wandering and wondering...

...while making the brief journey home, on foot. as the feet wove its way along the familiar route, the mind took time out to play, and the heart, indulged.

liberated.

so, the wandering began with you. ignorance is bliss when it's in totality. partial ignorance is a torture! sometimes consequences are etched in stone regardless of the action taken. that's probably fate...that at that juncture in life, one is forced to take a certain route. what choice does the mind have? it's a futile process to try to change the inevitable. if what was expected was done, would things have been different?

some say that one can only know after one has tried. but what if the outcome remains the same? worse, what if the situation is aggravated? could one really sit back and assure one's self that one has done everything one could to take control of one's destiny? and leave the situation feeling at peace?

it is that, that which seems to elude us most of the time. that feeling of being at peace, at whatever consequences.

some say, that for one to achieve such a harmony of mind and heart, one should only undertake something that one has very well thought through as humanly possible. and leave the unexpected as what it is...the unexpected.

yet, if one were to subscribe to such philosophy all the time, then where has gone the spirit to sieze the day?

will you forgive me for trying?

it feels very much like searching in the dark with your eyes blindfolded. the amount of effort that one puts into ascertaining and determining what is what is draining. it is especially challenging when one doesn't know what one is searching for.

living life is like searching for the light switch in the dark. when one does not have the right education (academic and non-academic), it will be like searching for something in the dark blindfolded. with the right education, it will be 'in the dark, minus the blindfold'. that is the difference. but what's important is that one knows what it is that one is searching for.

throughout that search, one will come across many disappointments. but that is expected. for the reward of finding the right light swith is indescribable. the first and foremost is to know what it is that one is searching for. then, comes the courage to search for it, knowing the situation and the perils that lie ahead.

with every wrong light switch, it will illuminate one's way to the correct light switch.

seek and thou shalt find.
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do i already know you? can i guess which lightswitch you are? should i switch it on anyway? or should i presume and continue on; in hope that i will find the right lightswitch just next to you?
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but now...the feet will rest, the mind will work and the heart, will abstain.

i'm wondering about you, and wandering towards you.

apparently, sexual relations...

...with a slave is permissable in a certain religion. that is, if a certain gentleman is to be believed.

a three-hour and a week long debate ensued. although the outcome of the debate is not very important but purely for the record; no, this particular religion does not allow sexual relations with a slave. furthermore, slavery is banned. what is more important is how the debate transpired.

there are two basic ways of getting your point across.
one, is to state the point and then, defend it.
two, is to gradually reveal all the rationales/justifications and then, state the point.

the former is a more western (if one may be allowed such categorisation) way. it is the more direct, straight-to-the-point way. whilst the latter, is the more eastern way of presenting a point.

it is the clash of these two cultures that caused the most miscommunication or misunderstanding during the debate, which then caused it to drag on for a whole week.
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a little bit more on these debating cultures. the second form of argument/reasoning is considered to be more cultured, to be more, subtle. by gradually revealing every singular justification/sub-point to the audience (opposition), the speaker is allowing the idea of the point to form in the audience's mind. in a formal debate, the conclusion or the kill move will be the actual argument/point itself. this type of point/argument presentation has greater value in a social/informal setting.

it is so because by gradually forming the point/argument in the audience's mind, the speaker is allowing the audience to reach the conclusion i.e. the point of the argument on their own. this, in the more eastern cultures is a show of respect for the audience. typically, it is respecting the audience's intelligence, wisdom, age or standing in society/community.

and, by allowing the audience to conclude on their own, there is a possibility that the debate/negotiations can be cut short.

more often than not, those who are more familiar with the western way of debating, will find the second form slightly long-winded. no doubt. but this, can be likened to defeating your opponent by not even unsheathing your sword but simply by showing it. if the sheath of the sword is impressive enough, it will indicate to the opponent of the kind of skill, power or backing one beholds.

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this is a more significant problem than most people might figure. it underlies basic rules of communication. especially, in the corporate world where the more western form of corporate governance that requires a more direct, straight-to-the-point form of communication; is the adopted culture. and, to have that imposed on a culture that raises its young on subtlety in action and layered speech; suppose one could imagine the chemistry.

as it slithers...

...across the rough surface, its skin continues to rip until it has completely shed its skin.

the snake shed its skin in one continuous process. snakes shed their skin by brushing against something hard and rough, like a rock; creating a rip in their skin. usually this rip begins at the nose or mouth area. the snake continues to work on this rip until it completely removes the skin. some snakes shed their skins as frequently as once in every two months.

this process or occurrence is not always without incidence. things can possibly go awry. sometimes when the old skin is too dry to shed, due to very low humidity in the air, patches of the old skin can remain. these dead skin cells can habour parasites or provide a breeding ground for diseases. Furthermore, if the tip of the tail fails to shed correctly, it can cut off the snake's blood flow over time and actually cause the end portion of the tail to come off.

This shedding is not without purpose. Snakes shed their skin to allow for growth, as well as to remove parasites along with their old skin.


change is not without risk. growing is not without pain.


one has to go through quite a tough and rough time before emerging from the process as a better person. better than the old you. naturally, you would want to change for the better.

for the snake, what lies underneath the old, dead skin is a layer of clean and exciting mix of colours and patterns. something new and fresh to face life with. something to sustain our thirst for the future...in anticipation of the reward that usually comes at the end of hard work.

if we do not seek to grow, change will be forced upon us. change, is inevitable. the difference is, either we arm ourselves for the new uncertainties to come or do we simply let it overwhelm us...drown us.