MtM 52 – True agents of change

It is everyone’s duty to oppose inequality, injustice and discrimination wherever they are found. When people believe that suffering is inevitably built into a secret divine plan, they stop striving with passion and urgency to establish God’s will on earth. As much fatalistic Christian piety reveals, they resign themselves to what happens as being predetermined by a Father who knows best. They pray for patience to accept hardship rather than strength to advance mankind. They seek to be comforted, rather than to be agents of change. They implore divine protection, instead of the courage to shape the future. This submissive resignation reflects the piety sought in ancient times by Stoics, practitioners of Eastern religions and adherents to religious fatalism. It is not the spirit that inspires the faithful to strive boldly for a better world, no matter the personal cost. Spiritual maturity dawns with the awareness we are the instruments of God’s will.

Prayers might strengthen resolve, but are woefully ineffective in stopping evil and averting the injustice that blights human existence. Indeed, after worship and meditation, action must follow. Every one of us has the freewill to sign up for social activism. If we stop at prayers, we hamper progress because ours is a physical world shaped by action. It is written, when Isaiah heard the Lord ask, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” he replied “Here am I, Lord! Send me.” Faith in a higher power should embolden action, not diminish it. In the boot camp of spiritual formation, prayers and reflection prepare recruits for all elements of service: physical, mental and emotional. This is the basic training that arms us with the tools we need to perform the duties and make the sacrifices required in life. St. Paul urged us to take up bravely the spiritual armor of God, that we may be able to withstand evil and, having done that, stand even firmer.

Fortified by this spirit, namely a willingness to sacrifice for others, let’s rise to the challenges of our time with brotherly love. May we respond to the impulse beating at the core of our hearts, one that opens our eyes to social issues and urges us to fight for change. Let’s strengthen our desire for justice to flow like a mighty river, even if we must sacrifice our comfort to assist the destitute and downtrodden. The belief we should “love our neighbour like ourselves” cannot just reside in the mind. It demands concrete expression through engagement that transforms our community with unity, purpose and hope. We are both physical and spiritual beings, who cannot separate lifestyle from principles without loss of integrity. The joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of every neighbour, especially those who are struggling or in any way afflicted, these too are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of those who rise as true agents of change.

MtM 51 – Our miracle touchscreen

At work not a day goes by without friends showing more faith in prayer than I do. It’s hard to make the case that praying actually works. One family’s prayer might be answered in the search for a dream home, while another’s supplication for their life might go un-answered. While some people pray and marvel at nature’s abundance, others see calamity take everything mercilessly away. There are parents who pray for their children to be accepted at elite schools, while others plead for their children’s fading health. We believe that if we have faith and implore God from the bottom of our heart, then supernatural intervention is possible, if not likely. But can we demonstrate the power of prayers beyond our mundane lives? I am a believer, though I cannot help but think that divine intercession ought to be as universal as the gravity that holds planets in a dance, or as the forces that bind atoms. And yet the responses to prayers defy universality.

In the sphere of great evil, where innocents perish, children suffer and people are tortured, shouldn’t the saving hand of a caring God be easily witnessed? Where savagery terrorizes, disease ravages and life clings but by a thread, shouldn’t prayers be most effective? It may be true that saints intervene to miraculously heal illnesses, but aren’t there more meaningful ways to assert sovereignty? The concept of freewill explains much, but an inscrutable abyss remains in which believers capitulate to life’s arbitrariness. I hide my feelings when refugees insist, “God brought us here and he will show us the way forward!” I know this isn’t the Red Sea and there is no Moses to part waters and change the course of history. Around the world there are millions fleeing gross, flagrant and mass violations of human rights by wicked criminals. Enduring faith carries them forward and only fervent prayers stand between a terrible reality and future hope.

The issue of theodicy is too complex even for Scripture to explicitly offer conclusive answers. We must rethink the place of prayer in modern life, but we miss the point if we expect unequivocal explanations. What matters most is not how God responds to prayer, but how we do. The fact is prayers alter the human mind: they give courage, ignite hope and enliven the spirit. Prayers transcend suffering and despair to re-direct life. We may recall the Serenity Prayer, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” We may also reflect on St. Augustine’s advice, “Pray as though everything depended on God, work as though everything depended on you.” These wise petitions restore humanity’s power over our destiny and remove God’s finger from his miracle touchscreen. Now let’s consider the possibility that we are the answer to other people’s prayers.

MtM 50 – God’s work is truly our own

As I prepare my fiftieth “Minutes that Matter” I recall being invited in June 2010 to write reflections for this program. My first reaction was one of dismay, as I doubted I had anything to contribute. Despite my initial reluctance, this commitment has encouraged me to explore the beliefs and values that give a deeper meaning to my life. When I retired after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine the events that lay ahead. I turned away from a lucrative business to meet a personal challenge: after twenty years doing what was best for myself, I decided to devote the next twenty to doing what was best for the community. Call it a new vocation. Call it a midlife crisis. I had the financial independence to follow my wishes and the determination to try. Since then, I have developed an agency with a social impact and partnered with extraordinary people to extend a hand to those who have nobody else to turn to.

Profoundly grateful for everything this city has offered, it was time to show my appreciation in a meaningful way. When you reach personal goals, you evidently remain in the debt of the place that made it happen. At some point you might consider giving back. You could achieve this by directing your expertise towards a social cause close to your heart. Or you could show gratitude supporting programs that address poverty, discrimination and other unjust human conditions. A powerful way to leverage aid is to pay salaries for those in humanitarian services, which in the longterm greatly amplifies your personal engagement. Mankind is the only species that has built a civilization and this is because our actions enable beliefs to reach out and change the world. Since the challenges we encounter cannot be resolved by the same mindset that caused them, lasting change can only develop from the appreciation that on earth God’s work is truly our own.

Now, I wish to make a direct appeal to those who can make a difference in our community by prioritizing social needs over personal aspirations. Given that 8% of Hong Kong citizens are USD millionaires, there is no shortage of exceptional talent and disposable income in this prosperous city. Yours are the minds and hands needed to tackle collective problems. Yours are the skills and passion required in the public arena. Let’s break out of the 24/7 groove and seize the mantle of change. We can come together as more than the sum of our individual ambitions. It is proven that altruism fosters joy, so let’s strive for equal opportunity and quality of life for all. Four years of voluntary work have taught me that the antidote to egoism is engagement. When our blessings meet the needs of others, we experience the joy of uplifting other people’s dignity. It takes courage to take the first steps, but I assure you that nothing is more rewarding in life.

MtM 49 – Spreading ripples of hope

One splendid Sunday afternoon we took our daughter Mira to Shek-O beach for her very first encounter with the sea. As a pleasant autumn warmth replaced the scorching summer heat, we wanted her to experience the unique splendor of the ocean. Many carefree families had beat us to the waterfront and had happily staked out a sandy claim with colourful umbrellas and towels. Mesmerized by the infinite horizon, our one-year-old daughter promptly reacted with a joy that gladdened our hearts. She was powerless before such awesome marine magnetism. Soon, unconcerned with her safety, she waddled towards the sea as fast as she could. We didn’t expect to witness her daring escape towards the one element that puts the fear of God in the bravest of people. But there she was, dashing off on all-fours before our disbelieving eyes with fearless independence and dashing confidence – absolute freedom seemed to be in her reach.

Hers was a perfect expression of human potential: unchecked by fear, unfettered by worries and blissfully unaware of physical limitations. I thought, how wonderful it would be if everyone could approach life with such enthusiasm, enjoyment and energy! Not shrinking from fear and stress, not discouraged by doubt and anxiety, but striving for a better future and expecting a great outcome. We don’t consciously appreciated it, yet we have a choice about how we move through the moments of life with purpose. The difference is made by the subjective thoughts driving our mind and soul. As the world becomes a more challenging place, we must continue to appreciate excellence, integrity and idealism. It is written, “Unless you change and become like these little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Thus, mankind is energized and progress assured by the youthful zeal that approaches life with a passion most adults have forgotten.

When circumstances inspire reflection on our infinite surrounding, in the depth of  the human heart grows a yearning for truth that a lifetime fails to satisfy. This is beautifully expressed by man’s quest for answers in every field of knowledge. It is manifested strongly in the universal search for the meaning of life. When contemplating deep sea or deep space, we are spurred to ask fundamental questions: Where do I come from? Where am I going? What is the purpose of my life? How should I behave? Our beliefs inform thoughts that are expressed through choices. And there is one core belief at the root of every worldview – that we are all children of God. This concept summons a universal sense of empathy that sees ourselves in others, sharing a destiny beyond space and time. The answer to every existential question is this one love that binds us together, placing each at the service of others, while spreading ripples of hope across the world.

MtM 48 - The rights of man

An opinion is frequently expressed that income disparity is inevitable and poverty results from bad decisions. Instead, I believe poverty is a design issue. It is caused by lack of opportunity. All people are born with innate potential and each person is generally as capable as anyone else. Yet multitudes cannot afford to live a decent life, which obviously reveals unacceptable flaws in an unfair system. Poverty isn't internally generated. It is externally imposed by an arrangement that perpetuates exploitation. We are told this is a free economy, that people have limits, that wealth accumulation is natural, that only money-making drones know happiness. We are fed a worldview that exalts personal desires and is blind to the unwarranted suffering it spreads. This self-centered process shoves solidarity aside and offers no solution to social inequality. In fact, people can be selfless by nature but selflessness is unprofitable in the current economic system.

Inspiring philanthropic words are found in the Gospel of Matthew, where the Lord says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” This wisdom explicitly connects the wellbeing of others with our devotion to that which abides eternally. We cannot say we love God, if we don’t care for his people. The parable of the Good Samaritan reinforces that even enemies ought to be included among our beneficiaries. Humankind is a whole wherein no single person can ignore the suffering of others. What sets Christian charity apart is offering not just material aid, but empowerment. This relates to every act of assistance in which donors encourage and inspire receivers to achieve their own potential. With this support comes solidarity. With solidarity comes a friendship that affirms, “I suffer when you suffer. Please accept my help and allow me to share the heavy burden you carry!”

I discussed charity work with outstanding humanitarians who reinforced my core belief that the “rights of man” come not from the generosity of others, but from the hand of God. Those who struggle under an unjust system deserve access to community services. This viewpoint shifts the emphasis from giver’s obligation to beneficiary’s rights, while acknowledging that fate could have reversed any situation. This perspective avoids condescension by promoting acceptance of everyone’s centrality in a global village where nobody is left behind. With love and compassion we can redesign the social canvas to enhance social mobility, community integration and economic advancement for all of mankind. It is our mission to eradicate deep-rooted racism, marginalization and prejudice. It is our duty to promote an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy that extends impartially to all human beings, irrespective of circumstances of birth.

MtM 47 - Anchored to a higher purpose

By sidelining God as irrelevant and ineffective, today’s hedonistic culture exacerbates the keen ethical distress that since antiquity prompted man’s dialogue with the divine. In man there is a “Centre of Gravity” that must be anchored to a higher purpose and, when God is neglected, pulls like a magnet towards greed, lust and power. These emerge as active forces that misdirect mankind towards pleasure-seeking – promising greater happiness, yet failing to really satisfy. Enslaved by materialism, man abandons the spiritual link with who created him and loses his bearings. Pleasure, possessions and power do not address adequately man’s awe before the infinitely great, or his wonderment before horizons that surpass human understanding. As man is held captive by endless wishes and desires, he confronts a calamity greater than earthquakes, namely, spiritual dryness. This torment hampers potential and withers strengths and faculties.

Adrift without a bolder, higher meaning, human life becomes a missed opportunity: man drowns in regret for a past that was not, in sorrow for his present emptiness, and in sadness about his forlorn future. Instant gratification fails to fulfill man’s longing for something more profound, thus the present creates more remorse that ensnare the future. The result of exalting man as the ultimate purpose of reality, while censuring spiritual matters, is a miserable emptiness. Though the spiritual realm exists, it ceased to inspire man when he cut himself off from eternity to direct his interest solely towards what is material, sensory and unfulfilling. Once God is abandoned and man’s centre of gravity fails, then everything comes apart, crumbles and disintegrates. Modern man has no concern for “eternity”, which has no place among the cares of his heart. He lost this yearning when he acquired the false conviction that only his earthly existence matters.

When straddling the line that separates Darkness and Light, there are only two choices: either you turn your back to darkness and welcome the light, or you turn your back to light and plunge into darkness. When we shut our eyes to light, shielding them in the elbow crease, we renounce hope and the quest for Truth that elevates us upwards. By becoming insensitive and cynical, we allow the rulers of the world to smite idealism and entomb our dreams – and then the Soul sleeps a deep sleep, a sleep of death. Chronic diseases are never quickly healed. The only cure for this emptiness is “making community” with every person around us. This must be done with sincere friendship and genuine solidarity. There, we will find love and acceptance. There, we will abolish estrangement and renew a promise that springs from the soul to truly engage others. There, we will appreciate that to give others complete sympathy, we must first love their destiny

MtM 46 - When sparks fly

Prometheus is more than a movie blockbuster. In Greek mythology he was the crafty Titan credited with stealing Zeus’ fire for the benefit of humanity and thus enabling the progress of civilization. The power of fire was again stolen from nature’s vault, when James Watt made the first sparks fly from his steam engine, launching the Industrial Revolution. With the harnessing of electricity, carbohydrates and atoms, man’s hegemony grew hand-in-hand with his hubris – the extreme pride of being master of the planet. We have stolen from the gods not only fire, but the right to determine life through the use of reason, as if the origin of human intelligence was a tribute to our species. In the last two centuries – really just a blip in time – progress has been astonishing. Science and technology seem to guarantee boundless, unchallenged dominion over mankind’s reach. Reason appears to bend nature according to man’s every wish and command.

An exalted man has proclaimed supremacy over nature, celebrating self-sufficiency and the fulfillment of his plans, as if he breathed life into his own existence. Convinced of this mastery, man walks the earth proud of his ideas, whilst disregarding the mysteries of his own genesis. Man has become the measure of his surroundings and the source of the ethics implicit in his actions. The more this mindset spreads, the deeper God disappears, shunned as irrelevant. Secularism is the notion that man belongs to himself and to no one else. It is the presumption of total autonomy of destiny. An assertive and creative individual has no time to waste thinking about a God he cannot see. Pressed by burning desires, man is preoccupied and God is rendered pointless, if not a nuisance bounding people with meaningless covenants and commandments. Modern civilization doesn’t openly profess atheism, but to all effects this is the present reality.

Wrestling with the meaning of life, Einstein deeply wished for man to transcend individuality and experience the impenetrable mysteries of the universe that inspired his thinking. His rational mind appreciated that the universe, and the laws governing it, couldn’t simply be the product of chance. There are impossible probabilities for Chaos to flow seamlessly from the Big Bang to “you and me” without design. What this design might be is entirely a different story, though man stands in awe before the wonders that surround him, from galaxies and sunshine to flowers and babies. After launching machine into space – until recently the domain of celestial beings – man is convinced of being the centre of it all. He refuses to believe what he cannot see and this leaves him with an emptiness science alone cannot suitably fill. Dostoyevsky wrote, “The whole law of human existence lies in this, that man be able to bow down before the infinitely great.” 

MtM 45 - The siren call is inescapable

I stepped into the lift one morning to face six neighbours joining the city’s rush to work. Our eyes met, but nobody smiled, nor were any greetings exchanged. It felt oddly like there wasn't anybody in that bright, confined space, as if we were all apparitions of momentary annoyance. I don’t know where I picked up this bad habit. Why didn't I bother saying “Good Morning” even though nobody greeted me? Now, imagine being lost in a threatening forest, or being stranded on an unforgiving island, how thrilled we would be to encounter a fellow human being! However, when the village is stacked vertically into high-rises, we become indifferent to our neighbours and consider them a nuisance that holds the lift doors too long, or a noisy bother upstairs. The global village has contracted a disease of alienation and I just hope it isn’t a fatal one. A helpless indifference infected the heart of man and its pernicious roots are traced to early humanism.

Before the emergence of “the self-made man”, humanism substituted the ideal of personal success for the classical notion of sanctity that, elevated beyond reach, is still misunderstood. As a spiritual concept it used to inspire mankind toward something greater than itself, uniting all aspects of humanity by amalgamating cultural, intellectual and spiritual ideas. It wasn’t the exclusivity of super-humans, but an aspiration for what is greater than ordinary, a striving for personal excellence. Later the focus shifted from communal wellbeing to individual success and boundless honors were then given to personal achievements, attained in one field or expressed in another. From this point on, the dominant culture elevated private triumphs over the common good and the split endured till today. The result is a blatant celebration of the Successful Man, a cult of the individual raised as Caesar, emperor and even a demi-god worthy of public worship.

We needn’t look far to discover a sparkling constellation of exalted athletes, movie stars, internet titans and industrial giants, who placed hope in their own strengths, competed and won. Now what matters most is to make life a success, to be famous and receive acknowledgement, status and praise. The obsession is to win admiration at any cost, and it matters not whether it is on TV, in sports, the arts, politics or business. The siren call is inescapable, “Worthy of heaven are those who do great things on earth!” But what if one isn’t talented? What if circumstances aren’t favorable? What if one falls on bad times? Is there honor without worldly success? What’s the score outside the circles of opportunity? Are the sick and weak worth nothing? The seeds of many evils wait to germinate trampled by the feet of the Goddess of Fortune. May we cultivate a  community enriched by ideals of distributive giving and belonging, instead of individual rights. 

MtM 44 - Nature abhors a vacuum

Eighty years ago T.S. Eliot wrote, “It seems something has happened that has never happened before, though we know not just when, or why, or how, or where. Men have left God, not for other gods, but for no god. And this has never happened before. That men both deny God and worship gods, professing first reason, then money, and power, and what they call life, or race, or dialectic. The church disowned, the tower overthrown, the bells up-turned, what can we do, but stand with empty hands and palms turned upwards in an age which advances progressively backwards?” As for myself, I often hear family and friends, who are not quite professed atheists, remark scornfully, “I believe in God, but I don’t believe the church.” With scandals erupting from Rome to Rio, this loss of confidence is neither unjustified, nor unexpected. I hope their present discouragement won’t leave a spiritual void, as nature abhors a vacuum and rushes in to fill it.

The venerable poet’s words remain an effective description of the religious sphere in the West, where only 14% of Irish Catholics celebrate Mass and 17% of German Christians go to church. In my mind, fresh ways to nurture spirituality are desirable today because, after two millennia of traditional acceptance, we might be witnessing the death throes of institutional Christianity. Sadly, many believers have lost faith in sacramental life, which is reflected in the way people live, behave, communicate and prioritize their activities. Many diverging objectives drive the current way of thinking, search for happiness and possibility for hope. The same cannot be said about other faiths, yet modernity eroded the foundations that made Christianity a vibrant force of change for seventeen centuries. Notably, materialism has replaced the intangible, dogmatic virtues of “faith, hope and love” with more acceptable categories of reason, money and power.

Despite this, the personal freedom remains to chart our own course for each person must define his relationship with the divine. Six millennia ago, Mesopotamian paganism offered a profusion of more than two-thousand gods. The influence of polytheism was hard for monotheism to eradicate, though eventually man could not accepted the absurdity of capricious celestial beings. The idea of “One God” finally triumphed, yet today a new paganism is emerging. Man might have forgotten his ancient deities, but now he worships new ones without even bending a knee. Most commonly the human condition remains a lonely journey through doubt and despair, along which dreams are shattered one by one. The time when we can love and help others is as short as it is precious. May we remind our friends that each of us is carving a stone, erecting a column or cutting a piece of stained glass in a construction of something much bigger than ourselves.

MtM 43 - Connecting shores to stars

People live worrying constantly about the future. Some quite literally worry themselves sick. However, time ticks inexorably and never waits for those who disregard its preciousness. Let’s not forget the wonderful moments in our life. Let’s remember that amidst widespread dullness and dismay there are shining moments in everyone’s existence. These aren’t illusory flickering of the brain, but glimpses of a happiness that is rooted in reality. Most of all what’s missing is self-awareness, an appreciation of being truly, meaningfully alive. In those precious, brilliant moments of joy we experience the urge to reach out to others, to share, to offer understanding, acceptance, warmth, forgiveness and love. Christians are especially vulnerable to the mistaken notion that mankind is controlled by an angry god quick to punish people when they sin. Though the message across time is one of graciousness, kindness, compassion and delight in mankind.

In the first millennium B.C. an intellectual awakening blossomed across the globe. It wasn’t a coincidence this awareness occurred simultaneously across distant lands: Israel of the prophets, Greece of Socrates and Plato, China of Confucius and Laotze and Persia of Zoroaster. These new thinkers condemned the old, shackling religions and raised human consciousness to a level where divine dialogue was inspired by friendship and joy – not submission and fear. At last this outlook rejected pagan beliefs and eventually recognized the Most High as wise, compassionate and genuinely interested in human happiness and development. This global movement lifted the darkness that trapped mankind under the capricious thumb of inscrutable deities. It also paved the way for religion to create a new synthesis with reason. When people truly appreciated their fate wasn’t any more in the gods’ hands, but in their own, a radically new mindset flowered.

Once the gods were relieved from determining human fate, soon good and bad spirits were also banished. People realized their religious sense must coincide with their search for meaning. There followed a rebirth of vocation in relation to this quest for purpose. Man began to evaluate the passing and ephemeral, against the timeless and meaningful. Man wondered about life’s purpose as he fluctuated restlessly between happiness and sorrow, between dread and hope. The connection between “me” and “eternal” couldn’t be ignored any longer and was pursued with unparalleled urgency. However, enduring questions remained unanswered, for reason alone could not pierce the veil between temporal and spiritual without intuition. So mankind began constructing intellectual bridges to connect human shores to distant stars. Today, there are countless arches rising, from light to light, to a destiny that hasn’t been fully unlocked by us.