I recently had the opportunity to visit Singapore on a work assignment. January is monsoon season so there was a lot of rain. Luckily there was also quite a bit of sunshine between the rain showers and even with the rain it never got below 70 degrees. I loved the warmth and would have held all of our meetings outside if I could have. The weekend that I spent there I went out with my colleague Stephanie (from Oxford England). We took a bus tour of the city on a double decker open top bus and had them drop us off in China town. I have to say that China town was one of my favorite places. I loved all the color from the many street vendors and the hustle and bustle of so many people. It felt like I was transported directly to China! They had a huge mall that you could barely walk through because it was so jam packed with vendors and people. On the basement level they had the food markets with fresh vegetables, fruits of all kinds and loads of stinky fish! I loved the fruit market; it was very colorful and smelled really good. We bought some dragon fruit to sample and share with the team. It was pretty good but was a little bland for such a vibrant colored fruit. While in China town we were also able to visit the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (the biggest temple in Singapore and dedicated to Maitreya Buddha.) As you entered the courtyard there was a huge pot with burning incense to use for prayer inside the temple. They also gave out shawls to cover our shoulders and show respect inside the temple. It was humbling to see
the many worshipers pouring out their hearts in prayer as they laid offerings at the feet of the enormous statue of Maitreya. From a humanitarian view point I am always trying to understand more about the human condition and the need in many of the world’s societies to worship and believe in a higher power or deity. While I can understand the natural need that people have to feel like they are not alone in this universe and to feel that there is a sense of purpose, I don’t understand why so many people feel that the only place to find that is in religion. If you take a step back and look at the many people that surround you and the richness of opportunities open to you, you will never feel alone or purposeless.This topic came up in discussion with my husband as we debated whether or not this really is a "natural" desire or not. Though we do not have a scientific answer to this question, we cannot help but to come to the conclusion (at this early point in our study) that naturally most people cannot comprehend how such a complex world could come about if not orchestrated by some great and powerful source. For me, the more that I have studied science and the origins of life, the more I appreciate the randomness and chaos of it all. This is a rich and exciting world that we live in. I am constantly amazed by the beauty around me and it gives me great joy and excitement to know that there is still so much for me to experience!
