Thursday, September 17, 2015

Hidup Itu Sentiasa Susah dan Sesak

Hidup memang susah dan payah. Sungguh menyesakkan dada, tetapi hanya setakat yang kita biarkan hidup menyusahkan kita.

Duri-duri memang menyakitkan tapi sebahagian penting dari kehidupan

Kesusahan dalam hidup adalah halangan-halangan atau duri pedih dalam perjalanan kita. Adalah merupakan sebahagian dari lumrah manusia untuk memiliki impian dan angan-angan. Selalu kita menggambarkan perjalanan ke arah kejayaan ini sebagai satu jalan yang lurus dan pendek. Nyatanya, hakikat kehidupan tidaklah semudah itu.

Apakah Penyebab Kesusahan Dalam Hidup ?


Sebagaimana maklum, kita bukanlah berpijak keseorangan di dunia ini. Kita semua ada keluarga, rakan-rakan dan juga terdapat berbilion umat manusia yang tak mungkin kita kenali setiap orang daripada mereka dalam satu nyawa ini. Selain itu, terdapat juga kehidupan yang lincah ke sana sini yang tancap berakar tetap di tanah, dan juga benda bukan hidup seperti batuan, tanah dan udara, Setiap daripada unsur-unsur ini boleh mendatangkan musibah dan kesusahan kepada kita. Cuba bayangkan

  • biskut kegemaran anda dicuri-habiskan oleh adik anda
  • kehilangan datuk atau nenek kerana ajal
  • terperangkap dalam tangki dan lemas tanpa oksigen
Setiap dari perkara di atas boleh dikatakan sebagai satu sudut menyakitkan dalam kehidupan yang membuatkan kita sedih, dan kasihan. Malah jikalau anda berada di satu pulau bersendirian pun, hidup tidak berhenti dari mendatangkan masalah. Makanan masih perlu diburu dan dicari, begitu juga dengan air. Kalau anda seorang ahli perniagaan, hidup berseorangan akan menghalang anda dari berniaga atau mengembangkan perniagaan tersebut apabila anda sendiri merupakan satu-satunya pelanggan.

Setelah melihat kepada perkara ini dari sudut pandangan di atas, nyatalah bahawa mustahil untuk kita hidup tanpa masalah. Masalah itu merupakan syarat wajib yang datang dengan satu kewujudan. Kaya atau miskin, lelaki atau perempuan, raja atau hamba, semua orang akan menghadapi kesukaran. Haiwan pun setiap hari menempuh cabaran mencari makan. Batuan dan unsur-unsur tidak hidup juga sentiasa diolah oleh perubahan dari segi cuaca dan faktor lain yang memaksa mereka berubah. Kewujudan itu bermakna terdedah kepada arus perubahan yang berterus-terusan. Dan adalah sebahagian dari naluri manusia untuk benci kepada perubahan yang tidak dapat dilihat sebagai positif dengan serta-merta.

Tindakbalas Kita Terhadap Masalah Kehidupan


Ada di antara kita insan-insan yang seolah-olah dilahirkan untuk merungkai masalah kehidupan. Untuk mereka ini, tiada gunung terlalu tinggi, tiada sungai terlalu lebar. Mereka mampu untuk maju dan terus maju seperti tiada apa-apa bagi mereka. Tetapi ada juga di antara kita yang terduduk dalam lumpur, terus mengadu dan merajuk walaupun dengan masalah yang mudah. Bukan sedikit yang melencong ke arah penggunaan dadah, rokok, arak, hubungan jenis dan lain-lain benda yang melalaikan dan melalikan supaya dapat melupakan masalah hidup, hanya untuk terjerumus lebih dalam masuk ke lembah kehinaan dan kemunduran.

Cuba dan tanyakanlah individu-individu yang mengalami masalah depresi tentang kecenderungan mereka untuk tidur apabila bayang-bayang masalah datang menjelma. Tidur itu merupakan satu keadaan yang kurang terdapat peluang untuk berlakunya perubahan luaran. Saya merasakan ini adalah tindakbalas yang alami untuk mengurangkan atau mengelak dari masalah-masalah baru.

Depresi boleh membuatkan seseorang itu kurang aktif, penat, sedih dan keseorangan

Jika kita melungsuri sejarah, terdapat banyak kisah atau kes sama ada orang-orang terkenal dan berjaya atau tidak yang telah memilih untuk mengakhiri kehidupan mereka dengan membunuh diri. Membunuh diri melenyapkan kewujudan, dan ini memang satu jawapan untuk menghentikan masalah. Tetapi saya merasakan membunuh diri itu juga bermaksud memilih untuk membunuh jiwa yang belum matang sebelum sempat ia melahirkan keupayaannya yang sebenar untuk menjadi berjaya. Alangkah malangnya !

Sebagai seorang yang pernah mengalami depresi, saya berpendapat bahawa insan seperti kami merasa letih dan penat akibat dari perubahan yang negatif, akibat dari masalah kehidupan yang seolah-olah tiada jalan keluar darinya. Kadang-kadang tanggapan bahawa masalah itu terlalu besar, dan tidak mahu lagi melayan masalah-masalah lain (walaupun yang mudah dan kecil). Atau mungkin juga menghadapi kesusahan hidup berseorangan terlalu menyesakkan, dan seolah-olah tiada orang lain yang sudi berkongsi beban. Penghidap penyakit depresi memilih untuk memencilkan diri dari 'wujud di luar sana' supaya kurang terdedah kepada masalah-masalah kehidupan.

Memenangi Masalah Hidup

Saya percaya bahawa kemenangan ke atas cabaran hidup tidak terjadi secara luaran, tetapi mesti keluar dari dalam jiwa seseorang. Setiap insan harus mengingatkan diri mereka yang selagi kita wujud dan hidup, ketidakselesaan akan senantiasa datang dan kitalah yang menentukan bagaimana untuk bertindakbalas. Kita boleh memilih untuk bangun dan melawan secara fizikal, iaitu mengambil langkah-langkah tertentu, atau bersedia dari segi mental untuk menerima dan menghadapinya secara positif. Selalunya, kedua-duanya perlu dilakukan untuk melangkaui cabaran tersebut.

Walaubagaimanapun, demi kesihatan minda adalah sangat penting untuk kita sedar bahawa selagi kita wujud selagi itulah kesukaran akan datang menjelma dan menghantui. Oleh itu, pemenang yang hakiki adalah orang yang dapat menghadapi masalah demi masalah tanpa terkesan dari segi mental mahupun spiritual (walaupun tidak berjaya menyelesaikan masalah itu).

Melihat dari sudut yang lain, kita juga yakin tiada jalan untuk lari dari masalah hidup, kerana cabaran baru akan sentiasa datang. Tetapi, kita boleh memilih masalah mana untuk diselesaikan dan yang mana untuk dilupakan (contohnya memilih antara membahagiakan ibubapa atau membahagiakan pasangan hidup).

Bersedia menghadapi kesukaran dengan mental yang kuat merupakan satu-satunya cara untuk keamanan jiwa. Langkah pertama ini tidak menjamin ke arah penyelesaian masalah, tetapi menyediakan anda dengan baju perisai untuk berperang dengan cabaran tersebut. Mengambil langkah tertentu untuk menyelesaikan masalah mungkin menyelesaikannya, mungkin tidak, dan mungkin juga mendatangkan lebih banyak masalah. Tetapi, persediaan dari segi mental adalah amat penting supaya jiwa tersebut kekal selamat dan aman.

Rumusan


  1. Lenyap dari kewujudan adalah jawapan untuk mengakhiri masalah kehidupan (tetapi membunuh diri itu mengakhiri kembara jiwa secara pra-matang).
  2. Mengelak dari masalah tidak bermakna anda tidak akan menghadapi masalah lain. Tetapi kita boleh memilih masalah untuk dihadapi dan masalah untuk dilupakan.
  3. Untuk menang dalam hidup ini, seseorang itu harus bersedia dari segi mental. Walaupun nampak kalah dari segi material atau luaran, jiwa atau dalaman anda sudah memenanginya.

True Wealth

Do gold coins make you true wealthy ?

 Contrary to what most of us perceive as wealthy possessions, these things are temporary:
  1. Money
  2. Good-looking wife / partner / friends
  3. Real Estate
  4. Stocks
You cannot eat gold during a famine. Similarly, paper money is subject to inflation and manipulation. Beauty is not evergreen and although many ladies successfully maintained their sexy appearance with plastic surgery, they would still disappear from the world one day. A land that became barren or subject to disaster (such as radioactive one like Chernobyl) becomes unproductive and worthless. Stocks may eat up all your investment if and when the company folds up with tons of debt to be paid. So where should we trade for a better investment ?

Each of the items below are longer lasting:
  1. Personal confidence, no matter how you look physically
  2. Good reputation with the public
  3. Good friends who will support you in your endeavours
  4. A good community that mutually supports each other instead of competitively trying to kill each other
  5. Knowledge that is shared

We Don't Need Much To Live

All of us have common basic needs: food and water, clothing, shelter and social friends. However, our desire for variety and luxury often takes over and make us compete for things that we value better in quality. And this lust never seem to get sated; just watch the millionaire who strives to become a billionaire.

Let me divert a little: I have some chickens I rear behind my house. Everyday I would check on them and restock their food and water to make sure they have plenty. Each time they see me coming they would get very excited (or shall I say agitated) to the point of climbing on top of each other and pecking aggressively. It is also very difficult to pour the feed into the tray properly as they would crowd-block the whole tray competing for the food coming from above. There is always enough food for each of them but they would still behave outrageously. 

Such a pattern is understandable for animals, but I could totally pick up the same behaviour among us human. It is my belief that by default there is enough resources for everybody, but we still choose to aggressively conquer, rob, mutilate, steal and outgrow each other. God must be snickering at our idiocy - "how very dumb have my best creations become".

True Wealth According To Buddha and Jesus


If we look at the concepts of Buddhism, it teaches us that all living things suffer. It also states that we suffer because of our desire, and to stop our suffering we must stem or curb the ebb of our desire. I think Buddha was right in this sense, as he let go of all his possessions and shared his life and wisdom with all.


The same parallel can also be drawn from the story of Jesus. Jesus once advised a rich man to sell all his wealth, give it to the poor and follow him (to live among the disciples and share wisdom with the public). In doing so, both Buddha and Jesus were teaching the way towards the true wealth for the living.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

So you want to start a business

Perhaps you have a friend who is doing well in his own business and you want to be similarly if not more successful. Not so fast amigo !

Business Is Not Easy


If you think starting a business is as simple as buying products and selling them at a profit, you might be unprepared to tackle the quick sand of entrepreneurship. There are many elements that contribute to whether you make it or break it in the biz world. Take a look at this (incomplete) list if they bring your feet back into reality:
  1. Customer Relationship
  2. Supplier Relationship
  3. Cashflow Management
  4. Marketing / Promotion
  5. Supply vs Demand Reflex

Customer / Supplier Relationship


I am sure many shares the same belief that you can start a business without a shop. More important than having a shop is to establish a good network of relationship before one even starts a business. A supportive network of friends will bring effective word-of-mouth marketing for your business at no cost. If your friends are also your customers, that is even better. Have you heard that existing clients make the best prospect ?

So before you throw that bundle of cash for a major shop renovation and advertising material, make sure that you have done your homework at building the right network. This also applies to handling suppliers and sourcing of your products.

Cashflow Management


You need money to make money. You can't make more money if you keep losing money, unless there is an indication that your business is starting to have a grip on the customer base. Thus it is very important that the flow of cash is carefully managed so that you may have the holding power to survive a slowdown period to flourish later during the boom period.

Some entrepreneur choose to take up a bank loan to jump start the business. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with taking up debt as long as you already have demand for your product. It is also of utmost important that you already know the nature of your business well before exposing yourself to more risk. If you still can't tell whether your business will profitable if the price of raw material A decrease by 20 cents, then you are not ready to apply for a bank loan.

(to be cont.)

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Life is Tough and Full of Suffering

Life is tough. Life is difficult. Life is troublesome, but only as much as you let it to be.

Thorns are troublesome but an important part of life

Difficulties in life are obstacles or prickling thorns thrown down in the middle of your life path. It's in human nature to have ambitions and dreams. Usually we imagine a straight line - the shortest path possible towards our goal. Obviously, things are not going to be as simple as that.

What Creates Life Difficulties ?


We don't exist alone on this planet. There is our family, friends and billions of other individuals we will never get to know each one of them. And then there are animate and inanimate living things, as well as dead material elements such as rocks, wood and air. Each of these may turn out to be a source of problems. Imagine

  • having your precious cookies stolen by your sister
  • the loss of a grandparent
  • being trapped in a tank without oxygen
Each of these may be viewed as pain points in life that makes us feel poor and helpless. It also turns out that even if you are alone on an island, life does not stop giving you problems. You would still need to hunt and scour for food and fresh water. And if you are a business person, there is no way to open or expand your business when you are the only customer.

After taking a look at this matter from that vantage, it seems that it is impossible to live without difficulties. They are a condition to existence. Rich or poor, male or female, slave or king, everyone has life difficulties. Even animals have to do certain things to keep on living. Even rocks and other elements continually face the threat of change (erosion, chemical reactions). Existence itself means exposure to continuous change. And it is human nature to dislike change.

Our Response to Life Problems


Some of us seem to be born to tackle life problems. There is no mountain too tall, no river too wide for these guys. They just keep on going on and on as if nothing happened. But some of us choose to wallow in the mud, whine and whinge about our hardship. Some turn to cigarette, alcohol, drugs, sex and other comforting distractions to forget about life difficulties, only to dig deeper into the cesspit.

Try and ask depressed individuals about their inclination to sleep when the black dog of depression embraces them. Sleeping is a state in which there is very little chance of change to occur, at least externally (if we discount the continuous bodily process). I believe this is a natural response to reduce the chance of being exposed to new problems.

Depression makes one inactive, fatigued, sad and lonely

If we look through history, there are countless cases of both celebrities and unknown people who chose the route of suicide. Ceasing to exist is truly the only solution to life's problem, but I don't feel that suicide is the answer. I think that choosing suicide is choosing to kill an immature spirit, ending it's potential to grow and become a winner.

Some people become depressed when they face problems. As a person who has suffered from depression, it is my personal opinion that people who are depressed are tired of negative change, of life problems, because they do not see a way to overcome them. Perhaps the hurdle is too big, and new problems are certainly not welcomed. Or maybe tackling it alone seems too much, and there does not seem to be anyone nearby willing to share the burden. Depressed people choose to isolate themselves from 'existing too much' by being exposed to life elements.

Overcoming Life Difficulties


I believe that winning over life difficulties does not only happen externally, but must come out from within. One must keep himself reminded that as long as we exist, discomfort will always be there and it is up to us how to respond. We can choose to physically react and fight it, or to be mentally prepared to embrace it. Sometimes it takes doing both to overcome a challenge.

However, for the sake of sanity it is very important to realize that until we cease to exist, new problems will keep coming to haunt us. A true victor then, is one that goes through many of life problems without being mentally and spiritually affected.


Looking from another angle, we can also see that there is no running away from life problems, as new ones will keep on appearing. However, we can choose which problem we can stomach and which one to close our book forever on (e.g. between hurting our parents feelings or breaking up with a girl/boyfriend).

Being mentally prepared to embrace a hardship is the only step towards spiritual relieve. It does not physically solve the problem, but it armour-clads the battler for the challenge. Taking the physical action to solve issues may or may not open another can of worms, but being mentally prepared is very crucial for the survival of the spirit.

Conclusion


  1. To cease existing is the only answer to ending difficulties in life (, but to choose suicide is to prematurely end one's spiritual journey and potential).
  2. If you run away from a problem, you will certainly get into another problem. But one is free to prioritize and choose which one to face.
  3. To have a chance at winning in life, one must be mentally prepared. Even if you lose materially, you have already won spiritually.