular. Why would anyone want the world to see his/her own private diary? If it's not private, why would then he/she want to let the world know what is he/she doing? Unless you are using it as a mean to earn money, it's really a waste of time. Blog is for those people who has little thing to do in their lives.

But here is why I started mine.

The problem with people these days is that they think too much.
I am one such person. And I think blog is a good place to place your thoughts.

We think so much everyday. Some of them useful, some of them not. But most of the time we just think and then that's it...It's gone with the wind. Not until many years later, when you are a little older, then you suddenly realised, "Ah ha, I've thought of this before!"

These everyday-thoughts are useful. But usually not when it happens. So how nice if I could have a bin, a rubbish bin for thoughts where I could throw all these seemingly non-productive "rubbish" aside and await for this moment later in my life where these thoughts could suddenly emerge useful and provide me with sweet memories of the past, or even provide me with some insights into my own past and future.

It's interesting sometimes, to scour my own rubbish bins. I could find amazing items that would provoke me to think, "Why did I threw this last time?"

And that's why I started this bin for thoughts. I hope this bin doesn't end up in another bin (i.e. the real bin for real rubbish).