Showing posts with label Poem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poem. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Philosophy of Chess and Life

1. Chess celebrates the creativity of the human mind – marvelous combinations, smashing sacrificial attacks, and ingenious strategies bring to life great imagination and creativity from within us. How can we not create, we who are made the image of the Creator God?



2. The harmony of the chessmen– Each piece is different, Knight, Bishop, Queen, Rook, Pawn and King, each one has their own intrinsic values which make them special. On their own, they can do little, but when combined together, working in tandem and unity, they create a powerful irresistible synergy in the hands of the Master. Likewise, each person is different, specially created by God in a way like no other. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but when united together, with the same mind and purpose, they can become a truly powerful force to be reckoned with. United we stand, divided we fall. A threefold cord is not easily broken.



3. The miracle of the pawn – The pawn is the most humble piece on the board. It is easily sacrificed, and the loss of one or two may not give one much to worry. However, as the end approaches, each pawn becomes more and more powerful, with the awesome potential of becoming any piece the Master wishes him to be. Most of us, as we stand here on the face of the billions on the earth, may appear insignificant and small in the grand scheme of things. However, in the hands of the Master, we have unlimited potential to become the star he wishes us to be. Like em hobbits of old, small and little we may be. Yet in the Master’s plan, we shall be much more than we can be.



4. The power of the centre – One of the main principles in chess, is the control of the centre. Among master players, he who controls the centre almost inevitably wins the game. From the centre, he exudes power in every direction of the board. In life, we too must focus our attention on the centre. With the truth as our centre, we are able to face all difficulties in life resolutely. If we focus on less important things on the side, sooner or later, our centre will be blown open, leaving our life in tatters. He was created before all things, and in Him all things hold together.



5. The order of the game – Part of the beauty of the game lies in its order. Each piece and movement in chess is based on the conditions set by her ingenius inventor. Without this order, the game would become illogical and meaningless. So too in life, there is a certain order to things. Where there is total freedom to do what one feels like, it will only lead to anarchy and chaos. Imagine if there was no law of gravity on the earth. How then could life maintain its existence? To find our place in life hence, we must understand our place and our Creator, and live in humble reverence and prayer.



6. The principles of the game – Over the centuries, the masters of the game developed clear principles necessary to increase the chances of winning in a game- rook on the 7th rank, establishment of a knight in the centre, the control of the white or black squares, the seizing of open files and diagonals, etc. In life too, there are good and important principles found in the Word by which men who live by it have the greater chance to find fulfillment and the purpose of life.



7. Finishing the endgame – Often time, we hear of a player who comes out of the opening with an incredible advantage, dominates the middle game and then inexplicably loses the endgame. What good would his excellent opening and middle game play do then? In life too, it is not so much how we start but how we finish that is most important.

Chess and Life

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Art of Relationships

TRUST is a very important factor for all relationships. When trust is broken, it is the end of the relationship. Lack of trust leads to suspicion, suspicion generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation.

A female telephone operator received a phone call one day. She answered, "Public Utilities Board." There was silence. She repeated, "PUB." There was still no answer. When she was going to cut off the line, she heard a lady ' s voice, "Oh, so this is PUB.Sorry, I got the number from my husband ' s pocket but I do not know whose number it is.

" Without mutual trust, just imagine what will happen to the couple if the telephone operator answered with just "hello" instead of "PUB".

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NO POINTING FINGERS

A man asked his father-in-law, "Many people praised you for a successful marriage. Could you please share with me your secret?"

The father-in-law answered in a smile, "Never criticize your wife for her shortcomings or when she does something wrong. Always bear in mind that because of her shortcomings and weaknesses, she could not find a better husband than you.

" We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally, when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war. We should always remember that when we point one finger at a person, the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves.

If we forgive the others, others will ignore our mistake too.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------CREATING PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS?

A person visited the government matchmaker for marriage, SDU, and requested "I am looking for a spouse. Please help me to find a suitable one." The SDU officer said, "Your requirements, please." "Oh, good looking, polite, humorous , sporty, knowledgeable, good in singing and dancing. Willing to accompany me the whole day at home during my leisure hour, if I don ' t go out. Telling me interesting stories when I need companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest." The officer listened carefully and replied, "I understand you need television.

" There is a saying that a perfect match can only be found between a blind wife and a deaf husband ,because the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and the deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of the wife. Many couples are blind and deaf at the courting stage and dream of perpetual perfect relationship. Unfortunately, when the excitement of love wears off, they wake up and discover that marriage is not a bed of roses. The nightmare begins.

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NO OVERPOWERING
Many relationships fail because one party tries to overpower another,or demands too much. People in love tend to think that love will conquer all and their spouses will change the bad habits after marriage. Actually, this is not the case. There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "It is easier to reshape a mountain or a river than a person ' s character.
" It is not easy to change. Thus, having high expectation on changing the spouse character will cause disappointment and unpleasantness.
It would be less painful to change ourselves and lower our expectations..
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RIGHT SPEECH
There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "A speech will either prosper or ruin a nation." Many relationships break off because of wrong speech. When a couple is too close with each other,we always forget mutual respect and courtesy. We may say anything without considering if it would hurt the other party.
A friend and her millionaire husband visited their construction site. A worker who wore a helmet saw her and shouted,"Hi, Emily! Remember me? We used to date in the secondary school." On the way home, her millionaire husband teased her, "Luckily you married me.Otherwise you will be the wife of a construction worker." She answered ,"You should appreciate that you married me. Otherwise, he will be the millionaire and not you.
" Frequently exchanging these remarks plants the seed for a bad relationship. It ' s like a broken egg - cannot be reversed.
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PERSONAL PERCEPTION
Different people have different perception. One man ' s meat could be another man ' s poison. A couple bought a donkey from the market. On the way home,a boy commented, "Very stupid. Why neither of them ride on the donkey?"Upon hearing that, the husband let the wife ride on the donkey. He walked besides them. Later, an old man saw it and commented, "The husband is the head of family. How can the wife ride on the donkey while the husband is on foot?" Hearing this, the wife quickly got down and let the husband ride on the donkey.
Further on the way home, they met an old Lady. She commented, "How can the man ride on the donkey but let the wife walk. He is no gentleman." The husband thus quickly asked the wife to join him on the donkey. Then, they met a young man. He commented, "Poor donkey, how can you hold up the weight of two persons. They are cruel to you." Hearing that, the husband and wife immediately climbed down from the donkey and carried it on their shoulders.
It seems to be the only choice left. Later, on a narrow bridge, the donkey was frightened and struggled. They lost their balance and fell into the river. You can never have everyone praise you, nor will everyone condemn you. Never in the past, not at present, and never will be in the future.
Thus, do not be too bothered by others words if our conscience is clear..
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BE PATIENT
This is a true story which happened in the States. A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint of the truck. The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy ' s hands into pulp as punishment. When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital.
Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy ' s hands. When the boy woke up from the surgery & saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, " Daddy,I ' m sorry about your truck." Then he asked, "but when are my fingers going to grow back?" The father went home & committed suicide.
Think about this story the next time someone steps on your feet or u wish to take revenge. Think first before u lose your patience with someone u love. Trucks can be repaired.. Broken bones & hurt feelings often can ' t. Too often we fail to recognize the difference between the person and the performance. We forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge.
People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever.
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Monday, June 30, 2008

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday,

was just like any other day,

full of sorrow and pain,

happiness and gain.

Yet yesterday,

was indeed a special day,

for yesterday ...

will never come again.



Today,

the present day.

As we move about in our own way,

we should learn,

to tell, to know,

to live today...

for today is now.



Tomorrow,

is yet another day,

so near yet so far away,

over the horrizon.

And we're searching,

finding, hoping,

to live a better tomorrow...