The True Meaning of Life
A boat docked in a tiny Goan village. A tourist from Mumbai (Mumbaite) complimented the Goan fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the fisherman.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the Mumbaite.
The Goan fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The Mumbaite asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play guitar, sing a few songs... I have a full life."
The Mumbaite interrupted, "I have an MBA from IIM-A, and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
"And after that?" asked the Goan.
"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Panjim, or even Mumbai. From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Goan.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the Mumbaite.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my Friend, that's when it gets really interesting," chuckled the Mumbaite, "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Goan.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, Sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings doing what you like with your buddies."
"With all due respect sir, but that's exactly what I am doing now. So what's the point wasting 25 Years?" asked the Goan. And the moral of the story is? Know where you're going in life. You may already be there.
Life in the present world is indeed a rat race. Many who have good qualifications too do not know where they are going in life.
Showing posts with label live life fully. Show all posts
Showing posts with label live life fully. Show all posts
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Finding My Filipino-ness
In the midst of all the celebration of Pacquiao’s triumph over Hatton and my reflection on the book of Nehemiah, I suddenly felt glad and proud to be Filipino; not that I never was but I just never had the need to emphasize that I am a Filipino. My pride does not only come from the honor that Pacquiao and Lea Salonga and all the popular Filipinos all over the world have brought our country; my pride comes from knowing that I am a Filipino who can do something to uplift the life of others in my country. I am a Filipino, born and raised as one—not as some other race—because I can contribute to bringing back the glory that our country once had. I am a Filipino who can help make this world a better place one person at a time.
I never dreamt of migrating to another country and living there permanently and getting another citizenship. I have been disillusioned once—I had given up any hope for our political system and politicians—and had planned to leave the country but I always had the intention of coming back to help my country. But I realized that my citizenship should not be limited by my address. I can be in London, Boston, or Tondo and still be Filipino in mind and heart.
My being Filipino now is more than abiding by the traffic rules. It is more than using the pedestrian lane when crossing the street; it is more than following the traffic lights. It is more than paying the correct amount of taxes. It is more than having integrity as a worker. It is in seeing to it that a child who cannot afford to go to school gets the education he deserves. It is in seeing to it that a worker gets paid decently. It is in seeing to it that a family has their own source of livelihood. It is in seeing to it that a child never goes hungry. Yes, even one decent meal can make a difference.
My advocacies since I was a kid haven’t changed—I have always wanted to help in the areas of education especially for children, in providing livelihood for the poor, and in conserving the environment. I thank God for the constant reminder to reach out. And I thank God because I now have a better view of my sphere of influence and where and how exactly I can make a difference. Change starts with a person, with one small step, and it starts with me.
Let these be my legacy—to help even just one child go to school, to teach a family to fish, to feed street children. For I know how it feels to go to bed hungry. During 2008’s prayer and fasting, I once had to go to bed with a headache due to hunger. And that hunger and headache were something that I could have avoided by eating. I had a choice. But a lot of children do not, and I would like to give them that choice. Too bad that good education and good food have become a privilege for the few in this country. I hope to change that—one kid, one person, one family at a time. Let me correct that…I am now walking in faith that I can change that because I have been doing things to change that because in 2009’s prayer and fasting, I was challenged to do something more concrete--to act on my desire to help for my fasting would have gone to waste if all I had was a desire, a vision with no action.
I continue to be moved by the sight of hungry children on TV. I passed by the Quirino Grandstand last June 14th and saw the long lines of people participating in the government’s employment program under the grueling heat of the sun. I was moved to the point of tears that I prayed for them to find a job. We will have a presidential election next year. I have been praying for discernment on who to vote for and for these aspirants to have the genuine concern for our country and not just the selfish desire for power. With the prayers comes the desire to be shown how to help better the lives of people.
I may not see the Philippines back in its former glory in my lifetime. It will not take just one government or one administration but I am standing in faith that my efforts to help my country will make a difference however small it may be.
I never dreamt of migrating to another country and living there permanently and getting another citizenship. I have been disillusioned once—I had given up any hope for our political system and politicians—and had planned to leave the country but I always had the intention of coming back to help my country. But I realized that my citizenship should not be limited by my address. I can be in London, Boston, or Tondo and still be Filipino in mind and heart.
Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country…The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.--JFK
My being Filipino now is more than abiding by the traffic rules. It is more than using the pedestrian lane when crossing the street; it is more than following the traffic lights. It is more than paying the correct amount of taxes. It is more than having integrity as a worker. It is in seeing to it that a child who cannot afford to go to school gets the education he deserves. It is in seeing to it that a worker gets paid decently. It is in seeing to it that a family has their own source of livelihood. It is in seeing to it that a child never goes hungry. Yes, even one decent meal can make a difference.
My advocacies since I was a kid haven’t changed—I have always wanted to help in the areas of education especially for children, in providing livelihood for the poor, and in conserving the environment. I thank God for the constant reminder to reach out. And I thank God because I now have a better view of my sphere of influence and where and how exactly I can make a difference. Change starts with a person, with one small step, and it starts with me.
Let these be my legacy—to help even just one child go to school, to teach a family to fish, to feed street children. For I know how it feels to go to bed hungry. During 2008’s prayer and fasting, I once had to go to bed with a headache due to hunger. And that hunger and headache were something that I could have avoided by eating. I had a choice. But a lot of children do not, and I would like to give them that choice. Too bad that good education and good food have become a privilege for the few in this country. I hope to change that—one kid, one person, one family at a time. Let me correct that…I am now walking in faith that I can change that because I have been doing things to change that because in 2009’s prayer and fasting, I was challenged to do something more concrete--to act on my desire to help for my fasting would have gone to waste if all I had was a desire, a vision with no action.
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?—Isaiah 58:5-7
I continue to be moved by the sight of hungry children on TV. I passed by the Quirino Grandstand last June 14th and saw the long lines of people participating in the government’s employment program under the grueling heat of the sun. I was moved to the point of tears that I prayed for them to find a job. We will have a presidential election next year. I have been praying for discernment on who to vote for and for these aspirants to have the genuine concern for our country and not just the selfish desire for power. With the prayers comes the desire to be shown how to help better the lives of people.
All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.--JFK
I may not see the Philippines back in its former glory in my lifetime. It will not take just one government or one administration but I am standing in faith that my efforts to help my country will make a difference however small it may be.
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.—Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Reactions and Reflections
Someone reacted to my blog “Let’s Talk”:
I understand what you say... I always felt that the days when I had
less money were more fun…
I think it’s money that drives as all apart. The more money we make,
the more we become justifiable and while we may call it
responsibilities... it’s more like we have to sweat for the money that
we are being paid. And since we are all conscionable people, we work
harder and longer and therefore neglect the people who mean the most
in our lives…
Yea... I thought I shall email you later but since that would then be
planned and forgotten... I thought I shall do so immediately.
We never see a little flower that grows in a park you know. It takes
time. It takes effort to bend down and see its petals. Same is the
case with friendships. We have to invest time in this one Mar. I need
you to be there in my life.
*****
Somewhere in my journal, this is written:
As I get “richer,” as I get “more successful,” or the higher I go up the corporate ladder, the more I realize that a car, a house, or a high-paying job should and will not make me happy; the more I resolve to humble myself more; the more I take simple joy in taking the bus and the train, in bonding with my family and friends. There is just so much joy in simple and uncomplicated living.
I use my time more wisely now—lesser time on Facebook, more on reading and writing and being with family and friends. For several times this year, I was “on call” for friends who needed to be comforted (even at 12 midnight as I was about to go to bed after a long day at work!) and I have friends who are also just one text away whenever I need someone to have a meal or movie with. I thank God for my friends who, as varied as they are, keep me sane and grounded. I strive to have a more genuine and personal way of keeping in touch with them and not just through Facebook or Twitter, which are so shallow anyway, as one friend put it…because we have to invest time…we have to make time for the ones who really matter.
*****
And I keep this in mind:
1 Timothy 6:17-18
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
I understand what you say... I always felt that the days when I had
less money were more fun…
I think it’s money that drives as all apart. The more money we make,
the more we become justifiable and while we may call it
responsibilities... it’s more like we have to sweat for the money that
we are being paid. And since we are all conscionable people, we work
harder and longer and therefore neglect the people who mean the most
in our lives…
Yea... I thought I shall email you later but since that would then be
planned and forgotten... I thought I shall do so immediately.
We never see a little flower that grows in a park you know. It takes
time. It takes effort to bend down and see its petals. Same is the
case with friendships. We have to invest time in this one Mar. I need
you to be there in my life.
*****
Somewhere in my journal, this is written:
As I get “richer,” as I get “more successful,” or the higher I go up the corporate ladder, the more I realize that a car, a house, or a high-paying job should and will not make me happy; the more I resolve to humble myself more; the more I take simple joy in taking the bus and the train, in bonding with my family and friends. There is just so much joy in simple and uncomplicated living.
I use my time more wisely now—lesser time on Facebook, more on reading and writing and being with family and friends. For several times this year, I was “on call” for friends who needed to be comforted (even at 12 midnight as I was about to go to bed after a long day at work!) and I have friends who are also just one text away whenever I need someone to have a meal or movie with. I thank God for my friends who, as varied as they are, keep me sane and grounded. I strive to have a more genuine and personal way of keeping in touch with them and not just through Facebook or Twitter, which are so shallow anyway, as one friend put it…because we have to invest time…we have to make time for the ones who really matter.
*****
And I keep this in mind:
1 Timothy 6:17-18
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Take Time Off
From my inbox:
Learn To Take Time Off
Are you tired all the time? Even after sleeping? Do you keep going to the doctor but he can't find anything wrong with you? You may be experiencing the symptoms of burnout. Long periods of overexertion can cause fatigue, sleeplessness and stress. Some other signals of burnout are crying for no reason, being easily angered, insecurity, negativity, irritability, depression, cynicism and resentment toward the blessings of others. Recognize any of these in yourself?
One reason God established the Sabbath was to keep us from burning out. The law of the Sabbath simply says that we can work six days, but on the seventh we need to rest; also to spend time worshipping God and having fellowship with His people. Even God rested after six days work. Now since God doesn't get tired, clearly He's giving us an example we should follow.
We argue that we cannot afford to take time off. The truth is, we can't afford not to! You say, "But I would never get anything done if I did that." Then you're too busy and something needs to change in your life. When you're too busy to obey God's commandments, and even follow His example, you'll pay the price.
What you sow, you reap. If you sow continual stress with no rest to offset it, you'll reap the results in your body, your mind, your emotions, your health and your relationships. So, rearrange your priorities and learn to take time off!
Learn To Take Time Off
On the seventh day He rested from all His work. - Genesis 2:2
Are you tired all the time? Even after sleeping? Do you keep going to the doctor but he can't find anything wrong with you? You may be experiencing the symptoms of burnout. Long periods of overexertion can cause fatigue, sleeplessness and stress. Some other signals of burnout are crying for no reason, being easily angered, insecurity, negativity, irritability, depression, cynicism and resentment toward the blessings of others. Recognize any of these in yourself?
One reason God established the Sabbath was to keep us from burning out. The law of the Sabbath simply says that we can work six days, but on the seventh we need to rest; also to spend time worshipping God and having fellowship with His people. Even God rested after six days work. Now since God doesn't get tired, clearly He's giving us an example we should follow.
We argue that we cannot afford to take time off. The truth is, we can't afford not to! You say, "But I would never get anything done if I did that." Then you're too busy and something needs to change in your life. When you're too busy to obey God's commandments, and even follow His example, you'll pay the price.
What you sow, you reap. If you sow continual stress with no rest to offset it, you'll reap the results in your body, your mind, your emotions, your health and your relationships. So, rearrange your priorities and learn to take time off!
Friday, March 20, 2009
The Mail
5 a.m. I am sitting across the TV watching a show I barely understand. A letter envelope comes in my mailbox. The sender’s name is blank but the name is my name and the address is my home. I put the TV in mute, anticipating the message of the anonymous sender. I turn the lights on and prepare to read.
The crumple of the envelope as I open it makes a sharp contrast to the silence of my room. My room’s lights stand out in the sea of darkness outside.
The letter says that today is my last day on earth for tonight when I sleep, tomorrow I will wake up no more. Suddenly, my life flashes in front of me.
The smile on my parents’ lips when I was born. My first day in prep school. What’s the name of that boy again who stepped on my foot and made me cry?
I see myself curled up in bed, crying, the first time someone broke my heart.
I see myself waking up at 3 a.m. to answer the call of a friend who got pregnant out of wedlock. That was ten years ago.
I remember that party with friends that was filled with laughter and that birthday celebration with my family.
The end. My failures, my success, my unfulfilled dreams are now just a speck of dust in the air. Irrelevant.
I look at the TV and turn it off. The screen turns black, all the colors reduced to a white dot at the center that in a while will disappear.
The letter is signed: God.
The crumple of the envelope as I open it makes a sharp contrast to the silence of my room. My room’s lights stand out in the sea of darkness outside.
The letter says that today is my last day on earth for tonight when I sleep, tomorrow I will wake up no more. Suddenly, my life flashes in front of me.
The smile on my parents’ lips when I was born. My first day in prep school. What’s the name of that boy again who stepped on my foot and made me cry?
I see myself curled up in bed, crying, the first time someone broke my heart.
I see myself waking up at 3 a.m. to answer the call of a friend who got pregnant out of wedlock. That was ten years ago.
I remember that party with friends that was filled with laughter and that birthday celebration with my family.
The end. My failures, my success, my unfulfilled dreams are now just a speck of dust in the air. Irrelevant.
I look at the TV and turn it off. The screen turns black, all the colors reduced to a white dot at the center that in a while will disappear.
The letter is signed: God.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
One Life to Live
The “One Life to Live” series of Victory Christian Fellowship ended yesterday, March 7th. The series was based on the book “One Month to Live” but since “one month” was a bit scary, the title was changed to “One Life to Live.” It has had a profound effect on me and it has underscored the truth that with everything that we aim for—success, wealth, fame—relationships are all that really matter. At the end of our lives, the people around us will not remember us for the money we have in the bank or the businesses we have built or how far we have gone up the corporate ladder but for how we have touched their lives.
The series had four different topics each Saturday from February 14th to March 7th—Live Passionately, Love Completely, Learn Humbly, and Leave a Legacy. There were two videos used in the series that I would like to share with you.
This first video was used in discussing the topic “Live Passionately.” If we have only one life to live, how would we want to spend it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvYb4BLIAQw
This second video was used in discussing the topic “Leave a Legacy.” How would we want to be remembered and what do we need to change in our lives now to achieve this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA
The series had four different topics each Saturday from February 14th to March 7th—Live Passionately, Love Completely, Learn Humbly, and Leave a Legacy. There were two videos used in the series that I would like to share with you.
This first video was used in discussing the topic “Live Passionately.” If we have only one life to live, how would we want to spend it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvYb4BLIAQw
This second video was used in discussing the topic “Leave a Legacy.” How would we want to be remembered and what do we need to change in our lives now to achieve this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Thank You
I have been following the blog of a friend. As I was reading it, I realized that she is currently going through what I went through last year. Life as they say is a cycle, a wheel in revolution; it has its ups and downs. She said this season might as well be her “dip” season. I, on the other hand, think that I am on the upswing. Lately though, I have been fearful that this season of my life might end soon (and I don’t want it to because I am sooo enjoying it)…that my own “dip” would come (and I don’t want it…not too soon). But hey, who says it will not come? Who says I will not be tested and disciplined and broken and molded yet again? And why do I have to be fearful when I have survived everything that has been thrown my way with God’s grace? I have always come out stronger and better.
I couldn’t have survived without the help of friends. To those who nursed the wounded eagle, thank you and I love you more (you know who you are). I am over the wounded-ness and am now back with the serenity I once had. To Pastor Dennis who prayed with me for spiritual revival during the prayer and fasting week, thank you! He told me to be joyful and I feel I am. To Tita Virgie who was instrumental in answering a question I had been struggling with, thank you!
I still am not perfect; I still trip every now and then but more are the nights when I can sleep soundly and wake up with a silly smile on my face. I am soaring. Let's all soar!
Isaiah 40:31 (New International Version)
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
I couldn’t have survived without the help of friends. To those who nursed the wounded eagle, thank you and I love you more (you know who you are). I am over the wounded-ness and am now back with the serenity I once had. To Pastor Dennis who prayed with me for spiritual revival during the prayer and fasting week, thank you! He told me to be joyful and I feel I am. To Tita Virgie who was instrumental in answering a question I had been struggling with, thank you!
I still am not perfect; I still trip every now and then but more are the nights when I can sleep soundly and wake up with a silly smile on my face. I am soaring. Let's all soar!
Isaiah 40:31 (New International Version)
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Irony of Death
October 19, 2008
Hil’s Facebook Status: …Manny is with Our Daddy (or something like that)
My Thoughts: Manny? The actor? The commercial model? Dead?
Julla (in a chat on Facebook): I still can’t believe Manny’s dead.
Marian: Yeah…just saw his ad yesterday. What caused it? When?
Julla: 17th. Stroke.
My thoughts: He seemed healthy to me. He was so young! 29, 30? (Gayette’s blog said he was actually 37. Manny must be smiling at me from heaven for having thought he was younger. :D)
I never personally knew Manny. Just saw him in church once or twice. The actor and commercial model friend of my friends from small group, that was Manny to me. When I read Gayette’s and Lance’s blogs and even Hil’s comments, that was how I learned about Manny who was the big brother to Gayette, Hil, and Lance and I know, to a lot more people from church and outside of it; through these writings, I learned about Manny who was a light to every life he touched. Manny, the one who was “always full of joy in life,” wrote Gayette. “If I was down in the dumps, he’d sink to that level to pull me through my own garbage. If I was on top of the world, he’d take a seat beside me to watch the fire-works,” wrote Lance (this really made me teary-eyed…).
Death, if we allow it to, can have a profound effect on us. How many times has it reminded us that life on earth is indeed fleeting; that it can be extinguished with a snap of a finger or the blink of an eye? How many times has it made us step back and reassess our priorities? How many times has it made us resolve to express our love for our loved ones, to spend more time with them rather than at work or whatever other non-essential preoccupation we have? How many times has it taught us to live each day to the fullest as if it were our last? Death… a reality we avoid talking or thinking about…it can remind us to really, really live life the way it should be lived.
Today, while I still have the time, I would like to thank those who have touched my life in one way or another (you know who you are :D). To my friends who have stood by me through all my moodiness and craziness, I love you, I love you, I love you. I thank God for all of you.
Hil’s Facebook Status: …Manny is with Our Daddy (or something like that)
My Thoughts: Manny? The actor? The commercial model? Dead?
Julla (in a chat on Facebook): I still can’t believe Manny’s dead.
Marian: Yeah…just saw his ad yesterday. What caused it? When?
Julla: 17th. Stroke.
My thoughts: He seemed healthy to me. He was so young! 29, 30? (Gayette’s blog said he was actually 37. Manny must be smiling at me from heaven for having thought he was younger. :D)
I never personally knew Manny. Just saw him in church once or twice. The actor and commercial model friend of my friends from small group, that was Manny to me. When I read Gayette’s and Lance’s blogs and even Hil’s comments, that was how I learned about Manny who was the big brother to Gayette, Hil, and Lance and I know, to a lot more people from church and outside of it; through these writings, I learned about Manny who was a light to every life he touched. Manny, the one who was “always full of joy in life,” wrote Gayette. “If I was down in the dumps, he’d sink to that level to pull me through my own garbage. If I was on top of the world, he’d take a seat beside me to watch the fire-works,” wrote Lance (this really made me teary-eyed…).
Death, if we allow it to, can have a profound effect on us. How many times has it reminded us that life on earth is indeed fleeting; that it can be extinguished with a snap of a finger or the blink of an eye? How many times has it made us step back and reassess our priorities? How many times has it made us resolve to express our love for our loved ones, to spend more time with them rather than at work or whatever other non-essential preoccupation we have? How many times has it taught us to live each day to the fullest as if it were our last? Death… a reality we avoid talking or thinking about…it can remind us to really, really live life the way it should be lived.
Today, while I still have the time, I would like to thank those who have touched my life in one way or another (you know who you are :D). To my friends who have stood by me through all my moodiness and craziness, I love you, I love you, I love you. I thank God for all of you.
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