A system or habit of virtue I am a worrier and overthinker. I cannot help but overthink plans and potential outcomes. But what helps me focus on the present is putting faith in a routine, a habit, a system that can take of itself, akin to how an athlete practices and trusts his craft once […]
One Piece and generational wills What makes One Piece such a compelling narrative for me is how the pirates begin to look for treasure (or achieve their ambitions), but they quickly realize the importance of relationships and the passing of wills between generations. Maybe this is an example of a “treasure” that transcends time and […]
Why do we pray? “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” With this premise, perhaps a prayer is more about expressing – articulating – our intentions. Prayers are means for us to predispose ourselves towards a greater good, and uttering words we mean have power. At the very least, they clarify our […]
Good deeds done without spectacle It’s easy to understand why bad deeds are done in secret, but why should good deeds be done in secret or at least in silence, without spectacle? Maybe it’s because the doing of good deeds is supposed to be natural and normal, not an extraordinary spectacle. If it’s normal, it […]
To focus on hating enemies is to be defeated Our differences can naturally lead to having enemies. But the greater question is: is defeating the enemy the goal, or is it just a side quest, or worse, a distraction? The word “enemy” is laden with meaning; a dictionary affixes the feeling of hatred towards another […]
For now, choose where we can give infinitely Turning the other cheek is such a difficult principle to practice. It could be impractical especially in contexts where the law of the jungle is upheld. The way I am making sense of this is to manifest my agency and self-determination; that is, to choose for myself […]
Some reflections on action research for transformation (ART) We are fortunate to have Dr. Hilary Bradbury be our Distinguised Visiting Professor for the past weeks. She has advocated action research for transformation (ART), and I find that the ART metamodel, which I try to simply describe from learnings as a researcher managing the relational, conceptual, […]
Rethinking YOLO The first thing we ever receive and that without cost to us is life. And maybe that’s why a life that is self-centered instead of self-with-others feels ironically empty, like overeating. The stomach is beyond full and the palate is beyond tickled; yet at that moment, all we want is to vomit. Thus, […]
How can the whole maintain being greater than the sum of its parts? “… for it will do you less harm to lose one part of yourself than to have your whole body thrown into hell.” When I tried to apply systems thinking in my dissertation on viability, I was fascinated by the system definition […]
When being right can sometimes mean being alone It is easy to follow the crowd, to succumb to cancel culture, mob mentality, or plain peer pressure. It is more convenient and comfortable to “belong”, rather than risk being right but be left out. The pursuit of what is right and what is true seems simple […]