The 30% curse

When we were young, we were on the paper chase. Now when we have the paper, we are on the money chase. Yes i have been busy trying to make money so no time to blog. Sad ain't it? The problem is that money comes slowly these days. With inflation and a stagnant economy, you have to seriously think how to make money. That takes a lot time too. A lot of time spent at the restaurants and cafes with close friends thinking how to make more money. But sometimes the ideas don't come as quickly as you would like them to. Sometimes despite you trying your best, money does not come. That can be most frustrating. Sometimes when you least expect it, money comes. I spoke to a mystic the other day. She told me - 'you always miss by 30%'. I asked her what she meant by that. She said - 'you always achieve 70% success rate in the 'big deals'.- which was true, coming to think about it. She told me that what i got was determined by the law of karma - you reap what you sow. So if in our past lives we have not been charitable, we find it hard to earn money in this life. Things don't come as smoothly. If we have been generous in our past life and a lot of people had owed us debts, then there is a very good chance that we would win a lottery in this lifetime. That explains why so few of us strike the lottery. Our nature is to be selfish. There are 'deva' postmen out there to despatch our karma- good or bad to us. They are the 'accountants' of the universe and they cannot be bribed. (This was news to me). I asked her what is the solution to remove 'the 30% curse'. She said that this world is a 'universe-ity' to teach us to be charitable. So if you want to be rich, have a comfortable, anxiety free life in this life and the next, be charitable. Give and you will be given. The more you give, the more you recieve. For misers, this is the most hard teaching to follow. If you have been a nasty person in your previous life, you will have it bad in this lifetime. But there is a solution - be charitable. Do lots of charity. That was the advice she gave me. I told her i don't have enough to be charitable. She reprimanded me -'Take back what you said. If you think lack, you attract lack (the law of attraction?). You always have something to give. Give what you can with a glad heart. You need not only give money. You can give your time. Chatting with a sick person, with a downtrodden friend, giving food to an animal etc. etc.- all are charity. You always can give something'. To prove her point, she gave me two small blue elephants, which she brought from Bangalore. She could not give me a real life elephant from Bangalore, so she gave me two small elephants, - 'to represent Ganesha', she said. Ganesha in the hindu faith is the lord who removes obstacles. I felt touched by her charity. The truth is charity touches people's lives. Charity removes obstacles, like lord Ganesha.

Of course if you are a Christian, then Jesus Christ removes all your bad karmas at the cross by his great act of charity of dying for the bad karmas (sin) of the world, when you decide to accept him as Lord and Savior. But someone may say that can't be done because the law of karma is universal and unending. My argument would be that the Buddha said that nothing is impermanent. We all know what a spiritual giant the Buddha was. If nothing is impermanent, then the law of karma also cannot be permanent. There is a way out- The way of charity. The way of Jesus Christ, the way of the Buddha, the way of Ganesha. Always the way of charity - and the truth- charity, shall set us free from bad karmas and bad luck. We all do the paper chase, the money chase. Few are interested in the chase to be charitable and that explains why many are chased by this mentality of lack. May all be well and happy.

The Interview

I decided to give Mr. T an interview today. Mr. T is not your normal kind of guy. He attracts attention wherever he goes. He makes heads turn. He amuses little children like Roland McDonald would or Colonel Saunders. He is a ‘celebrity’ no one has interviewed before. So I asked him if he would give me an exclusive interview which I said I would post on my blog. He was hesitant at first but consented after much persuasion. Well here is the interview – up, close and personal with Mr. T.

What do you think of life? I think life sucks.

Why sucks? Pain.

What do you think of your mum? She was Ok. I miss her. In the sense she achieved a bit. She brought up her family well.

What do you think of your dad? I think he is a great guy. Because he can bring 6 donkeys up facing all kind of problems till age 79 which we celebrated a few weeks ago.

What do you think of people generally? All cannot be trusted. I want to ask you one question – how many people have stick with you? Have not cheated you? You know you have been cheated. The doctor who took my mum’s life away. My best friend who took my girlfriend away. There is no promise in life. Things change. For better or worse. To me its worse. I have not seen things get better. Chinese are ungrateful people. Because they are greedy. They want more. Malays are ungrateful but better than the Chinese, why I don’t know, cannot explain . They cannot be loyal but up to certain point you can trust them but the Chinese they are snake. If they go their share they don’t care. But the moment they don’t, that’s it. But Indian – they are snake. Cannot trust at all. Whether they have advantage or not they are trying to get more. I mean Indian lawyers they are actually part of them.

What about you? You are Chinese. Are you ungrateful too? Well you decide for yourself. Am I ungrateful? I mean generally. Of course there are exceptions. One or two. There are always exceptions.

So that goes for the Indians and Malays too? The exceptions? Yes.

What is your dream in life? No dream.

But everybody has a dream? I don’t. Well I only have one goal – to make life better brought up my daughter, finish my commitment that it is.

Do you think u can achieve this dream? No problem

What is the greatest achievement in life? Well having able to live until today is the greatest achievement already. This year 41 to 42 . Be content.

What is your philosophy in life? Live a day at a time

Do u believe in God? What? What God?

How is your wife? I don’t know. Oklah, better than me.

How is your daughter? She is naughty.

Anything else you want to say about your daughter? Nothing. Well only this Saturday my wife is going for camping. I have to sleep with my daughter. That is nice. I will be sticking with her the whole day- she is terrible. And then she has got to watch cartoon. She want to share TV with me. Its Ok.

What do you think of the world? The world is going to end soon.

Why? I don’t know it’s just my feeling you know… I am pissed not being the selected one.

The selected one? You know some people buy one lottery and they strike it rich. I buy the lottery – but I don’t strike, I am not the selected one.

What lesson have you learnt in life? Don’t trust anybody.

That all? Yes.

What are the greatest enjoyments in your life? When I have my daughter. When I was a father.

What are the other enjoyments of your life? Food, TV. Sleeping, beautiful women. Can see but cannot touch because there is always a price to pay.

Who is the most beautiful woman to you? Tang Wei. You know she looked so tall and sexy in Lust, caution. Don't you think so?

Yes, she was. What is your greatest disappointment? Maybe I should have achieved better in life. Maybe if I got a degree. I can’t find my direction now. I fall down I don’t know how to get up. I am lost. The moment you fall u have to get up immediately. I am quite used to it.

You know, you are a star wherever you go. People actually are attracted to you. How do you feel with all the attraction from old and young alike? I am used to it. No big deal.

What advice would u give young people these days? Don’t trust anybody. Work hard. Work smart.

Corruption

In Wall Street, the movie, Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas) says:-

'The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind'.

I have never been able to forget those words and the shuddering effects they evoke in my spine.

So much is said today about corruption. What are the root causes of corruption? They are ignorance, apathy, and greed. These breed ineffienciency and inefficiency breeds corruption. The ultimate remedy for corruption therefore must confront all three root causes. Greed is wanting and taking more than one morally deserves. Ignorance is lack of knowledge of the pros and cons of conduct or policy and apathy is pure ‘tidak apa-ism’- a couldn’t care less attitude. In Malaysia and in the entire world, the disease of corruption has reigned supreme. It is the cause of the widening gap between the rich and the poor.

What can a social revolutionist do about these root causes besides talking and complaining about this evil social ill? Henry George points to the answer. He says that sympathy is potentially a much stronger motivating force than self-interest.

"Shortsighted is the philosophy which counts on selfishness as the master motive of human action... If you would move men to action, to what shall you appeal? Not to their pockets, but to their patriotism; not to selfishness, but to sympathy. Self-interest is, as it were, a mechanical force - potent, it is true; capable of large and wide results. But there is in human nature what may be likened to a chemical force; which melts and fuses and overwhelms; to which nothing seems impossible. 'All that a man hath will he give for his life' [Job 2:4] - that is self-interest. But in loyalty to higher impulses men will give even life." (Progress and Poverty).

People and their leaders must first eliminate their own ignorance to educate themselves to gain knowledge of the basic causes and remedies for social problems, including the economics, politics, and morality of the problems and solutions. Then when they educate others, they must at the same time invoke their antipathy the problem and arouse their sympathy with the remedy.

When the masses are roused with sympathy and armed with knowledge of the remedy, the greedy opponents will either be swayed themselves to join the righteous battle, or be overwhelmed by the greater force of the righteous revolution.

To remedy corruption, society must implement policies which replace ignorance, apathy and greed with knowledge, sympathy, and charity. The point is, ladies and gentleman, that charity, for lack of a better word, is good. Charity is right, Charity works. Charity clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Charity, in all of its forms; Charity for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind.

Comet

More than four times the number of natural disasters are occurring now than did two decades ago. The world suffered about 120 natural disasters per year in the early 1980s, which compared with the current figure of about 500 per year, according to an Oxfam report. The number of people affected by extreme natural disasters, meanwhile, has surged by almost 70 percent, from 174 million a year between 1985 to 1994, to 254 million people a year between 1995 to 2004, Oxfam said. Floods and wind-storms have increased from 60 events in 1980 to 240 last year, with flooding itself up six-fold. “This is no freak year. It follows a pattern of more frequent, more erratic, more unpredictable and more extreme weather events that are affecting more people,” added Oxfam director Barbara Stocking.

A glance at the news show something freakish is happening in the atmosphere. As of yesterday there were earthquakes in Java Indonesia, Volcano Islands Japan, Guam Region and Crete, Greece. In India tremors were felt in Gaya during the past forthnight. In New Zealand, Costa Rica and in Cameroon, people panic because of volcanic eruptions.

In Iowa, USA, nearly 4000 homes were evacuated in Cedar Rapids and parts of the city’s downturn were under 5-6 feet of water as flooding continued to ravage the state. The National Weather Service called the flooding a HISTORIC HYDROLOGIC EVENT.

Heavy rains, flooding, landslides, unusual & out of season weather is a norm these days.

In Canada, incessant rain is beginning to take its toll on Calgary’s river banks as landslides and sink hole kept city crews busy.

In China, torrential rain persists in southern China since late May this year. Rain storms are forecast for southern China over the next two days after RECORD DOWNPOURS caused havoc in Hong Kong and nearby Guangdong, triggering landslides and halting traffic. At least seven cities, home to 1.5 million people, in the coastal province of Guangdong have been hit by continuous rains, with more than 1,500 houses destroyed and more than 150 factories having to suspend operations. "Guangdong's coastal cities will probably face typhoons or high tides this month, and flooding might be more severe than expected. Rainfall will diminish today in the Pearl and Yangtze river basins, where it has been heavy from Saturday to yesterday, before again becoming torrential." Heavy rains are also seen in southern Jiangxi and Guangxi where water was knee-deep or higher on main streets.

Rainstorms bought havoc to Hong Kong on Saturday bringing the heaviest downpour since records began creating fears of floods and landslides.

In Montana, a record storm battered Great Falls area. Snow in June isn’t all that unusual in Montana but rarely does it come in the quantity that fell early Wednesday morning. That was 35 times the previous snowfall record for the month of June.

In Washington freak snowstorm creates perilous alpine conditions. Trails that usually are clear by Memorial Day are buried under feet of snow. High winds knocked out power to at least 18,700 homes in Seattle and South King County late Monday as an unseasonably strong storm blew through the area. Across Western Washington, about 30,000 customers were without power late into the evening. Monday's storms came as Puget Sound-area residents had just begun to thaw out after the COLDEST JUNE WEEK ON RECORD.

In California, a state of emergency was declared in the coastal country of Santa Cruz of San Francisco as wildfires threatened thousands of homes in the state’s rain-starved north. The Santa Cruz fire has already ravaged 280 hectares and an unspecified number of buildings. A source said that for areas in Northern California this March, April and May have been the driest ever in our recorded history’.

In the US East coast, deaths blamed on the East Coast’s recent heat wave climbed past 30 Thursday. The Unusual spring heat wave was blamed on the “Bermuda high”.

In Nebraska, a meteorologist says several aspects of the fierce thunderstorm that struck Omaha on the 8th made it difficult to predict. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning two minutes after the tornado had left the ground early Sunday morning. Officials estimate the tornado was on the ground from 2:17 a.m. to 2:24 a.m. The warning was issued at 2:26 a.m. It's EXTREMELY UNUSUAL for tornadoes to form in the early morning.

In Mexico, heavy rains have wreaked havoc in Eastern mexico as thousands of people flee landslides and mudflows triggered by the profuse deluge. Landslides have destroyed many homes in the eastern coastal state of Veracruz.

Aspen, Colorado is actually re-opening this weekend to offer winter sports enthusiasts some rare June skiing in the area. The Aspen Skiing Company said Monday that it will open up Aspen Mountain from June 13 to 15 for skiers and snowboarders. The company says record winter snowfall has left the mountain covered with snow, leaving behind an average of more than 3 feet of snow on the upper slopes. UNUSUALLY COLD WATERS off of Nova Scotia are harming this year's lobster crop. Temperatures fell so low the lobsters were not crawling.

In Australia, the weather is becoming 'predictably unpredictable'. "The rainfall this year is already 1130mm ... and that's 90% of the entire year's rainfall - just in six months." In some places THE TEMPERATURE WAS THE COLDEST ON RECORD."

What is the cause of all these unusual phenomena? Global warming? Or could it be the result of a huge comet heading towards our planet? For it to be able to cause these phenomena, it may be just years away from colliding with earth. A friend of mine brought my attention to what the bible says about comets the other day. A collision with comets may not be too far fetched after all.

Revelation 8:8- And the second angel sounded and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood.

Revelation 8: 10: And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountain of waters.

Suicide Busters

CNN reports that A 24-year-old Japanese man killed himself by mixing laundry detergent and cleaning fluids. A 14-year-old Japanese girl killed herself using the same method last week. In the week the girl died, a 31-year-old man outside Tokyo killed himself inside a car by mixing detergent and bath salts, police said. The suicides are seen as part of a spate of detergent-related since last summer. Media reports in Japan also suggested that the number of similar deaths had reached about 50 this year. Why do people commit suicide? The answer, i think, is related to PAIN. It is only natural to want to live. But these people want to die. What has pushed them to take their own lives?

As one person who almost committed suicide said "i woke up in the early hours with absolute dread. Everything felt so alien, so hostile, so utterly meaningless that it created in me a deep loathing of the world. The most loathsome thing of all, however, was my own existence. What is the point of continuing to live with this burden of misery? Why carry on with this continuous struggle? I could feel a deep longing for annihilation, for non-existence, was now becoming much stronger than the instinctive desire to continue to live. I cannot live with myself any longer".

Something must be terribly wrong with society when one of its own commits suicide. If such people had one good caring friend to talk to, I believe such suicides could have been avoided. Talking can relieve pain. Especially if one talks to others who also have pain. Then there is emphathy. Perhaps there should be more clubs or groups where people can join to talk and share their pain. Could it be pain because there is lack of money? Like my mum always used to say - 'If you have no money in this world, better die'. I don't think that is a good view. Just look at the man with no legs or the blind man or the paralysed man or the terminally ill cancer patient - they all want to live. So it is strange when healthy, fit young people commit suicide. The PAIN must be intolerable, unbearable that it is better to die. They have lost all faith in dreams, hope, love, goodness, angels, gods and God. Society needs more suicide busters.

39 steps to avoid suicides.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti- depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. Buy a DVD and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did last year.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskansalmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?' 'This too will pass away'.

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. GOD heals almost everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often.

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

Finally, when my mum came back from her holiday in Australia, she bought me a present- a coin with St Patrick on one side and an Irish blessing on the other. The blessing - May your troubles be less, May your blessings be more, May nothing but happiness come through your door!

Tun Dr. Ismail

Could it be that we live in different dimensions at the same time? Is there a sixth sense? Are there faculties in the human mind that may appear to be separate or strange, but they are in fact only a part of another stage of being? A twilight zone? I woke up one morning some time ago. The sun was just coming up. Three elderly gentlemen were in my bedroom. There were standing in a row in front of my bed. On the left, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, on the right the late Tun Abdul Razak and in the middle, the late Tun Dr Ismail. All three wore suits. The two TARs were looking sad and solemn. They remained silent. TDI was furious. He was animated and making a furious speech. His arms going and up and down, emphasizing points - what he was talking about, i do not know. It was as if it was from a silent movie. Then in another scene, i saw the stadium Merdeka come tumbling down. It was shocking. Like a scene from an earthquake movie. What still remains in my memory today is the manner in which TDI was acting. What was he so upset about?

I did not know much about the man before his visit to my bedroom. He passed away when i was only 7 years old. Not long after the visitation, a book was released - "The Reluctant Politician' by Ooi Kee Beng. As i remembered his visit to my bedroom, I thought fate wanted me to know the man better. So i bought the book and read all about the man. He was one of the founding fathers of this country together with Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak. He rose to be deputy prime minister and when he passed away he was acting prime minister. He was a doctor by profession, who had 'looked forward to become a millionaire' in his line of work but who became a politician only, reluctantly.

With the country facing issues of corruption, racial disharmony, a crisis hit judiciary, petrol price hikes, inflation, widening gap between the rich and the poor, political uncertainty, weak government, weak leaders, inefficient civil administration, poor implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP), decline in morals, increase in crimes, etc. etc.- all causing a climate of anxiety, insecurity, fear, hopelessness, depression and hardship to the people, i now know why the man was so upset and could not rest in peace.

Perhaps a look at the man could be of assistance in solving the problems of the country in these trying, oppressive times. From the book, i learned that the man was short in temper but could calm down easily too. He was loyal and faithful. He was a good husband and an exemplary father. He was a highly principled man. He was a stickler for fair play and correctness and asking him to use his political power to help you was tantamount to be asking to be put in jail. He was like that all his life, clean as a whistle. He lived within his means. He did not like to use his 'connections' or political influence for personal matters. He was a man who lived a very correct life, a man of formidable reputation for integrity and talent in all communities with views more cautious and more sophisticated than those of his younger colleagues. Money favors, political hypocrisy or deceit, all those were anathema to him. TDI recognised corruption as a great ill but understood that for Malaysians of all races, going into government is one of the easiest ways to make money so they accept bribes and become corrupt. He was of the view that people should establish themselves in professions and the business world and then enter politics. His message to the youths - they should not enter politics until they are financially or professionally secure.

He was a gentle person capable of great warmth but he could quickly blow his top when faced with incompetence. He was a realist, aware of the prejudices of every community. He agreed with the slogan "Malaysia for Malaysians" but he did not agree with the way the slogan was to be translated into reality. He did not agree that it could be done overnight, but he knew that the inborn prejudice and resistance of millions will have to be worn down patiently, that the millions from every community have to be convinced slowly, and that they have to be persuaded steadily in the delicate process of uniting the various races in Malaysia. In short he was a diplomat ahead of his time. He believed in dialogue and consultation -skillful diplomacy and mutual understanding among leaders - to resolve problems. He rejected extremism and ultras in all its forms.

On the special privileges of the Malays, he was quoted to have said that the special position of the Malays under the Constitution is mainly intended to enable them - to borrow an expression from the game of golf - "to have a handicap" which would place them in a position for a fair competition with better players. Therefore like a golfer, it should not be the aim of the Malays to perpetuate this handicap but to strive to improve their game, and thereby reducing, and finally removing, their handicap completely. He said the biggest mistake that the Malays made was coining the term 'Bumiputra". He disliked the term as it tended to convey an entirely different meaning to what was intended for the Special Position of the Malays. By coining "Bumiputra" the non-Malays suspected the Malays of wanting to classify themselves as first class citizens while they were relegated to second-class citizens. TDI was against such classifications as it could lead to disharmony. Like Abraham Lincoln, he believed that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

He believed fully in the oneness of Malaysia and worked on this belief. He was absolutely neutral. When you dealt with him, you knew you would get fair treatment. He was a lovely man with strength of character, high principles and a great sense of fairness - probably the most non racial, non rascist Malay at the time.

Lee Kuan Yew, was quoted to have said about TDI - "I came to like and respect him for his direct and straightforward manner. As i got to know the Malayan ministers better, he was the one i trusted absolutely. He was honest and sincere in his dealings with me, and i believe he reciprocated my friendship and respect for him'.

TDI believed that the application of the New Economic Policy (NEP) will change from time to time to suit the situation and the circumstances and the geographical setting. But its aim and its fundamentals are the same and that is to close the gap between the rural and the urban, to destroy poverty without regard to background or race. He was an optimist who believed that under a pragmatic form of government, a "Malaysian Race" that was 'progressive' would develop.

At work, he pressed himself harder than anyone else. He expected accountability and integrity from those who worked under him. He deeply feared that Malaysia's development would be undermined not by communism, but by communalism and what he termed the 'tidak apa-ism' (nonchalance). He was a firm believer in efficiency and would not tolerate delays under his administration. He believed in clean, efficient and honest government and led by example to the end.

There is an incident where a Chinese peasant woman once came to his house in a truck filled with vegetables as gifts for him. She was hoping that TDI would help release her son who had recently been detained. TDI told her to take her gifts away or get thrown into jail as well.. This unwillingness to compromise on TDI's part left a strong impression on his colleagues, relatives and friends.

Perhaps if the leaders today would follow the way, the truth and the life of this great statesman, described as the "MAN WHO SAVED MALAYSIA" (recognising his role after the May 13 riots),- this country can be strong and harmonious again. After the man finished speaking to me in my bedroom, he called me to him. I went to him and he said something to me. Then another scene appears - the stadium Merdeka started to rise from the rumble and ashes and began rebuilding itself into a beautiful, more glorious and magnificient stadium. It was a stunning scene.

WAITING

In this country, lawyers are waiters. Why? Because in court they wait most of the time. Waiting for their cases to be called up which could take hours. How much of our lives do we spend waiting? We wait for the bus, we wait in traffic jams, at the train station, at the airport, at McDonald's, at the toll booths, at the cinemas, at the hospitals etc. etc. We wait for people to arrive, we wait for our next favourite TV show, the next news segment or for the European championships to begin. Lovers wait anxiously for the next sms or call from each other. Children wait eagerly for the next school holiday. Adults too wait for the next holiday and the next pay. We wait for the next 'big break', the next vacation, the next exciting thing to happen in our lives. Even when i click the intenet icon, at the bottom of my computer screen, i read the words "Waiting for https://www.google.com"

Waiting is a state of mind. We want the future, we don't want the present (except when it is pleasurable). We don't want what we've got and we want what we haven't got. We want our food fast, drinks fast, reach our destinations fast, we want to be rich fast. We want to know what the future will be - we see fortune tellers. With every kind of waiting we are unconsciously creating inner conflict between our here and now, where we don't want to be, and the projected future where we want to be. This greatly reduces the quality of our life which make us lose the present.

The Masters say give up waiting as a state of mind. Snap out of it. Come to the present moment. Just be and enjoy being. If you are in the present there is never any need for you to wait for anything.

Jesus says in the parable of the Ten Virgins:-

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour (Matt. 25:1-13)

Now i always thought that the parable meant we have to be vigilant at all times and to be good people because we do not know when the 2nd coming would be, when Jesus would come to judge the world.

Now, Echart Tolle, in his best selling book, 'The Power of Now" has a different intepretation to the above parable and an esoteric meaning to "waiting". Tolle writes:-

"In a sense, the state of presence could be compared to waiting...This is not the usual bored or restless kind of waiting that is a denial of the present..It is not a waiting in which your attention is focused on some point in the future and the present is perceived as an undesirable obstacle that prevents you from having what you want. There is a qualitatively different kind of waiting, one that requires your total alertness. Something could happen at any moment, and if you are not absolutely awake, absolutely still, you will miss it. This is the kind of waiting Jesus talks about. In that state, all your attention is in the Now. There is none left for daydreaming, thinking, remembering, anticipating. There is no tension in it, no fear, just alert presence. You are present with your whole Being, with every cell of your body. In that state, -the "you" that has a past and a future - the personality if you like - is hardly there anymore. And yet nothing of value is lost. You are essentially yourself. In fact, you are more fully yourself then you ever were before, or rather it is only NOW that you are truly yourself.

Jesus speaks of the five careless (unconscious) virgins who do not have enough oil (consciousness) to keep their lamps burning (stay present) and so miss the bridegroom (the NOW) and don't get to the wedding feast (enlightenment). These five stand in contrast to the five wise virgins who had enough oil (stay conscious).

The Ten Virgin parable is not about the end of the world but about the end of psychological time. They point to the transcendence of the egoic mind and the possibility of living in an entirely new state of consciousness".

The Masters say that the average person think in patterns and cannot accomodate himself to a different point of view, a new dimension of consciousness. They are right. I did not have Tolle's insight on waiting, which is most interesting. There is no waiting in the NOW.