Singaporeans and Caucasians

[janmountaingoat3]

CHUANG-TZU

If a man is crossing a river
And an empty boat collides with his own skiff,
Even though he be a bad-tempered man
He will not become very angry.
But if he sees a man in the boat,
He will shout at him to steer clear.
If the shout is not heard, he will shout again,
And yet again, and begin cursing.
And all because there is somebody in the boat.
Yet if the boat were empty,
He would not be shouting and not angry.

If you can empty your own boat
Crossing the river of the world,
No one will oppose you,
No one will seek to harm you.



The Buddha
The grudge you hold on to is like a hot coal that you intend
to throw at somebody else, but you're the one who gets
burned.

The Buddha
The thought manifest as the word;/The word manifests as
the deed;/The deed develops into habit;/And habit hardens
into character./So watch the thought and its ways with care,
/And let it spring from love/Born out of concern for all beings

[ksl]

So yes this is life, doesn't mean we have to accept or condone it. And like I (and many of these posters) have said, it comes from people of all walks of life. Other things do happen in life, but I did only list some of the racially motivated ones. Even though bits are unclear in my original entry. Hope this clarifies the "racial parts" morkin. But I do agree some people will do these types of acts regardless, just like what happened to you in the park. Losers with nothing better to do.

Sad things happen, but like you, I keep smiling too. Just glad most of my life is cool.

To me that's life, it happens. I don't see any reason to find a reason for it, or wonder why, it's just people, the way they are. I think in the cases where I was /attacked/ and shouted at - they might have picked up on you being Chinese - my point is, these people will do it regardless.

And doing more work than the white ex-pats. That's just work and happens everywhere. I think over half the people at my company work less than me and are on alot more money than me. It sucks.

I'm white, 25 and all this happened when I was in the UK by the way. I also think I lost my point somewhere in all of that

Keep smiling

What cool attitude you guys have! Not that much different from mine. If anyone target me for any reason e.g. being chinese, short, poor dress sense etc.. So be it. I can't change them. There will always be bigotry, rascism, unfairness, jealousy, hatred and all the negativities that comes with human nature. It is part of life. If one can't handle that, then one can't handle life itself.

Respect is a very important element in all relationships. I know there will be people who dislike me for all kinds off reason. It sucks but I also try to respect their wishes. If not how? Create wars with them? I prefer peace and harmony, for the most part.

I know there will be people who dislike me for all kinds off reason. It sucks but I also try to respect their wishes. If not how? Create wars with them? I prefer peace and harmony, for the most part.

And also the thought that there are many that respect you too! You have chosen an excellent nick, harmony with the universe keeps the balance! It is often difficult to understand opposing forces, although we do know, that we swing both ways, we try to maintain a positive balance on the yard stick.

What is right and what is wrong? will always be in the spotlight in every aspect of life, be it political, religious, or cultural issues, the yard stick comes out, if things go to far to the negative, there is a reaction, and the same if it gets too positive, there is a reaction.

This is life and many walk the path of the rebellious, some take it too far and cause wars. others look at the good & bad points and remain neutral,

Interesting and progressive relationships are much more rewarding, although the innocent are caught up in the uproar of conflict, and are fair game from both sides of the fence

I remain the rubber duck, flexible and try to swim in the right lane, that suits me, right in the middle, torn between two halves, and a tiny part of the universe, spreadeagled in the magnetic fields surrounding us, respect and love is the only winner! me too! But I'm getting there!

[./.]

I think jpatokal was being ironically sarcastic at government, janmountaingoat3...

The ancients never smoked anything the way we do sms/janmountaingoat3. At least in Vedic tradition, the burning substance for rituals involving fire (and the entire Hindu religion is centered around fire) were marijuana and sandalwood. A little known fact today and totally discontinued, of course. In fact, many Indians today are astounded to discover just how many mind altering drugs the early Hindus consumed.

If you were to visit a Hindu temple, the priest would offer you some holy water which is perhaps slightly less than a teaspoonful. Today it is only rose water or tap water, but traditionally it was Soma - the ancient version of acid. The ingredients and preparation method for Soma is lost, but the early Vedic texts refer to it all over.

Thought you'd like to know...

[sundaymorningstaple]

./., some of the old ways exist till today in my home. My ancient MiL sits all day and night looking out the window and consuming endless quantities of Betel Leaf with all the trimmings. She's a pain in the butt when she runs out! All she needs it Betel Nut, Leaf, Tobacco leaf & lime and "Sun TV" on the cable and she's in a state of nirvana (I guess - she lives off the stuff).

I was just being cheeky on the hemp reference though...... I'm a product of the US '60's flower power generation.

[ksl]

./., some of the old ways exist till today in my home. My ancient MiL sits all day and night looking out the window and consuming endless quantities of Betel Leaf with all the trimmings. She's a pain in the butt when she runs out! All she needs it Betel Nut, Leaf, Tobacco leaf & lime and "Sun TV" on the cable and she's in a state of nirvana (I guess - she lives off the stuff).

I was just being cheeky on the hemp reference though...... I'm a product of the US '60's flower power generation.

Hahaha! I can remember my old ma, smelling the sherry bottle and getting high, u sed to start singing all the songs from the 20's

[janmountaingoat3]

Thanks ./.Newbie for the information. Guess you are right, he is ironically sarcastic at government. Appreciate for allowing me to see it from the other side of what that meant.

Author CARMEN WARRINGTON/Who Am I?
I am a pendulum
I seek balance, always. In my quest I swing form one side to the other, sometimes wildly, and seemingly out of control. I must explore both extremes and all points in between or I will be pulled later to what I have not already investigated.

The still center, which I crave, is the result of visiting all possibilities, all extremes.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I am a pendulum
I seek balance, always. In my quest I swing form one side to the other, sometimes wildly, and seemingly out of control. I must explore both extremes and all points in between or I will be pulled later to what I have not already investigated.

The still center, which I crave, is the result of visiting all possibilities, all extremes.

That may be a very profound statement but from the chair where I sit today, after having lived a rather full and varied life, it looks like an excuse to do as one damn well pleases. Meanwhile the "center" is justification for going wild? "Extremes" Point and Counterpoint?

For discussion purposes. My POV only. I've not a shred of evidence and cannot quote any books or articles by authors who may or may not be recognized as experts in their fields.

[janmountaingoat3]

The Middle Way(About Buddhism)

During the six years between the Buddha leaving his home at the age of 29 and attaining enlightenment, at the age of 35, he tried a range of quasi-spiritual practices which he thought might be successful. Some of these included starving the body to such an extent that he became terribly emaciated.
After a while, however, he realized that this was not helping him to achieve his goal - he simply felt tired, anxious and in pain. He considered that there must be another way. And so, he started to eat again - much to the disgust of his fellow mendicants who thought he'd just 'gone soft' - and remembered a time in his youth when he had experienced a pleasurable meditative experience whilst watching the annual ploughing festival.

Avoiding Extremes

The Buddha taught what he referred to as 'the Middle Way, a path that led to enlightenment by avoiding the extremes of sensory self-indulgence and self-mortification.

"When the string is too tight it will break"
"When the string is too loose it will not play"
"Only in the middle will the Vina let out a beautiful sound."

A key passage from the scriptures is this one: 'One should not pursue sensual pleasure, which is low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble, and unbeneficial; and one should not pursue self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble, and unbeneficial. The Middle Way...avoids both extremes; giving vision, giving knowledge, it leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana'.


Author CARMEN WARRINGTON/Who Am I?
I am a traveler
I am on a one-way journey. I left the starting point long ago and there’s no turning back. My destination lies ahead, but to focus solely on the journey’s end is to miss the gifts I am offered each step of the way. I have many traveling companions who stay with me until their own journey steers them on a different course---then we part company.

Whenever I face a major crossroad or obstacle, my guide is there to offer counsel. The path I take is dictated by my own choices, so my guide remains silent until I seek advice.

[janmountaingoat3]

This Forum reminds me of a story.

The Gatekeeper Story

There is an old story of a gatekeeper of a town who was approached by a traveler looking for a new place to settle in. The traveler said to the gatekeeper, “I am thinking of moving to your town.”

[sundaymorningstaple]

I am a pendulum
I seek balance, always. In my quest I swing form one side to the other, sometimes wildly, and seemingly out of control. I must explore both extremes and all points in between or I will be pulled later to what I have not already investigated.

The still center, which I crave, is the result of visiting all possibilities, all extremes.

The Middle Way(About Buddhism)

During the six years between the Buddha leaving his home at the age of 29 and attaining enlightenment, at the age of 35, he tried a range of quasi-spiritual practices which he thought might be successful. Some of these included starving the body to such an extent that he became terribly emaciated.
After a while, however, he realized that this was not helping him to achieve his goal - he simply felt tired, anxious and in pain. He considered that there must be another way. And so, he started to eat again - much to the disgust of his fellow mendicants who thought he'd just 'gone soft' - and remembered a time in his youth when he had experienced a pleasurable meditative experience whilst watching the annual ploughing festival.

Avoiding Extremes

The Buddha taught what he referred to as 'the Middle Way, a path that led to enlightenment by avoiding the extremes of sensory self-indulgence and self-mortification.

"When the string is too tight it will break"
"When the string is too loose it will not play"
"Only in the middle will the Vina let out a beautiful sound."

A key passage from the scriptures is this one: 'One should not pursue sensual pleasure, which is low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble, and unbeneficial; and one should not pursue self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble, and unbeneficial. The Middle Way...avoids both extremes; giving vision, giving knowledge, it leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana'.

man are you one confused dude........

You don't know which way to go, you just like to read books and quote passages instead of saying anything original. Do you have any original thoughts? Or are you Singaporean?

[janmountaingoat3]

I know someone is going to come back with the conflicting thoughts both passages have stated, very predictable . Think again they are not much different. In life, we reached the highest of highest and lowest of lowest. At some point of our lives, we tends to live in both extremes. At times in indulgences, certain times we pushed ourselves to the limit in work or other parts of our lives involves in competitions of some kind. Even our thoughts at some point of our lives reaches both extremes. The daily News on TV, we see how those extremes thoughts and behaviours could led one, country or group to. By visiting and learning about both extremes, we realised the importance of seeking balance in life and knowing the right way is seeking the middle way. One has to look deeper to comprehend both passages. By the way, whether I am a white or Asian or Singaporean has nothing to do with it. Saying anything original? One of the passage happened to be written by myself Strange thing is one is able to comprehend the passages authors or books are saying but when one is quoting one thoughts, one will be bombarded or someone gonna starts a "debate" with lots of different opionions, views from all different directions. Positive discussions are awesome, apparently it seems to go downhill from discussions to debate then to race issue, sometimes, even gender issure???. Aren't that conflicting too? That is why I put those passges for people to learn from them without starting a "verbal" battle. Aren't these threads about learning from each other, instead of debating whose right or whose wrong, whose smarter or whose wiser, that has something to do with the colour of our skin??????At the end of the thread it gets more uglier and more negative??? Is that what a thread is suppose to turn out at the end of the day? I precisely know which way I am heading, thank you for "pointing" out to me

At the end of the day it still comes to the race issue??? What am I? white? Yellow? Black? Singaporean? American? English? Indians? Buddhist? Christian? Man or Woman? Does it really matter? Didn't the passages said it all? We all breath the same air, stand on the same Earthly ground. I rest my case. Good luck with the debating. Later.

Serenity prayer suggest: “Change the things that can be changed, accept those that cannot, and have the wisdom to know the difference.”

[sundaymorningstaple]

just spent a lot of time trying to answer some of your points. Even posted them. Then took them down as is isn't worth the energy.

I look at it this way.....

I've got 4 score and 10 on this dirtball floating in space.

Nobody has ever come back to confirm the existance of either nirvana, heaven, hell, limbo, purgatory or whathaveyou.

The way I see it is I may as well sample all there is to sample to the limits of my own internal set of morals while I am here. I live like there is no ever after because as far as I'm concerned there isn't one.

If I am wrong, I will suffer later. But at least I also knew enjoyment. Both sides of the coin.

If I am right, just think, you wasted your whole life by trying to walk in the middle if there's nothing else. By walking in the middle you spend you life denying the very nature of the human beast (which is all we are, truth be known).

[ah heng]

welcome to everybody,

lots of friends reinforced my impression that an increasing number of Singaporean
try to make you feel uncomfortable in the
public by laughing once they see a
caucasian. They try hard to irritate you whenever possible...
Is that a false perception or did you make similar experiences?

No wonder see hardly angmohs these days in the CBD. feel there are less and less angmohs work there- just the usual tourist crowds at orchard. We seem to have regain territory hehe :wink:

[sundaymorningstaple]

Wow!

You actually registered to post that little bit of drivel? I'll bet it had to have taken you the better part of the afternoon to register. You probably spent most of the weekend coming up with those 34 words of pap. Bet you are the apple of your mammy's eye! Even misspelled your own nick it would appear.

[ah heng]

Oh Oh, someone feel offended. Why you are so damn sensible, like somenone step on your feet and u are exploding??? What button do I press?? Maybe its meaningless what I posted, but why then u take this big effort and energy to response like that??? Funny.

It was not my intention to offend anyone I just note that there seem to be much less caucasians then before. my english is quite bad... yes you are right and you have every reason to make fun of a local whose english is not up to caucasian standard.