Truth and Spirituality for 2018

Truth and Spirituality for 2018

By MIKOspace

Spiritual awakening begins from wisdom.  With wisdom comes understanding [1Cor14:20]. Wisdom comes with age, at least for some.  Others choose to remain as immature children [1Cor 13:11].  Those who dare to go forth, grapple with and engage the mysteries of creation and divine intentions, will discover a spiritual awakening as they mature towards a fuller understanding when living in truth and spirituality [Eph 4:13].

The expansion of consciousness involved grounding in realistic truths.  Of the perennial persistence of good and evil; of the very human tendency to act in greed and selfishness instead of love, compassion and grace; of the very unequal power balance between those with abundance and those who hungered for a small share of that abundance; of the hypocrisy of religious leaders in promoting their own interests of wealth, power and influence instead of lifting up and enhancing the lives of their followers; of the blatant exploitation by huge corporate powers to monetise the valuable labour surplus of the poor and vulnerable; of international institutions like the United Nations and international trading blocs who legitimise increasing poverty and ignore the self-evident plights of refugees from wars, child soldiers, victims of children and women trafficking, subjugation and dehumanisation of women in the name of culture, tradition and religions. 

The greatest truth of realism is that good only triumphs over evil in movies and story books; never and only occasionally, in real life.

        

I cannot remember exactly when my spiritual awakening journey actually began.  I first wrote about it around my birthday in 2004, a few years after the darkness from the passing of my beloved wife Rosie of 14 years in 1999.  Marrying the wonderfully beautiful Pingping in 2012 began a new celestial galactic cycle according to the ancient Mayan calendar, as eternity continues to unfold and expand my consciousness by revealing new truths.

For a vast majority of Christian believers, the “abundant” life promised in [John 10:10] is characterised by poverty, want, pain and disappointments.   They are lulled and deluded by their priests and pastors, often using human psychological sciences and the science of economic, to blame themselves for their conditions.  They blind their believers to the obvious and glaring abundance enjoyed by priests and pastors, unbelievers as well as others who are less righteous and criminals, and the gullible and naïve mass of believers accept their fate to be vastly poorer and hungrier believers to value instead the divine promise that “the poor will inherit the kingdom of God” [Luke 6:20].   Indeed, the poor has inherited the trash, sand, mud, wastelands and deserts, while every resources, food and built infrastructures are owned and controlled by the powerful others.    

The conventional human wisdom is that religion today has made mankind better.  One easily points to World Vision and other similar Christian organisations whose humanitarian work among refugees, children, women and the sick, setting up food distributions, hospitals and establishing missions as evidence of beneficial religiosity without being spiritual or evangelistic.  Indeed, they are essentially human enterprises, being spiritually Christian only in name or association, but who understand the real human condition only too well. 

Strangely, the “success” of philanthropic Christian organisations adds little to empower and embolden a deeper spirituality in Christians who yearn, naturally, for a more intimate connection to something or someone greater then themselves. 

Religious work does not add to Christian spirituality, which is the original intention of God’s revelation as the human Jesus Christ. Religious transcendence over spirituality makes religion both anti-God and anti-Christ.  In truth, religion - in its self-focus and self-importance - denies God as the source and essence of all goodness and the motivator of all things loving and healing.  Religion is therefore anti-spirituality.  

Spirituality is diluted and overwhelmed by religion. Spiritual awakening re-establishes the deep sense of authentic identity in every human being.  The immediate evidence is the realisation and discovery of eternity, a sense of timelessness, which in turn acts to transform daily living and relationships with new ways and experiences.  St Paul also refers to this sensation as “the peace that surpassed understanding” [Phil 4:7].

Spirituality cannot be understood by conventional human logic or scientific reason.  In this sense, spirituality is supernatural.  Insofar as our spiritual awakening unfolds, the new realities shall emerge gradually in our consciousness, and our own construction of new social realities quickly manifested in changed behaviors becomes self-evident to others around us. True spiritual growth results in personal development as one expresses the new realities unfolding in our sub-conscience made self-aware by a heightened consciousness.

Spiritual inspiration provokes new understanding of the universe which would fire the human imagination for creative outcomes.  Truths are revealed as the Holy Spirit teaches and provides profound understanding to revisit our knowledge in new perspectives.  New and revised truths immediately set free the human consciousness hitherto trapped in a self-imposed prison constructed with man-made religious and human worldviews to be able to see things “as directed with God’s eyes” [Psalm 32:8].  Suddenly, the enlightened universe lights up as the Holy Spirit lifts you out of human ignorance into divine illumination. Trust me, I know.

Spirituality is individual [Job 33:4].  Collective or communal spirituality, even in a gathering of self-proclaimed spiritual people, does not exist.   Spiritual persons are naturally anti-religion since religion is essentially anti-spiritual.  

Living with spirituality means drawing upon God’s own creative essence – His Spirit [or “ruach” in Hebrew] – for the energy, inspiration and motivation in living the eternity life here at this time.  A wise man chooses only to live a spiritual life.  For him or her, religion is optional and often unnecessary. 

Every Christian has direct access to Jesus and God, who are both one and the same.  There is no need for pastors, priests and “saints” to be intermediaries with God.  Quite contrary to man-made religious teachings, each individual Christian is a “temple” of God and that the “Spirit of God dwells” in him or her [1Cor 3:16].   Since the Holy Spirit exists in every Christian, there is no need to build human structures, however grandeur, as testaments to the Creator God.  Man is God’s greatest creation and mankind is his lasting crowning testament. Therefore, “collective” worship is laudable but not mandatory. And the bible establishes a group of only three to be sufficient for communal worship [Matt 18:20].  

Ultimately, it is the individual Christian who is responsible and held accountable to God, not the collective “Church” [Rom 14:12].

Change is fundamental in living the eternal life.  The future is constantly unveiling itself.  The universe is in a constant state of change.   Meaning, life and everything around us are in a perpetual process of unveiling and evolving, of becoming into some eventual final state. Religion however teaches constancy as the key characteristic of the universe.  Living with spirituality means living with the certainty of change but without the fear of the unknown because the Holy Spirit – God Himself – will empower the believer with the knowledge of things to come [John 16:13].  Know again that in Christianity, there is absolutely no need for pastors, priests or “saints” to be intermediaries with God.  

A calm sense of the unknown follows spiritual awakening and spiritual inspiration leads to wisdom.   Wisdom is the principle of living in complete spiritual awareness that God is the guiding principle in living the eternal life to grow, lead and act with the highest endowed human potential.  For me, spiritual awakening parallels my life of service.  I realise that living the eternal life in the present in truth and spirituality is hard work and active.  It is not armchair activism.  Nor is it simply attending church services and praying that “God, the mission need is great, please send the other guys and I shall pray for them!”    

True spirituality empowers you to nurture compassion, and develop in others a greater capacity for love and for you to receive their love in turn. When you are at your best authentic self as you live in truth and spirituality, you will enjoy the eternal life in the present without fear or limit to bring out the spirituality in others as well. 

Readers are invited to share in the “expansion of consciousness” experience in 2018. 

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Best social political blog and blogger

This is the time of the year when people sit back to relax and to reflect on the happenings of the year. The main media and several industries and organizations have been holding events to honour their champions, like best journalists, best actor and actress, best author etc etc. It has been nearly two decades since social media burst into the scene of news reporting, reporting news of the people, news that the people think are relevant and interesting to them, soldiering tirelessly without any form of financial reward. Just think of the hundreds of thousands that are being paid to full time news makers and reporters and the pittance or zero being paid to part time social political writers in the social media, it is like what they said, a thankless task and with the risks of being on the wrong side of the political divide and ending up behind bars or bankrupt or run road.
 
Perhaps it is time that social media readers and bloggers do something to honour this group of tireless soldiers banging away at the keyboards to air what the main media would not want to print. I was hoping that the bigger and more popular sites like TRE, Statestimereview or TOC would do the honour to put up some awards to give recognition to the relentless efforts of the bloggers, to keep the social and political news flowing to satisfy readers hungry for alternative news.
 
While waiting for them to come up with something in this line of thought, I would like to suggest two awards, one for the Best Social Political Blog and one for the Best Social Political blogger. Readers here can submit the names of their favourite blogs and bloggers and we can hold a small survey to honour them. The rewards would not be any monetary kind, just a name, Best Social Political Blog and Best Social Political Blogger. For the latter I have a few suggestions, Phillip Ang, Cynical Investor, Leong Sze Hian to start the ball rolling.
 
As I am initiating this project, mysingaporenews and redbean should be excluded from the nomination as there is an issue of conflict of interest. There are many blogs and bloggers out there to be recognised and honoured for keeping the readers informed of the real and important stuff that one would not read in the main media. This is a highly essential role that must be filled if the people are to be kept well informed and not be misled by fake news or biased news from the main media. These bloggers keep a balance of what is real and what is unreal and maintain a sense of sanity in this world of fabricated truths.
 
This is an effort to honour the people that are really making the news out of a genuine interest to produce news that affect our country and people, unlike those that did it for financial rewards. Not that it is wrong to do so for monetary benefits or for a living. It is that much more meaningful doing it out of passion, justice and righteousness.
 
Many bloggers and blogs must have contributed to the readers knowledge of current affairs and helped them to form clearer and informed views of things and events. They deserved your support and recognition. Please get the ball rolling.

Australia – Attack not terror related

This was the headline of the ramming of pedestrians in a crowd in Melbourne and with subtitles, “People were flying everywhere. We heard ‘thump, thump’. People were running everywhere.”
And the assailant was a 32 year old Australian of Afghan descent. This guy has a string of minor offences, maybe a bit mad, so not terror related. Altogether 19 people were hurt and 4 seriously.
 
The Australians can continue to hide under a state of denial, not terrorism, so ok. They can pretend that this is just an accident. And they can go on believing in their self delusion. No these foreigners are not there to kill the Australians. This is just a natural reverse order, that the Asians are coming back, to take on the white men, the Europeans that conquered, colonized, robbed and looted their countries, killing many of their people. Now they are coming back for the white Europeans, to inflict into them the same pain and terror their forefathers suffered under the hands of the forefathers of these Europeans. They are coming back to take back what belongs to the Asians and Africans.
 
This development has been going on for decades in Europe and the USA. The Afro Asians are going to breed themselves to replace the non breeding Europeans not just in Australia, but in their homeland in Europe and the stolen land from the native Americans. With the dwindling European populations and the propensity the Afro Asians are multiplying themselves, the European as a civilization would go extinct in a matter of a century or so.
 
The Afghans in Australia are not terrorists. They are there just to reclaim land robbed and stolen by the Europeans from the natives outside Europe. Since the days the white convicts were dumped into this piece of land, they have been arrogating themselves as the overlord of the natives, bullying them and stealing their lands.

The white Australians did not stop there. They have been bullying their neighbours, the Indonesians, the Papua New Guineans, the Timorese and the natives of Pacific Islands. They were also part of the American Empire, terrorising every country in the world, including China.

Is was lunacy for Turnbull to tell China that Australians have stood up, in particular to China when the fact is that since they were dumped into this region, they were strutting around like a cock, no matter that they were convicts and descendants of convicts. They had never been lying down, they were screwing everyone with their cock standing.

China bullying the little Sheriff of SE Asia? When did that happen? Just because now they could not have their ways, they are accusing China of bullying them. The Australians should not worry about being bullied. Once the non whites become a majority, they are going to make the white Australians kneel and bend to their demands for a fair and more equitable share of the stolen land and its wealth. And if the white Australians think of resisting they would be driven back to Europe. And the shock awaiting them is that Europe is also taken over by the Africans and Arabs.

Your days are numbered, mate. 50 years at the most, and the land would be returned to rightful owners. Your arrogance and pomposity are going to be a fleeting past, history. There will be no more white Australia just like there is no more white South Africa, no more white America, no more white Europe.

Next PM, a succession plan that was not there

The statestimesreview has posted an article on Inderjit’s comment about Hsien Loong’s succession plan, and that is too late and too little. Here are a few paragraphs of the post,

‘Former PAP MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC Inderjit Singh yesterday (Dec 26) criticised Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for dilly dallying on his decision for a successor, saying that it is already too late to choose one now. The ex-PAP member said the successor should have at least 10 years of experience as a Deputy Prime Minister as preparation before taking up the PM role, like as was the case for Goh Chok Tong and Lee Hsien Loong:

“The next PM should ideally have served for two terms as a deputy and be given the exposure and responsibility on major policies before he or she can confidently take on the job. The future Prime Minister should have started taking key duties by now… It is already too late.”….

Former PAP NMP Eugene Tan told state media Today that he is worried that the new PAP administration have no time to be ready for governance:

“For a government that has always emphasised renewal and succession, this raises legitimate questions about the readiness of the fourth generation leadership, if not about the much vaunted process. By the time PM Lee steps down, he (could) be the oldest of our Prime Ministers.”

There are currently two front runners for the PM race – former army general Minister Chan Chun Sing and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat. The army general however lack etiquette and depth to lead due to his numerous gaffes. Minister Heng Swee Keat may be more thoughtful and measured his words and actions, but his health was a major concern after he suffered a stroke during a Cabinet meeting in 2016. …’

My question, is there really a plan? PAP always bragged about its meticulous planning and thought processes, to be proactive, to plan ahead, and the succession plan cannot be an exception.

Taking Inderjit’s thinking, a typical PAP mindset that foretold of a dynastic thinking behind everything, that a political party is so entrenched that it has taken for granted that all the future PMs will be from the PAP, and PAP would forever be in power.  With these assumptions, a PM must undergo 10 year apprenticeship to be fit to be a PM, to have time to learn the ropes on how to do the job of a PM. Without this training no one is fit to be a PM. This is typical ruling party hogwash.

How many PMs or Presidents in the world have such a privilege and opportunity to undergo 10 years or more of apprenticeship? And how did they perform for those that went through formal apprenticeship scheme and those that did not? Were those that had gone through political apprenticeship performed better than those without?

According to this PAP mantra, the one with apprenticeship scheme must be performing very well against those that did not. So opposition parties that won an election would be bound to fail as they would not have the chance for apprenticeship scheme, not just to be PM, but also as ministers and MPs.

Given that this is a serious premise to start with, why are the two potential PM material not acting PMs like Chok Tong and Hsien Loong to prepare them for the job? Why were the two DPMs appointed when they are not going to be the next PM and having the privilege of acting as PMs, ie learning the ropes?

Is this not queer? If there is a succession plan, it has to be put in place at least 5 years ago, with the crowned prince appointed and going through his apprenticeship. Who is the next crown prince and undergoing apprenticeship training? None? If this is the answer, where is the succession plan? It is one thing to put it into motion and another to talk about it without implementing it.

If Chan Chun Sing and Heng Swee Kiat are the successors and be put to take on heavier responsibilities, then the two DPMs would have nothing to do. How can, paying two multi million dollar DPMs for doing nothing?

The other reality or truth, many heads of govt around the world did not have the privilege of an apprenticeship scheme and are doing fine, very fine, excellent in their jobs. How much value should one put into such a political apprenticeship scheme except for princes of kingdoms and sons of dictatorship?

An apprenticeship scheme is not the prerequisite to become a PM or to become a good PM. A dud will never learn or will not learn anything good. Political leadership often is not nurtured but a product of history, a leader of the time thrown out by society and circumstances to deal with the issues of state and people’s livelihood. A leader in most circumstances is born and made by the events of the time, by history, a calling. A textbook leader is just what it is, a textbook leader.

Is Singapore a state of the USA?

The media has reported widely about the corruption case involving Keppel O&M and a Brazilian company. And somehow the US Justice Dept is the authority on this case as if it has jurisdiction over Keppel O&M operating in Brazil or jurisdiction over commercial crimes in Brazil. Below are some details of the case posted by Kenneth Jeyaretnam in TRE.
 
‘Quietly over Christmas the US Justice Department announced that it had reached a deferred prosecution agreement with Keppel Offshore and Marine. Under the agreement Keppel O & M, a unit of Keppel Corp, will pay $422 million to resolve charges that it paid $55 million in bribes to Brazilian politicians to win business from the state oil company Petrobras, an offence under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
 
According to the WSJ, “Keppel admitted in court documents that it paid about $55 million in bribes to officials at Brazilian state-owned oil company Petróleo Brasileiro and the then-governing party in Brazil from 2001 to 2014 to win 13 contracts with Petrobras, as the company is also known, and another company. It paid the bribes through outsize commissions to an intermediary, who in turn made payments to the officials and the political party, prosecutors said.”’
 
Keppel O&M committed an offence under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act? OK, one of the parties involved in the corruption is a US citizen. This person could be charged under US law. Does this mean that Keppel O&M, a Singaporean company operating, maybe registered in Brazil would also come under an American Law, governed by an American Law? How could this be? How could this happen? Is Singapore or Brazil a subject member of the American Empire that an American Law can be applied over them?
 
I can’t believe this. This is just like the Americans legislating a law to conduct relations with Taiwan and telling China to obey and respect this American Law. Like that the Americans can fabricate all kinds of laws to govern all the countries in the world.
 
Can other countries also legislate laws to govern citizens and organisations of other countries including American citizens and corporations? Can China, Russia or Singapore come out with their own Foreign corrupt Practices Act to apply to everyone, including Americans?
 
If the crime of Keppel O&M were committed in US territory, there is no question about US jurisdiction. This offence was committed in Brazil, why would Keppel O&M subject itself to American laws and sheepishly and willingly admit to the crime, accept the fines of an American court?
 
I don’t see why Keppel O&M should submit itself to American jurisdiction, to be judged by the American courts, with no objection, no protest as if this is a right and normal thing to do, and so happy about it. Are Singaporeans subjects of the American Empire?
 
The American Empire rules! Singapore has to accept the rule of the American Empire? Singapore and Brazil are sovereign states, not states within the USA.