Faith and Livelihood

Many people seem to think if a person is of a particular faith, he or she should do or not do certain things. This is like telling someone to live lives separate from the crowd if one believes in a faith that requires holiness. Such thinking, in my opinion, is unrealistic and very much mistaken because one cannot live a double life or live a life with an alter-ego identity in the real world.

As a former journalist, I used to have to cover entertainment news of and mix around with people in the entertainment circle—people who spend more time at the clubs than in the offices. Even after I have moved to writing more serious stuff, I continue to keep in contact with these people I know from the so-called 'unholy' side of the world. I also maintain a blog and a Facebook profile where I write about and promote entertainment stuff—including things that are primarily focused on women’s interest—as well as keep abreast of what's happening in the entertainment circle.

Recently, while writing on my other blog about things pertaining to my belief and faith, one of the readers, who knew about my entertainment blog and Facebook profile, send me and email. In it, she told me the things I wrote in my entertainment blog and posted at my Facebook profile do not reflect well of my testimony as a believer of the faith. This feedback upset me a little, and in wanting to please and not hurt anyone in the same faith, I did a thorough cleanup to remove some information and pictures of commercial value from my entertainment blog and Facebook profile. Some days after that, seeing no value in continuing with the Facebook profile, I terminated the account.

Now, my entertainment blog contains only stuff like movies’ synopsis, pictures of food dishes and the likes, minus anything specific pertaining to women’s apparels, fashion goods or other similar stuff. Long before this, my blog was a place of happenings where pictures of night spots and entertainment world, beauties and models, along with related advertisements stood out as information and what men and women want.

With the demise of the less serious stuff from the entertainment world and in its aftermath, my thoughts at times wonder whether I have made the right decision. Should one believing in God not live life as the bridge between the real and spiritual worlds? Can one really separate between living a holy life and living a life of commercial worth? How is anyone going to survive by living among the good with no earthly value instead of making a living mixing around with people that provides the bread and butter?

In a sermon I heard years ago, a speaker said if we are so holy to the point of living our lives (ascended) above ground, we are of no earthly worth to human life. I tend to concur on this frame of thinking. If we are not worth much in this world, then we are of little value in bridging the gap to bring people to the spiritual world. Life before death and after is just a thin line between the two and if we have no livelihood in this world, we need not hope to draw people to desire the other.

May all of us realize that life is not one that can be separated between the real and the spiritual world. Both the real and spiritual intertwine to form one life—that which is physical or eternal. We ought therefore to live our lives wisely and not be deceived by people who believe in living life separated one from the other, between the holy and the worldly. The correct way for us to live is to be in the world, yet not of this world, to be among the crowd and unbelievers, yet not going along to participate in sin. Beyond that, believers and unbelievers can live harmoniously to do things together and establish our earthly worth along with the spiritual.

Cross Cultural Values

Ideologies of the East and the West differ greatly in the way values are measured. What is seen as unacceptable in Asia may be seen as normal to other parts of the world, especially in countries that practise a liberal media system.

Take the example of feedback received on what I wrote about "Age of Deteriorating Morals", which concerns an underage viewing pornographic anime onboard public transport through a portable video player (PVP). Comments from Asians expressed shock and unbelief, while a westerner said the child is just being curious and experimental.

"This is a reality and yet so difficult to believe ... Indeed, this development is getting to be very alarming," says a blogger from Malaysia.

"Totally agree ... very irresponsible parents," says another blogger writing from Singapore.

"... what is shocking to you may have been due to your own perception of when is the right age to come into sex-related stuffs," says an anonymous blogger commenting on the topic in a blog hosted in America.

"I don't believe there is an actual right age to start experimenting with sex," the anonymous blogger continues. "Children will be children. They will be curious and tempted to experiment ... For all you know, most of them probably find it thrilling for a few days but gradually become uncomfortable with the game after that."

In another blog I wrote concerning the dangers of unhealthy practices of voyeurism and pornography hosted in the United States not too long ago, the feedback I received shows conclusively the difference between the value system of the west and the oriental.

"I think it would be immoral not to be turned on by pornography," says an anonymous commenter on my blog. "I think being sexually aroused by images of others is an expression of human empathy; of identifying oneself with one's fellow human beings. I can't see any wrong with that at all. Quite the opposite. "

"I don't reckon there's anything wrong at all with a bit hardcore movie slap and tickle," says an Australian lady. "Me and my bloke ... watch it all the time and we get bonza ideas from it."

From the comments above, we can see that moral perception of right and wrong is seldom the same across different cultures. What we perceive as right or wrong however does not matter, because we are all of a fallen race requiring salvation. For the Bible says:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23 NAS)

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NAS)

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NAS)

"... if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Romans 10:9-10 NAS)

Creativity With EZ-Link Card

The thing I like about using a public transport stored value card is the freedom to decide even at last minute my final destination. If I board a bus and change my mind where I wish to go, I freely choose to go some place else to disembark. I need not worry about the discrepancy I did not pay or have overpaid, because with the card, charges only deduct when I disembark. So I frequently change my mind where I wish to go in order to build flexibility to cultivate creativity.

Creativity is about observing things differently, seeing things as we have not seen before, reading details we frequently ignore. We sit on a chair daily, yet we seldom really care, to explore and see what material it is made of, whether there are any loosen screws or cushion tear, what mechanism is in it, how it turns, what type of rollers is used, because we fail to see things with a creative mind.

Creativity is also about being always ready for changes, a circumstantial or deliberate act to be different, to do things differently, and to break from routines. We can go to a regular destination by a different route on a different day, or walk a different path to where we work. We can take public transport instead of driving, or take a bus instead of the subway train.

Creativity is about listening or hearing the things that surround us, the noises and conversations people share, the sounds of nature and music everywhere. It is about smelling things in our surroundings, of fragrance and flowers, perfume and odors, food and many others. It is about being sensitive to our five senses.

In a busy world today, the things we see, smell, and hear, we seldom care more than superficial. We take for granted the things we have, and we fail to stop and listen. We do not pay attention because we are too busy, and it is for this reason I occasionally take a break, away from society, to get away from routines, to retreat, recreate, and rediscover self, to restore my soul, to make myself whole. As travelers for a little time while on earth, we need to regularly calm our souls, to enter into a mood of relaxation, to pay attention at all occasions, to close our eyes and ear all things, the likes of birds chirping, cricket and grasshopper calling, the dragonfly buzzing, the pin dropping, even the clock ticking.