Today is a very special day for my son. It is his birthday. He has been waiting for this day for a few months. Unfortunately, I am not able to be with him on his birthday this year as I am "on duty" not able to leave my post. I am very grateful that he is very understanding, I know deep in his heart he wants me to be home and celebrate his birthday with him. So do I. However, disappointment is part of life. We either disappoint someone or be disappointed by someone at certain points in life. Learning to tackle with disappointment may not be easy but it can be regarded as "deep and profound spirituality". We must acknowledge that we cannot always have what we want or what we expect in life. Readiness to expect the unexpected is one of the spiritual qualities we may seek to acquire.
My son hardly asks for anything. On this birthday, he asks for a cake, a pizza and a birthday gift. It does not sound much as he never asks for anything from us so far. My wife has prepared a box of 24-colour pencils that my son has been dreaming for. I am reminded of my childhood. As I can remember, my mom always forgot my birthday when I was a young kid. She often told me about my birthday a few days, or a week after my birthday. However, I remember, there was once, my mom celebrated my birthday. It was the only birthday celebration that I could remember. My mom prepared a plate of fried noodles and some eggs which were coloured in red. My mom had me eat a number of eggs (I couldn't remember how many eggs I ate at that time). I was given a red Shirt (but I didn't like its pattern). The Shirt came with different colours of circle. However, that was a very special birthday that my mom has prepared for me.
I believe my son will have a special birthday today. Definitely not because of my absence, but because he learned how special, how much hard work, his mom has prepared for him. Learning to see the beauty in each circumstance enables us to cherish the moment we have. Instead of "missing" what is absence, we should cherish what is present. Well, my son has experienced lots of wonderful moments with me and there are much lessons to reflect on each moment, someday when he grew up. Life is beautiful when you have a beautiful heart!
Thanks to Globalization. Communication Technologies have enabled far distant connectivity comparing to a century ago. We could celebrate birthday using Skype. Friedman calls it "The Flat World". However, we must admit that globalization is like a double-edge sword. It constructs but also destructs, it builds but also destroys. It is a fast growing abstract system which is not perfect. It is very helpful but also has the potential of risks that may endanger human beings.
Thanks to Globalization. Communication Technologies have enabled far distant connectivity comparing to a century ago. We could celebrate birthday using Skype. Friedman calls it "The Flat World". However, we must admit that globalization is like a double-edge sword. It constructs but also destructs, it builds but also destroys. It is a fast growing abstract system which is not perfect. It is very helpful but also has the potential of risks that may endanger human beings.
