Chapter 9 - The Seven Selves

In the stillest hour of the night, as I lay half asleep, my seven selves sat together and thus conversed in whisper:

First Self: Here, in this madman, I have dwelt all these years, with naught to do but renew his pain by day and recreate his sorrow by night. I can bear my fate no longer, and now I rebel.

Second Self: Yours is a better lot than mine, brother, for it is given to me to be this madman's joyous self. I laugh his laughter and sing his happy hours, and with thrice winged feet I dance his brighter thoughts. It is I that would rebel against my weary existence.

Third Self: And what of me, the love-ridden self, the flaming brand of wild passion and fantastic desires? It is I the love-sick self who would rebel against this madman.

Fourth Self: I, amongst you all, am the most miserable, for naught was given me but odious hatred and destructive loathing. It is I, the tempest-like self, the one born in the black caves of Hell, who would protest against serving this madman.

Fifth Self: Nay, it is I, the thinking self, the fanciful self, the self of hunger and thirst, the one doomed to wander without rest in search of unknown things and things not yet created; it is I, not you, who would rebel.

Sixth Self: And I, the working self, the pitiful labourer, who, with patient hands, and longing eyes, fashion the days into images and give the formless elements new and eternal forms-it is I, the solitary one, who would rebel against this restless madman.

Seventh Self: How strange that you all would rebel against this man, because each and every one of you has a preordained fate to fulfil. Ah! could I but be like one of you, a self with a determined lot! But I have none, I am the do-nothing self, the one who sits in the dumb, empty nowhere and nowhen, while you are busy re-creating life. Is it you or I, neighbours, who should rebel?

When the seventh self thus spake the other six selves looked with pity upon him but said nothing more; and as the night grew deeper one after the other went to sleep enfolded with a new and happy submission.

But the seventh self remained watching and gazing at nothingness, which is behind all things.

Khalil Gibran sometimes spelled Khalil Gibran. January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer. In the Arab world, Gibran is regarded as a literary and political rebel. In Lebanon, he is still celebrated as a literary hero. Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time.

Little Fighter

Are you cryin' tonight ?
Are you feelin' alright ?

I'll tell the world that you were down on your luck.
You were one of the kind, one who would never give in.
Even when they put a price on your head.

Has anyone heard the tales you tell ?
Or seen the scars you wear ?
Did anyone speak up when you fell ?
Does anybody care ?

Rise again little fighter !
And let the world know the reason why !
Shine again little fighter !
And don't let them end the things you do !

And you were one with a cause and a reason to be.
You were a fighter for peace on this earth.
And you were never afraid, you put your life on the line
And you were always alone out on the sea.

Without a weapon in your hand you came to fight a war.
They took your life, but didn't know that you would never die.

Rise again little fighter !
And let the world know the reason why !
Shine again little fighter !
And don't let them end the things you do !

Are you feelin' alright ?
Cause I care, care.

Run along little fighter !
Oh cause I was there beside you, never stop believing.
So rise ! Rise ! RISE !

Rise again little fighter !
And let the world know the reason why !
Shine again little fighter !
And don't let them end the things you do !

Rise again little fighter (Don't stop believing)
And let the world know the reason why
Shine again little fighter (And keep on moving)
And don't 'em end things you do

Yeah, don't let 'em ever end the things you do

White Lion

Ketika Tangan Dan Kaki Berkata

Akan datang hari,
Mulut dikunci,
Kata tak ada lagi.

Akan tiba masa,
Tak ada suara,
Dari mulut kita.

Berkata tangan kita,
Tentang apa yang dilakukannya,
Berkata kaki kita,
Kemana saja dia melangkahnya.

Tidak tahu kita,
Bila harinya,
Tanggung jawab tiba.

Rabbana,
Tangan kami,
Kaki kami,
Mulut kami,
Mata hati kami,
Luruskanlah,
Kukuhkanlah,
Di jalan cahaya sempurna.

Mohon karunia,
Kepada kami,
HambaMu,
Yang hina.

Lyric by: Taufiq Ismail (Datuk Panji Alam Khalifatullah), is an Indonesian poet and litterateur. He received Cultural Visit Award Pemerintah Australia in 1977, South East Asia Write Award from the Kingdom of Thailand in 1994.

Recorded by: Chrismansyah Rahadi (Chrisye) (16 September 1949 – 30 March 2007), was an Indonesian progressive-pop singer and songwriter. In his 40-year career he won many awards and accolades; in 2011 Rolling Stone Indonesia declared him the third-greatest Indonesian musician of all time

Children

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."
And he said:

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Kahlil Gibran

Let Go !

Buddha was meditating on a big rock beside a lake when a disciple arrived and kneeled in front of him. On his right hand was a beautiful lotus and on his left hand he held an even more beautiful lotus as a mean of offering.

And Buddha said, “Let go!”, that made the puzzled disciple threw the lotus on his right hand back to the lake.

And Buddha, said, again, “Let go!”, that made the puzzled disciple threw the lotus on his left hand back to the lake.

And Buddha, said, “Let go of yourself !”

Five Precepts Of Reiki

Firstly: Don't get angry today,
Secondly: Don't worry today,
Thirdly: Be grateful today,
Fourthly: Work diligently today,
Fifthly: Be kind to others today.

These are truly great teachings for cultivation
and discipline in keeping with those great teachings
of the ancient sages and the wise men.

Star

What cha want to be when you grow up ?
What cha gonna do when your time is up ?
What cha gonna say when things go wrong ?
What cha want to do when you're on your own ?

There's a road long and winding, the lights are blindin' but it gets there.
Don't give up don't look back, there's a silver linin' it's out there somewhere.

Everybody wants an answer, everybody needs a friend, we all need a shinin' star on which we can depend.
N' so tonight we're gonna wish upon a star we never wished upon before (to find what you're looking for).

There'll be times in your life when you' be dancin' n' shit but you ain't gettin it.
But don't get disillusioned, no, don't expect too much.
'cause if what you have is all you can get just keep on tryin'.
It just ain't happened yet.

Everybody wants ta be winner, everybody has a dream, we all need a shinin' star when things ain't what they seem.
So tonight we're gonna wish upon a star we never wished upon before (gotta get where you're headed for).

Everybody wants some kindness, everybody needs a break, we all need a shinin' star when things get hard to take.
So tonight we're gonna wish upon a star we never wished upon before.

Bryan Adams

Oneself

During the Great War between the Kurus' (sons of Dhrtarastra) side against the Pandava's (or Pandawa, sons of Pandhu, brother of Dhrtarastra) side, as was told in the epic Mahabharata Story, Arjuna (the third oldest of the Pandava), who saw all his friends and relatives standing with or against him (for it was a "civil" war) on the battlefield, told Krishna (or Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead) he no longer wished to fight in the battle for his compassion.

Arjuna reasoned out that he did not desire victory nor royal happiness, he would rather live as a beggar than as a royal if being a royal meant having to slay his kinsmen. He added that they who had spiritual understanding would not kill.

Krishna explained Arjuna that those who are wise would not grieve. For each one is body and soul. While the body is an object of time, the soul is not. The soul (Jiva) is eternal. The ignorant grieve because they do not even know about the existence of the soul. They consider the bodies to be their mother, father, brother, or relative. And when the soul leaves the body, they consider their mother, father, brother or relative to be dead. One that had been enlightened understands that none would be killed and none would kill, since the soul is immortal.

Further Krishna explained that senses were related to the bodily perceptions that causes misery. When one had learned to tolerate he would be closer to attain Enlightenment. And as Aruba had been conscious of the Truth, he should embrace the nature of the self.

Your duty as a ksatriya (or satria) and there would be no better thing than accomplishing your responsibilities.

Adaptation from "Bhagavad Gita"








"What's so civil about war anyway?" - Guns 'N Roses.

We Will Not Go Down

A blinding flash of white light, lit up the sky over Gaza tonight. People running for cover, not knowing whether they're dead or alive. They came with their tanks and their planes, with ravaging fiery flames. And nothing remains, just a voice rising up in the smoky haze;

We will not go down in the night, without a fight !
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools but our spirit will never die !
We will not go down in Gaza tonight !

Women and children alike murdered and massacred night after night, while the so-called leaders of countries afar debated on who's wrong or right. But their powerless words were in vain and the bombs fell down like acid rain, but through the tears and the blood and the pain you can still hear that voice through the smoky haze;

We will not go down in the night, without a fight !
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools but our spirit will never die !
We will not go down in Gaza tonight !

Michael Heart

Lilin-lilin Kecil

oh...Manakala mentari tua lelah berpijar.
oh...Manakala bulan nan genit enggan tersenyum, berkerut-kerut tiada terbeseri, tersendat-sendat merayap dalam kegelapan
Hitam kini hitam nanti, gelap kini akankah berganti

Dan kau lilin-lilin kecil,
Sanggupkah kau mengganti,
Sanggupkah kau memberi,
Seberkas cahaya ?

Dan kau lilin-lilin kecil,
Sanggupkah kau berpijar,
Sanggupkah kau menyengat,
Seisi dunia ?

Chrisye
Chrismansyah Rahadi (16 September 1949 – 30 March 2007), was an Indonesian progressive-pop singer and songwriter. In his 40-year career he won many awards and accolades; in 2011 Rolling Stone Indonesia declared him the third-greatest Indonesian musician of all time

The Man And The Snake

In the middle of a winter, a man found a snake laying stiff and frozen by the cold breeze on a trail when he was walking back to his hut.

Compassion entered the man’s heart, he took the poor snake, placing it in his bosom, and he went back to where he was heading.

The warmth from the man’s body slowly revived the snake. Having regained its natural instinct the snake bit its benefactor, inflicting on him a mortal would.



Re-told from Aesop’s

... and most of the times, the greatest kindness will not bind the ungrateful.

The Story Of The Clay Pot With A Crack

An elderly Chinese woman has two large clay pots. These clay pots are Every and Day.

Every morning she would make Every and Day cling to each end of a bamboo stick. Then she would carry the bamboo stick, along with Every and Day, across her shoulders, and walks to a spring about an hour away to fetch some water.

Day, one of the pots, has a crack that at the end of each journey only half of the water it holds initially is left. This makes Every proud for its ability to constantly deliver much more than Day. While Day goes shy and more shy as time passes.

After some time, Day asks the old woman to retire it basing on its performance. Upon hearing the request, the old woman smiled and says, “Do you notice the flowers on our trail?”
“When I realized about you, I planted flower seeds along our trail, and every time while we are going back home from the spring, you water them.”

Do You Know Where You're Going To

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to? do you know?
Do you get what you're hoping for?
When you look behind you there's no open door
What are you hoping for?
Do you know?

Once we were standing still in time
Chasing the fantasies that filled our minds
You knew i loved you, but my spirit was free
Laughing at the question that you once ask me

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to? do you know?

Now, looking back in all we pass
We've let so many dreams just slip through our hands
Why must we wait so long before we see
How sad the answers to those questions can be?

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to? do you know?
Do you get what you're hoping for?
When you look behind you there's no open door
What are you hoping for? do you know?

Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To) was written by : Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin, recorded by American singer Diana Ross as the theme to the 1975 Motown/Paramount film Mahogany.

An Elephant On Perspectives

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, "Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
"Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said:"E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

Puppies For Sale

A boy stood beside a big box labelled with "Puppies for SALE" at a street corner. He was trying to sell 5 little puppies. Once in a while he announced "puppies ...," "cute puppies make great pets... ," and once in a while he was busy tending passersby interested in the puppies.

"Why are you selling the puppies ?" some asked, which he replied "I was not allowed to keep any of them."
"How much for that puppy ?," "How much for the slightly bigger puppy ?," "How much for the one playing with the black ball ?," some asked, which he replied "10 each."
"What is wrong with that one ?," "Why is that puppy keep one of his feet up ?," "Why does it walk funny ?," some asked, which he replied "He is crippled from birth."

It was not long until the puppies are all sold except the cripple one.

The boy then drew an "X" on the label over the word "SALE" and started to write "ADOPT."
Once in a while he announced "puppy ...," "cute puppy make great pets... ," and once in a while he was busy tending passersby. But, despite his effort, none seemed to be interested in the cripple puppy.

Joyfully, the boy packed up his belongings. Put on a leash on the cripple puppy. Then they both walked home in a funny way.