post #291
It’s a very intriguing movie title played by Curtis James Jackson III, or better known as 50 Cent. It reminded me of a story about a Zen master and his pupil. One day his pupil, who had been studying Zen for quite some time asked him, “Master, when will I acquire enlightenment? I’ve been studying hard and following you for so many years, but I still haven’t acquired an enlightenment.” The Zen Master said, ”Have you tried hard enough?” The Pupil answered, “Yes I have, Master.” Then the Zen Master took his pupil to a river and asked him to drown his head into the river. The pupil drowned his head into the river and thought that he would find the enlightenment in the river. To his surprised, the Zen Master held his head and keep it underwater. He was confused at first, didn’t understand why. Then he was getting out of breath. He tried to lift his head to get some air to breathe, but the Zen Master kept holding his head. The pupil was starting to struggle since he needed oxygen...he needed the air to breathe. The Zen Master kept holding his head few moments longer then he released it. The pupil quickly took deep breaths, filling his lungs with the air the he longed so much. Then when he got his breath back, the Zen Master told him, "You will acquire enlightenment when you want it as bad as you want the air to breathe when you were drowning."
Hmmmmm.....what did it say? That we had to want something sooooooooo baddddd to be able to achieve it? Well...I believe it had to be accompanied by never ending struggle as well (like the pupil struggling for air to breathe). I wanted to be rich so much.....I wanted to be stinky filthy rich... *quoting Daniel Mananta when he was being interviewed in VJ Hunt years ago.
But there were some questions popped out in my mind. If I wanted something so bad, would it be okay to go any length to achieve it? Did the end justify the means? Hmmmm....don't think so. Another one, what if I wanted something that is out of my reach? Something that I'd never achieve...something that may not even meant for me...or not meant to happen at all? How would I know that it's not meant for me? That things weren't meant to happen the way I had hoped?
What if my hope all this time was for nothing? The one and only hope that kept me going...the one that got me through each day....What's the point of living then if I already lost hope? Lost my purpose of life....Wanting something...something to happen, but it'd never happen....How long should I struggle? How much pain should I endure? How much longer should I kept holding on? One year? Two years? Ten years?
What's the use of all of these if in the end, I'd never achieve that thing...I'd never experienced that thing happen....Was this what people called...fate? If it was...then fate sucked...big time....Or if it's God's will, then why me? Haven't I been good enough? Why couldn't I get what I ask? It's a simple wish....Did I want too much? Did I ask too much? Why.....? Would I lose my faith in that Divine power? If it happened....what's next? What would my life be?
Again, how would I know that something was not meant for me? How would I know that something was not meant to happen? When I tried so hard but still didn't achieve it? When I took all measures but still didn't get it? Errmmm... I guess the answer is if I die, but still haven't achieved what I wanted to...then I'll know that it wasn't meant for me....I'd be like the pupil in the story above, but I never managed to get the air to breathe and ended up die drowning....struggling for something I could never achieve...Sad...but true...
So...get rich....or die tryin'
It’s a very intriguing movie title played by Curtis James Jackson III, or better known as 50 Cent. It reminded me of a story about a Zen master and his pupil. One day his pupil, who had been studying Zen for quite some time asked him, “Master, when will I acquire enlightenment? I’ve been studying hard and following you for so many years, but I still haven’t acquired an enlightenment.” The Zen Master said, ”Have you tried hard enough?” The Pupil answered, “Yes I have, Master.” Then the Zen Master took his pupil to a river and asked him to drown his head into the river. The pupil drowned his head into the river and thought that he would find the enlightenment in the river. To his surprised, the Zen Master held his head and keep it underwater. He was confused at first, didn’t understand why. Then he was getting out of breath. He tried to lift his head to get some air to breathe, but the Zen Master kept holding his head. The pupil was starting to struggle since he needed oxygen...he needed the air to breathe. The Zen Master kept holding his head few moments longer then he released it. The pupil quickly took deep breaths, filling his lungs with the air the he longed so much. Then when he got his breath back, the Zen Master told him, "You will acquire enlightenment when you want it as bad as you want the air to breathe when you were drowning."
Hmmmmm.....what did it say? That we had to want something sooooooooo baddddd to be able to achieve it? Well...I believe it had to be accompanied by never ending struggle as well (like the pupil struggling for air to breathe). I wanted to be rich so much.....I wanted to be stinky filthy rich... *quoting Daniel Mananta when he was being interviewed in VJ Hunt years ago.
But there were some questions popped out in my mind. If I wanted something so bad, would it be okay to go any length to achieve it? Did the end justify the means? Hmmmm....don't think so. Another one, what if I wanted something that is out of my reach? Something that I'd never achieve...something that may not even meant for me...or not meant to happen at all? How would I know that it's not meant for me? That things weren't meant to happen the way I had hoped?
What if my hope all this time was for nothing? The one and only hope that kept me going...the one that got me through each day....What's the point of living then if I already lost hope? Lost my purpose of life....Wanting something...something to happen, but it'd never happen....How long should I struggle? How much pain should I endure? How much longer should I kept holding on? One year? Two years? Ten years?
What's the use of all of these if in the end, I'd never achieve that thing...I'd never experienced that thing happen....Was this what people called...fate? If it was...then fate sucked...big time....Or if it's God's will, then why me? Haven't I been good enough? Why couldn't I get what I ask? It's a simple wish....Did I want too much? Did I ask too much? Why.....? Would I lose my faith in that Divine power? If it happened....what's next? What would my life be?
Again, how would I know that something was not meant for me? How would I know that something was not meant to happen? When I tried so hard but still didn't achieve it? When I took all measures but still didn't get it? Errmmm... I guess the answer is if I die, but still haven't achieved what I wanted to...then I'll know that it wasn't meant for me....I'd be like the pupil in the story above, but I never managed to get the air to breathe and ended up die drowning....struggling for something I could never achieve...Sad...but true...
So...get rich....or die tryin'
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