Sembreak: A Week of Rapture!

Informal Theme #2

Blog #2

            Fun time is here again! After being trapped with school activities for months, now is the time to break free and bask in anywhere. There’s a burst of activities everywhere. Sembreak definitely brings with itself unhurried mornings, restful afternoons and leisurely evenings. That’s got to be the best thing about a one-week-long vacation!

            Splendid daybreaks welcomed me with no school to wake up to! It seemed as if nothing could go wrong and that I just reigned over time. It is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world. Who could ask for more?

            Though assignments and projects tend to bring frown to my face, golf, shopping, badminton and other fun activities made me beam with joy. We are much more likely to experience a sense of plenty when we are relaxed. There’s no ignoring sembreaks! It is definitely a strong and commanding week, where it leaves many traces of its presence. Enjoy the freedom while it lasts!

Ethic of Reciprocity

Informal Theme #1

 Blog #1

            The golden rule is endorsed by all the great world religions. Jesus, Hillel, and Confucius used it to summarize their ethical teachings. And for many centuries the idea has been influential among people of very diverse cultures. These facts suggest that the golden rule may be an important moral truth. It is best interpreted as saying: "Treat others only as you consent to being treated in the same situation."

                                                      

To apply the golden rule, you'd imagine yourself on the receiving end of the action in the exact place of the other person (which includes having the other person's likes and dislikes). If you act in a given way toward another, and yet are unwilling to be treated that way in the same circumstances, then you violate the rule. To apply the golden rule adequately, we need knowledge and imagination. We need to know what effect our actions have on the lives of others. And we need to be able to imagine ourselves, vividly and accurately, in the other person's place on the receiving end of the action.

With knowledge, imagination, and the ethic of reciprocity, we can progress far in our moral thinking. The golden rule, with roots in a wide range of world cultures, is well suited to be a standard that different cultures can appeal to in resolving conflicts. As the world becomes more and more a single interacting global community, the need for such a common standard is becoming more urgent. If everybody would ensure justice for others, there’d be no doubt that Earth would be one happy planet. Change should start from deep within us.

Keeping Up Appearances

Informal Theme #8

Blog #8

            We are all beautiful because God made us. He only intends to make the most beautiful beings out of things. Make-up or whatnot are unnecessary. Yet, why are there some people who try hard to keep up their appearances? For instance, most girls freak out when they see themselves unattractive in front of a crush or whatsoever. Some, even Korean artists, undergo plastic surgery just to hide imperfections. Remember that these imperfections are creations of God. We’d later realize that these are somewhat useful because He did not tend to give us anything that would destroy our image. He wants what’s best for us. But what do we do? Why can’t we rely on our natural beauties? Why does the word “ugly” even exist in our vocabulary? No matter how much make-up you put on or how many of your body parts pass through surgery, your real appearance still lies beneath that skin. Genuine beauty lies in our hearts and how pure it may be.

The World Ends in 2012..?

Informal Theme #7

Blog #7

            “It ain’t the end of the world.” That’s just one of the lines from the lyrics of the song of Jay Sean titled “2012”. I must say, it has a really catchy tune that it’d get you dance along with its beat. In fact, it is one of my favorite songs up to this moment. It’s funny how songs like this make me think ahead of the future. Watched the movie 2012? Ever wonder if it would actually happen? I’m one of those people who fear easily that I’d rather die now than see the actual scene myself where the roads would enormously crack, buildings would rush falling and see the water flow to its extent. If you had the time to watch the movie, then you probably have the time to hinder the roots of this almost inevitable crisis, too. All of us, even in our smallest ways, can take part in saving the Earth. Mother Nature calls! Remember that the world keeps spinning around!

Failure

Informal Theme #6

Blog #6

            A man’s errors are his portals of discovery. Experiencing failure makes us more confident and self-sufficient. Though depriving success from us, understanding the mistakes we make builds life. Thrill wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the errors we ought not to make but rather tend to excite life as we know it. It’s our choice to choose what path to take. And in every decision, it’s not surprising to fail. We all have ups and downs. Nobody’s perfect. Take everything as it comes. You would not want to miss a great opportunity. And if you fail, it’s alright. You’d later realize that it’d be an investment for the future rather than a pain in the neck that all you can do is crumble in the corner and suffer the outcome. It’s all in our hands and God will guide us. Even though sometimes we wish to cripple to death, hope exists somewhere so there’s nothing to worry about. Live like there’s no tomorrow!