http://vimeo.com/1711302

Watch this amazing wisdom of J.K Rowling.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/zeresenay_alemseged_looks_for_humanity_s_roots.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/zeresenay_alemseged_looks_for_humanity_s_roots.html

"Freedom Writers"

This was the movie we were watching today during our creative writing class. I enjoyed it immensely for a number of reasons.
First, I saw how poverty and an overdose of suffering can blind us and make us see everything through the glasses of hatred. You find it hard to blame anyone for the miseries of life. Those people have some group to blame for all their plight. They think the way of pain is the only path in life. You believe nobody cares. So you stop caring for anybody. You believe others cause you all the pain in your life. So you want to cause others as much pain as you can. You wonder how some people say, "People cannot hurt you without your choice." In the middle of all of this misery even the word "choice" doesn't come to your mind.
The second thing I learnt is how the very people that we hate and blame can help us find the hope we yearn for. Those "bad" guys come into our lives without any invitation and change our world upside down. At the beginning we hate them even more for doing so, for introducing these new, their type of thing, into our lives. Gradually, when we start to heal, we thank them for it.
The third thing is that these people who help us to change don't bring anything new into our hearts. They just make us see our goodness that was buried under the mess of our former destructive life. They make us believe in ourselves. They tell and show us how good we are. They make us realize the goodness in us is more lethal in destroying our bad life more than the guns can destroy lives. Though ordinary, we carry something extraordinary in our being. Though "useless", we discover that we are infinitely valuable. Though our external look be dusty, we find diamond within us.
It is amazing for me how the person who help us change comes in all kinds of colour, size and form. Thank God for this movie and for my students with whom I shared.
Bye for now.
Stay in touch.

Why Doubt?

I am sitting at my table listening to Enya. Yes, that soothing music. Honestly, I don't understand what she is saying. The power of music, its ability to transcend language, always amazes me. Though I don't understand, the impact on me is the same as on those who do. 

While sitting and listening, I was thinking about my life and its future. Where am I headed? What is my vocation? What is the purpose of my life? They say "the purpose of life is a life of purpose". 

These questions come to my mind, and I have to confess they worry me often. I think about them sitting at my table, walking around the river behind our block of flats, walking to school, sitting in the classroom waiting for the students to complete the classwork, and even when I am sitting at the toilet. My thoughts are also often filled with doubt. I doubt whether I have what it takes to be what I want to be. I doubt whether I will live up to my own expectation. I doubt whether I will remain in strength and continue to keep my integrity. 

My question is why doubt? Why not enjoy each moment and every step of my journey in life. One great light of truth dawned upon me: if I wait to be happy after I 'succeed' I will never get back these moments and places that I have the privilege of being in. Yes, I have heard people saying this. However, unless the light shines on your heart and gives it a new dimension, it is useless to hear it from people. 

I know that happiness doesn't come from outside. It comes from a heart that is sure of where it's headed. It comes from a heart that knows that it's living life the way it wants to live it. Happiness is a companion on the journey of life, not a place to be reached at. Happiness is not something that I can possess. It is the quality of my inner life, more than the condition of my outer life. Few courageous people lived in bliss in their heart even if their bodies were restricted due to some external limitations, like: prison, poverty, and so on. 

If that is the case, then why do I need my dear doubt? I don't need it. How do I avoid it? By constantly rejecting it. By getting rid of it out of my mind. By not giving it a lodging in my heart. "It is not the snake bite that kills you, it's rather the venom." When doubt bites me, I have to take an immediate action of rejecting it and deny it a place of thought in my mind. It takes a lot of strength as it's easier said than done. But the good news is it is possible to live a doubt free life. 

I have made up my mind never to doubt myself. I will never doubt the grace of God residing in me. I will never doubt the power of God in me. That power is not of fear, nor of timidity. It is a POWER OF COURAGE, of CONQUERING MY FEAR. It is a power of taking control of my mind, my heart and my life. It is living life, not fearing it. It's celebrating life while living it to the full, not preparing to live it. You live life, you don't prepare for it. 

I will sign of with the following quote. 

"To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent

persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of

honest critics; to appreciate beauty; to give of one’s self, to leave

the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch

or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with

enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has

breathed easier because you have lived - that is to have

succeeded."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

God bless and stay in touch. 

The Natural Cycles

Hello,
I was reading "MegaLiving", by Robin Sharma and found this interesting concept about how to eat for peak energy. He says that we have to follow the following natural cycles in our eating habits to obtain peak energy:

1. The Welcoming Cycle noon - 8 p.m. (Megafoods such as fruits
     taken in and digested)
2. The Absorption Cycle 8 p.m. - 4 a.m. (the foods are used)
3. The Removal Cycle 4 a.m. - noon (foods are eliminated)


Work with the 3 Cycles

Once you are eating water-rich, live foods, you must ensure that

your intake corresponds with the cycles. In the morning (until noon)

when the body is trying to eliminate toxins and other wastes, eat only

fruit. This will make the cleansing/elimination process far more

efficient. After noon, have your meals (70% of your diet should be

vegetables, grains and fruits). After 8 p.m., eat nothing. Otherwise you

will hamper the absorption process and clog the system (again draining

your energy reserves and working the digestive process overtime).

To Make My Dream Come True

Hi,

I am Zak. I've always wanted to be a writer. This would be my first real attempt to come out of myself in faith to share the content of my soul to your soul, whoever you are. So I'd like to say welcome to my soul. The song of one's soul is sweet to the other's.

I am so excited to have begun this. One brick at a time. A journey of one thousand miles begins with one step. They mean the same thing. Without this first step, I'd have remained confined to my own skin for a while longer. Though I am pretty comfortable in there, I would like to sing the song of my soul to you, my friend.

Stay in touch.