“From the Buddhist perspective, I told him, all of us have the capacity to make use of any circumstance, no matter how awful, to create value. This ability to “change poison into medicine,” as it is known in Nichiren Buddhism, makes plausible the transformation of even the most horrific tragedy into something that enables us to become happier. . . .
Believing in your ability to transform poison into medicine when you don’t know how, and often won’t except in retrospect, is difficult, I admit. But that’s the confidence you have to find. That’s the confidence that represents your greatest defense against discouragement.”
~ Alex Lickerman, MD from The Undefeated Mind
Buddhism also states that no one can escape obstacles, not even saints and sages. So if one must expect obstacles then why must we start to buckle down when they finally present themselves?
I feel it is important that we are able to rationally look at whatever problem we are faced with, then step back and take another look at them (our obstacles), brace ourselves then take them head on. It is when we refuse to back down in the face of tribulations that we can find the strength to overcome whatever faces us.
There may also be times when no matter how hard we try and for however long, we never seem to be able to overcome a problem. The secret at such times also is to not give up. We should keep pushing ahead, even if just a little bit, till such time that we overcome whatever the obstacle was. They say – life’s battles don't always go to the faster or the stronger person, they go to the person who thinks he can.
In this issue, we wish to open a discussion on Safety in the community and how safe do our readers feel. We have received many questions and queries on the subject of safety, so we thought that the best thing to do was, a joint approach with the Police. This issue is an attempt to get a few initial responses from the Police to our readers. In the subsequent issues, we will bring you answers to some other burning questions that you might have. So if there is anything that concerns you about your safety and you need some answers make sure you write to us.
Also, I urge our readers to visit our website www.iwk.co.nz and check out the safety videos that we regularly post there that can be a wonderful resource for some great pointers towards keeping yourself and your loved ones safe.
Talking of loved ones, there have been wonderful reports of great Eid celebrations happening all around Auckland. We hope that our readers have enjoyed our Eid special issue. We bring you the report on how Eid was celebrated.
Like always we have a plethora of various other stories and columns we put together for our readers. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoy putting them together.
Until next time!
Giri Gupta