Something to think about !

Being disciplined is never easy but if we look at what discipline brings maybe we will strive that much harder to acquire discipline as one of our traits.Too often we see young people indulging in many bad habits, oversleeping , overeating and under exercising or under controlling themselves. Our health is the main ingredient in our lives but sadly its often neglected until the day we fall sick. That is the time when statements like " I should have been more careful about my diet. I should have done this and that ".Unfortunately its too late for we cannot turn back the clock .Health is God given but we must learn how to take care of it and let it not be abused.To be disciplined requires will power and a strong belief in what you are doing. Nobody likes to stretch himself working out a sweat or having to go for long walks when watching the TV or playing with gadgets is a more attractive proposition .It is only if we are sensible enough to think of the consequences if we should lose our health that perhaps we may have the motivation to want to take better care of ourselves.We eat too much , we laze too much and we also abuse our bodies too much. Bodies which are not kept in order will deteriorate , firstly becoming out of shape and then gradually breaking down. If we look at the farmers , fishermen and people who have to work hard physically we realize that many of them do not suffer from common ailments that the sedentary people do.This is because they are on the go all the time and this is what probably keeps them fit. To be disciplined enough to lead a good life style is not easy.It means eating moderately , exercising regularly and sleeping early.keeping awake till late at night makes you overstretch your body and mind and lack of sleep and rest will make it difficult for you to face the challenges of the new day.One may say all this is common sense and common knowledge.We know it yet we never do it and I just cant help but wonder why , why are we like that ? Not doing the things we know are good for us >The key here is its a matter of discipline. Some wise man defined discipline as " doing something which you do not like to do " but if we know that certain things have to be done for our own good then we should try to do it.It requires an awareness that we need to ensure that we are disciplined enough to take the necessary steps to ensure that our well being is maintained throughout and thinking about it should make us realize that after all being disciplined is not really that difficult !

The other side of the story

Sometimes we are so wrapped up in our own lives that we fail to see how others live theirs.There was a recent case of a father beating his 17 year old son to death because he tried to earn a little extra money for the family to have a decent " Break Fast " meal which hitherto consisted of a banana and just water.Imagine having this after having gone one whole day without food. Compare this with the culture of " Buka Puasa " where people feast upon breaking fast normally with lots of food unfinished on their plates and wasted.There are many of us who are so fortunate that we fail to count our blessings and value what we have.It is only when the plights of the unfortunate are highlighted that we perhaps would take a step backwards and think.Never look down on people who take handouts ...they may have reasons which we may never have thought about.I remember the time when I was Headmaster a teacher kept sending one particular little Indian boy to see me almost every day for not doing his homework and wearing dirty clothes .The boy was only 12 years old . When I spoke to him, unveiled a heart breaking story.His father had passed away committing suicide by taking weed poison and he was the eldest of five siblings.His mother was a rubber tapper and was off to work early in the morning.The boy had to look after his siblings before coming to school and he ate nothing before school.When he came home after school the mother would be back and have dinner ready for the family.Dinner was rice with curry water as they had no money to cook the curry with anything else. One would not imagine that some people can live such difficult lives.I called up the teacher and asked him had he ever bothered to find out the reason why the student was like that .He answered " No" and I told him he should be a bit more humane and check on problem students.I then took the boy and bought him two sets of uniform and shoes and told the cafeteria operator that this boy would come and eat there every day during break time and I would settle the bill. Slowly the boy improved on his studies and I was deeply touched when he gave me a hand made "Thank You" card when I was transferred out of the school.It goes to show that too often we are so concerned about ourselves and the things that we "lac" that we forget there are many people in worse shape than us and too often we fail to value the things that we have .Take health for example .I have heard of so many of my friends suffering from all kinds of ailments and it makes me realize how precious health is and how important it is to ensure that we follow a healthy lifestyle and always be thankful for what we have and not forget there are millions out there who dont even have the basic necessities of life .

A weekend in Ipoh and a learning experience

We went back to Ipoh last weekend and it was an eye opener.Arriving there in the late afternoon we both felt hungry and decided to have something to eat before dinner.After that I bought a few stuff and then home. Mum had to spend some time to clean up and asked me to go look for my friends as she said I would be in the way. So off to the Golf club and there was no other place to go , it was a beeline for the amhjong room. The same old people were there and it struck me how these people never changed all these years. Albeit mahjong is a way of passing time but then surely there must be other things to do ?And watching the various people playing , you get a glimpse of human character.There are the happy go lucky ones , the serious ones and the cari makan ones.point to note is that they are all mostly senior people and it struck me that if I am not working I will be like them and then life would be not so interesting and perhaps less meaningful .Hence I have made a silent resolution that I will continue to work till I cant do so any more.