Security Check

Beep, beep, beeeeeeeeppppppp......

"I am sorry, Ma'am, you forgot to take of your boots. Please put them under the scanner and re enter the metal detector gate."

I believe, anyone who has ever had a flight would have experienced undergoing a security check. It's troublesome and time-consuming. But it is necessary for the safety of all passengers and crews in the flight.

A discussion in the class about separating professional matters from personal matters brings me to write this reflection. I do believe that the two matters are inter-related but not sticky; meaning it can be separated and therefore be dealt individually without disturbing the former matter.

The key is that there should be the thin red line, the filter paper, or the security gate which would remind us that it is time to be a professional (my definition of professional is someone who makes a difference in the workplace, is a part of the solution and not the problem and brings positive influence and atmosphere) and to leave the personal matters which won't do any good to anyone in the office or field at home.

And I was so struck at what I'm reminded of. Prayer. The red line is a prayer. The filter paper is a prayer. The security gate is a prayer.

I used to take time to sit for a minute or more to pray before I leave my house to school. In case when I forget to pray I would murmur my prayer when I cycled my way. Over time, the murmur more often had been forgotten. Well, in university, the time when I do have to go to classes isn't as fixed as the time when I attended high school. So, I didn't want to say too much prayers, I thought.

However, today, I realized that I am missing something powerful. By not saying my prayer, I often forget my place. I am at school but my heart and my mind are at home. And I am not being professional or productive at times like that. Friends, colleagues and professors could feel it that there isn't any spirit in me and my presence didn't make any difference.

So, I hope, now that I am now aware of the power of prayer. I would always make use of it and make everyone's day a better day because I'm in the house. Yay.