Living Stream

Hi! Just as there are many religions in this world, you can expect many different viewpoints when it comes to the philosophy of life. People come from different geographical background, have different genetic predisposition and are made up of different personalities and temperaments. One set of ideas may suit a group of people but not others. We see things through different perspectives.

Just like the management of chronic anxiety and depression. A person can consult 3 psychiatrists and get 3 different opinions and treatment strategies. One psychiatrist will focus more on psychoanalysis eg. talking to the patient and exploring his childhood, upbringing, bad experiences, personal tragedies and family history of psychiatric disorders, apart from the immediate source of anxiety like relationship problems, financial, facing a major public exam etc. Another well trained psychiatrist in behavioural science may like the patient to tackle his anxiety head-on. For example, if he has fear of speaking in front of a group of people, the psychiatrist may recommend that he joins a drama class and practice public speaking. This is called exposure therapy. A third but no less prominent psychiatrist may not even want to talk at length with his patient but is more interested in prescribing antianxiety and antidepressant medication. Perhaps this doctor has more understanding of biochemistry of the brain. We know that major depression is due to too little serotonin or epinephrine in the neurological brain system and drugs are effective either in stimulating the release of these neurotransmitters or letting them stay longer in the system before they are broken down. Or perhaps the psychiatrist has a long list of patients in the waiting room and he just wants to send the patient off with the medication. We don't know!

What we are interested here is to focus on the fact that even though we see things as an organised whole, we each have different ways of interpreting what those things mean to us. What is unfortunate is a certain perspective in life may blind us from ever seeing another perspective. However, this is better than to have no perspective at all! Throughout this journey that we are in, I will try to fit in all major opinions from the history books regarding fundamental questions about life.

And one of them which I will tackle in the next posting is: how do we reconcile ourselves to the fact that a good, benevolent and all powerful God can allow such great human sufferring throughout history. Some solutions from major religions you have heard before, and some may surprise you.

From faith to faith

Before, I go on, I just want to let you know that many times I will quote examples from Christianity, or from the ancient Christian era simply because I happen to belong to that faith and also because literature abound with such examples. I am not trying to convert anybody but I want to let you know that I believe in a monotheistic God. I do not even quote from scriptures of any religion. I come from a Christian background where attending Sunday service, cell group support prayer meetings, family camps and worship singing and meditating on bible verses are all part of the routine of this church culture. I fully emphatise with people who stand outside this circle. However, this website is for people with emotional problems, whichever faith you belong to.

In the last posting, I mentioned that sometimes religion can function to fill a social need, i.e. to form a group identity. For example people with economic hardship in one locality may congregate to worship God. Such gatherings and networkings can also function as emotional support groups, just as individuals need support from family and friends to pull them through difficult times.

However, while this is good, we cannot turn our backs to philosophy and all its relevant rich history of ideas. Fundamental questions like what's the meaning of life, what's the destiny of mankind, how does this universe exist are of cosmological importance. Philosophy, in my humble opinion, can act as a compass but not as a sole guide to living. Skepticism about the wisdom of the ancient pagans like Plato and Aristotle, had already arisen during the early Christian era. This is because, if you read books like The Republic written by Plato or similar ones, you will find that in certain parts, they seem to promote a sectarian society, an upper class elitist society that many in the past find to run contrary to the life of faith, of devotion and the universal brotherhood of man. Therefore, we get an anti-intellectual climate where early Christians did not need the Greek philosophers to teach them how to live. In the extreme case, Martin Luther, though a man of broad learning himself, had ordered that every school should burn the books of every Greek pagan because he considered them as a danger to the mind. As the intellectual climate began to further erode, witchcraft, superstition and unhealthy rituals took place.

Before, I go on, you can post your comments on any postings anytime. Its okay if you want to criticise me in any aspect. You can poke me, stretch me or tear me into pieces, I don't mind. But please don't burn me at the stake, or this weblog will not exist anymore!

Some stress relieving technique

You may say to me, Hey, all these are irrelevant to me! I'm facing an emotional situation and here you are rambling about philosophy. Perhaps you have recurring negative thoughts that seem to pop out of your mind every now and then. You would like to put a stop to them but you don't know how. It is possible to try to do something that uses more of the right brain function. The left brain is more for reasoning and speaking. The right side, on the other hand, involves more of eye-hand coordination work like fixing your car, cooking, gardening, painting. Try to exercise,turn on the music and hum along with a song. All these activities will keep your mind away from the negative thinking tract. But let's be realistic. Those negative thoughts will not disappear overnight. However, if you keep working on the distractions, which I find to be very effective, your brain will come to accept that mode of thinking and those automatic unhealthy thoughts will start to fade away.

We do not enter heaven by being clever

To refresh your mind on what we have covered last week, philosophy is a form of passionate pursuit for wisdom. But one cannot just find wisdom by one's free will - it takes grace or divine intervention from above to do so. You will find it in your everyday activities - only you have not noticed it!

I do not think that in our age, we are wiser than our ancestors. If we are, then how come there were 2 great world wars in the last century? We may be faster (think broadband), stronger (tanks and military equipments) and healthier (better healthcare facilities), but we are certainly not more rational than our forefathers. Parents may send their children to tuition after school hours which may only make them smarter but not wiser! Attributes like tolerance, love, kindness, losing one's life in order to find it etc, can only be learned in real life stage.

However, I must confess that there is one field that we have picked up in the past century which the ancients had not - and that is human psychology. Aristotle spent much of his life examining nature. His writings were consumed with little animals, elephants and how much they eat, human anatomy - well, just things of this world. He laid the foundation for medical and biological science. Aristotle, in fact, said very little about the soul, the heavens, life of devotion etc which are of prime concern for a religious person. What he did say was that if humans were the most superior living beings on earth, then we would do well to study human life itself, in this sense what we know to be psychology today.

There seem to be a psychological explanation for everything that we do. Humans have needs that sometimes drive us into religion. There is also the subconscious. Dreams sometimes allow us to do what we cannot do in real life. Even society as a whole has a need (like individual needs) that brings them together.

The journey to heaven is not by way of understanding human psychology (the emotions) or serious study of philosophy (the intellect). But we must always keep these two subjects in mind as we go along. Pascal did say that every rational being must admit that at the end of human reasoning, there is still a huge gap between reason and the heavens.

Only By Grace

Let's begin from the very beginning. When I mention non-bodily mode, I'm saying that we are going into something that is not perceived by the senses, something of a spiritual dimension. Well then, you may say, how are we to conceive of something that we cannot see with our own eyes? This is where philosophers, thru the ages, have been passionately waiting to answer that question. First of all, philosophy is not providing some boring evidence or debate. Philosophy actually means a love of wisdom. It is especially applicable for people with emotional hurts. It is a way of entering that into an emotional understanding. I find it an attractive avenue where the search for wisdom will end up in a moment of intellectual joy. "Aha - now I see!" is that kind of moment that I hope to convey in you.

The majority of psychologists will try to overcome your anxieties and depression head-on with the only method they are trained i.e. using stress relieving techniques. I want to differ in my approach here. To be honest, I am not good with clever arguments, persuasion and especially eloquence. I am not the new smart kid on the 'blog'! Sometimes, my thought presentation may appear haphazard. I am only an amateur in philosophy.

If you were to ask me to tell you more about myself, I can tell you firstly that my life is mainly a life of thoughts. I have my fair share of sufferring and tragedies just like everyone else but my greatest spiritual encounters are encounters with books, though not always. Something I read may ignite the desire to search for more wisdom. Just like Blaise Pascal, the great French mathematician and thinker, whom at the age of thirty one, described how his thoughts are at one moment inflamed with the light of God which gave him "joy, joy, joy, tears of joy" .

So, back to the question on how we can conceive of the presence of God - I can only say that we can only see God thru the eyes of the mind. But, I can assure you, once you do see it, though it is not palpable, it is more real than you think, more eternal and forever true and beautiful. It may even provide you with a climax - a moment of intellectual and emotional purity which is not of this world. And it will provide you with a stable, everlasting foundation - unlike a house which may erode, or have leaking roofs or peeling paints.

To get this form of love, one's free will should have a ready avenue for divine intervention or grace. The best state of mind I can recommend to achieve this, is a state of longing for a country far, far away - longing to get back to - and be on the path home....

Some basic stress relieving technique

Try to relax and breath slowly. Use your diaphragm to breath rather than your upper chest muscles as it will give you more breathing space. Take in 2 seconds of breath and exhale for 4 seconds, repeating the process. As you do that many times, you will find that your body becoming less tense. Sometimes, in a panic situation, you may need to cup your mouth and nose with the palm of your hands, leaving a small space between the palms and breath for about 5 minutes. This technique takes time to get used to but try it for a week.

Healing In His Wings

Hello Readers and welcome aboard! This blog is created for all who thirst for spiritual insight and especially for people with emotional hurts. Through my many years in general practice, I have come across many patients with lifelong unresolved emotional problems. They make up 10 to 20% of my patient load everyday. Many have deferred seeing doctors for fear of opening up their psychological 'weaknesses' or face 'rejection' by their family physicians or whatever. Soon, these fears and emotional problems will be chanelled to become bodily symptoms. I don't believe any good doctor can relieve your hurts on one or two sessions. Many have turned to traditional healers, herbalists, acupuncturists etc for a more holistic treatment. What is it that turn many patients to seek healing outside modern medicine? What is the missing link?

This blog is meant to be inspirational. It is not a platform to discuss religious doctrines or debate about religious issues. It is also not a weblog for breaking news or even present concerns. We are only here for the spiritual experience. It is unique because I am going to do it thru a mixture of art, literature, medical tips and a sprinkling of humour. If I can also get you interested in painting, praise God!

To tell you the truth, I do not think I have the talent to paint. I paint firstly because I love God. There is also no research that says a person is more genetically inclined to paint or play musical instrument. You only need to be more patient and develop your eye-hand coordination. If you like to draw since childhood, if you like to tell stories or write journals(!), if you love music, or if you see your daily work and activities like home repair, gardening or cooking a meal as works of art, then you are missing out by not engaging in some craft like painting.

There is such a great wealth of information on the web that it all boils down to who or what you want to believe. My approach is to always let you decide. So, just relax and enjoy the ride. It may be a little slow, so don't forget to take in the sceneries along the way. If you are ready to go into non-bodily mode, then let's begin...