This week has been kinda dull
like the colour of the picture
but some days full of ups and downs
I spent time staring in the blank
thinking..... thinking....
dreaming...
Friday, January 29
Wednesday, January 27
Good or Evil
Confucius said man is kind by nature, 人之初 性本善.
What is the nature of human kind? Good or bad?
Some believe we are born good, then become bad under environmental influences. Others believe otherwise, saying that the human soul is evil by nature.
Theoretically, one who is born good will not turn bad if he or she is not exposed to bad. For example, Tom would not steal as long as he does not see anybody stealing, and as long as no one teaches him to. However, there is contradiction is believing that man is born good. Which parent would tell a child to lie? But we see that children start telling little lies long before they even start preschool!
It is undeniable that there is good in people. Social work, charity, helping one another, friendships, etc. can testify that man is not totally bad though the imperfection. So, man is partially good and partially bad. But the question still lies, were we born good or born evil? What is the nature of mankind?
人之初 性本善? 人之初 性本恶?
Did human learn good or learn bad? What was the original state of the human soul?
In my opinion, Confucius might have made a mistake here. Man is evil and sinful by nature. 人之初 性本恶.
But here's the good news, there is still a chance of Redemption.
Whichever belief you choose, here's a fundamental truth, "There is no one righteous, not even one."
No matter what nature were we born into, there will still be evil in us anyway. The evil either comes with us during birth or comes into us thereafter. We cannot be fully good anyhow, apparently nobody can.
On the other hand, I don't(refuse to) believe any human being can have totally no good in him or her at all.
In conclusion, there is both good and evil in all of us. And we get to make decisions between good and evil, so try to choose good as much and often as possible!
What is the nature of human kind? Good or bad?
Some believe we are born good, then become bad under environmental influences. Others believe otherwise, saying that the human soul is evil by nature.
Theoretically, one who is born good will not turn bad if he or she is not exposed to bad. For example, Tom would not steal as long as he does not see anybody stealing, and as long as no one teaches him to. However, there is contradiction is believing that man is born good. Which parent would tell a child to lie? But we see that children start telling little lies long before they even start preschool!
It is undeniable that there is good in people. Social work, charity, helping one another, friendships, etc. can testify that man is not totally bad though the imperfection. So, man is partially good and partially bad. But the question still lies, were we born good or born evil? What is the nature of mankind?
人之初 性本善? 人之初 性本恶?
Did human learn good or learn bad? What was the original state of the human soul?
In my opinion, Confucius might have made a mistake here. Man is evil and sinful by nature. 人之初 性本恶.
But here's the good news, there is still a chance of Redemption.
Whichever belief you choose, here's a fundamental truth, "There is no one righteous, not even one."
No matter what nature were we born into, there will still be evil in us anyway. The evil either comes with us during birth or comes into us thereafter. We cannot be fully good anyhow, apparently nobody can.
On the other hand, I don't(refuse to) believe any human being can have totally no good in him or her at all.
In conclusion, there is both good and evil in all of us. And we get to make decisions between good and evil, so try to choose good as much and often as possible!
Friday, January 22
Foto Friday
Did my Mathematics work for the first time!
I recalled how it felt when an assignment was completed,
this evoked the feeling of knowing how to solve questions
as well as that of failing to do so...
The smile on mommy's face was priceless
so precious, so much more than enough
to bring out tears
Her face, her satisfaction, joy
my breakthrough
Monday, January 18
Pen Pal
Desperate am I to become your pal
have I become unworthy to be your pen pal?
we were once closer than best pals
There was once a time when things were well
your every word to me meant well
in turn I too treated you well
I'm still waiting for that letter without stamps
Where is your pen? Oh, where is your pen?!
Why won't you act in charity?
When will you pick up your pen?
© Joel Yap
have I become unworthy to be your pen pal?
we were once closer than best pals
There was once a time when things were well
your every word to me meant well
in turn I too treated you well
I'm still waiting for that letter without stamps
Where is your pen? Oh, where is your pen?!
Why won't you act in charity?
When will you pick up your pen?
© Joel Yap
Friday, January 15
Foto Friday
I love sound
I enjoy sound
I don't mess around with sound equipment
those are expensive stuff
Surely there are many others
who take good care of such equipment too
But I can't help but to wonder:
Suppose the ceiling suddenly falls,
will there even be people
who would choose to protect the sound mixer
instead of the adorable girl?
Friday, January 8
Thursday, January 7
A young family
Today I saw a young couple with their child while playing basketball in the evening. At first it was the mother on a swing with her son, swinging at the same time making sure the boy does not fall off. I could almost feel the joy of being a child again, the boy could enjoy the swing ride without having to worry about hurting himself because he knew his mother would not let him fall. Moments later the father came, with a kite.
Afraid of being accused of starring at people weirdly, I paid more attention to the basketball again. By the time I watched the family of three again, the couple were flying the kite, each held the same string while the little boy ran around looking towards the sky. The father lowers the kite on purpose, and the boy grew excited thereafter. The innocent young little child started jumping, trying to reach for the kite. That scene was so sweet, at least to me, it was almost melting my heart as the family continued with whatever they did. I was nearly brought to tears as the young boy played and played, with both parents around him. It was one of those moments in which I wish the camera was with me!
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind as my friend said, "Joel... Next time you too can have a family and spend time together like this." and I began to casually imagine, will I be able to take care of a family of my own, should I ever have one? Caring for a family is not just financially, so much more aspects to look at, so much at stake if the outcome turns into a failure.
In a relationship between a man and a woman in which romance exist, requires so many responsibilities. What more marriage? What more a family when children come into picture?! Such responsibility, I believe not all can bear. Not everyone is meant of marriage. I believe I belong to the group of unmarried, and should remain faithfully unmarried.
Having said all these, I still love children.
And I loved the scene outside the basketball court today. What might be something common to the others, was a heartfelt moment personally, that family.
Kluang Baru Basketball Court
Eighteenth hour of the day
in a weather just so nice
went with few friends a neighbourhood court
I enjoyed the presence and movement of air
There were groups of people
we were one of those
At a corner stood a man of ripe age
doing his Taiji without a care
gently done with strength, every move
totally undisturbed by his surroundings
A row of bikes parked at a side
some Malay boys gathered
minding their business, puffing their cigarettes
awaiting a ball before playing on the grass
Not far away were a family of three
a young couple with a string in their hands
the tender aged trying to grab the flying kite from the sky
among all, this caught my eye
Afraid of being accused of starring at people weirdly, I paid more attention to the basketball again. By the time I watched the family of three again, the couple were flying the kite, each held the same string while the little boy ran around looking towards the sky. The father lowers the kite on purpose, and the boy grew excited thereafter. The innocent young little child started jumping, trying to reach for the kite. That scene was so sweet, at least to me, it was almost melting my heart as the family continued with whatever they did. I was nearly brought to tears as the young boy played and played, with both parents around him. It was one of those moments in which I wish the camera was with me!
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind as my friend said, "Joel... Next time you too can have a family and spend time together like this." and I began to casually imagine, will I be able to take care of a family of my own, should I ever have one? Caring for a family is not just financially, so much more aspects to look at, so much at stake if the outcome turns into a failure.
In a relationship between a man and a woman in which romance exist, requires so many responsibilities. What more marriage? What more a family when children come into picture?! Such responsibility, I believe not all can bear. Not everyone is meant of marriage. I believe I belong to the group of unmarried, and should remain faithfully unmarried.
Having said all these, I still love children.
And I loved the scene outside the basketball court today. What might be something common to the others, was a heartfelt moment personally, that family.
Kluang Baru Basketball Court
Eighteenth hour of the day
in a weather just so nice
went with few friends a neighbourhood court
I enjoyed the presence and movement of air
There were groups of people
we were one of those
At a corner stood a man of ripe age
doing his Taiji without a care
gently done with strength, every move
totally undisturbed by his surroundings
A row of bikes parked at a side
some Malay boys gathered
minding their business, puffing their cigarettes
awaiting a ball before playing on the grass
Not far away were a family of three
a young couple with a string in their hands
the tender aged trying to grab the flying kite from the sky
among all, this caught my eye
Friday, January 1
Foto Friday and Blessed New Year
This is the first Foto Friday of the year 2010, this is the first day of the year 2010, for that matter.
I want to spend the first Foto Friday marvelling at the beauty of nature.
A crawling creature which deserves respect for its perseverance, the spider.Remember the spider
a web is spun to make a living
a new web is spun when the old is broken
a new web is always spun
I would either die of boredom
or hunger
if I were a spider
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