Tree of Knowledge vs. the Tree of Life

If the fruit tree of knowledge (that would make you a genius) was right in front of you and its bright red fruits were staring into your face

But a sign nailed upon the tree said:

 What would you do?

a) Look around, make sure there is no one, grab a fruit, pocket it, walk away like nothing happened.
b) Whip out your phone and call your best friend for consultation.
c) Stand there contemplating until someone else comes and then you observe what THey would do. (yeah let someone else do the thinking)
d) Obey the instruction but snap a photo of the tree with the sign and post it up on facebook to get comments.
e) Obey the instruction cz u're afraid it'll be poisonous.
f) Not eat the fruit simply bcz the sign told u not to and make nothing out of it.

Guess Eve didn't have a phone or a camera at that point of time :P

so what's this about? ok not about a serpent or apples or Adam's apples.

just a short illustration about something I listened to about 1 year back that inspired me.

The Tree of Knowledge vs. the Tree of Life.


The fruit of the tree of knowledge teaches us how to differentiate the right and the wrong. Now in real life, most of the time when you're thrown into some situation where you have to do some form of decision making, your mind goes 'so is this right or wrong?'
Should I tell audrey she's got bak kua stuck in her teeth. xP
Should I tell him Thank you that was an awesome speech.
Should I thank the cleaner for keeping the school spick and span.
I'm already late for the movie! Should I help that stranger cross the road.
Should I offer prayer to the friend or patient who's in distress and need.

Would I be too kepo?
Would I be rude?
Would she think I'm weird?
Would I get cheated?
Is this out of the norm?
Would he think 'Eww who's this girl?
I ccc...cccant miss the beginning of that movie!

and we hesitate. and decide whether it's right or wrong. we're afraid of being judged. sometimes we end up doing what we initially thought of doing, but more than often we dismiss the thought as 'nah that's crazy' and walk away.

The fruit from the Tree of Life on the other hand tells us to not think too much. It says 'If you think it brings life, go ahead and do it!'
In other words, just ask yourself: Does it bring life?
What's the worst that can happen anws?
He might be thinking, who's this? but his life is changed knowing what he shared impacted someone and he's encouraged to do even more.
The people in the longgg queue behind you may have to wait an extra minute, but you touched the life of the lady in need when you prayed for her.
You walk away thinking if your money went to proper use, but perhaps the old man didnt have to go hungry that day.
Your friend might not believe in your prayer, but it might have just brought an inch of comfort to her, knowing that you care.

So let's eat from the tree of life =D crunch munch.


This was shared by Ps. Steve Cioccolanti.

(though of course we need to practise vigilance in today's world when lots of syndicates exist to squander the unknowing. i'd say, trust your instincts)


Owh, n to the question above, I think I'd answered b. Whip out my phone! SOS girlfriend decision making emergency!! =P

Behind That All

Cruising past the Cheras football stadium seeing throngs of foreigners for the past 1 week plus really stirred up some curiosity. Initial curiosity turned into an assumption. My head screamed 'What is the gov doing now?? Giving Msian citizenship to another few thousands of foreigners? Don't we have enough poverty stricken Msians in rural areas who need help?? What... la..' Pushed that thought aside, continued on with the rest of the week. Week 2, the flood of ppl outside the stadium was still there. like. err.. seriously what's going on? Decided I should google it up and to.my.surprise, it wasn't the gov dishing out citizenship or granting another few thousands of ppl legal working status in the country, it was just UNHCR registering Myanmar refugees and giving them the refugee card as asylum seekers.

Now, it's an endless debate about to what extent the government should help foreigners. On one end, it's about humanitarian rights. Giving these refugees the right to live in a peaceful secure environment and let their families receive proper education, medical help and growth, js like any other human being. They deserve to wake up each day and go to bed each night with peace and security. However, at the other end of the spectrum, there are limitations to how much quality of life the gov can provide them, its management of finances and resources having its own issues and having a duty towards its own countrymen. I see it esp more so in the area of medical supply distribution.

Now lots of these asylum seekers suffer from chronic medical conditions esp infections and require treatment - antibiotics, surgery etc which they can hardly afford, (and yes they have poor birth control records) and it's heartless for the hospital / doctors to turn them away bcz they can't afford to pay the bills. somehow or rather, the gov still subsidises a part of their medical treatment. they pay a lot more, but it's still subsidised. On the other hand, our hospitals have a quota on how much money they're allocated each year, limiting the amount of medication and equipment they can buy. We thrive on generic drugs (cheaper locally made drugs that are chemically equivalent to those made overseas) and the better (and more expensive) drugs are limited. Doctors have to decide say between patient A and B, who has a worse condition and deserve the better drug.

That's the healthcare dilemma. There's much more to it of course, but I won't go there. :)

Random episode no. 2: Accidentally dozed off during one of the seminars one of the afternoons. What can be sweeter than having your friend wake you up and offer you a sweet to reawaken your senses. :) (ok I didnt mean to fall asleep -Sorry! and the point was to highlight the thoughtfulness of the friend and not the falling asleep part.) (over defensive mode on grins) xP

Been reading clinical practise guidelines on hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol the past weeks. It definitely hit the panic button in me. I started jogging after.... not.... setting... foot.. in the park js across the hospital for the past err... 3-4 months?? Panic!!! Instantly remembered someone telling me: What you eat now is what you'll become 10 years down the line. Eeeks! Exercise alert! Run for your lives ppl!

Random thought no.4: I never.ever.ever. get bored of going to the Paddington's House of Pancakes. :D absolutely favourite-test place! they have pancakes in nearly every item on their menu. sweet / savoury.

Lately some of us would have heard about the Do the Dappan Deepavali greeting Petronas came up with that sparked an outcry from the public. Forgive me for my ignorance. I initially watched it and thought it was great! the dancing, catchy music, colours and people. loved it and thought it was a twist to previous Petronas adverts that usually tweak our emotions if not bring tears to our eyes. I even shared it on my wall. Upon further insight, I found out it actually angered a lot of ppl, esp Hindus who felt it was a misrepresentation of the true meaning of Deepavali. i quickly removed it from my wall. Oops... really sorry..! if i'd offended any1. guess it was a good intention by Petronas that didn't go well. but i do understand why ppl feel so strongly about it. Religion afterall goes down very deep if not make up a major part of some ppl's lives-including myself. :)

Random thoughts aside, have a good weekend! and Happy Deepavali to the Hindu devotees! :)