A Personal Perception On Freedom

Warning: This post might raise some hackles and/or ruffle some feathers. If you don’t agree with what you read, consider that I am spouting rubbish and that I don’t know what I am saying.

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Freedom is a concept.

The 'freedom' that people hankered after does not exist.

In the temporal life, there is no freedom. We are slaves to our desires, emotions, ambitions, and our wealth even. We have duties, responsibilities, and obligations. Not only that, we are all interdependent on each other in life. How can we be free then?

People want freedom to do and say as they please. They feel this is their innate right. What they really mean is that they do not want to be responsible for their words and actions. This is selfish and egoistic, which, unfortunately is how it is these days.

If you want to be free, you have to be willing to live with the consequences of your words and actions. Every word you say, every action you take, there are consequences. And you have to take responsibility for what you say and do.

The world would be chaotic if everyone is free to do as they please. There has to be rules, regulations and laws. There has to be a consensus code of conduct. Although some of these codes are not written down in black and white, this is a code deemed right and moral by society.

When all follow the rules, laws and a code of conduct, there will be order. We can then be free within this order. It’s ironic, I know. But that’s how it is.

True freedom is of a spiritual nature. It is when your mind is at peace. You can achieve this freedom only when you understand what life is all about, how natural law works and how people behave. You have to practice detachment. You must be able to let go, accept what you cannot change, and keep a rein on your emotions so that you are not affected by what is happening around you. Only then, can you experience real freedom.

Does that mean you are a cold, heartless, emotionless and insensitive person. Absolutely not! What it means is that you are aware of what is happening, and you understand why it is happening. You are not affected by what is happening, nor let what is happening get to you because this is the natural course of life. You do not fight it, you go with the flow of life.

We are all free, or rather we can all be free. It is just that we have the wrong definition of freedom, and we chase after the wrong thing. Freedom, like peace, is an inside job. It’s all in the mind. Cultivate peace of mind. When you have peace of mind, you have freedom.

Personally, I will take peace of mind over freedom - anytime.

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Fear

Fear is an emotion we experience when we are afraid, when we sense imminent threat, or danger, or harm. It's our response to a fight or flight situation. It is our innate defence system cautioning us, or telling us to be cautious. Most of the time, we fear because we do not know, or understand the cause of our fear. What we actually fear is the unknown. Once we understand the reasons for our fear, we can take precaution, or prevention. Then, we may cease to fear, or lessen the degree of our fear.

What we do not understand, we fear; and what we fear, we tend to take peremptory action, sometimes, to destroy. That is why they say that fear is the path to the dark side. Fear makes us defensive. And when we are in fear, we don’t think straight. This could lead to aggressive and impulsive responses which make us inhuman sometimes.

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. Once you understand the wherein and whence forth, there is no need to fear. It needs only to be faced with bravery. And quite often, when we face up to our fears, we find that our fear was baseless. Or that it was never as bad as we had expected. And every time we overcome, or face up to our fears, we gain strength and confidence. So, be brave, face what you can’t avoid.

The next time you fear something, ask yourself why you fear. What is the rationale for your fear. Can anything be done about it? If something can be done, then there is no need to fear. If it is something you cannot avoid, then you should just face up to your fears. But before the time has come to face your fear, you shouldn’t be wasting your life fearing. Find something to do. Keeping yourself busy is one way of forgetting your fears. Do something that requires so much of your attention that you forget about your fears.

Fear is part and parcel of life. It is a part of our emotional make-up. It is natural to be fearful, but we should control our fears instead of letting it control us. A little fear is good. It keeps us on edge and prepared for eventualities. But too much fear can paralyse us. Fear can be a very negative and destructive emotion if you cannot control it.

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Euphorbia Tithymaloides

Euphorbia Tithymaloides is a perennial succulent herbaceous sub-shrub that bears cute, tiny flowers shaped like a bird. The are also known as devil’s backbone. How that name come about is a mystery to me. As they are succulents, they are all right under the full sun. They can tolerate dry spells, but when the dry spells become too extreme, they will shed leaves. They are easily grown from stem cuttings. Their sap is a skin irritant, and can be toxic if ingested. So you might want to be careful when handling this plant.

Cute little flower that resembles a bird.

The flowers appear on one side of the plant. The side that is hanging over outside of the corridor wall. I wonder if it is a coincidence, or because there is more sunlight.

I have had this plant for a while. It is thriving very well. It seems to like where it is. Some time ago, I had to trim it back when it grew too big. I only have a little space outside my apartment.

I was afraid that I might have overdone the trimming. However, after a couple of weeks, when it has got over the shock, they started growing again.

I am always pleased to see my plants doing well, and blooming. I have seen a couple of birds hanging around the Euphorbia Tithymaloides. They flew off when I opened the door, so I didn’t have a good look at them. But I thought they could be humming birds. The plant is now as big as when I trimmed it. I thought of trimming it again, but have decided that I will wait a while and see what happens.

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Ruellia Simplex

Ruellia Simplex are shrubs that are planted for their ornamental flowers. The flowers are papery and tubular in shape, and located terminally at the stems. They are perennials.

The good thing about this flower is that they are hardy, and easy to grow. They don’t mind the sun, but if it is hot, give them plenty of water. They do not require a lot of care or fertilizer.

Ruellia Simplex attracts butterflies. If you like butterflies in your garden, plant some Ruellia Simplex. They are easily grown from seeds or cuttings.

A bed or bush of Ruellia Simplex is most beautiful in the morning when the flowers are in full bloom. Some of the flowers will start to fall off under the sun, so that by afternoon, there are only a few of the flowers left.

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The Future

We do not know what the future will be like. The future hasn’t happened. However, understanding the law of cause and effect, we will understand that the future never just happened. It is ‘created’. So, if we want to have a better future, we have to pay more attention to what we are doing now. The future will be the result of our actions today.

They say you have to plan for your future because that’s where you are going to spend the rest of your life. That is true but at the same time, you do not want to spend too much time on planning your future because we do not know what is going to happen from moment to moment. The future may not happen. Knowing how fragile life is, there may be no future. This is not being pessimistic, this is a fact of life.

So, it is important that although we must plan for the future, we have to live in the present moment, where life is happening, and unfolding – moment by moment.

It’s a bit like buying insurance. You don’t want to spend all your hard earned money on insuring yourself, or your life. You buy some in case you might have need for it. Meanwhile, you take good care of your health, so that you may not have to claim any of it.

Similarly, you don’t want to spend so much time planning for the future that you forget to live, to enjoy yourself. By living the present well, we are also shaping our future. Don’t worry about what the future has in store. Live each day well and be contented with what you have achieved, or what the day may bring.

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Stir-fried Bitter Gourd With Eggs

Bitter gourd, also known as bitter melon is said to have many health benefits. They are said to be nutritious, have cancer fighting properties, helps to decrease cholesterol levels, reduce blood sugar and according to traditional medicine are ‘cooling’. How much of that are folklore, and how much were scientifically proven, I do not know. I only know that there is no harm in eating them moderately, like I do with all food.

I didn’t know how to appreciate bitter gourd until a few years ago. I have heard people said, ‘It’s very nice’, ‘It’s good for your health’. But I didn’t like it because of its bitterness. Perhaps as we grow older, our taste buds change. All of a sudden, I didn’t find them all that bitter after all. Just a little bit which does not bother me anymore.

There are many varieties of bitter gourd and just as many ways to cook them. A simple way of cooking them is to stir fry them with egg. It is simple to prepare, easy to cook, nice to eat and you can’t go wrong with it.

This is how I cook bitter gourd. This bitter gourd is said to be the Chinese variety. They are bigger and smoother. Some varieties are smaller and the skin are rougher. It is purported that those are even better – more bitter and nutritious. Anyway ...

This is half of a bitter gourd. My sister used the other half to cook bitter gourd, salted vegetable and pork rib soup the day before. That was also very nice. So, I thought I would finish off this other half.

Right, let’s get on with the preparation. Cut the bitter gourd into half and remove the insides. Scrape it clean.

Cut them into slices. I prefer very thin slices. This is because they look more presentable, and it is easier to cook.

Sprinkle some salt into a basin of water and wash the cut bitter gourd. I used hot water. This is to help soften the bitter gourd and take away some of the bitterness. This is useful for those who are still a bit wary of the bitterness. Leave them in the water for half a minute or so. But don’t leave it in the water for too long or you will lose all the nutrients.

Strained the bitter gourd.

Heat up the wok. Add some oil into it. Wait for the oil to heat.

Pour in the bitter gourd. Add salt, and fry them for a couple of minutes. If you prefer the bitter gourd to be softer, then fry it for a bit longer. I prefer mine to have a little crunch.

Then prepare the eggs. I used two. Break the eggs and beat them. Add a bit of soya sauce or salt to the eggs. Pour them into the wok. Give it a quick stir and the dish – stir fry bitter gourd is done.

This dish use a fair bit of oil because the eggs absorb quite a bit of oil. As for salt, add according to taste. I prefer my eggs to be a bit on the cooked side. You can decide how cooked you want your eggs to be. You can add another egg if you like eggs.

A simple, healthy, and easy to prepare dish. I eat to live, with an emphasis of healthy food. So, the dishes I do are simple. And most of the time, it is all a matter of individual tastes – how much salt, oil, or the degree it is cooked.

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Little Guilin (小桂林)

Guilin park is only 40 minutes’ walk from where I am. I have always wanted to go and have a look, but somehow never got around to doing it. It is always, I will go and have a look someday, or I must go and have a look someday. Well that day eventually happened.

I was exploring a new walk route when I ended up in the vicinity of Guilin Park. I thought since I was already there, I might as well go and have a look at Guilin Park.

Little Guilin was a granite quarry until the 1980s when they discontinued mining. Then, there were plans to develop the disused quarry into a road, but seeing that it resembles the granite rock formations in Guilin, China - albeit a much smaller version of it, the developers decided to develop the place into a park instead.

Soon after, the park is known fondly as Little Guilin, or Xiao Guilin (Chinese: 小桂林) among the locals.

Guilin park is not a very big park. But within the little park, “towering rock cliffs make a majestic backdrop to the large lake.” Serene and peaceful, the park is a good place to relax and just chill, or to enjoy a picnic with friends or family. This park is also popular with photographers. And wedding couples like to take photos against the granite backdrop too.

Beautiful, lush and healthy fan palms.

Gigantic Tiger Orchids

Two dome shaped shelters keep you dry when it rains. It is also a good place to sit and enjoy the view of the tranquil lake.

Or you can have a seat on one of these stone seats all over the park.

Little Guilin - a small but beautiful park.

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