Why oh Why?

Teoh Boon Hock the political secretary of Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, was taken in for questioning by the MACC at its 14th floor office in Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam.MACC said he was freed but his body was later found sprawled on the roof of a five-storey building next door.

‘Why would someone who is slated to get married tomorrow take his own life?’ This the question posed by Lim Kit Siang – the opposition DAP leader. Many questions are being asked, but will it bring him back to life. How will his family and his bride to be going to be consoled. Will they be able to come to terms with such a tragedy?

Why oh why?

What words,

What reasons to describe this death?

We have never met each other,

Nor have our paths ever crossed,

But my heart is in anguish.

Why oh why?

Am I tormented and restless?

Wrenched in pain and sorrow,

Thinking about the cruelty brought upon you,

Where is mercy and compassion?

Why oh why?

Another death, another tragedy!

One so young full of life and hope,

Promises to be fulfilled, journeys to be taken,

Why was it robbed from you so soon?

Why oh why?

Why this injustice, why this violence,

How many more Kugans have to follow,

How many more Teohs need to be lost?

How many more victims to endure?

Why oh why?

Who is responsible? Who has the answers?

When will the nation awaken?

When will it rise against these injustices?

Why this cruel fate?

Why oh why?

How long will this go on and who will be next?

Another flower, another leaf,

Plucked from the tree of life prematurely,

Taken away, so callously.

Why oh why?

Life is but a Dream....

Row… Row… Row your boat,

Gently down the stream,

Merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream

This is a nursery rhyme most of us would have sung when we were kids. I too continued to sing it to my children when they were young. Not did I ever once pause to understand the meaning of this simple rhyme.

I guess I do take a while to comprehend certain things. Not certain, but most things. Isn’t this message amazing and profound? How many of us take things so seriously, that we forget to enjoy life itself. Everything around us becomes so pressing and demanding that we hardly stop to ask ourselves whether this is really important.

Should I give so much priority for things that could have been allowed to have been ignored? Do I need to get so involved with all the actions I perform everyday that I forget to feel that I am alive. It takes someone’s death to remind me how vulnerable I am. I am reminded of the dreamlike state of this life. That death is a certainty!

This simple poem reminds me once more that I need to row my boat gently. Yes, gently down this stream of life. My boat is extremely fragile. I can’t allow it to rock too much lest I get drowned. At the same time it reminds me that this life is only a dream, so I need to row this boat of mine cheerfully too. At the end of the day, I too will become a dream……….

Mahatma Gandhi's Prayer

“AS SOON AS WE LOSE THE MORAL BASIS, WE CEASE TO BE RELIGIOUS.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS RELIGION OVER-RIDING MORALITY.

MAN, FOR INSTANCE, CANNOT BE UNTRUTHFUL, CRUEL OR INCONTINENT
AND CLAIM TO HAVE GOD ON THEIR SIDE.”

– Mahatma Gandhi




Listened to this wonderful song (prayer) which was Mahatma Gandhi's favourite piece. The song brings about such sublime sweetness. This video above is a rendition by the violin Maestro Dr.L.Subramaniam.

Conceived, Composed and Produced by Dr. L. Subramaniam. A new melody and feeling for Gandhi's favourite song.

Features Pandit Jasraj, Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam, Sultan Khan, Pankaj Udhas, Hariharan, Remo Fernandes, Bindu Subramaniam, Narayana Subramaniam.


Another Beautiful Version






Kirtan Vaishnava Janato

Translation

One who is a vaishnav
Knows the pain of others
Does good to others, esp. to those ones who are in misery
Does not let pride enter his mind
A Vaishnav, Tolerates and praises the the entire world
Does not say bad things about anyone
Keeps his/her words, actions and thoughts pure
O Vaishnav, your mother is blessed (dhanya-dhanya)
A Vaishnav sees everything equally, rejects greed and avarice
Considers some one else’s wife/daughter as his mother
The toungue may get tired, but will never speak lies
Does not even touch someone else’s property

A Vaishnav does not succumb to worldly attachments
Who has devoted himself to stauch detachment to worldly
pleasures
Who has been edicted to the elixir coming by the name of Ram
For whom all the religious sites are in the mind
Who has no greed and deciet
Who has renounced lust of all types and anger
The poet Narsi will like to see such a person
By who’s virtue, the entire family gets salvation

HOPE - Revised

Hope fulfills my longings every day,
Hope wipes away all unwanted tears,
Hope mends a broken heart today,
Hope cheers me up in my despair.

Hope overcomes hurdles along the way,
Hope makes dreams come true my way,
Hope puts all my sorrows to shame,
Hope rejoices with me in many ways.

Hope gives me a reason to smile,
Hope gives me its own wings to fly,
Hope makes me dance with its song,
Hope walks with the lame everyday.

Hope is a splendour I say,
Hope only brings joy to my heart,
Hope gives me a reason to live,
Hope is all that I’ve got today!

HOPE

Hope brings sunshine to my days,
Hope gives me a vision everyday ,
Hope mends a broken heart today,
Hope brings serenity to my way.

Hope puts a smile on my face,
Hope brings a song to my lips again ,
Hope wipes away all unwanted tears,
Hope cheers me up in my despair.

Hope brings a light to darkened days ,
Hope makes the dark clouds disappear,
Hope gives a vibrant color to my day,
Hope walks with the lame everyday.

Hope makes me swing in the air,
Hope makes me laugh like a child,
Hope gives me tremendous power,
Hope gives me a reason to smile.

Hope gives me its wings to fly,
Hope gives a sail to my boat,
Hope makes me dance with its song,
Hope makes no excuses anymore.

Hope ignores all obstacles along,
Hope overcomes hurdles on the way,
Hope makes dreams come true my way,
Hope rejoices with me in many ways.

Hope puts all my sorrows to shame,
Hope keeps all sufferings away,
Hope brings gratitude along my way,
Hope fulfills my longing every day.

Hope brings a joy to my heart,
Hope is all that I’ve got today,
Hope gives me a reason to live,
Hope is a splendid thing I say!

Amazing Child

Yesterday evening while I was travelling, I watched the sunset. It was a beautiful scene and it seemed to me like the sun was hiding behind the clouds and peeping outside from behind them.

When I met Bhavitraa that evening, I tried to describe the sunset to her and went on a vivid description of how beautiful the sunset looked. To make it more interesting, I took a veil and placed it before my face and described how the sun was hiding behind the clouds and how I felt that it was shy and kept going down to hide behind the clouds.

Listening attentively, she looked at me and said “Okay, I will give you the sun." Everyone looked at her and became silent for a moment, waiting for her to continue. I wondered how she was going to get the sun for me. She said simply, “I will paint it for you and give you the sun." When we asked her what color she will paint and she said immediately "pink." She will paint me a pink sun and give it to me ! How more simple can things be? The wisdom of a child of three amazes me.

Amazing Child!

All throughout my life, met many kids,
But have never seen someone like you.
Was I too engrossed in my daily chores,
That I have missed on upon them.

Or are you simply someone special?
Quite different from the others.
Cute, adorable, naughty and sweet,
Angelic, charming, smart as one can be.

Bright like the sun, with such imagination,
You make me pause on this journey of mine.
To stop for a moment and take a breath,
And see how amazing a child can be!

Rumi

For years, copying other people, I tried to know myself.
From within, I couldn't decide what to do.
Unable to see, I heard my name being called.
Then I walked outside.

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.

The Search

" Don't look at your form, however ugly or beautiful.
Look at love and at the aim of your quest. ...
O you whose lips are parched, keep looking for water.
Those parched lips are proof that eventually you will reach the source."

- Rumi

Awakening - The Universe

An awakening took place in me one day. Strange but true all of a sudden I felt that all these while, I have been thinking backwards ! It may sound ridiculous but yes, all these while earlier, my outlook to life had been like, okay, you are born, this is your karma and you have to go on living whether you like it or not. I felt that I had no choice but to accept the so called fate.

At the same time I am faced with so much of suffering everywhere around me and I cannot do anything about it. Then my burning and constant question became, "Why this creation? Why do one need to be born, to go through all these pain and suffering ? Would'nt it be better if this whole thing did not happen ? Is the creator a sadist, enjoying watching the suffering of the people ?

One day all of a sudden like a paradigm shift, something just became clear in my head. My perspective changed abruptly in a split of a second. Strange but true, I realized that this world, that these relationships that I have been given and everything that I see around me, have been given to me to enjoy and to be appreciated.

I have been given this gift of life. I am a special being, like each and every one of us on this earth. I have come here not to suffer, but to feel the joy and abundance of life. Everything that I see around has been placed for me to enjoy. Every human is a creation out of love by the creator and has come here to feel the joy, happiness and abundance of the universe.

I have been walking along with a screwed up vision of life until then! Now the burden was no more there. I felt as though the weight had been lifted from my back. I need not hunch any more, therefore I can start walking upright and this felt light and free !

Today I read a poem by Rumi, and here I found that he spoke of the sleep and the awakening. Yes awakening to my true reality. I can imagine myself as the embryo denying the reality of the Universe.

Rumi's poetry is so widely appreciated because it has the capacity to uplift our own consciouness. Reading the words of Rumi can awaken in ourselves, our own spiritual self.


The Universe

What if someone said to an embryo in the womb,
“Outside of your world of black nothing
is a miraculously ordered universe;
vast Earth covered with tasty food;
mountains, oceans and plains,
fragrant orchards and fields full of crops;
a luminous sky beyond your reach,
with a sun, moonbeams, and uncountable stars;
there are winds from south, north and west,
and gardens replete with sweet flowers
like a banquet at a wedding feast.

The wonders of this world are beyond description.
What are you doing living in a dark prison,
Drinking blood through that narrow tube?”
But the womb- world is all an embryo knows
And it would not be particularly impressed
By such amazing tales, saying dismissively:
“You’re crazy. That is all a deluded fantasy.”

One day you will look back and laugh at yourself.
You’ll say, “ I can’t believe I was so asleep!
How did I ever forget the truth?
How ridiculous to believe that sadness and sickness
Are anything other than bad dreams.”

Happy Birthday to you !

You will always remain my little baby,
No mater how big you may grow,
Wonderful adorable child of mine ,
The darling apple of my eyes.

What austerities have you done?
Many come and ask of me,
To beget such a child like you,
In this lifetime of mine.

I know of no austerities,
Nor any poojas have I done,
You are a just a beautiful little gift,
From the wonderful Grace Divine.

To be cherished and to be loved,
As each and every other soul,
To be understood and to be protected,
Like all the children of this earth.

So let me take this opportunity,
To wish you a happy birthday,
May all your dreams and wishes come true,
May all the blessings be upon you.

May you walk as a loving and compassionate soul,
May you bring hope and understanding to others,
May you treat others as you would like to be treated,
May you have all the joys of the universe!

Angel from Heaven

Mattie's peotry is theraupatic to me. What do I know of Mattie other than that he was a young American poet and peacemaker. Yes, I have only seen him on The Oprah Show. Yet he has touched me in a way, very few people could ever do. Who are you Mattie ? My Angel from Heaven ?


Heartsongs by Mattie Stephanek

I have a song, deep in my heart,
And only I can hear it.
If I close my eyes and sit very still
It is so easy to listen to my song.
When my eyes are open and
I am so busy and moving and busy,
If I take time and listen very hard,
I can still hear my Heartsong.

It makes me feel happy.
Happier than ever.
Happier than everywhere
And everything and everyone
In the whole wide world
Happy like thinking about
Going to Heaven when I die.
My Heartsong sounds like this:

I love you! I love you!
How happy you can be!
How happy you can make
The whole world be!

And sometimes it's other
Tunes and words, too,
But it always sings the
Same special feeling to me.
It makes me think of
Jamie, and Katie and Stevie,
And other wonderful things.
This is my special song.

But do you know what?
All people have a special song
Inside their hearts!
Everyone in the whole wide world
Has a special Heartsong.
If you believe in magical, musical hearts,
And if you believe you can be happy,
Then you, too, will hear your song.

Recipe For Peace

"I want to be a poet, a peacemaker and a philosopher who played."

-Mattie Stephanek-


Mattie left us with this beautiful concept of peace, which he wrote May 12, 2002
(12 years old)


Peace is possible.
Make peace an attitude.
Want it.
Make peace a habit.
Live it.
Make peace a reality.
Share it.
Peace is possible.
Make peace matter.
Our matter.
Make peace a priority.
Our priority.
Make peace a choice.
Our choice.
Peace is possible.
We must
Think gently,
Speak gently,
Live gently.
Peace is possible.
Be happy with who you are.
Be happy with who others are.
Be happy that we Are.
Peace is possible.
Role model acceptance.
Love others.
Role model forgiveness.
Encourage others.
Role model tolerance.
Treasure others.
Peace is possible.
Peace is possible.
Peace is possible.

~Mattie J. T. Stepanek, May 12, 2002
In Reflections of a Peacemaker: A Portrait Through Heartsongs

Cry

I cry often.


I cry when I listen to music,
I cry when I read a poem by Mattie.

I cry when Kugan is murdered,
I cry when the country is betrayed.

I cry when Obama takes his oath,
I cry when I read Martin Luther King.

I cry when I listen to my Master,
I cry when his words awaken my soul.



I cry when my heart is filled,
I cry when love becomes unbearable.

I cry when good people are hurt,
I cry when evil seems to be triumphant.

I cry for a patient mind,
I cry for a forgiving heart.

I cry for strength and wisdom ,
I cry for a compassionate heart.

Above all I cry,

I cry for a heart which is full,
Filled with Love and Compassion.

For Our World

With so much going on around us, we tend to forget the simple truths in life. I remembered Mattie Stepanek today. This angel, who came to this earth, lived for 14 years with the wisdom of a 1000 year old. (1990-2004)

Each time I think of him, tears well in my eyes and my heart bursts with Love. The love that he lived and practiced, in his few years on earth. His poems are like medicine to the wounded heart. His songs make me weep and after the shower of tears, I feel soothed and calmed. Cleansed of all the impurities I have collected along the way. His poems are like the waves on the beach, coming to wash the dirt away.......

He began writing when he was about 3 years old. Before he passed away in June, 2004, Mattie had written thousands of poems, dozens of essays and short stories, and presented a bound anthology of his writing to the Library of Congress.

Mattie’s poems of peace and hope have touched millions of lives; his heartsongs continues to reach people of all ages around the world. His life view is one of love and generosity and as a poet and a peacemaker, his desire is to bring his message of peace to as many people as possible.

In Mattie’s words, “we must remember to play after every storm and to celebrate the gift of life as we have it, or else life becomes a task, rather than a gift. We must always listen to the song in our heart, and share that song with others.”


FOR OUR WORLD

We need to stop.
Just stop.
Stop for a moment.
Before anybody
Says or does anything
That may hurt anyone else.
We need to be silent.
Just silent.
Silent for a moment.
Before we forever lose
The blessing of songs
That grow in our hearts.
We need to notice.
Just notice.
Notice for a moment.
Before the future slips away
Into ashes and dust of humility.
Stop, be silent, and notice.
In so many ways, we are the same.
Our differences are unique treasures.
We have, we are, a mosaic of gifts
To nurture, to offer, to accept.
We need to be.
Just be.
Be for a moment.
Kind and gentle, innocent and trusting,
Like children and lambs,
Never judging or vengeful
Like the judging and vengeful.
And now, let us pray,
Differently, yet together,
Before there is no earth, no life,
No chance for peace.

September 11, 2001
© Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek
From the book HOPE THROUGH HEARTSONGS

Guest House

This poem by Rumi, teaches us of how to face adversity in it's face. Never to give up. Isn't that the nature of this beautiful heart. This poem teaches us to accept everything which comes by our way. Good and bad comes to make us stronger and to become more compassionate human beings.

I dedicate this beautiful poem to every heart!



The Guest House

This human being is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected vision.

Welcome and entertain them all.
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.

He may be cleaning out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame.
the malice meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent,

as a guide from beyond.

- Jelaluddin Rumi

Kahlil Gibran - On Love

Love gives naught but itself and takes
naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be
possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.






Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

Sweet Longing

Sweet Longing


The insatiable thirst for the divine.








Sweet Longing ,

Surrounding my heart.



Sweet Longing ,

Where I want to belong.

Love

When Love embraces me,
No work is menial,
When Love engulfs me,
No task is mundane.

No act is a sacrifice,
No job seems tedious.
No pain is felt somehow,
Only pure joy left to be known.




Many people have this habit of complaining about their jobs. There is a tendency in parents to complain about their responsibilities. One of my friends was going on as usual about how much he was sacrificing to support his family. He felt sore that no one in his family understood his predicament. Neither his wife nor his children !

This is the same song sung by almost everyone of us. Suddenly this small verse about Love started forming in my head one day while I was driving. It struck upon me how true it was that we fail to understand what work is all about. We take this act to be burdensome. Since we assume that our responsibility to our family, society and nation is forced upon us, we feel the pain and burden heavily.

Somehow, we fail to comprehend that whatever we see around us is a gift given to us for a short period of time. Our parents, spouses, children, friends and almost everyone and everything surrounding us are precious gems to be cherished ! While these relationships last for however long they may be, we need to feel joy in performing our duties towards them. How wonderful it will become if we could only realize that Love is the only factor needed to sail through our lives smoothly and painlessly.

Mundane tasks like cooking, driving the kids to school, taking our parents for a stroll or spending time with an elderly person will no longer be demanding but rather become acts of love and joy.

Surprisingly I happened to come across a verse from Kahlil Gibran which puts this so aptly :

"Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy".
-Kahlil Gibran


When Love embraces me,
No work is menial,
When Love engulfs me,
No task is mundane.

No act is a sacrifice,
No job seems tedious.
No pain is felt somehow,
Only pure joy left to be known.

Ode to a Mother

An angel from heaven,
A gift from the most divine.
Always giving , never receiving,
Incomparable and most wonderful.

A warrior on earth, fiercely independent,
A courageous and compassionate darling.
A human so sweet, A person so kind,
Someone so special, someone so adorable.

Mother dearest, my sweetest shining star,
Someone who teaches me love and compassion.
Mother dearest, my teacher my guide,
Someone who holds me so special within her heart !

Time

Time is my friend,
Time keeps me company.
Time is my teacher,
Time teaches me patience.

Time is forgiving,
Time heals my wounds.
Time forgets all pains,
Time forgives all hurt.

Time is like a balm,
Time treats me gently-at times.
Time is like a mother,
Time waits for me - the child.

Time is not my enemy,
Time is Love -Eternal Love,
Time is my friend,
Time is timeless.
.