Inspirations 005 -- Being Myself

Being Myself

by Thomas Heng

Who would I be

If I didn't say what I mean?
What good external piety
If deep within I'm unclean?
A confession proclaimed
Or one silently professed
The goose and the gander
Both equally ad-dressed
Pronouncements are but vanity
Prescriptions of insanity
Minions remain not blind
To the suffering of our kind

I'm not a role model
I'm not a saint
I'll share with you what I believe
But I can't be what I ain't

Inspirations 004 -- The Weight of Values

Something I wrote to keep me on an even keel...

The Weight of Values

by Thomas Heng

See; but look deeply

Hear; but listen carefully

Know; but discern critically

Fear; indeed fear God
Fall; but get up
Cry; but wipe the tears away
Laugh; but guide firmly
Teach; but learn more than twice
Be; but be complete
Let the eyes look neither up nor down
for the self is level and true
Let the head turn neither left nor right
for it is but the slave of those who see
Let the ears suffer neither praise nor strife
for these lead to meaningless distraction
Let the lips serve the pure heart
for truth resounds from within
The way of the body is neutral to Creation
Yet the way of the soul is Perfection renewed

Inspirations 003 -- Who is My Neighbour?

This is an original piece that I wrote to keep me focused on what is truly important in my life -- people. To bear in mind that my mission is to love others as I love myself.

Who Is My Neighbour?

by Thomas Heng

The father who toils day and night
The mother whose smile, radiant and bright
The brother who marries at age twenty nine
The sister who lusts after song and wine
The teacher who challenges and guides
The student whose entire hope frailly rides
The migrant who in English will not speak
Yet in other tongues will his discourse not be weak
The elderly soul whose wrath afflicts all
The feminine bigot who fears walking tall
The young couple, whose love transcends all strife
The dame, singly focused on reconciliation with life
The soul within, that houses all I know
The one person through which all love will flow

Inspirations 002 -- The Gift of Love

The Gift of Love

by Thomas Heng

You can love me, but I must make me happy
You can teach me, but I must do the learning
You can guide me, but I will have to walk that path
You can coach me, but I must win that game
You can promote me, but I must be successful
And you can even pity me, but I will have to bear the sorrow
For the gift of love is not the food that feeds me
It is the sunshine that nourishes what I must finally harvest for myself
So if you love me, don't just sing me your song
Teach me to sing, for when I'm alone, I will need the melody

Inspirations 001 -- Lessons of Life

I came across these few short but profound sentences somewhere, and I've changed some of the phrasings for easier reading (hopefully you will agree, but it looks alright to me!) 

I feared being alone until I learned to like myself.

I feared failure until I realised that I truly fail only when I don't try.

I feared success until I realised that I had to go for it in order to be happy with myself.

I feared people's opinions until I learned that people would have opinions about me anyway.

I feared rejection until I learned to have faith in myself.

I feared pain until I learned that it's necessary for growth.

I feared the truth until I saw the ugliness in lies.

I feared life until I experienced its beauty.

I feared death until I realised that it's not an end, but a beginning.

I feared my destiny, until I realised that I had the power to change my life.

I feared hate until I saw that it was nothing more than mere ignorance.

I feared love until it touched my heart, making the darkness fade into the radiance of truth.

I feared ridicule until I learned how to laugh at myself.

I feared growing old until I realised that I gained wisdom with each passing day.

I feared the future until I realised that life just kept getting better. 

I feared the past until I realised it could no longer hurt me.

I feared the dark until I saw the beauty of the starlight.

I feared the light until I learned that the truth would give me the strength.

I feared change until I saw that even the most beautiful butterfly had to undergo a metamorphosis before it could fly.