Learn from the disease, learn from uncertainty. Both factors are affecting the lives and well-being of most people in this era.
In this article, we will discuss and understand more about the importance of learning from illnesses and learning from uncertainty. What is it like? From the perspective of Ms. Thippanipa (Krairerk) Samalapa.
Learning from Disease
From a perfect and complete life, it had to turn into a life that stood on uncertainty and was pushed as close to death as possible.
“ There are many things in our lives that happen unexpectedly, but there is always a way out.”
Miss Daeng – Tippyanipa Krairiksh Samalapa chose to use this opportunity to review the meaning of life and she gave herself the opportunity to learn new things. In the end, what she discovered was able to guide her back to her own path again, ready to move forward with awareness, understand herself, understand others, and share love with the world.
Does a stable life really exist?
Throughout the period from birth until living until she was about 26 years old, the life of Khun Nu Daeng – Thipphayanipa Krairiksh Samalapa was considered to be in the good to very good range. She grew up in a large family of an old clan, received love from her parents and relatives, was raised in a good environment along with receiving a quality education. It can be said that she is a person who has the most stability and security.
Khun Nu Daeng told us that “Nu Daeng grew up in a big family, was very pampered, didn’t think outside the box, didn’t do things that deviated from the norm. I’m a pretty well-behaved person. In every aspect of my life, everything went in a normal direction. I had fun studying, was happy with my friends, went to a good school, got the job I wanted. When I applied for a master’s degree, I got into a world-famous university. After graduating, I got married and had kids. Everything in my life got better all the time.”
But then one day, while life was going on happily, just over 20 days after she gave birth to her child, Miss Daeng received the bad news that she had terminal lymphoma, without any previous symptoms. This event was the most serious event in Miss Daeng Tippyanipa’s life, and it changed her outlook on life forever.
“At that time, I had terminal lymphoma. When I found out, it was terminal. There were no obvious symptoms that I knew about before. Before that, my health had always been good. In part, I felt like, how could it be possible? It was hard to believe because I was young at the time and there weren’t many people in their 20s who had cancer,” she recalled when she heard the bad news.
Treat disease, treat heart
Khun Nu Daeng said that when she heard the biggest bad news in her life, the first person she thought of was her child who had just been born. At the same time, she thought of all the loved ones who would be affected by the incident. When she came to her senses, she entered the treatment process under the close supervision of doctors. It took only 10 months for her to be completely cured of her terminal cancer, which gave her the opportunity to do the most important thing: go back and review her entire life.
“This made us rethink our entire life because it happened so unexpectedly. Life suddenly changed. We never thought that everything would turn out so badly or that we would be so afraid of being so close to death. But at one point, we were like that. It made us see that life is like this. Anything can happen at any time. It made us see the truth of life: birth, aging, illness, death, and that changes can always happen.
“In addition, being diagnosed with terminal cancer at a very young age made us realize that we can no longer be careless and that we must review our entire lives, whether it be our body, mind, spirit, thoughts, or anything that makes up us. What are the contributing factors that led to this illness? This made us more prepared for our future lives, how we would proceed, by making our lives less fearful, making life easier, understanding ourselves, understanding our surroundings, and how we should live our lives to be happier and how we should live our lives to be of the greatest benefit to others,” said a woman who had stood on the thin line of life, talking about what she felt and learned during that time.
Take care of the inside to understand the outside.
Although Miss Daeng has overcome the crisis of her life after receiving treatment for 10 months, the effects of the treatment are still ongoing. At the same time, there are many mental tests that she must learn and adjust to.
“It’s true that we received treatment for 10 months, but the effects of the treatment continued for quite a long time. Therefore, we had to devote a lot of time to taking care of ourselves, both physically and mentally. For many years, we had to gradually live our lives, adjust to many things, try to find a normal way of life, find ways to relieve stress from illness, fear, or the body’s low immunity that was still wearing us down,” she said of her life that followed, adding that not long after, her family had the opportunity to move abroad, which was another important turning point.
“I had the opportunity when my family had to move overseas. Going to Australia that time allowed me to study a course called Holistic Counseling and Life Care, which is about taking care of the body and mind in a holistic way. Normally, this course is organized to produce personnel to give advice and lead others to the light to understand themselves. At that time, I understood many things about myself, and it had a huge effect on me. I felt that my life had changed in a direction that made me more comfortable and happier.”
She said that when people understand themselves and have clarity about their emotions, they will be able to communicate with others better and their lives will be smoother.
“Everything starts with us. So no matter what happens outside, there is nothing more important than understanding the inside, which will allow us to handle the outside with comfort, stability and smoothness,” she shared what she learned.
Transform yourself and connect with others
From illness, from the time of adjustment, and from the time of learning that Khun Nu Daeng – Thippanipa (Krai Rirk) Samalapa has gone through, it has all made her grow up, have new perspectives that allow her to live happier and see the connections between things with more understanding.
“There are many things in our lives that happen unexpectedly. However, there is always a way out. The most important thing is to be calm, steady, and listen to yourself and others. Listen to the signals that the universe gives you. Then everything will work out according to its own course.
“It is very important that we come back to ourselves in everything, to be aware of our feelings, thoughts and beliefs, to take responsibility for what is happening, to transform ourselves from a heart that is mindful of the connections, love and compassion to each other in this world.”
She says she values relationships, especially those with herself, because taking care of herself gently has a positive effect on herself, others, and the world as a whole.
“Red attaches great importance to relationships. This must begin with the relationship with ourselves. When the relationship we give to ourselves is one of understanding and kindness, we connect deeply with ourselves and naturally develop the ability to connect with understanding with others. And when we have strong love and understanding for ourselves and others, there is a great deal of power within us that is ready to do a lot of good for the world.”
This whole story of Khun Nu Daeng – Thippanipa (Krai Rirk) Samalapa is a good example of turning a crisis into an opportunity to learn.
“In the end, life has nothing to worry about, be afraid of, or be concerned about. It is a fun learning experience. It is a journey that can be enjoyable at every point. No matter what happens to us, of course we will encounter suffering. We will encounter things that we are not satisfied with. But that will be the greatest and most important gift for us.”
The story references an interview with Khun Nu Daeng Tipyanipa (Krai Rirk) Samalapa.
From the Transformative Learning Project
Supported by the Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth)
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