The Power of an Earthquarke

 

A lady friend of mine by the name of Ms Josephine Wong Hian Boon sent me a video of a huge chasm in what was once an olive field near Antakya that was ripped by sheer power of the recent Turkey- Syria earthquake.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=IiDvo-xTinY&feature=share

 

I  would like to dedicate this article to her, Josephine Wong.

My feeling about an earthquake is the display of the power of Nature. It is so strong that it can shake parts of the Earth. Let’s have a look at how powerful the Turkey’s earthquake was.

 

The energy released by the 7.8 magnitude quake on Turkey and Syria was equal to around 32 petajoules according to seismologist Januka Attanayake at the University of Melbourne in Australia who told The New York Times.

 

(1 petajoules = 1,000,000 gigajoules)  

 

This means the power released by the Turkey earthquake was:

 

3.2^16 Joules, or 32 million gigajoules.

 

One gigajoule = 10 x 10⁹ (1000 million or one billion joules)

One petajoule is 10 x 10¹⁵ joules = 1 million billion joules or 278 gigawatt hours.

 

One ton of TNT releases 4.184 gigajoules or 4.184×10⁹ joules of energy

 

That amount of energy in Turkey’s earthquake is enough to generate 8.88 million megawatts continuously for one hour. It's also equivalent to the energy released by 7.6 million (nearly 8 million) tons of TNT.

 

The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was only equivalent to about 20,000 tons of TNT or 83,680 gigajoules (8.368 x 10¹³ joules) of energy.

 

But the earthquake in Turkey was 32 million gigajoules = 32 x 10¹⁵ joules

 

This means it was equivalent to 382 atomic bombs dropping simultaneously onto Turkey.

 

If not an atom bomb, how does this compare to a hydrogen bomb?

 

The explosive power of hydrogen bombs is frequently expressed in megatons, each unit of which equals the explosive force of 1,000,000 tons of TNT.

 

One megaton hydrogen bomb or any weapon would have the energy equivalent of 1 million tons of TNT which is equivalent to 4.184 × 10¹⁵ joules, since one ton of TNT releases 4.184 gigajoules or 4.184×10⁹ joules of energy

 

Hence the earthquake that afflicted Turkey was still 7.7 times more powerful than a one megaton hydrogen bomb.

 

But if we were to go further into the calculations, a nuclear bomb filled with 212 tonnes of deuterium would produce a 5,200-megaton explosion.

 

If this deuterium bomb were to substitute the earthquake, then that would not only be the total end of Turkey but all countries around it would be annihilated.   

 

That would be the power of Nature.

 

Let us now use the Sun’s energy to compare.

 

The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star (G2V) formed about 4.6 billion years ago. Every second, the Sun's core fuses about 600 million tons of hydrogen into helium, and in the process converts 4 million tons of matter into energy.

 

In more technical language (sorry about that since astronomy is one of my areas of interest / study), the energy of the Sun comes from its proton–proton chain reactions that occurs

around 9.2×10³⁷ times per second in the core.

 

In the process it converts about 3.7×10³⁸ protons into alpha particles (helium nuclei) every second (out of a total of ~8.9×10⁵⁶ free protons in the Sun), or about 6.2×10¹¹ kg/s.  Each proton takes around 9 billion years to fuse with one another using the PP chain.  Fusing four free protons (hydrogen nuclei) into a single alpha particle (helium nucleus) release around 0.7% of the fused mass into energy.

 

In simple non-technical language, this means the Sun uses the mass–energy conversion by destroying itself at a rate of 4.26 million metric tons per second to release energy. This requires 600 metric megatons of hydrogen to yield 384.6 yottawatts (3.846×10²⁶ W)

 

This is equivalent to the power of 9.192×10¹⁰ (90,000,000,000) megatons of TNT per second. The Sun is about halfway through its lifespan and has about 5,000,000,000 (five billion) years more to go before it dies once its nuclear fuel (hydrogen into helium) is depleted.

 

During its death throes, it will start to consume its heavier elements and vast quantities of stellar material will hurtle into space as the sun's body expands to 100 times its current size to become a red giant, before it shrinks into a tiny, extremely dense white dwarf star about the size of Earth.

 

The origin of Earth rests on three theories, namely the core accretion theory, the disk instability theory and the pebble accretion theory. Whatever it was, it must have originated from the Sun from which Earth must have extracted its energy to form its molten core and the earthquakes. If that was right, then let’s have a look.

 

The Sun is 148.06 million km (1.4806 x 10¹¹ metres) away from this Earth.

 

A Sun-Earth sphere in space would subtend an area of 2.75 x 10 ²³ sq. metres given by the formula: pi r squared (4πr^2).

 

Within this sphere the Sun radiates its energy to reach Earth and of course far beyond Earth into the outer reaches of the Solar System though dim it might be far beyond Pluto.

 

The Sun radiates about 5.6 x 10 ²⁷ calories or 3.846×10²³ KW of energy per minute. Spread out this energy over a Sun-Earth sphere across 148.06 million km, Earth will receive 1.398 KW of solar energy per square metre on its surface (1 square km = 1000,000 square metres)

 

This is the solar constant we manage to derive here theoretically by mere calculation which fits practically and almost exactly the same as 1.3608 ± 0.0005 kW/m², which scientists found through measurement using sophisticated satellite technology.  

 

What scientists found was, the solar constant varies over an 11-year solar cycle, being 1.361 kilowatts per square meter (kW/m²) as the solar minimum when the number of sunspots is minimal, and approximately 0.1% greater (roughly 1.362 kW/m²) at solar maximum.

 

If we translate this solar constant over the entire surface of Earth which is 509 600 000 square km (5.096 x 10 ¹⁴ sq. metres) the total amount of energy the Earth receives round the Earth as it rotates evenly, would be 6.94 x 10¹⁴ kilowatt or 6.94 x 10¹⁴ kilojoules (Joule) per second or 5.99 x 10 ¹⁹ kilojoules each day.  

 

(1 kW = 1000 J/s)

 

But the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria was 3.2 10³² joules, or 32 million gigajoules.

 

This was 5.3 x 10 ¹² (5.3 trillion) times more energy than the energy of the Sun gave to the entire Earth each day.

 

Another way of putting this is, if all the energy of the earthquake at 3.2 x 10¹⁶ Joules could be substituted for petrol, and put into an average car whose petrol consumption is between 8 – 12 litres per 100 km (10 litres per 100 km), this means it could go round and round the circumference of this world almost 250,000  times since the Earth’s circumference is 40,075 km in length, and the energy value of petrol is 3.204 x 10 ⁷ Joules per litre.   

 

The morale of my story is:

 

Respect the powers of Nature and never mess around with her up like we do with vaccines against Covid viruses. It does not work, and it shall never work for sure.

 

Lim ju boo 

Aortic Dissection. What is it, and how is this condition mananged?

 

 

I received a telephone call here in Kuala Lumpur a few days ago from my eldest brother in Singapore  who together with my own relatives here in Malaysia and in Singapore who would normally consult me on their health problems. I shall not reveal my brother’s name for personal and ethical reasons, but I shall just address him here as ‘brother’.

I may also consider sharing out some medical cases for general discussions and updates  I normally encounter from many other patients, but they shall only  for educational purposes.  All patients’ names shall not be revealed as this is strictly for general medical information only.

………………………………………………………………….

Dearest brother

I reviewed the results of your CT scan again a short while ago, and found you actually have what is called an “aortic dissection”.

What I explain here is just my personal opinion. You should also discuss what I mention here with your own vascular surgeon in Singapore.

Furthermore, your own son Lin Ming Shyue is a paediatrician and neonatologist, and your granddaughter is also a doctor, both in Singapore, with Anne Ann Ling Hsu our niece as a Senior Consultant Respiratory and Critical Care Physician in Singapore General Hospital. We also have so many of our relatives and their children who are also medical experts, medical and surgical consultants in Singapore, plus our youngest brother Lim Yew Cheng here in Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur who was a Professor of Surgery at the University Hospital, University of Malaya, and now a Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Gleneagles, all of whom you should also seek their opinion. The more collective professional opinions the better.

However, since you have asked me, here’s my take on this is about your condition.

An aortic dissection can be serious as it may bust causing massive internal bleeding especially the blood will be flowing out from the aorta, the main artery in the body.

Let me explain a bit further.

There are three layers to the aortic wall. The inner wall or layer is called the tunica intima, the middle layer is called the tunica media, and the outer layer or wall is called the tunica adventitia.

Aortic dissection is the result from some tear in the aortic intima causing extravasation of blood into the aortic wall. This may result in aortic regurgitation and acute myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, haemopericardium, CVA, paraparesis, BP fluctuations in the extremities, bowel infarction and renal failure. 

The presentations are severe acute chest pains during onset, radiating to other areas. 

 Aortic dissection may be categorized according to DeBakey classification into

 1. Proximal to distal, from ascending aorta, arch down to the ascending aorta 

 2. Proximal, affects only the ascending aorta

 3. Distal, affects only the descending aorta, distal to left subclavian artery.

The urgent aim of treatment is to reduce systolic blood pressure to 100 to 120 mm Hg.

 The therapy of choice consists of giving IV nitroprusside combined with IV propranolol at 1 mg diluted in 5 ml of water every 5 minutes up to a maximum of 10 mg.

 Once BP is under control, surgery is considered for type 1 and type 2 

 Conservative treatment may be considered for type 3 aortic dissection. 

 

In your case, there was a tear between the inner intima and the middle media layer due to weakening of the walls of your aorta which is the main artery of your body. This weakening may be due to age as in your case, free radical damage, high blood pressure, or all 3 combined plus other causes as well.

 

The tear in the inner layer in your aorta caused the blood to enter between the inner and middle layers of the aorta to split (dissect) as shown in diagram from your CT scan. If the blood goes through the outside aortic wall, aortic dissection is often fatal as it will cause massive bleeding. However, in your case what I saw in the CT scan (I suppose it was a CT scan you showed without telling me further), the blood did not go any further into the tear along a long segment of your aorta. It stopped after a short segment. This may finally cause a blood clot to be formed in this area to block the blood from flowing any further into the segment between the intima and media (inner and middle walls of the aorta)  

 

In other words, the weakening of your aorta walls caused a tear in the intima and resulted in blood flowing between these two walls.  In other words, this caused blood to seep in between the walls of your aorta causing a bulge (aneurysm) there.  The weakening may also have caused that part of your aorta to bulge out like a balloon which your doctor there in Singapore initially reported as a pseudoaneurysm using ultrasound (Duplex ultrasound scan), but later confirmed it as a tear in the inner wall using CT scan.

 

A pseudoaneurysm is the result of an injury such as a tear to the blood vessel in your case. The artery then leaks out blood, which then pooled near the damaged spot. It's different from a true aneurysm, which happens when the wall of a blood vessel stretches and forms a bulge which may not necessarily bleed.  

 

As far as your question your doctor in Singapore wanted to follow up using CT  for you, I do not suggest that, because  it is NOT safe to use CT scans all the time as CT is actually x-rays, a prolonged exposure to this harmful radiation, often as long as 20 -30 minutes  which is not safe especially for your age, compared to ordinary x-rays that is just 1- 2 seconds of exposure.

 

CT scans means a computerized tomography that combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles around your body and uses computer processing to create cross-sectional images (slices) of the bones, blood vessels and soft tissues inside your body. CT scan images provide more-detailed information than plain X-rays but are less sensitive than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. MRI though much safer like ultrasound (ultrasonography such as Duplex) where harmful radiation is used in CT, it is more expensive.

Since we now know your case using a CT scan, is a tear in the inner lining of your aorta causing blood to flow between the intima and media, causing a pseudoaneurysm, I suggest you follow this up using only Duplex ultrasound to see if the bulge gets bigger over a short time. Initially, maybe you follow this up on a monthly basis for only 6 months, and if stable, follow it up only at a 3-month period, and if there is no further enlargement, follow it up 2 or 3 times more over a 6-month period.

 

If it is still stable, a yearly ultrasonography will suffice.  Then after a year, if it is still stable, you may do another CT scan (but much safer to use MRI) to see the condition of the tear and haemodynamic (blood flow) in that part of the lesion after a year.  

If during this period of monitoring, if the aneurysm becomes bigger which can easily be measured using the much cheaper and safer ultrasonography (Duplex), you can then consider using minimally invasive (keyhole) surgery (laparoscopy) to put a stent over that area to strengthen that part of the aortic wall. However, an aortic aneurysm stenting may also carry some risk of graft infection and possibly also narrowing of that part of the aorta (aortic stenosis) unless they use a drug-eluting stent which may only provide short-term solution after the anticoagulant drug is washed off by the continuous flow of blood through the main artery (aorta) of the body.  Here we may have another problem.

Furthermore, a clear patency benefit of a drug-eluting stent over bare metal stents for treating artery disease has not been definitively demonstrated.

In this surgical procedure, a cut is made in the upper thigh through which a catheter carrying the stent is inserted.  The stent graft is then guided using x-rays or by multi-detector CT Imaging through the arteries to the location of the aortic aneurysm. The stent graft is placed at the site and opened up.  Sometimes, they may use a fluoroscope which is also x-rays to guide the catheter in.  Whichever the procedure, you cannot avoid exposure to the radiation of x-rays.

Dye may then be injected into the blood after the stent graft is placed to make sure the entire procedure is in order and the stent is in place and working properly, and that blood is not leaking into the aneurysm. Injecting radiopaque dyes for x-ray monitoring itself is also not safe since your kidney functions are currently slightly below normal. Your blood creatinine and urea levels from the blood tests you showed me are slightly higher than normal, plus your glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is also lower than normal now. All these indicate your kidneys are less efficient now, and exposure to all these procedures may compromise your kidneys further.  The dye needs to be seen by X-rays which is yet another problem with the radio-opaque dye.

So, you need also to consider all these benefit / risk ratios for surgical options if the aneurysm becomes more pronounced on ultrasonographic measurements.

Aortic aneurysm besides aging is also linked to uncontrolled high blood pressure, and most common among elderly males.  If left untreated, the wall can fatally rupture which in the United States has 10,000 deaths annually. But I have no statistics in Singapore.

Consider all these first if you opt for surgery. But if I were you, I would just leave it and just monitor using Duplex ultrasonography.

Later, I shall find out if there are other alternative options such as the application of dietary and nutrition approaches to  strength the blood vessels from further damage or the use of botanical medicines such as the application of  yarrow, garlic, ginger, hawthorn,  Centella asiatica (Indian pennywort, pegaga, goto kola, etc), horse chestnuts, pine bark extracts, Butcher’s broom…etc, etc. that can support vascular health. But let me search the literature first to review studies done conclusively on these.  their dosages, period of application as much safer alternative therapeutic options.

Kindest regards,  

Your brother Lim ju boo

 

 

 

 

A Second Opinion on Births and Rebirths of Heavens in Cyclic Patterns

 

On Tuesday, December 10, 2019, I forwarded a theory for forum discussion as  a student doing a course in astronomy at the University of Oxford that there could  be previous universes before ours and there could also  be many more universes (heavens) yet to come as new heavens and new  earths

I wrote a hypothesis on that which is greatly summarized here in non-technical language for my general and gentle  lay-readers

Were there Previous Heavens and Future Heavens Yet to Come

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/search?q=Were+there+Previous+Heavens

Then about 40 minutes ago on  Sunday, 12 February 2023, at 4 am in the morning, I found Nobel Prize winner in physics Professor Sir Roger Penrose, a British mathematician and astrophysicist also came out with this same thought and hypothesis.

Roger Penrose – Wikipedia:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Penrose

Big Bang Did Not Start The Present Universe: Physicist Roger Penrose

https://www.outlookindia.com/national/big-bang-did-not-start-the-present-universe-physicist-roger-penrose-news-195972

Professor Sir Roger Penrose has said that the present universe did not start with the Big Bang and that there was another universe before the present one.

In the Bible in Revelation 21-22 it also spoke of a New Heaven & a New Earth after this present universe (heaven) is destroyed

But I think there shall also be many more new heavens and new earth yet to come in a cyclic births and rebirths

Do you think this is a coincidence or is it a vision given ?

Seek, it shall be given, knock, it shall be opened (Luke 11:9) (Matthew 7:7)

Seek and pray not for material wealth that lust and last like a vanishing vapour in the night, as a dew in the morning, but for wisdom and vision that is eternal and they shall be opened and given (to our souls)

Give this a very deep thought

Lim jb 

 

List of 30 PowerPoint Presentations / Lectures Given by this author to Profession / Medical / Scientific Organations in Malaysia, Singapore, Manila, Brunei and in Australia

 

Below are 30 PowerPoint presentations out of 186 given by this author to various academic, professional, medical and scientific organizations in Malaysia, Singapore, Manila, Brunei and in Australia 

 

More slides shall be added in stages later.  

 

lim ju boo 

 

 

Please open with browser given at the bottom after you click these link sites below:

 

Click + /- at the bottom of slides to adjust size of the slides so that they fit into the screen.

 

 

1.       Physiological Basis for Weight Management & Stabilization

1.https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIKWoyYK9AZem5Z4G

 

2.       Nutrition and Cancer: New Lamps for Old Its Dynamics and Kinetics

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIByoyYK9Afyq5Z4G

 

3.       The Therapy of Choice: Synthetic Drugs vs. Botanical Medicines in Cancer Management

 

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIO6oyYK9AdGw5Z4G

 

4.       Hen’s Egg

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sID-oyYK9Adi15Z4G

 

5.       Genetically Modified Foods: Meeting Challenges. Amidst Fears

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIESoyYK9AZ245Z4G

 

6.       Dietary Strategies and Nutritional Interventions in Cancer Prevention and Management

6.https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIGuoyYK9Afi55Z4G

 

7.       Cancer: Past, Present and Future

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIGyoyYK9Ab665Z4G

 

8.       Plant-Based Diet in Cancer Prevention  

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIC-oyYK9Abm75Z4G

 

9.       BCWA Forum on Cancer by Dr Lim

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sICioyYK9Abe-5Z4G

 

10.   Cancer: Past, Present and into the Future https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sICyoyYK9AaPA5Z4G

 

11.   Creation and Science: The Genesis of Time: Matter and Life

11.https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIDOoyYK9AbbC5Z4G

 

 

12.   Cryosurgery for Cancer

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIHyoyYK9AeXF5Z4G

 

13.   The Meaning of Health and Its Measurement

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIHmoyYK9AeTI5Z4G    

 

14.   Airway Management

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIA2oyYK9AYvL5Z4G

 

 

15.   The SARS Virus An Alien from Outer Space?

 

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIHCoyYK9AYbQ5Z4G

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIO-oyYK9AfvL5Z4G

 

Immensity Beyond Our Imagination

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIAeoyYK9AffR5Z4G

 

 

16.   The Biology of Ageing: Why We Need to Get Old & Die https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIKGoyYK9AYPT5Z4G

 

17.   Cardiovascular Diseases in Malaysia

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIIaoyYK9AbrU5Z4G

 

18.   Carotino and Health

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIGmoyYK9AZvV5Z4G

 

 

19.   TUMOUR THERAPY AND OSTEOARTHRITIS TREATMENT A NEW PARADIGM WITH

1https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIAOoyYK9AfjW5Z4G

 

20.   Nutriceutical Benefits of Dynapharm Products

20.https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIDGoyYK9AdDX5Z4G

 

21.   Nutrition and Disease

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIMmoyYK9AfHY5Z4G

 

22.   Let Food Be Your Medicine

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIMmoyYK9AfHY5Z4G

 

23.   Space Travel

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sICqoyYK9AbXs5Z4G

 

24.   Biotechnology in History: The Human Genomic Project:

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIM-oyYK9AaHc5Z4G

 

25.   The Scientist and Ethics:

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIKSoyYK9Acrd5Z4G

 

26.   Synthetic Drugs Versus Herbal Medicine

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIOKoyYK9Acre5Z4G

 

27.   Silymarin and Liver

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sINqoyYK9Adjf5Z4G

 

28.   Interesting Hobbies for Young and Old

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIMaoyYK9Afnh5Z4G

 

29.   Status in Health and in Poverty

        https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIJqoyYK9AYDm5Z4G

    30.  Aspirin, Salicylates, Turmeric and Curries in               Cancer-Prevention

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/search?q=cancer

  

 Some readers told me they are interested on my presentations on Cancer. In that case go to the following presentations:

2.       Nutrition and Cancer: New Lamps for Old Its Dynamics and Kinetics

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIByoyYK9Afyq5Z4G

 

3.       The Therapy of Choice: Synthetic Drugs vs. Botanical Medicines in Cancer Management

 

 https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIO6oyYK9AdGw5Z4G

 

6.       Dietary Strategies and Nutritional Interventions in Cancer Prevention and Management

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIGuoyYK9Afi55Z4G

 

7.       Cancer: Past, Present and Future

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIGyoyYK9Ab665Z4G

 

8.       Plant-Based Diet in Cancer Prevention  

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sIC-oyYK9Abm75Z4G

 

9.       BCWA Forum on Cancer by Dr Lim

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sICioyYK9Abe-5Z4G

 

10.   Cancer: Past, Present and into the Future 

https://sg.docworkspace.com/l/sICyoyYK9AaPA5Z4G

 

11.   Aspirin, Salicylates, Turmeric and Curries in Cancer-Prevention

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/search?q=cancer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Joy of Giving

Yesterday, Friday, 27 January 2023 was the 6th day of Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit I was born 84 years ago

I was then waiting for a bus opposite the Kuala Lumpur Hospital yesterday morning when I saw a destitute and homeless man in very dirty clothes sleeping beneath the pedestrian bridge connecting the hospital and the pavement opposite. He was so dirty looking, probably he hasn’t bathed for several weeks or months.

My heart sank for him. I asked my wife who was sitting beside me at the bus stand about 30 metres away from this man if she can give some money to him?  She gave me 2 ringgit which I promptly walked over to the corner beneath the bridge where this man was sleeping to wake him up. He was barely conscious opening only one eye which was red and inflamed.  I spoked briefly to him and placed the two little ringgit beside him and walked back to my wife.

 I could not give more since my wife holds all my money leaving me with no purse on my own. She pays for all our household needs leaving me with no spending money on my own. However, I do not mind as we are sharing our needs equally together although all the money was 100 % mine. She is not working since she married me, and all the sources of income were and still totally mine till today.

When I went back to my wife after giving just two ringgits to the man, I told her I do not mind giving more, as much as I could afford as his needs are far more than mine even though I am not rich. I told her this gives me tremendous joy in my heart as Jesus wanted. I reminded her of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus told by Jesus in Luke 16:19-31.

I told my wife I would not mind giving much more to him. We have a lot more, but he has none.  I told her it is giving and sharing that gives me tremendous joy and happiness especially now on the 6^th day of my Year of the Rabbit.  I told her I would never be happy even if I were to have all the wealth in this world but knowing many others out there like this  homeless man in the streets who may not have even a single meal for the day, let alone a place to bathe and clean himself, and to wear clean clothes daily. He has not even some very basic shelter or in any home except under a pedestrian bridge.

I explained to her we have sufficient food to eat, water to drink, a bathroom to urinate and ease ourselves and to bathe and wear clean clothes daily, many thanks to my wife to do all the laundering and ironing. 

When I explained these to her, she promptly gave me another RM 3 to give it to the man which I immediately limped my way to him. I limped because I suffer from a chronic leg ulcer for many years. 

My only need is just to be comfortable without carrying other unnecessary material burdens in life. I told my wife I do not mind giving that man as much as I can as his needs are far more than ours. We have all those simple things we need and we are more than comfortable without unnecessary carrying heavy material burdens to maintain them.   

I know unnecessary material wealth can only last us at maximum a hundred years of our exceedingly short life only to instantly leave them all behind to crumble the instant our hearts stop pumping and we breathe our last only to face eternity with nothing. The rich and famous may not like this and will strongly deny this.  Unfortunately, this is gospel truth, and it shall always remain eternally true till kingdom comes. Others read our lives, not the religion we follow, or the religious books we read. It's our lives we lead that tell all. 

If we believe we have no soul, then all those material wealth we acquired in life will instantly come to naught as they crumbled away over the years after our death.  Our bodies shall be decomposed by bacteria if buried, eaten by worms and maggots if exposed, or reduced into ashes by the flames of cremation. 

If we think we have no soul, we will completely have no memory of our selfish enjoyments in the past. But if we believe there is a soul that is believed in every culture, by every race, society, religion and by all civilizations for over 500,000 years, that would be even far worse if we are selfish and uncaring while we are still in this world. We would face an eternity of sufferings in hell like that rich and uncaring man as clearly told by Jesus in His parable of the rich man and Lazarus when they both died. Jesus clearly hinted the existence of a soul carried away when we die. 

I remember when I was a student in India that is a very poor country. I used to see little children wearing thin worn clothes roaming in the streets begging in late winter nights which is very cold in northern India. Being just a student, I did not have much money, but those children have far less.

Out of love and compassion I gave them a few rupees I could only afford, knowing well it does not help them much, but at least they would not go hungry for that night.

But I was rewarded immensely by the joy and peace in my heart when I returned to my hostel bed to sleep. I have so much peace and joy in my heart knowing I have given my best for the child at least to have a simple meal for a cold night when I was comfortable in my hostel even though she might be hungry again the next day. 

I would think of the children all night long. I could not sleep but just the thought sharing my heart with them. It was so peaceful to me, a joy for me no money could buy. That was what I wanted.  It has always been like that all my life.

I have never asked for anything more than just simple living. When I was in school all I asked was just to get a simple school certificate to become a clerk to earn a small sum of money to live as simple a life as possible without possessing any material wealth to burden me. But God gave me more than what I asked. I am always reminded of the adage that says, “we complain we have no shoes till we see someone without feet”.

I have never asked for any wealth to be given to me in my prayers except to be granted understanding. I just want a very, very small place in heaven when my soul leaves my body, and I am very aware this is going to be very difficult because of our material possessions. I am very aware of this verse as an example:  

“Jesus looked at him and said, 'How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!  Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' Those who heard this asked, 'Who then can be saved?'  Jesus replied, 'What is impossible with men is possible with God.' Peter said to him, 'We have left all we had to follow you!' 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus said to them, 'no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God   will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.” (Luke 18:24-30).

Jesus said, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

Jesus also spoke on love and compassion in the parable of the Good Samaritan

 (Luke 10:25-37)

Jesus lived a life of total sacrifice. He had nothing in life when He arrived to this world. He was born of a humble birth in a manger among animals. He lived a life in total humility, love, compassion, forgiveness. His awesome miracles bestowed upon Him by God, His Heavenly Father are beyond comprehension. He was able to bypass all the laws controlling the chemistries of life, disease, and death. His overwhelming curative powers are beyond our understanding of science and medicine.   Even the storms obeyed Him to calm down.

(Mark 4:35-41).

Obviously, He did not come from this world.

“My Kingdom Is Not of This World”

(John 18:36)

He told His disciples to leave everything behind and follow Him (His style of living), and they left everything behind to follow Him. He was not even married to have a wife and family to burden Him. His sacrifice was totally to God, His Father in heaven.

How many Christians today, including almost all the rich church pastors today who took high salaries from offerings of followers of their churches actually meant for the church are prepared to go out to preach completely empty-handed without any income or have family to support?

 How many of them preach these values and lifestyles to their church followers? How many has ever taught their church followers all the verses contained in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew from chapters 5, 6, and 7? Almost none I believe, as I have not heard them taught, not even once in all the churches I attended in my life. They avoided all those teachings of Jesus, and instead preach almost mainly from the New Testament what Paul taught after Jesus left because Paul was the first preacher to the early churches. Paul too taught almost the easy way out like the pastors of modern churches. As Jesus said, very few will find their way into the Kingdom of God just like the rich man and Lazarus.

Mark's Gospel records: "At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth" (Mark 10:22). The man is moving away now, and Jesus, who Mark says "loved him," is watching him as he goes.

I can hear a sigh, a sorrow, in Jesus' voice as he reflects on the encounter. "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" (18:24).

On his note, I too fall badly on the glory of God, and I need to improve tremendously. I know it is extremely difficult to leave everything behind, but it is possible with God provision. 

However, I am encouraged by these verses:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^?

 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:26-34). These verses too were never taught in any of the churches today I have attended. The all avoided them and taught easy verses over and over again such as

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 16). It is a million times just to believe in theory, but a billion times harder to put into practice.

I remember I was given two cars by a patient whom I helped for free. I already have a car, but then I was burdened to maintain three cars. I used them for less than six months and gave them all away including my personal car for free. The same when I have 3 motorcycles. I gave 2 away, and now keep only one motorcycle, a bicycle that is the most efficient machine ever invented and a motorized bicycle that I never use. 

I walk, or ride to a nearby shop on my motorbike or on a bicycle. Further than that, I go by bus or my children will drive me there because if Jesus could walked, rode on a boat, or rode on an ass into Jerusalem, I cannot see why is it humbling for me to ride on a bicycle just as students and even professors ride on bicycles at the University of Cambridge where I have also done some postdoctoral studies. 

I already have a simple house to stay comfortably, and a shophouse that used to burden me to upkeep and to maintain. I disposed that shop lot at a great loss with no regrets as I do not want any anything physical and material to burden my life.  I only want something as simple as possible to allow Jesus to come into my life to take away all my burdens to give me rest especially at old age. 

When Mother Teresa of Calcutta won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, reporters around the world asked her what she was going to do with all those money from the Nobel Prize. She promptly replied this: 

"What money? All I have is this saree, and a pail to wash my saree”. 

That very famous, wise, and beautiful humble answer she gave that resounded by newspapers around the world.  This was God guided answer for Mother Teresa to field the hordes of news reporters surrounding her. 

“But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”

(1 Timothy 6:8-10)

It is not the money that is the root of all evils, but it is the LOVE of money over and above what we actually need for a simple life that is the root of all evils.

There is nothing like the immense joy we receive by giving and sharing as it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

Trust my life experience. It pays back many times.

lim ju boo