Lidasan: Farewell to 2023 and welcome 2024

IT HAS become part of me to look back and reflect on my life, family, and work. The year 2023 has been a remarkable journey filled with challenges, triumphs, and unyielding resilience. I started to embark on a journey to learn how to be a better man, a father, a husband, a brother, and a friend. I wanted to learn a craft that has existed for centuries and generations of humankind's history. 

In this process, I learned how to differentiate myself from my ego. I am more than my mind/ego and body. I have a soul. My soul is connected with a higher Being, the Grand Architect, who created this world and the world beyond this physical state.

During this holiday, I started reading a book by Eckhart Tolle, a spiritual teacher. According to Tolle, ego refers to the false sense of self, the identification with thoughts, emotions, and external circumstances. He describes ego as a mental construct that creates a sense of separateness and is responsible for much human suffering. He teaches that actual presence and awakening come from transcending the ego and living in the present moment.

I learned that as long as the egoic mind controls our lives, we cannot find true peace and fulfillment except for short moments when our desires are fulfilled. The ego relies on external things to define itself and seeks constant validation and protection. Examples of ego identifications include possessions, work, social status, knowledge, appearance, relationships, personal history, belief systems, and collective identifications such as politics, nationality, race, and religion. I then realized that none of these identifications genuinely define who I am.

For 2024, my advice for myself and my family is to be fully present in the moment. We must take time to be mindful and focus on the present rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

We also need to embrace the circumstances of our lives as they are without resistance or judgment. Acceptance can lead to a sense of peace and contentment.

We need to let go of all the negativities in life. We must learn how to release any negative emotions, grudges, or judgments that holding me back. Forgiveness, for others and for myself, can free us from unnecessary burdens.

We must be thankful for all the blessings and learnings we receive each day. 

And lastly, we must spend time in nature to reconnect with its simple beauty. Nature can help anchor us in the present moment and provide peace and tranquility.

As we embark upon the threshold of a new year, let us carry forward the resilience, strength, and lessons that 2023 has bestowed upon us. May we enter 2024 with hearts filled with hope, minds brimming with innovative ideas, and a steadfast commitment to building a brighter future for ourselves and future generations?

Together, we can overcome any obstacle, write our narratives, and shape a world that reflects our deepest values and aspirations.

Cheers to a new beginning.