20-22 Covid-19 Daily Reflections

  Humanity! What do we mean when we use that word? Are we talking about ourselves in vague concepts? Philosophers might have other clever ideas. So we can be content with our own inept. Can we change for the better? Many schools of thought have indicated that. History seems to tell us otherwise. We just get better with our evil crafts. How are men like Putin can have access to incredible power? They cannot do it alone. We cannot fight against unjust aggression with any meaningful resolution, because we cannot find moral certainty with our immoral drones. Sanction we say and more negotiation we offer. No leader in the world now can lead the fight for undeniable justice. People of Ukraine feel the abandonment from the rest of Europe. Others stand close to them and watch their nation shredded into pieces. Voices of corrupted leaders will echo each other. They proclaim they will stand for democracy, knowing they ignore the voice of their people. We are heading towards a global trend of...

Watching the news about the war in the Ukraine triggers my own memories of war in 1968 when North Vietnam Army attacked many parts of the South at the beginning of Lunar New Year. Please keep on praying for peace and protection. Wake up, wake up! What is that noise? Mom, what is happening? No time my son, we need to move. The sky suddenly lights up; it is frightening. Dad, where are the others? Not to worry, they are already in the bunker. We see flickering flames down the road. I fall forward because of an explosion greater than thunder. Leaving the light and entering a dark tunnel I can hear crying but see nothing. Are you OK? Someone asks. It is now war and only the beginning. I need to pee; a boy tells his mom. Not now, we need to wait for the rocketing to stop, she says. My mind starts wandering away from my immediate time and space. Dream about peace so I wouldn't be afraid. 2 Corinthians 4:18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is ...

My heart is both heavy and angry. Western leaders are acting like cowards in the face of evil. Have we learned anything from history? Nothing can be more surreal than the madness we see. The mad man proclaims that he wants to restore the corrupted USSR legacy. One of human rights violations and depravity of human values. Now he gives his finger at democracy. He walks as if he is king. His words are full of deceit and meaningless. It is time for decent folks of the world to stand up. To show how the worldwide community can be at its best. We will not allow madness to prevail. Our hearts are with the Ukrainian people. We will not be indifferent towards charades of evil. We will fight a good fight, and our spirit won't be feeble. He has played us with his deceitful words. Some of our leaders have fallen for them. Now is the time for courage and truth. So he may soon discover his own mayhem. Psalm 9: 9 "The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times ...

  I never claim to be a poet so please bear with me as I got up early yesterday morning to the news of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Open our eyes, and what do we see? Fear and uncertainty mixed with prayers Seeking the peace of our heart Our emotion has many layers Open our ears, and what do we hear? Far-away explosions, fighter jets in the sky, and tanks rumbled the boulevard. Are they really coming? we ask Indeed our uninvited guests will soon be in our backyard. Open our soul so we might feel God. Death and suffering are more than what we can fathom. Protect us from the intent of evil. Let us not be held as ransom. Open our hearts to receive Your Presence. Count not on the promise of this world. We claim on your assurance. Light will pierce Darkness like a sword. Romans 8: 37-38 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any ...

  My niece resigned from Quebec Health as a dietitian because she had become sick and tired of the hypocrisy and caring towards seniors. She told me that everyone was in an uproar about the lack of accountability and support for nursing homes in our country. Not much has changed. It appears as if we are content to let things be. Getting rid of our unborn babies at one end and intentionally terminating our seniors at the other end seems to be the perfect solution to reduce the world population. The truth is they don't have anything with the world population. They might have something to do with us. Consumption might be the first question we need to examine. Everyone talks about the environment these days, and no one seems to be open to the idea that we have to learn how to consume less if we really care about the environment. Young people are very keen on carbon footprint. Yet, many don't seem to have any struggle in traveling the world and having destination wedding...

  I think I mentioned the comment I heard from a Chinese scholar about why Americans should not remove God in their pursuit of democracy before. President Ronald Reagan also said something similar to that.  I  think that comment is also applicable to our Canadian democracy. Our political leaders have lost their ways of leading our nation as they decide to show a total disregard for God. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’.”  (Psalm 14: 1) What are the outcomes of that foolishness? We assume that God takes no interest in human affairs. The opposite is actually true. There will be a day of reckoning for all whom God has given responsibility in public life. Ungodliness will not go unnoticed because God is God. We think we can keep thoughts and desires secret, and God will not know them. Nothing is hidden from God. He knows our thoughts before we are able to acknowledge them. Leaders who think that their crooked plans will not be revealed are in for a rude sur...

  Now let us move to another tyrant, Vladimir Putin, who has ordered Russian troops to enter Ukraine in a "peace mission"" in Eastern Ukraine after claiming to acknowledge two separate regions. Ukraine's president did not accept any territorial concession with Russia. We need to pray that a major war won't take place. It might appear impossible, but God will overcome deception and evil craftiness. We are left with two options when we pray. God will either change him or replace him. We need to pray that the Ukrainian people will remain in unity in the face of oppression. War is an ugly business, and there will be plenty of suffering when that happens. We need to pray for protection and provision for the government leadership, the church and the people. We need to pray that the people of Russia have the discernment to recognize the real reason why Putin wants to do this. Pray that they will also speak up and fight for the truth. Pray that people will sp...

  Mr. Trudeau shared an account of an incident he experienced with his father while delivering the eulogy at his father's funeral. He was with his dad, who was the Prime Minister at the time, in the cafeteria of the Parliament when he showed disrespect jokingly toward one of the chief rivals of his father. His dad corrected him sternly: "Justin, we never attack the individual. We can be in total disagreement with someone, without denigrating them as a consequence." His father then took Justin to introduce him to this man. The man was the Opposition Leader. They had a brief talk. He then summarized the lesson he learned from his dad on that day: “Because simple tolerance, mere tolerance, is not enough. We need genuine and deep respect for each and every human being, notwithstanding their thoughts, their values, their beliefs, their origins." He went on to say: “That’s what my father demanded of his sons, and that’s what he demanded of his country.” Respect...

  Does our Prime Minister steal the playbook from the Russian government when dealing with the trucker convoy in Ottawa? Since 2012, Russian authorities have applied the following approaches or reasons to take away the freedom of expression of their people. "Threats to the state security" : As we listen to our PM carefully, we can hear the same message. "Public stability" : As if he really cares about the stability of our economy. He has divided Canada more than any Prime Minister.  "Restrictions to online expressions" : Police have visited people who express their support for the trucker convoy in FB at their residences (invasive surveillance online activities). "Target political opposition" : There is no doubt that the truckers are not fond of his policies. Our government has threatened financial supporters of these truckers to freeze their bank accounts. "Attack on civil society" : People are no longer free to disagree with one anoth...

  It is rather interesting to see how our government decides to go about quenching the trucker protest. It wants to  follow the money  as the Deputy Prime Minister proudly announced a few days ago. It is one of the gross violations of personal privacy in this country. Freezing bank accounts of people who support these truckers is another abusive exercise of power. Here is my submission to the government and all of the MPs in Ottawa on how we should follow their money: All politicians should allow an independent body to examine their personal and immediate family investment portfolios. We need to be sure that they have not benefited by either direct influence or kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies, their subsidiaries, and suppliers. I am not interested in conspiracy theory. However, we can easily overcome conspiracy with transparency. We need to be sure that there is no collusion between our government and corporate businesses. When that exists, we have a new form of f...

  What do you see in this picture? This was painted by Charla Maarschalk. She is an artist who lives in Kelowna. I got to know her when she was a student at the University of Calgary. What do I see? A sad eye reflects very little of what she sees at that moment. It is a hopeless and lifeless eye. It can see but fail to understand. It is baffled by the evil it sees. It is looking for what we have lost. It is a fearful and longing eye. The mouth is covered, and it has no voice. It wants to scream, but it has no permission to do so. It stays silent in defiance. The blue color expresses increasing darkness and receding light. It brings about a sense of mystery. It encourages us to look beyond what is obvious. It is a mystery that tells us God is in control. This painting describes the deep feeling I have about our nation considering what has been going on during the last few weeks. The contrast between darkness and light. The reflection between what is seen and unseen. The tension betw...

Any leader would know some fundamental approaches while dealing with conflicts. Somehow these steps have been either avoided or denied by the current leadership of our federal governments. Our leaders would prefer calling people names and using accusatory language while dealing with those who disagree with them. Now they call for more power to deal with these folks by force. It is a dangerous and slippery approach for any leader of the free world to take. Let us revisit some of these steps. Talk with the other person(s). These are Canadians who love this country. Focus on behavior and events. Acknowledge their frustration. That is why they came to Ottawa. Listen carefully. I am not sure they know what this means. Our PM loves to hear his own voice. Identify points of agreement and disagreement. There is always more than one stand in any issue. Prioritize the areas of conflict. Why full vaccinated truckers become the issue when many scientists seem to conclude that the impac...

  This picture is from a test sent to parents in the public school system in Manhattan, NY. They had to put themselves into one of the categories which they thought described them the best.     I am baffled because I am not sure how it is going to help anyone to overcome their racism by doing this exercise? It might create the opposite response. I am concerned about the lack of wisdom behind this attempt. Some white folks are racist ones in the world.  Some Asian folks are guilty of prejudice as well. Should I try to create The 8 Yellow Identities? Yellow Supremacist: Math Yellow Voyeurism: Karaoke and Dancing Yellow Privilege: Music Yellow Benefit: Business Yellow Confessional: Sports (Basket Ball Especially) Yellow Critical: Mixed Marriages Yellow Traitor: Mother Tongue Deficiency Yellow Abolitionist: Diet (No More Noodle Dishes) OK, now it is your turn to create your own 8 identities for your roots. You might want to ask which one is my Yellow Identity? Maybe all ...

What we are dealing with now has very little to do with the vaccine mandate alone. It is about how a government has lost its trust in people after it introduced a series of unjust legislation. The anger we see is about how our government has become coercive and treated its people. The lack of wisdom is evident in how the Prime Minister manages this crisis. We don't have a democracy if we don't have law and order. We also lose our democracy if we don't have the freedom to object to the law based on our conscience. We don't have to agree to live together in a democratic society. However, that is not what we have seen recently. When we take their stand on a moral issue, we have to face threats by this very government to be banned, marginalized, and punished. Law and order will be coercive in the absence of righteousness. It is time for the government to introduce a plan of taking down the various restrictions concerning the pandemic. It is no point to demand a specific gro...

The truth is I am nowhere close to being romantic, so Feb 14th is rather challenging. Many people say that it is a gift card companies' special day. Don't even mention chocolates and flowers. However, it is not a bad idea to acknowledge someone special and endearing to us on this day. Spending time together is one of the most important aspects of any relationship. Life is busy, and we take our significant other for granted. When we spend time together, we are able to grow into and with one another. Love dies when there is no time. Learn to give and receive from one another. Giving is not supposed to be done out of guilt and pressure. It has to be with the understanding that we would like to embrace the other in the act of giving. Receiving is a lesson in humility. People often say it is easier to give than to receive. It is when we relinquish control and allow others to care for us. Commit to looking beyond ourselves as we seek to serve others. Our love for our sign...

  How are we praying during such a difficult time as this moment? It appears that the government and the truck drivers are reaching a stalemate while the potential of a violent conflict is increasing. There are various emotions, and the anger is high. Pray that the Grace of God will overrule all desires for violence. Pray that everyone will find the stillness of our hearts and discover God's presence in one another. Pray for God's forgiveness of our nation's wickedness. Pray that those who have been rebellious against God will repent and seek the truth. Pray that we will choose love and compassion while exercising our free will. Pray that we will have the courage and the freedom to acknowledge our brokenness in our relationships with others. Pray that we go about life with sincerity of heart and clarity of mind and power of God's spirit. Pray that we become more aware of God's suffering with us. Pray that we are confident in the power of the Living Christ. He will o...

I have to admit that this is the first time I don't pay much attention to the Winter Olympics. I might just watch a hockey game between the US and Canada when it is on. China has been a terrible host and brought a bad reputation to the game with questionable disqualifications of other teams while playing against its own. I wonder whether it will put a COVID 19 ban on our male and female hockey team and disqualify us from the medal round. We have witnessed fierce defiance from China towards the West. The display of a tennis star a few days ago who had disappeared for a few months after claiming sexual harassment and now recanted her accusation against a high-ranking official. China did not try to explain what happened. It basically tells the rest of the world it can do whatever it desires. Now just extrapolate that intention to the Olympic games. We might want to scream corruption. The answer we might get is: "So What?" The message from Mrs. Pelosi, the Speaker of the Hous...