It's been almost a decade since we all first met up. From when we were all thirteen (though one of us was probably 14 already at that time hu hu hu) and until now in our early twenties. How things have change since then and how different it is from what we envisioned. We are miles apart from each other, walking our own path and forming into our own person.
It's September, it's past the mid-year point and a new year is approaching.
It's interesting on how different we are as an individual - to each our own strengths and shortcoming. We face our own realities where different environment raises different forms of hardship and joy. Waking up each day, conquering our own fears and lifting our own burdens.
But our capabilities vary - one might be more able to give love and show compassion, one has a stronger will and perseverance and others might have more mercy and forgiveness. But even then, each of the factors varies in meaning and have different forms. So how can we determine what we are worth and whether or not our character is limited/inadequate? Did we make the right choice? Is it their fault, or is it mine?
Honestly, who knows. We're human after all. We make mistakes, we lack experience, we're oblivious at times and others just simply in denial and stubborn during other (least for me).
Seven. In terms of general characterisation, we can take the seven deadly sins and heavenly virtues as a basis of looking at a character of a person.
| Seven Deadly Sins | Seven Heavenly Virtues |
|---|---|
| Lust Excessive sexual appetite | Chastity Purity |
| Gluttony Over-indulgence | Temperance Self-restraint |
| Greed Avarice | Charity Giving |
| Sloth Laziness/idleness | Diligence Zeal/integrity/labour |
| Wrath Anger | Forgiveness Composure |
| Envy Jealousy | Kindness Admiration |
| Pride Vanity | Humility Humbleness |
Where do we fall in the spectrum? Do we need to shift more towards the other side? do we only need to strive towards the end of the heavenly virtues? We, I believe, need to strive to have a little bit of both, some balance to our lives. Being too nice can come at a cost as well. It can intentionally or unintentionally make other act a certain way or even enable them to be bad. Simplest example is that you keep giving money for your friend, friend uses money to buy excessive amount of food, gambling too much or not encouraging them to perform as best they can. Being too humble can, at times, result to lack of acknowledgement in your own self-worth, people might take advantage of you and you could minimise the impact of receiving positive affirmation - the opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, rejecting someone's appreciation or even make the situation awkward.
I really like this video about the Cinderella effect where in this context people "blame the victim of emotional and physical abuse for being unable to escape [their] situation". People might overlook her strong characteristics of perseverance, patience as well as the ability and courage to act where appropriate. I like the video cause it highlights these 'passive' characteristics which at times goes unnoticed and underappreciated. Sometimes our environment requires a different kind of strength to withstand the condition we are face every day.
On a side note, for more religion related content, read the following crossed out sentences. I didn't want to make the post too religious. Hence why I decided to cross it out. The strands of thought came in predominantly when I thought about the concept of lust and chastity. Where...
So yeah being balance is where we should be at. Buddhism/Hinduism talks about chakras. I like the concept and ideas behind it very much - based to my understanding that is. I like the concept of facing the things you don't want to face and also the concept of learning to let go and acceptance. It may also give us a first few steps on how to go forward/come closer to attributes we want to achieve. This video of Avatar can give you a snapshot of what's happening.
| Chakras deals with | Blocked/hindered by |
|---|---|
| Security, survival | Fear |
| Pleasure, intimacy, relationship | Guilt |
| Willpower, drive, purpose, wisdom | Shame, letdowns, disappointment |
| Love, connection, compassion, healing | Grief, sadness, loss |
| Truth, openness, communication | Lies, denials, lies |
| Insight, intuition, awareness | Illusion |
| Spirituality | Earthly attachment |
Human is really complex being. We are all different and we are all giving our best. we make mistakes, yes, but it only makes us wiser if we use the experience and knowledge we receive from it wisely. I love that we are all different, because in a way, maybe we can all lean on each other, learn from each other. Difference can be hard to overcome but being different can make us way stronger, especially when we have overcome our differences and learn to accept and understand each other.
Just as I did with the post here, and just as General Iroh from Avatar said, "It is important to draw wisdom from different places. If you take it from only one place it becomes rigid and stale." And "while it's best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you." "The horizon may look far but keep an open mind and an open heart, you will find your destiny someday when the time is right."
/////////Bonus songggg ////////////
I don't know whether this is what I intended for this post, and whether it even had any intention from the beginning. But this is what I have for you all and this is very roughly what was on my mind around August (yes it's been that long I know, love you guys, thanks for your patience). Posted it late cause it was quite hard to translate what I had in my mind and what I felt in my heart but this is what I've got so far and I think I have delayed this post well over past it's due. It's time.
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