Life is short. Don't forget to live.

(Life-2) Understand Yourself to Communicate to Others

It’s so strange to be back in Taiwan. Every time I come here, it feels like an escape from reality, and escape from life. It feels like I’m starting a new life, starting over. Sometimes, I wish I felt more at ease in college, much like the way I feel when I’m back. It’s refreshing coming to another a country and starting over, meeting new people, and seeing people you know.

In any case, lesson 2, continue to understand yourself and others. There’s no such thing as an end of growth. Yesterday, I encountered a grad student who thought that I overflowed with God’s presence and God’s grace. She felt that God was especially looking over me. Had I not gone to church, explored my own thoughts and the thoughts of others, I definitely would have reacted differently. We ended up having a relatively active conversation about beliefs, about people, and what is considered proof. By understanding yourself and others, you can communicate better, understand what are appropriate topics for discussion, and know what people enjoy talking to you about.

In the end, I got her name and email. I wonder what’ll happen from here on out.

(Life-1) Help Kids Keep in Touch

I think that I will start a series of life. How to help your kids in the future. What experiences I wish I had or want my kids to have. This for me, will be my lessons for the future.

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It’s a surreal experience to meet someone when you’re 5, be separated for 15 years, and meet again. You have vague memories of each other and suddenly, you’re introduced them. Who are they? What path did life’s grace shine onto them? In one sense, it’s a blessing to have such a unique experience but you have to wonder, what would it have been like if you had stayed in touch? What would it have been if you had actually been friends?

Yesterday, I met up with two such people: Eric and Connie Yang from Kansas. They seemed like fine people, outgoing and fun. But I truly wonder what would have happened if we had known each other. My memories of the two of them consists of us meeting up in Baton Rouge with another kid named Howard. My most significant memory was when we visited Louisiana State University, my parents’ alma mater, and the tiger peed on Connie. 

But again, the question remains. What would have happened if Connie, Eric, Howard, and I had kept in touch? I always seem to be having this problem of not knowing people I should know. In my family, I know I have relatives in Texas, in California, in Toronto, in Washington, etc. But I don’t know them beyond their first names, their geographic home, and how I was once connected to them. What do they look like? Could we be the friends we used to be? Kids can be so innocent and be friends with pretty much everybody. 

Short lesson: Cherish the friends you have, you have been blessed that your paths have crossed even once. More than never forget each other, remember to make new memories. Without memories, we’re just living bodies without experiences.

What DO Atheists believe in?

Again I find myself roaming the web as a method of procrastination. I came across this poem about what Atheists believe in. Quite commonly, I come across this question never able to form a coherent and elegant answer. Hopefully this suffices

An atheist’s creed

I believe in time,
matter, and energy,
which make up the whole of the world.

I believe in reason, evidence and the human mind,
the only tools we have;
they are the product of natural forces
in a majestic but impersonal universe,
grander and richer than we can imagine,
a source of endless opportunities for discovery.

I believe in the power of doubt;
I do not seek out reassurances,
but embrace the question,
and strive to challenge my own beliefs.

I accept human mortality.

We have but one life,
brief and full of struggle,
leavened with love and community,
learning and exploration,
beauty and the creation of
new life, new art, and new ideas.

I rejoice in this life that I have,
and in the grandeur of a world that preceded me,
and an earth that will abide without me.