dolor et pacem

While commuting, I started thinking about the Pope's recent TED talk, a social experiment posted by a former schoolmate, conversations with a sibling, and other elements that constitute my status quo. Humility is the main theme. Humility in spite of provocations both overt and implicit--maybe include the unsuspecting kind too. The natural instinct to sound your alarm via potentially destructive words or deeds must be kept at bay. I remember a high school meditation retreat when we were encouraged to tell ourselves "tanggap lang nang tanggap" which semi-literally means "accept and accept." Like the biblical exhortation that if someone hits your cheek, offer the other side too. Seems disturbingly masochistic, doesn't it? To each his own. I remember a Sun Tzu saying that goes something like "the best victories are those when there is no battle." Profound yet simple at the same time. It is cool to be "zen" after all, right?