Gong xi gong xi!

Welcome to Chinese New Year!

It is celebrated across Asia, including in the Korean Peninsula, where the holiday is called Seollal; in Vietnam, where it's called Tết; in China, where it's also known as the Spring Festival; and in other countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore etc.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2024 is the year of the Dragon, which comes on the heels of last year’s Rabbit. May it be for you a blessed year of happy living, of savouring the joys of life, of improving your health, and of making the best of everything.

The dragon is one of the most venerated creatures in the Asian culture: it is a mystical creature—the product of human imagination and a composite of many different parts borrowed from real animals. It symbolizes wisdom, longevity, strength, prosperity, peace, and spirituality, all of which are desirable in each of us, and good to cultivate.

 The arrival of a new year is always for me an opportunity for self-reflection and greater personal awareness. We should be eager to work on improving ourselves, and not wallow in despair when facing a bad situation. We all have more power than we realize and can always change things. This helps us find peace:

“Solve the problem,

Or leave the problem.

Do not live with the problem.”

These are the most precious words of wisdom that I came across over the past year. I will remember them whenever I feel trapped or stuck in a rut.   Take doing the dishes, for example.  Few people (and I am one of them) enjoy washing dishes, but I simply cannot walk away from that situation.  I do not want to live with a sink filled with dirty dishes. It is an eye-sore and it weighs on my mind, so I either have to fix the dishwasher or wash the dishes by hand. I am currently washing them by hand. Actually, it is not that difficult, and by taking control of this situation, I feel uplifted!   Even in the most difficult of situations, when faced with a complex issue or a huge inconvenience, we simply have to stop and ask ourselves how to overcome it or find a way out. That makes the difference between going forward or stalling in our tracks. This is inner strength.   As humans, we love to imagine characters that have better attributes than us and seek to emulate them. Maybe that’s why many cultures pray or pay homage to inanimate statues, rocks, ancient trees… or dragons. We need to transfer anxiety out of our hearts to some spiritual object to relieve pain or suffering, or simply to get through the day. I do not think it is wrong to do that, if it seems to help. When we perform such actions, we eventually come to acknowledge our turmoil within our own self.

Another figment of our imagination is Santa Claus, and from that character comes another important lesson; giving for the sake of giving, without seeking thanks and acknowledgement, or expecting something in return.

From one chimney to another in the cold of the night, he goes, not even stopping for a cup of hot chocolate.

Practicing the art of giving and sharing is great for the soul, and helps us gather more or better karma.   I also think we are at our best when we serve others. “Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts”, they say. The spirit of Santa; mutual prosperity, is the idea of giving and sharing, of spreading happiness and joy, and of putting a smile on the faces of those who receive.

When we give, we also receive – in joy, in gratitude and in self-respect.

When we have received enough and benefitted from the goodness of others, hopefully we all feel like giving or sharing. It is always very easy to receive, whether we deserve it or not; giving, and especially giving of oneself, is a lot harder. We do not want to part with the things we love; nor do we want to feel vulnerable. The act of giving requires practice and understanding, and a clear recognition of what we can afford to give or share.

Finally, when someone wrongs us, how do we practice forgiveness? 

And if we do not forgive and forget, do our scars ever heal? Should we go on bearing resentment and anger??...which will not do us any good in the long run…or do we forgive, forget and move on? Does a person’s single mistake trump all the goodness that person may have bestowed on us?

One of my teachers used to comment that “nobody is perfect”, and I agree. So being aware of this fact, I think it is better not to get offended when a bad wind blows my way. 

Let’s start the Year of the Dragon by practicing reflective awareness. As you come across various difficult situations and work your way through them, be kind to yourself and others too. Help where ever you can. Remember! very little is needed to make a happy life, it all starts within our self; in our way of thinking!!

Joy in living.

hl