Thick Face, Black Heart

I'm currently reading this book " Thick Face, Black Heart" by Ching Ning Chu. My uncle lent it to me when I went back to my grandma's place in Ipoh recently. The title " Thick Face, Black Heart" struck me as someone vicious or sinister. Is this self-improvement book for real? How can it use such a aggressive title? haha.. but as I started reading a few pages of it, I found it to be a really insightful book . It talks about cultivating or rather discovering this diving being in all of us. This divine being is known as our higher self or simply inner voice. It is always pure, focused and clear in its objectives. It upholds important moral values such as integrity, compassion and determination, and letting this inner voice of ours guide us in our lives is the way to a fulfilling and happy life. This higher self can be represented by both the " Thick Face" & " Black Heart" . Thick face in being self-confident and having faith in oneself in spite of naysayers. Black Heart in executing actions for the greater good even if it means sacrificing a few people.

Some of the author's theories and ideologies are thought-provoking, although I didn't agree with all of them since they are a matter of her own perspective. One idea which resonates with me is the part on" detachment". She talked about being detached to our possessions - material or intangible. Being detached means being indifferent to it. We must not let our possessions possess us. The only way to not get disappointed about not having something is to NOT want it the first place. This is similar to buddha's teaching of not being attached to things and people around us. The more we attach ourselves to the people and things around us, the more we suffer when they leave us. I have talked about it in my previous post and I was in a dilemma because as much as I want to avoid pain and achieve enlightenment, I did not want to live a life void of intense emotions and feelings. If we only have one life, why not live it to the extreme? Ha ha..I'm being a bit idealistic I know. Anyway hearing the same theory from another author gave me a new insight into this issue.

Maybe we should WANT things, be it material possessions, experiences or relationships.
We should have dreams and desires because they give us hope to continue striving through life.
We should open ourselves to new experiences and people. Say YES like how Jim Carrey did in the YES Man movie because going out of our comfort zone makes us grow and may lead us to new experiences which may potentially change our lives forever. What we should not attach ourselves to is the result of how things turn out in the end. Do you notice that sometimes in life, the more we want something, the more it escapes us? Like how the more we chase happiness, the more elusive it becomes? Sand falls faster through the cracks in our hand the tighter we clutch onto it.

Let life take its natural course and have faith in ourselves. Do honest work to the best of our ability, and if things do not turn out as expected, do not wallow in self-pity or turn pessimistic about life. You never know..it might be a blessing in disguise and things might turn out better than expected in the end.;)