Oon Yeoh

The other day I had lunch with my friend Fariha. Because I was am currently adopting a vegetarian diet, I gave the piece of fish in my curry set lunch to her. I just ate the vegetables.

She mentioned that it must take a lot of will power to maintain a vegetarian diet. I told her when it's will power alone, it's very tough and I could never do it. I've tried being a vegetarian in the past and it never lasted. The reason is that back then I was relying on will power alone. In my mind, I still craved for meat. So temptation was always there.

The difference this time is that I had decided I really don't want to eat meat anymore. So, the issue of temptation isn't there. Of course as a long-time carnivore there are occasions when you crave for meat but it's quickly overridden by the desire not to consume it.

So, having the right mindset goes a long way. This applies in everything you do. When you rely on willpower alone, it's tough. Throw in the right mindset and it suddenly becomes doable.

Last night I had a chat with my old friend Chie. We are both cognizence that we are now leaving the summer of our lives and entering autumn. This is a time when most people experience mid-life crisis, marked by a search for an undefined dream or goal, a deep sense of remorse for goals not accomplished and a need to spend more time alone or with certain peers.

In a nutshell, it's when you suddenly feel a sense of loss, an empty feeling.

These days, mid-life crisis is hitting individuals at a younger and younger age. I know two magazine editors who want to quit their jobs in order to do something more fulfilling. And they are just pushing 30 each!

Chie, however, doesn't have any signs of mid-life crisis. Although he has just quit his job to do something new he has none of that empty feeling. The reason is religion. He happens to be a Christian and he says that his relationship with God is what keeps him fulfilled.

Jesus once said that man cannot live by bread alone, and it's true. Although that other thing besides bread could be different things to different people. For Christians, it's the word of God.

As a Buddhist one can start by improving oneself and practicing the teachings in daily life. That alone will keep you plenty busy! It's not easy being a Buddhist. But it keeps you on the straight and narrow. And it does lead to contentment.

I just learned of a wonderful new quote from my new friend Zen:

Just think how happy you would be if you lost everything you have right now, and then got them all back again.

That quote is about gratitude. It reminds us to be grateful for all that we have in this world -- which we so easily take for granted.

All too often, we don't fully appreciate the things we have until it's too late. Don't let that happen. Always count your blessings and treasure the good things in life.

Whenever I have business meetings in the evening, I always prefer to do it over coffee rather than dinner.  If I'm discussing business, I want to give that discussion my undivided attention - the last thing I want is to be distracted by food.

If I'm eating, I want to enjoy my meal. So, I don't read a book while eating, I don't even read a newspaper. I focus on the food. When you focus on eating, you appreciate the food more. You don't take it for granted. You are grateful that you have something that is nourishing and if it's tasty, that's a real added bonus.

Ironically, now that I've gone vegetarian - I actually savor food more than ever. My choice of food is severely limited unless I go to a vegetarian restaurant. In normal eating outlets there are very few choices so I just have to go with whatever vegetable options they have. Often, that's very little. But I appreciate it and I savor it.

Ajahn Brahm once used food as an analogy for life. He says in order to relish the taste of your food, and to know life in its full glory, we should often savor one moment at a time. Then, we might get our money's worth in the five-star restaurant called life.

Ajahn Chah (the teacher of Ajahn Brahm) was a world renowned monk who lived in Thailand. People from all over the world went to Thailand to seek an audience with him, to learn from his wisdom.

Once, there was a young Australian who went to Thailand to try to learn some life lessons from Ajahn Chah. When he got to he monastery he was very excited, especially as he huddled into the room where Ajahn Chah was speaking.

But the room was crowded and he had no chance to go near the great teacher. He figured, there was no way he could ask any questions, so dejected, he left the room and headed out the monastery.

On the way out, he saw some old monks sweeping the grounds. He decided to generate some good karma for himself and picked up a broom to help the old monk.

Suddenly, he felt someone tapping his shoulder. That someone was none other than Ajahn Chah himself, who smiled and gave the young man a piece of advice that would change his life forever in a very profound way.

Ajahn Chah said to him, "When you sweep, give it everything you've got."

The young Australian understood immediately and he began to sweep like he never swept before. He did it with great care and he did it wholeheartedly. After he left Thailand, he took that philosophy and applied it to everything he did. 

When he worked, he gave it everything he got. When he played, he gave it everything he got. And when he rested or simply did nothing, he did that with everything he got!

This story reminds me of an incident when my editor asked me to write a critical commentary about a certain politician who was displaying great hubris and hypocrisy.

"Give it all you've got," he said in an SMS. "I always do," I replied.