A Man Chosen By Fate

So it has come to pass - Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America.

For the past months, Obama has traversed the whole country selling his vision, his commitment to the people and his passion to serve them. It has been a tough journey with a lot of personal sacrifices to himself as well as to his family. It is fitting that he has finally won the battle to be the next Commander-In-Chief.

Yet, the outcome of this election has never been in doubt. Months ago, for those who are more self-aware and in touch with the Universe, it has been very obvious that Obama would emerge victorious.

Why?

Because the Universe has always prepare the way and the means for the realization of what It needs. With the deterioration of the USA, in its economic and military power as well as its leadership in the world, the Universe knows that there is a need for a special leader who can take over from President George Bush, so as to actualize a new beginning for the country.

The Universe's preparation for the Chosen One has been long and thorough.

It is no accident that Obama was born to a progressive set of parents so that he could have the special cultural foundation for him to understand his fellow human beings of diverse backgrounds. It is also no accident that he grew up in Indonesia as well as Hawaii. And of course, the Universe planned for Obama to meet the perfect mate in Michelle Obama, who can help him on his journey through the tough political road.

Obama's grandmother also has a role to play in instilling in him the values and life principles that will serve him in the coming days as the President of the United States of America. It is timely that she returns to the Universe, having completed her life's work, to look down proudly on his grandson ascending the highest office in the land. And you can rest assure that she will be guiding Obama spiritually and giving him the strength to face the enormous challenges ahead.

And the road ahead will be long, difficult and filled with a lot of uncertainties. However, the Universe does not do anything arbitrary. It has chosen the most appropriate and the right person in Barack Obama to provide the leadership in this trying times.

In this, you can take comfort that the future will continue to be unfolding in all its wonder and grandeur... And you are invited to travel this road together with hearts full of hope and courage.

A Beautiful Day

Just a simple picture of God's work to get you through the day.

Looking at how beautiful the clouds are, you believe that life is great...

Wisdom In The Silence

We may think that we need to be surrounded by distractions, activities and noise to be truly alive.

But are you really HERE when you are in that kind of environment? Can you really think and contemplate the essences of life when you are surrounded with all these "busy-ness"? We delude ourselves by thinking that these thoughts and the inner commentary in our minds show that we know the world and we are therefore alive.

It is only when you are able to quiet down your mind that you realize that in the silence is where the true wisdom will arise.

If you seek the Truth, you should value the silence and be aware of the magnificence of the reality of NOW.

So, be silent... be still. And know the inner beauty that arises with the true wisdom in the silence.

KIVA - A Force for Good

I would like to introduce you to Kiva (http://www.kiva.com/), an organization that is helping to change the world by doing good.

First of all, a disclaimer : - I personally do not have any financial interest or business share in Kiva. I merely donate some money there to support the good work that they do.

What exactly does Kiva do?

Kiva allows you to provide interest-free loans to poor people around the world to set up small businesses so that they can provide for and support their family and/or community from the revenue that they generate.

It provides a platform for you to lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world and thereby empowering them to get out of poverty and be economically productive.

What you do is this - you look at the profiles of each of these entrepreneurs, who will state how much money they want to borrow and for what purpose. They will also indicate when they will repay the loan, the likely time-frame.

You decide how much you want to contribute - US$25, US$50 etc and this will be credited to the entrepreneur's account.

For example, an entrepreneur may ask for US$1,000 to launch a business to preserve the indigenous weaving traditions and provide jobs to the women in her community. You may want to loan her US$100 and this means that she will see 10% of her loan has been fulfilled. Other people will donate various amounts and when it reached 100%, you can no longer donate to this entrepreneur.

You just used your credit card or PayPal in the secured site to donate the amount that you want.

When the entrepreneur repays the loan in various amounts, the money will be automatically credited back into your account. And then, you can re-use this loan amount that is credited to your account to give another loan to another deserving entrepreneur.

Please go to Kiva's page for a detailed description of how they loan money to these entrepreneurs : - http://www.kiva.org/about/how

There is a real-time display of how much loan he had already repaid and how much the balance of the loan is.

So far, their success rate has been great as almost all of these entrepreneurs have returned the loans that they had taken out.

This is essentially micro-financing or micro-credit, like Muhammad Yunnus' Grameen Bank, who won the Noble Peace Prize in 2006 for his work to help eliminate poverty in the poorer countries.

So, do some good and be a force for positive changes in the world. These poor people in the developing countries are not looking for a hand-out - they are just looking for a hand-up, the opportunity to help themselves.

Rather than leaving your money in the bank earning a small interest, please do some good by donating whatever amount that you can. So, go to Kiva and donate generously!! http://www.kiva.com/

And the merits that you accumulated will be great indeed...

Olympic Dreams And Hopes

Well, now that the Beijing Olympics is over, everybody is going back to their mundane lives.

After 3 weeks of living vicariously through the feats and achievements of the world's best athletes in the sporting world, marveling at their perfections and performances, life goes on. We are back to our routines of living our daily lives, waking up, going to work and all the mundane stuff.

However, please do give this thoughts some contemplation : - Did you feel inspired by all that you have seen and felt watching the Olympics? Did you not feel the commitments, the dedications and sacrifices of the participants chasing a medal in their respective sports? Did you not root for your heroes and felt the highs when they achieved the gold medal and the lows when they failed?

Think back those 3 weeks when you were really Present, caught up in the Olympics fever and the sporting spirit and fair-play that the Olympics represents. Did you not feel very alive?

Wouldn't it be good if you can bottle these feelings so that you can get access to it when you are stressed in your daily lives, challenged by problems and the burdens of living, when you felt like you really need a break?

Yes, you can. You can file away these experiences and feelings that you had felt when you were watching your Olympics heroes achieved their greatest dreams. And access them when you need it most - the feelings of exhalations, the highs and the good-will. Just close your eyes, breath deeply and access your memories...

And do not forget the Olympics spirits, the dreams and hopes that were shared with the world during that short period of time.

And finally, see if, by your action and contributions, you can share these dreams and hopes with the next generation of children, so that they will have a goal, a dream to aspire towards. Inspire them to strive for a higher goal, a meaning in their lives and to live vibrantly...