Who Are We?

Between The Planet Sizes – lies the puny Man who thinks he is greater than God.

Homo sapiens first began to appear nearly 200,000 years ago as the early Neanderthals. And today, we all share a common home call planet Earth with whatever organisms existing rightfully together with us.



Planet Earth is fascinating because it stands gigantic compare to the other four planets in the Milky Way. It is a big world indeed we are living in!

When the other planets in the same galaxy are compared, planet Earth is humbled by its own size.

We make no difference as homo sapiens because there is none too great that cannot fall!

We all live the life where death is inevitable, and life is too short for trivialities. Should everyone be given the right to live in peace, be it from what religious background or political beliefs?

I know fairly well that religions should not mingle with politics, but the correlation is important because that is what we are made to be as the human species.

I would like to give my opinion, by comparing the planets, religious and political beliefs and the worst kind of species some homo sapiens are!

I am a descendant of the first man formed of earth. In my mother's womb I was moulded into flesh in a ten-month period, body and blood, from the seed of man, and the pleasure that accompanies marriage. And I too, when born, inhaled the common air, and fell upon the kindred earth; wiling, I uttered that first sound common to all. (Bible, Wisdom Book, 7:1-2).

Yes, we breathe the same air to live and with the same purpose to survive. We came into being and emerge to the world in the same way. We all need food, shelter and clothing - our physiological needs, in fact we have to look further from such basic needs.

Humans cannot live with only food, shelter and clothing but more than that which most of us refused to take notice about is compassion.

What is the purpose of life? I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want to suffer. From the very core of our being we simply desire contentment. (Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual and political leader, Voices from the Heart).

When there is no happiness then suffering emerges that manifested through emotional, psychological or physical reactions.

We cannot ask for happiness neither can we escape from suffering. It all boils down to our own makings. And the most important of all is how we choose to be, even at the most trying situation. When we can differentiate what is right from wrong, then respect is earned no matter how hopeless it may seem to be.

The present Perak political upheaval between the two “mentri besars” has to an extent brings the “suffering” to Malaysians on the whole, and not only to the Perakians. Why is that so you may ask, and the simple answer is that are we not the same “anak bangsa Malaysia” or “1Malaysia” as have been promulgated to all Malaysians?

If 1Malaysia is only rhetoric then might as well forget about it, otherwise it has to start from the top and make it a reality!

So, to the legitimate “mentri besar” we have this to say to you: It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust. By Samuel Johnson.

Without planet Sun, all living things will not exist. It is the recognition of the truth that will set humans free from their parochial way of thinking. No one human is greater than the other and comparing to the size of the Sun, planet Earth is just a puny dot, so to the lives that live in it.

To scientists we are beings whose behaviours are largely determined by genes.

We are survival machines - robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This is a truth which still fills me with astonishment. Richard Dawkins, English biologist, The Selfish Gene

Sociological perspective of who are we it is largely dominated by our own ideas and dreams.

We are in the hands of those gods, those monsters, those giants: our thoughts. Victor Hugo. 1802-1885, French writer, Quatre vingt-treize

Philosophical perspective is to be aware of mortality, instincts rather than urges, reason rather than passion, thoughts rather than fantasies and wisdom rather than anger.

All that threatened the cave man - dangers, darkness, famine, thirst, ghosts, demons – all has passed to the interior of our souls, all troubles us, grieves us, threatens us from inside. E. Morin, French philosopher and sociologist, Method V.

Our positive or negative thoughts, and the way we see the world and ourselves, determine our happiness - without a direct dependence on objective causes. Indian saint Guru Nana

Where is planet Earth? Even the Sun is beyond comparison to Sirlus leaving Arcturus aside. We, as human beings are so “fragile” in existence yet we wage wars against each other. Creating misery to ourselves is endless and it is all because of greed.

Let us try to understand the wisdom and what Dalai Lama has to say about the most interesting philosophies of life.

- The key to a happier world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology. All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities.

- We should devote our most serious efforts to bringing about mental peace. From my own limited experience, I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion.

- The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease.

- Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister.

- I try to treat whomever I meet as an old friend. This gives me a genuine feeling of happiness. It is the practice of compassion.

Dalai Lama,Tibetan spiritual and political leader, Voices from the Heart

Antares is the 15th brightest star in the sky and it is more than 1000 light years away! The human mind will desire for the unthinkable and we may not even with an iota of hope to explore Antares. It is because how can humans try to accomplish something that big, not realising that life is made up of little things?

All those little virtuous things inside us are left sedentary or rather overlooked yet what we want is to greed.

The main cause for all the ills of any country and every country is the present democratic system of governance which allows "corruption" of all forms to thrive unchecked.

It is because of greed and selfishness that are eating into the social fabric of our society. Our sense of purpose has changed to hurtful, traumatic and stressful events and it will take years to heal such wounds.

It is all about selfish and brutish people. They are oblivious to the negative consequences of their actions ultimately abuse the patience, trust, and goodwill of all who believe in the system to satisfy their petty whims.

Greedy people get together and start a rebellion movement using democracy as their tool for their selfish gain. This becomes possible when power is concentrated in the hands of a few who manipulate the nation's political, judicial, police and economic institutions.

To eradicate corruption, the present democratic system of governance, where full power to make final decisions ultimately rests in the hands of one person, must be changed.

The only way to salvage a country is to change the present system of governance to one that is truly democratic where the final decision-making power will rest on Parliament (the decision making supreme body of a country) that will benefit everyone other than the crooked politicians.

Should we look beyond the stars for democratic institutions guided by true democratic principles, the rule of law and justice? No! We do not have to, but to get rid of all the corrupted politicians and usher-in a new era of a corrupt-free society in the country.

...when we finally know we are dying, and all other sentient beings are dying with us, we start to have a burning, almost heartbreaking sense of the fragility and preciousness of each moment and each being, and from this can grow a deep, clear, limitless compassion for all beings. Sogyal Ripoche.

I can still live in peace because within me lies the hope and belief that the good will triumph over evil and where virtue hides no lies.

Those who cause unpeace, should live in unpeace. Outer peace should be proportional to inner peace, to one's peace of mind. This is natural justice. As you sow so shall you reap. Lime seeds give lime fruits. Christer Olsen.

So, who are we?