It was nice to dig out some of the rare old photos I had from my 1st website I did. Not only does it bring out the memories, but it gives me a glimpse and in some way fresh insights into who I am.
We are complex creatures. Through the years we change tremendously at one level, and yet on another level, there are many qualities which remain constant. Looking again into the joy and excitement I had a a young boy playing with snow in England, and my mom freezing holding on to a camera which recorded (according to my dad) some footage of my childhood, I pause and then wonder about my life now.
This is supposed to be a “random thoughts” post . so here I go again.
I feel really blessed this last week. One pleasant surprise coming up tomorrow is the chance to see Adam the Musical thanks to a kind friend 🙂 And as usual, I’m often at an event or program because someone I know is participating in it, and I want to support them in some way. So while I’m already interested in the arts, it’s not just that, it’s arts plus a relationship.
This applied in the same way for the I am a Rojak Event based on the Rojak Song. sure, I was curious of the idea, the campaign, and what it hopes to achieve, but it became more meaningful because I knew someone (and later found out someone else knew me) who’s part of this. So, it’s more than the advertising. It’s the socia media advertising plus friendships.
I had at least 3 opportunities to connect at a deeper level compared to the usual hi-bye moments we have with people. And I rediscovered how energizing these moments are. They are precious and rewarding in themselves. If one has eyes to see and ears to hear, there’s so much that is there in the conversations to nurture one’s being as a human and for me as a follower of Christ, a child of God, and agent of the Spirit.
Like it or not, one needs to be careful of who one confides too. But the reality is that sometimes, for whatever reason if it leaks it leaks. Then there’s nothing much we can do to the piece of information. What will be interesting is what one does with the information, how do we process it and what are the implications of our next steps.?
The world is beautiful and yet is dangerous. Even while I treasure the gems that we discover day to day, I hear painful stories equally, and at times it feels as if the world really is quite ugly. Tragically and yet truthfully, the ugliness steps from human beings who have lost their self-dignity and respect for others. Sad to say, there are times when the wider problems have become systemic and permeated culture. It’s even sadder to know that individuals feel powerless in those circumstances.
The challenge of patiently working towards good, and the good of others is not for the fainthearted, and mere sloganeering loud shouting idealists. Without sacrificing ideals, and a vision of the possible, we slog on knowing that each small step MUST make a difference and id significant. We choose our battles to win the war. We focus on some issues more because spreading ourselves too thin won’t do anyone long term good.
And in all of these random thoughts and apparently random experiences, we cannot, we MUST NOT lose the childlike posture towards faith, hope and love. The wonder of play, the sincerity of prayer, and the humility that often comes with both prayer and play.
I guess, we won’t solve ALL the world’s problems in our own live time. But the again, we will solve some, and set up other paths for the rest to get sorted out. Or at least, even if we know at the end God needs to do another “big bang” to wrap up history the way he likes it, we rest assured then that all the little victories we experience here and now are glimpses of the there and then.
I’m looking forward to dig out more older photos, and taking news ones at the same time.