HEALTH
Health is wellness of the body, the mind, and the soul; their alignment with one another is the art of living well.
and
TIPS
WISDOM
Wisdom is understanding of the self, others, and the nature of things; it is essential to living as if everything is a miracle.
Non-Judgmental Living
No judgment of self and others
Non-judgmental living is wisdom in living. Do not judge others, and neither should you judge yourself. Do not compare yourself with others, or with your own past, such as your health or past achievements. It is not uncommon that at some point in your life you would compare yourself with others only to observe where you are or how you are doing. However, by comparing too much and too often -- especially in your advanced years-you may end up judging yourself as well as others. Comparing and judging do not help you in believing in yourself.
There was an ancient Chinese fable of a stonecutter who worked so hard cutting stones that he often felt stressed and depressed.
One day, while standing behind a huge stone where he was cutting his stones, he looked up at the sky, and saw the beautiful sun. Then, he wished he were the sun that could give warmth and sunshine to everyone on earth. A fairy came to him and granted him his wish, so he became the sun.
For a while, he was happy and contented. Then, one day, a big cloud came over, blocked out everything from his view, and he could not even see what was below. He became distressed, and wished he were the cloud, instead of the sun. Again, the fairy came to his rescue, and granted him his wish. He became the cloud, and began drifting and floating happily and peacefully in the sky.
After a while, a strong wind came and scattered the cloud in different directions. Now, he wished he were the strong wind that could blow away anything and everything that stood in his way. Again, the fairy made his wish come true: he became the strong wind, blowing here and there. For a while, he was happy and contented.
Then, one day, he found out that he could not blow away the big stone behind which he used to cut stones. Worse, he was stuck there, going nowhere. Now, finally, he realized that was where he belonged. He made his one last wish to become the stonecutter that he used to be. The fairy granted him his last wish, and now he was contented to be the stonecutter again.
The moral of the fable: comparison and contrast between yourself and others is often a stumbling block to self-contentment, without which there is no self-discovery, which is the ultimate enlightenment of believing in yourself.
No looking back, no judgment
Any comparison at any stage in life may lead to guilt and regret. It is pointless to lament or regret over what you had done or should not have done. Don’t look back in anger or with bitterness, remorse, or disappointment. The past was all gone and irretrievable. Make peace with your past. Don’t yearn over what was or what might have been! Don’t dwell on what you have lost! Only look forward to the days ahead, and do whatever you have set your mind to do! Just learn to come to terms with what you have. Now is as good a time as any to begin another new chapter in your life, and make it a good and memorable one at that! Non-judgmental living is the key to wisdom in living.
TIPS: "Thou shalt not judge!" You never have all the facts available to judge others or yourself. You are living in a forever-changing world. Don't assume, and don't presume. Being non-judgmental has no assumption and no presumption.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
No judgment of self and others
Non-judgmental living is wisdom in living. Do not judge others, and neither should you judge yourself. Do not compare yourself with others, or with your own past, such as your health or past achievements. It is not uncommon that at some point in your life you would compare yourself with others only to observe where you are or how you are doing. However, by comparing too much and too often -- especially in your advanced years-you may end up judging yourself as well as others. Comparing and judging do not help you in believing in yourself.
There was an ancient Chinese fable of a stonecutter who worked so hard cutting stones that he often felt stressed and depressed.
One day, while standing behind a huge stone where he was cutting his stones, he looked up at the sky, and saw the beautiful sun. Then, he wished he were the sun that could give warmth and sunshine to everyone on earth. A fairy came to him and granted him his wish, so he became the sun.
For a while, he was happy and contented. Then, one day, a big cloud came over, blocked out everything from his view, and he could not even see what was below. He became distressed, and wished he were the cloud, instead of the sun. Again, the fairy came to his rescue, and granted him his wish. He became the cloud, and began drifting and floating happily and peacefully in the sky.
After a while, a strong wind came and scattered the cloud in different directions. Now, he wished he were the strong wind that could blow away anything and everything that stood in his way. Again, the fairy made his wish come true: he became the strong wind, blowing here and there. For a while, he was happy and contented.
Then, one day, he found out that he could not blow away the big stone behind which he used to cut stones. Worse, he was stuck there, going nowhere. Now, finally, he realized that was where he belonged. He made his one last wish to become the stonecutter that he used to be. The fairy granted him his last wish, and now he was contented to be the stonecutter again.
The moral of the fable: comparison and contrast between yourself and others is often a stumbling block to self-contentment, without which there is no self-discovery, which is the ultimate enlightenment of believing in yourself.
No looking back, no judgment
Any comparison at any stage in life may lead to guilt and regret. It is pointless to lament or regret over what you had done or should not have done. Don’t look back in anger or with bitterness, remorse, or disappointment. The past was all gone and irretrievable. Make peace with your past. Don’t yearn over what was or what might have been! Don’t dwell on what you have lost! Only look forward to the days ahead, and do whatever you have set your mind to do! Just learn to come to terms with what you have. Now is as good a time as any to begin another new chapter in your life, and make it a good and memorable one at that! Non-judgmental living is the key to wisdom in living.
TIPS: "Thou shalt not judge!" You never have all the facts available to judge others or yourself. You are living in a forever-changing world. Don't assume, and don't presume. Being non-judgmental has no assumption and no presumption.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
