Detachment

I have been able to achieve deep meditative state a number of times recently. But it troubles me that instead of feeling peaceful, I feel distressed while being in deep meditative state.

I feel like I am in a void, having no control over where I am going to. At times, I feel like I was falling into an abyss. It’s actually quite difficult to explain it, because it’s something I have never experienced before.

Perhaps, it’s because deep meditation has brought me away, detached from “self”. If that’s the case, then I must have been doing it the right way. Then my fear is understandable because letting go of one attachment to the “self” is the hardest thing to do.

The Meaning of Humanity

do all the good you can,

by all the means you can, in all the ways you can,

in all the places you can, at all the times you can,

to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

~ John Wesley

Let Not Blind Faith Blinds Us

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

~Buddha

Pragmatically Idealistic

Exactly seven hundred and twenty days. That’s how long I’ve been the President, and I am a changed person. I remembered starting out as an idealist. I used to believe that everyone around me are selfless, and that if we persevere enough, we all can make changes we have aspire to in this world.

Two years on, I am no longer an idealist. I have become a pragmatic idealist. While still believing that deep down inside all of us, we are all altruistic beings, I have come to understand that more often than not, practical and social circumstances will serve as a hindrance to us being selfless and benevolent. Rotaract has taught me to channel my ideals into workable schemes in the real world. The best illustration is the manner in which the club is organized.

With the way our lectures and tutorials schedules are structured, it is near impossible for us to find the perfect time for everyone to meet. We have also the disadvantage of being unable to participate in other Rotaract clubs’ activities due to our tight schedules. We do not have the luxury of going through lengthy brain-storming session, deep discussion and detailed planning for every project. But we did not allow all those obstacles to get in our way. We improvise, and allow each Service Avenues to work on an ad-hoc basis. We reduced to number of activities to one per Service Avenue per term. It has increased our effectiveness.

Of course, I am not suggesting that this is how all Rotaract Clubs should be organized, and by no means am I saying that this is how a good Rotaract Club should be. What I am suggesting is that the Rotaract movement as a whole needs to be able to adapt to changing circumstances for it to stay relevant. Rotaract must be able to condition itself to the community it is in.

Sadly, not everyone embraces this fact. For example, there were murmurs when RAC ATC were not able to send any participants to last term’s Rotaract Conference when it clashes with our college’s revision period. Those murmurs came from the people who do not understand the condition that RAC ATC has to grow in – a constant delicate struggle between keeping the club active and ensuring, adhering to the college’s code of conduct and ensuring that our studies are not affected. I believe it is a struggle for most, if not all institution-based clubs.

But such struggle should not stop Rotaract from growing in colleges and universities. Such institutions have proved to be a fertile ground for Rotaract to grow. But I have also seen many institution-based clubs come and gone for the last two years, probably because students are just afraid to join a club that demands so much of them. These students are eager to contribute and to advance themselves holistically. They are idealistic like most Rotaracters are. For these students, I hope they realize that they do not have to sacrifice their studies for Rotaract. Be smart. Improvise. You can have your cake, and eat it too

Just my two cents worth.

Taking the Less Traveled Path

The world is bigger than I thought it was. There are so many routes, and pathways that have not been travelled much on by people. But perhaps, perhaps I might just take that route. The voices in my head, and in my heart have told me that this is where I should be heading to.

There is no greater joy then finding one’s path in life.