SUMMER LOTUS

5th May 2023 1 min read (The Power of Poetry)

Believe in yourself

If not, who will?

Psyche yourself if necessary

This is indeed mandatory

Believe in yourself

Look within for your answers

As deep inside you is an innate power

As long as you do not cower

Believe in yourself

You do have the solutions under your belt

Excavate them and analyze

You will no longer be paralyzed

Believe in yourself

Our solutions have always been there

Especially in what we read

For human beings have shared their deeds

Believe in yourself

And your fellow beings

Our problems are nothing new

They can easily be positively skewed

Believe in yourself

Repeatedly, incessantly I would say

Life’s problems can be viewed through rose-tinted lenses

Let not anything mar your marvelous senses.

April 23rd, 2023 4 min read

In the first picture, what do you see?

The first picture is an optical illusion. I saw a lady’s profile immediately. Some people would see a bare tree with branches blowing in a certain direction.

Optical illusions are being studied in psychology. The famous optical illusion that showed a young lady, as well as an old woman, has revealed that those who are 30 years old and younger see the young lady while older people will see the old woman.

This Optical illusion shows the complex nature of human cognition which can be influenced by your age, your bias, your prior knowledge, and beliefs.

The above picture clearly shows two dogs together. Yet another person sees a black dog in front of a round smiley moon.

The artist interestingly created a picture of a cat seeing its self-reflection as a lion in the water. It carries a very important point for human beings. What you see yourself is what you are, at least psychologically. It’s your self-image.

I am not going to expound on this research in illusions created for the study of the human brain by psychologists.

My simple conclusion is; These images disclose that people have different perspectives in life. Not everyone can see eye to eye. Something may not be good or bad but you have to decide for yourself.

There are three ways to use perspectives.

1 Don’t be swayed by a fixed or normal perspective.

As an example, people do not expect you as a senior to engage in active activities. As you grow older, you are expected to be slower and more sedentary. But You think otherwise.

Since we know about different perspectives, we can say that the minds of your opponents may have conformed to some preconceived ideas or bias watching their aunties and uncles, parents, and grandparents becoming more sedentary. Hence they assume the same outcome for other seniors.

So if you know that people can be biased, you have to believe in yourself when you want to achieve a goal. You may be their illusion so to speak but live the life you want and attain what you set out to do.

A concrete example would be some people watching a senior doing rock climbing. Usually, younger people could not fathom why she would do that while other seniors shun this activity. They did not believe seniors have the physical prowess to engage in this sport. It requires practice, planning, and persistence and many seniors are now increasingly involved in this activity.

Bias can happen to anyone. We may unintentionally demean someone’s ability due to his age or experience but remember the illusionary images. What you see may not be what it is.

That person may seem like a non-starter but He or She could turn out to be a champion, your mentor, or become your boss.

2 Enlarge your perspective for your success.

Back to the cat looking at the lion in the water picture, if we could all envision ourselves doing greater things with our innate talents, we will achieve. The self-belief system is a strong motivating force. What you believe, you can conceive.

3 Make your perspective a positive one.

Especially when things are unpleasant. Then you will gravitate toward a solution. Fear and anxiety only cloud one’s mind.

Recently, I was with my friend in Seoul and we were trying to locate our hotel. Somehow, Google GPS did not lead me to it. Instead, we walked for some km to and fro and were still lost.

Instead of feeling frustrated, I took the perspective of feeling grateful that my friend did not complain and she was understanding. I told her and she became more so. That took away a lot of stress on my part as the leader.

I reckoned I had to learn to read the GPS more skilfully. Instead of tiring ourselves further, we sought out a quaint cafe for a coffee break.

There, we figured out what went wrong with Google GPS. After some inquiries through messaging friends, we found that in Seoul, Google does not work but an app called Papago does.

From this incident, we learned that a topic can have many perspectives. Obviously, I had thought that Google was the only answer.

Had I sought out more views, we would have saved a lot of time and energy.

Conclusion;

Getting more perspectives makes one more knowledgeable and wise.

At the workplace, it is a sign of respect when we listen to others and receive more feedback and solutions.

Listening to others also builds empathy, increases tolerance, and minimizes disputes.

Be open-minded and open to perspectives by being a good listener. Adopt a positive perspective to get positive results.

Dedicated to my furry fan

9th April 2023 1 min read

You pesky thing

Shoving that slimy salivary toy at my legs

Stalking my every move

Breathing down my neck at every chance

Licking my face and aiming for my lips to boot

Riding up, ruffling and even rippling my delicate dress

Hounding me when I am eating

Even snapping at my hands occasionally

But something about you

It’s the innate tenderness reflected in your eyes

Your delightful, velvety feel to my strokes

Your unwavering company that chases away loneliness

Your look of serenity when you turn in for the night

Your quiet patience every morning

And your need to install discipline in my life living with you.

Keeps us together forever

With each shot, it is clear

The years that one holds dear

Has slipped through my fingers like fine sand

Hard to bear, one fully understand

The years mercilessly pass by

And time continues to fly

What’s left to do in one’s life

But to make each day thrive

Watch the seasons come and go

As world events inadvertently unfold

Regardless, of what’s not in one’s control, let them rest

Just stay happy and do your daily best

1st April 2023 4 min read

Human beings are generally opinionated and we are also worried about other people’s opinions of us. Some people never pursue their dreams because their lives are shaped by what others think they can or should do.

I am glad that I have had stick-to-itiveness throughout most of my life.

I remembered my mum who was a beautiful lady. When she became fifty years of age, she said she would only wear dull colors, no attractive motifs on her blouse, and kept plain. That was to avoid gossip from people who might comment that she was not acting her age.

She missed the enjoyment of dressing to look and feel good for herself.

The world is a discriminating place. Whether you are tall or short, good-looking or ugly, smart or stupid, young or old, there will always be negative comments so it’s best to listen to yourself, guided by moral principles and common sense.

Keep your focus on your interests and believe that you can achieve whatever you want.

In my younger days, I was fascinated with the learning of the Japanese language because I love its language, culture, music, food, scenery, and its creativity.

Despite being repeatedly told about the brutality of the Japanese during the Sino-Japanese war and discouraged to learn about its language, I was undeterred.

After all, it’s been 40 years since Japan surrendered when I started to attend language school in the mid-80s and a generation had gone by.

The laughable part is that the discouragers are fans of Japanese food and Japan as its destination.

Learning Japanese greatly enhanced my travel options, understanding, and appreciation of life in Japan. I could get around her economically and interact with the local people who are affable and hardworking.

Their complex transport network, in particular, intrigued me. Deciphering its system to get to some out-of-the-beaten-path areas was a good workout for my brain.

I went back to a private school in Tokyo at the age of 48 for two weeks in 2006 for a cultural immersion during which I broke the ice to speak the language comfortably.

During my short stint, my classmates were foreign students from other Asian countries such as Korea, China, and Taiwan. They were my children’s age and some were amused to have an older person as a student in their midst.

I heard remarks and insinuations from young people and teachers alike who wondered aloud why a much older woman would be interested to go back to school.

I did not heed any of their concerns and behaved as cordially as possible and acted as a responsible student. The course was enriching and I found young people lovely.

People are naturally curious. They may stigmatize another out of their own ignorance or mindset. I did not let anyone dampen my spirits for learning.

I always have the inclination to try new things. Skiing was a challenge to me as I could only try it once a year. For the last few years, it was my mission to ski in Japan yearly where I would engage a coach, and was lucky to have an enthusiastic and sincere coach for the sport each trip.

Once in the observation deck at the top of Mount Zao in Japan, I met a Japanese couple in their 60s. During our conversation, I found out that they stopped skiing when they hit sixty years of age. Apparently, they considered themselves too old to be doing this ‘dangerous ‘ sport and were resigned to watching younger people ski. Or were they told they were too old? I thought that was ludicrous.

Whenever I wanted to do something adventurous like go on a Scuba diving trip, I would get comments like, “ At this age, why are you trying this?” So, what age is good, I pray?

Now well into my 60s, I am doing indoor rock climbing much to the surprise of many younger climbers.

Ageism is unavoidable and snide remarks and jokes were clearly audible.

What I learned is that rock climbing is not about using brute strength to reach the top. If so, one would not see muscular people failing to scale the walls.

It is about stretching, strategy, stamina, steadiness, stillness, style, and spirit that I learn. I am glad to have ignored negative comments to take up this sport and reap these benefits.

Do not be discouraged by others or yourself.

Walk your own path. It is rocky because people do not see your potential and would throw more pebbles along the way. Sweep them off and make your way to a new level of discovery, improvement, and enlightenment in yourself.