Gaia Community: Alex Chua's Blog

Selected Quotations from The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:20:51 GMT

I'm re-reading this book now & here's some quotations I cannot resist sharing with you :-)

"Life is difficult.
This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult--once we truly understand and accept it--then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."

"Life is a series of problems.
Do we want to moan about them or solve them?
Without discipline we can solve nothing."

"To be free people we must assume total responsibility for ourselves, but in doing so must possess the capacity to reject responsibility that is not truly ours. To be organized and efficient, to live wisely, we must daily delay gratification and keep an eye on the future; yet to live joyously we must also possess the capacity, when it is not destructive, to live in the present and act spontaneously."

"By attempting to avoid the responsibility for our own behavior, we are giving away our power to some other individual or organization. In this way, millions daily attempt to escape from freedom."

"If our lives are to be healthy and our spirits are to grow, we must be dedicated to the truth. For truth is reality. And the more clearly we see the reality of the world, the better equipped we are to deal with the world."

"Our view of reality is like a map with which to negotiate the terrain of life. If the map is true and accurate, we will generally know where we are, and if we have decided where we want to go, we will generally know how to get there.

The more effort we make to appreciate and perceive reality, the larger and more accurate our maps will be. But many do not want to make this effort.

Some stop making it by the end of adolescence. Their maps are small and sketchy their views of the world narrow and misleading.

By the end of middle age most people have given up the effort. They feel certain that their maps are complete and their compass is correct.

Only a relative and fortunate few continue until the moment of death exploring the mystery of reality, ever enlarging and refining and redefining their understanding of the world and what is true.

But the biggest problem of map making is not that we have to start from scratch, but that if our maps are to be accurate we have to continually revise them. The world itself is constantly changing.

If we are to incorporate this information, we must continually revise our maps.
Sometimes when enough new information has accumulate, we must make very major revisions. The process of making revisions, articulately major revisions, is painful, sometimes excruciatingly painful.

What we do more often than not, and usually unconsciously, is to ignore the new information.

Rather than change the map an individual may try to destroy the new reality.
Sadly, such a person may expend much more energy ultimately in defending an outmoded view of the world than would have been required to revise and correct it in the first place."

"Only a relative and fortunate few continue until the moment of death explorng the mystery of reality, revising and refining and redefining their understanding of the world and what is true."

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”

"As we negotiate the curves and corners of our lives, we must continually give up parts of ourselves. The only alternative to this giving up is not to travel at all on the journey of life.

Giving up is the most painful of human experiences.

These are major forms of giving up that are required if one is to travel very far on the journey of life."

~ M. Scott Peck

Tags: Life, Clarity Quest, Journey

Serenity

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:03:51 GMT

"Today I ask for the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the will to initiate action that makes a difference!"

Tags: Serenity

Peace

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sun, 11 May 2008 05:55:06 GMT

"To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him." ~ Buddha

Tags: Peace

A Collection of PLAYful Quotes

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:02:56 GMT

"Some cultures operate from the premise that if people are laughing, having fun, or enjoying their work, then it cannot be work and should be stopped. However, an observer probably would not find much creative thinking going on when fun or play are absent." ~ Ian Rose

"Play will be to the 21st century what work was to the last three hundred years of industrial society – our dominant way of knowing, doing and creating value" ~ Pat Kane

"Play is serious business. At stake for us are the ways we socialize and teach future generations of scientists, inventors, artists, explorers, and other individuals who will shape the work in which we live. It is safe to say that humans, as a species, have always had a concept of play. But only recently has play begun getting the serious attention it deserves as a source of discovery." ~ Arthur Molella

"But how can we speak of mere play, when we know that it is precisely play and play alone, which of all man’s states and conditions is the one which makes him whole and unfolds both sides of his nature at once?" ~ Friedrich von Shiller

"This is the real secret of life - to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play." ~ Alan Watts

"When you're following your energy and doing what you want all the time, the distinction between work and play dissolves." ~ Shakti Gawain

"What we call creative work, ought not to be called work at all, because it isn't. I imagine that Thomas Edison never did a day's work in his last fifty years." ~ Stephen B. Leacock

"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play." ~ Arnold Toynbee

"When we engage in what we are naturally suited to do, our work takes on the quality of play and it is play that stimulates creativity. So play with your intuition." ~ Linda Naiman

"It is only in playing that the individual is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self."
~ Donald Winnicott

"It is a happy talent to know how to play." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If life doesn't offer a game worth playing, then invent a new one." ~ Anthony J. DeAngelo

"Play is the taproot from which original art springs. It is the raw stuff that the artist channels with all his learning and technique." ~ Stephen Nachmanovich

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." ~ Plato

"In Hindu philosophy the whole creation is regarded as the Vishnu Lila, the play of Vishnu. Lila means dance or play. Also in Hindu philosophy, they call the world illusion; and in Latin the root of the word illusion is ludere, to play." ~ Alan Watts

"We may play with and pass on a garden, possessing one is an illusion.
Gardeners must dance with feedback, play with results, turn as they learn.
Some gardeners don't grow old and stop playing; they stop playing and grow old.
Nature's playfulness is a gardener's delight.
A garden is a sporting field, an area for play."
~ Michael P. Garofalo

Tags: Life, Expression, Journey, Play, Joy, Happiness

Why Share Your SPARKS?

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:49:18 GMT

Why Share Your SPARKS? It is the Responsibility of all who has taken The Path Well Trodden...

Carl Jung puts it this way... ...

"I feel it is the duty of one who goes his own way to inform society of what he finds on his voyage of discovery, be it cooling water for the thirsty or the sandy wastes of unfruitful error. Not the criticism of individual contemporaries will decide the truth or falsity of his discoveries but future generations. There are things that are not yet true today; perhaps we dare not find them true, but tomorrow they may be.

So every man whose fate is to go his individual way, must proceed with hopefulness and watchfulness, ever conscious of his loneliness and its dangers."

Tags: Your SPARKS, Expression, Life, Service, Inner Journey, Awareness, Contemplation

The Dove Spirit

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:47:07 GMT

As I listened to The Crane Spirit today… another message which I have previously overlooked came through loud & clear…

“You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her only that she is gone,
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.
Or you can do what she'd want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.”

~ David Harkins

The above photo & message, titled Death was first posted on 12th January 2008… I'm moved to update it today (5th April 2008) with a message from The Dove Spirit…

Are you going through life carrying old grief, pain or hate? If so, Dove (sometimes known as Mourning Dove) encourages you to let go of your emotional baggage so that true healing can take place. It's time to forgive, release, and move forward. And, know that healing Dove is flying right beside you.

& as usual… when I missed the message… it gets real loud… but still I was deaf & blind to this sign till 2 months later… but the message is still very useful & applicable to me… reaffirming what I've already realised intuitively :-)

Tags: Synchronicity

The Crane Spirit

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:24:13 GMT

I recently caught sight of a crane flying across the sky… stopped to take in the beauty of its flight and noticed that the name of the lane I was walking through is Crane Road!!! There must be some synchronicity in this… I didn't pursue this sign further though… but I didn't forget it either…

A week later I was in my director's car when I caught sight of 3 cranes flying across the sky in Changi South… now this is the 1st time I've seen cranes in both places… the call for my attention is getting louder…

The Crane Spirit

Indicator of good fortune. Connections to our primal origin. Emotional stability. Spiritual awakening. Able to restore faith in our self and spirit.

Source: http://www.mysticfamiliar.com/library/shamanism/animal_totems.htm#Crane

An encounter with Crane in Dreamtime is a powerful sign of love, happiness, and good will among family and friends. Crane medicine also brings long life, good health and a deeper awakening on a spiritual level. Crane spirit helps us to speak our truth as we live with courage and integrity. The lesson is to wait in complete balance, as we remain ever focused on our path of destiny. The key is to soar as ONE with the wind regardless of the journey's way.

Source: http://www.cathyginter.com/TOTEM.html

The crane is an ancient bird with great symbolic meaning. In Oriental cultures it is revered in paintings and poems and symbolizes good fortune and longevity. When it appears in our life it indicates that good fortune is at hand. This can be physical health, emotional stability, mental clarity or spiritual awakening depending on the situation and the individual.

Graceful, terrestrial birds the cranes call can be long, harsh and penetrating. It helps us connect with our primal origins and teaches us how to utilize the power of sound appropriately. it holds the medicine of self expression and shows us how to vocalize our truth. Those with this totem benefit from all types of voice therapy including singing, speaking and chanting. When this medicine is fully developed those with this totem make lasting favorable impressions on others. If it is underdeveloped they are often misunderstood.

There are about 15 species of cranes. The whooping cranes call is audible for up to 2 miles. If this is your totem your personal sound can impact a larger radius then other crane medicine people.

Cranes pursue small prey and sometimes each other by running. A running crane takes one to three steps per second and may use its wings for balance and to gain speed. They typically run into the wind to achieve the life necessary for flight but if alarmed they can spring directly into flight. This is symbolic for those with this totem. Bucking a headwind can throw us off course. The challenge is to stay centered and focused on our destination.

Aggressive when fighting the crane uses a complex system of threat behaviors including physical postures and vocalizations. They ruffle their wings, drop down and crouch with the head bend back towards the body and when the time is right spring into action. Proper timing and physical flexibility are part of its teachings.

The crane is a soaring bird and like that of the human spirit it knows no limit. They fly with their neck and head outstretched as if they were seeing into the future. Their legs extend out behind them holding them to the past. When the past and the future meet wisdom awakens.

This beautiful bird helps us release our fear as we move into uncharted territory. It helps us discover our personal grace and agility. It teaches us to express ourselves with integrity and conviction and most importantly it restores our faith in ourselves and in spirit.

Source: http://www.sayahda.com/cyc1.html

Tags: Synchronicity

The Green Tower, Siberia

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 02:46:31 GMT

Another project of the famous british designer Sir Norman Foster. He has revealed his designs for a new ecological tower in Khanty Mansyisk, Siberia.

This tower will include places to live, work and entertain the occupants. Foster has covered the tower in faceted glass which will help maximizing the daylight during the winter while reflecting natural daylight to illuminate the interior spaces.The 280- meter tower centers around a south-facing atrium, which maximizes daylight and solar gain.The tower will have space for residential, office, hotel and retail programs, and will feature a restaurant at the tower’s summit.

Source: http://dsgnspot.com/2008/03/26/the-green-tower-siberia/

“Only in growth, reform, and change, paradoxically enough, is true security to be found.”
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“Balance is a dynamic process; it changes with the days, the seasons, the years.”
~ Sherrill Sellman

Tags:

Every step is a symbol of those to follow...

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:53:21 GMT

"The long path I have traversed is littered with husks sloughed off, withnesses of countless moultings, those relicta one calls books. They conceal as much as they reveal. Every step is a symbol of those to follow. He who mounts a flight of steps does not linger on them, nor look back at them, even though age invites him to linger or slow his pace. His gaze sweeps distances that flee away into the infinite. The last steps are the loveliest and most precious, for they lead to that fullness to which the innermost essence of man is born." ~ Carl Jung

Tags: Inner Journey, Awareness, Contemplation

Touching the Divine Presence...

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:08:46 GMT

"Most of us have had moments in childhood when we touched the divine presence. We did not think it extraordinary because it wasn't; it was just a beautiful moment filled with love. In those simple moments our hearts were alive, and we saw the poignant beauty of life vividly with wonder and appreciation."
~ David McArthur and Bruce McArthur, The Intelligent Heart

Tags: Contemplation

Perfection? Imperfection is Beautiful...

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:57:10 GMT

"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful."
~ Alice Walker

"Beauty deprived of its proper foils and adjuncts ceases to be enjoyed as beauty, just as light deprived of all shadows ceases to be enjoyed as light."
~ John Ruskin

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."
~ Jawaharlal Nehru

Tags: Contemplation

Ugly or Beautiful?

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:41:05 GMT

"Things are pretty, graceful, rich, elegant, handsome, but, until they speak to the imagination, not yet beautiful."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Beauty is no quality in things themselves: it exists merely in the mind which contemplates them."
~ David Hume

"For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it.
For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it.
For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it."
~ Ivan Panin

"I know the world is filled with troubles and many injustices. But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly. I think it is just as important to sing about beautiful mornings as it is to talk about slums. I just couldn't write anything without hope in it."
~ Oscar Hammerstein

Tags: Contemplation

Good Luck Koi Painting 2008

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:30:47 GMT

Tags: Art

Chinese New Year Celebrations 2008 at Chinatown

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:19:38 GMT

Tags:

HDB Flats in Singapore: Pigeon-holes or Bee-hives?

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:18:10 GMT

86 per cent of Singaporeans live in public housing flats built by the Housing and Development Board (HDB). These blocks of flats used to be known informally as small "pigeon-holes". Nowadays, prices have risen while the "pigeon-holes" have shrunken into tiny "bee-hives"...

Tags: Singapore Stomp

Death.

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 02:58:53 GMT

“You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her only that she is gone,
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.
Or you can do what she'd want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.”

~ David Harkins

The above photo & message was first posted on 12th January 2008... I'm moved to update it today (5th April 2008) with a message from The Dove Spirit...

Are you going through life carrying old grief, pain or hate? If so, Dove (sometimes known as Mourning Dove) encourages you to let go of your emotional baggage so that true healing can take place. It's time to forgive, release, and move forward. And, know that healing Dove is flying right beside you.

Tags: Grief, Compassion, Art, Buddhism

Purpose & Inspiration

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 05:44:11 GMT

Tags: Rainbows, Purpose, Expression, Success, Co-Creation, Inner Genius, Inspiration, Freedom, Be Your Best

Some Resources for your Pleasure & Possibilities

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:46:16 GMT

I'm reposting this piece by Michele Lisenbury Christensen.

My Biggest Spiritual Mistakes In Business

Michele also interviewed Byron Katie.

Transcript of Interview

For more articles & interviews etc. please visit Michele's website @ http://www.successandspirit.com/

Speaking of Byron Katie, if you're new to her work, here's her four very powerful questions to ask yourself for breakthrough:

1. Is it true?
2. Can you absolutely know that it's true?
3. How do you react when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought?

Then turn the concept you are questioning around & find 3 genuine examples of each turnaround.

& here's a very powerful video of her coaching inquiry in action!

Byron Katie - Introduction to The Work

Tags: Byron Katie, Resources

Law Of Opposites by Bob Proctor

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:12:12 GMT

Have you ever paid any attention to the idea that there are "two sides to everything?" Think of how often you have heard that.

Look at your hand. It has a front and a back side. Your body has a right and a left side. The automobile or room you are in has an inside and an outside. You couldn't possibly have one without the other.

This is an orderly universe, of which you are a part. The whole universe is governed by laws.

If you have watched The Secret you heard me quote the father of the space program, the late Dr. Warner Von Braun who said the natural laws of the universe are so precise that we do not have any difficulty today building a space ship, sending a person to the moon and timing the landing with the precision of a fraction of a second.

The law I am referring to today is the Law of Polarity or the Law of Opposites.

If it is a long way up to the top of a building, it must be a long way down. If it is a mile from point A to point B, it must be a mile from point B to point A. They are not only opposite, they are equal and opposite.

Everything that happens in your life today will either appear negative or positive. Keep in mind whatever happens must have a positive side to it.

A large majority of the population seems to be mentally programmed to pay attention to the negative side of life and unfortunately, ignore the positive.

Make a decision right now that, regardless of what happens today, you are going to look for the positive aspect of what's happening. Remember... every cloud has a silver lining. Do this again tomorrow and the next day until it becomes a habit to see the positive in everything. You will feel better, you will be more productive, and you will have more friends.

Tags:

Highlands

http://ClarityQuest.gaia.com — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 22:59:53 GMT

I didn't have my camera with me during this trip to the highlands but wanted to share some breathtaking sights with you. Managed to capture these on my Nokia handset :-)

Tags: Photos, Art