What I Have Learned (sometimes the hard way)

I've learned - that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.I've learned - that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.I've learned - that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.I've learned - that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.I've learned - that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better know something.I've learned - that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.I've learned - that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.I've learned - that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.I've learned - that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.I've learned - that you can keep going long after you can't.I've learned - that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.I've learned - that either you control your attitude or it controls you.I've learned - that regardless of how wonderful a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.I've learned - that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.I've learned - that money is a lousy way of keeping score.I've learned - that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.I've learned - that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.I've learned - that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.I've learned - that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.  Same goes for true love.I've learned - that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don't love you with all they have.I’ve learned - that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.I've learned - that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.I've learned - that your family won't always be there for you.  It may seem funny, but people you aren’t related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren’t biological.I've learned - that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.I've learned - that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.I've learned - that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.I've learned - that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.I've learned - that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.I've learned - that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.I've learned - that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.I've learned - that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.I've learned - that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.I've learned - that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.I've learned - that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.I've learned - that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.I've learned - that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.I've learned - that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s feelings and standing up for what you believe.

World Teachers Day 2011

How to Have a Full and Meaningful Life

Life is full of routines like sleeping, eating and working with occasional landmarks such as marriage, birth and death. Seasons and years come and go. Even special events like vacations and holidays can become repetitious, less exciting and meaningful as we grow older. So how can we live a full and meaningful life?

Three Common Approaches

There are three common approaches that consume most of the time, talents and energy of our waking hours. One approach is the pursuit of material things. Americans are in love with having a modern home, late model cars, lots of clothes, a wide variety of food and as many new electronic gadgets as possible. The desire for more and better things has resulted in a throwaway society where new is better, savings are low and debt is high. The cost and quantity of things that are accumulated measure success.

The Pursuit of Things

There are two problems with the pursuit of things. First, possessions tend to possess the possessor. The more you have the more there is to take care of and worry about. I think about this whenever I cut and fertilize the lawn, wash the cars and keep the house clean. Things break down and this is a continuing source of headaches and frustration. Secondly, things and wealth that are accumulated are left behind when death occurs. Therefore, others benefit from the hard work to accumulate things. This can be good or bad depending on whether the inheritors are appreciative and wise in using the wealth passed to them. The bottom line is that man enters this world with nothing and takes nothing out of it so it is not true that the one who dies with the most things wins.

The Pursuit of Pleasure

The second popular philosophy of life is the pursuit of pleasures to experience life to the fullest. These people have a lifestyle of traveling, multiple sexual partners, drugs, new restaurants and entertainment forms (e.g., TVs, CDs, VCRs, etc.), seeking excitement and pleasures that are fleeting. There is no lasting satisfaction in this approach and it leads to frustration. Most people do not have enough time or money to experience all the possible places, people, food, things, etc., that can be enjoyed. Indeed, even if it were possible to have unlimited wealth, there would always be places and things beyond our experience due to the limits of the human life span.

A full life cannot be measured by the quantity but rather by the quality of one's relationships with others and with God.

The Apostle Paul, after having been beaten, ship-wrecked and thrown into prison, wrote that he had lived a full life and was content in whatever situation he found himself (Philippians 4:11-12). Paul said that as long as he had Jesus, he could do anything through the strength of God's presence and power (Philippians 4:13).

Leaving a Legacy

A third popular pursuit is to leave a legacy. Living for family, fame or fortune may be noble, but it is ultimately futile. Family members and human relationships seldom turn out the way we like. Fame and fortune dwindle over time, and facts are frequently altered to meet political, cultural or religious objectives. King Solomon of the Bible was a person who had vast wealth, time and wisdom. He tried all of life's pursuits but, in the end, found them all to be meaningless vanity and chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:13-14). He concluded that the best that man could hope for was to find satisfaction in work, do good and fear God (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13; 12:13).

This is the best that man can hope for without a saving relationship with Jesus who said that abundant and meaningful life comes from knowing him as personal savior (John 10:9-10).

For Reflection

So the key to living a full and meaningful life is first discovering a relationship with Jesus Christ and then following the Lord on an amazing adventure through a life of faith.

Living a Meaningful Life

Too many of us live like goldfish, swimming in the same orbit day in and day out feeling uninspired, tired, bored and sometimes worse. Life is much too precious to waste that way. Every person has a unique purpose in life. I implore you not to waste your days berating yourself for what you don’t know and don’t do well.Instead, discover your strengths, passions, purpose and build your life on those.

Here are 10 ideas about living a meaningful life, as I understand them. Embracing even a few of these will help you begin the exciting journey of self discovery.

1. We are all here for a purpose. God has a special purpose for you. Your being here makes a difference.
Your purpose may be obscure to you and a challenge to discover.
Start now. There are many resources, coaches and books to help you with this endeavor.
2. The secret to fulfillment is self knowledge. Start the exciting journey of discovery.
3.The second part of the secret to fulfillment is to apply your self knowledge to what you do and how you live.The more you know, the more you can actively pursue your true purpose.
4.Don’t waste time lamenting what you don’t do well. Concentrate on your strengths.Those reflect who you are. Leave the other things to people who do them well.
5. Build on your strengths. Do more of them and give yourself recognition for doing the things you do well.
6. Pay attention to the small details that you enjoy in your everyday life. Do more of them.
7. Pay attention to the small details you don’t enjoy. Find ways (such as delegation) to eliminate as many of them as possible.
8. Keep a journal and put particular emphasis on the things about yourself and events in your life for which you are grateful.
9. Make an effort to release the negative aspects of your past. Try not be imprisoned by your past. Do not define yourself by your past.
10.Jump-start your self-esteem by giving back to the community.Volunteer in a meaningful way that suits who you are and your interests.

Enjoy the journey. You will get to know and like yourself in a whole new way. Work with a friend, hire a coach, and use the resources out there, to help you with objectivity.Have someone point out the good things about you that you have a tendency to overlook. As soon as you stop doing what you hate and start doing what you love, you may find your life more meaningful and fulfilling.

Science Investigatory Project (SIP) Write-Shop 2011.

JPENHS announces the opening of Summer Class in Science Investigatory Project (SIP) Write-Shop 2011. The write-shop is open to all interested JPENHS students. The summer class will be on April 11-30, 2011 for the First Batch and May 2-27, 2011 for the Second Batch. A registration fee of P500.00 will be charged per participant. Enroll now at JPENHS Finance Office. Be productive this summer. Be a researcher! Limited slots only! For more details see Mr. Zaldy D. Alima or Mrs. Ana Geran V. Millan. See you there!

Why We Need God?

Why We Need God

When we first come into this world, we are extremely dependent on others. We need parents or other providers to feed and clean up after ourselves. Even as small children, we sense our need for parental care and protection. As we get older, it is common to believe that we no longer need anyone or anything. Starting in adolescence, where many think they no longer need their parents. Often continuing throughout adulthood, where many think they can take care of themselves.

Mankind is not as self-sufficient as many would like to believe. We are extremely dependent on many things despite our denials.

Assuming that one believes in God, let's begin with three simple yet significant reasons why we need God in our lives. Starting with the fact that HE IS OUR CREATOR. GOD IS THE CREATOR of the heavens and the earth, of mankind, both male and female. Even in the womb, God has a role in giving us life. He made us, not we ourselves. GOD AS OUR CREATOR knows us better than we know ourselves.

Even as the manufacturer knows his product better than anyone else, God knows our weaknesses and our strengths. He is the best source to find the answers to such questions as Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? How should I live?

We need God because as our Creator He is the only reliable "tech support" to help us make sense and use of our lives! Another reason we need God is because HE IS OUR REDEEMER. GOD IS THE REDEEMER. Unfortunately, all have made a mess of their lives. Some more than others, but all are in need of major correction. But God offers Himself as our Redeemer. GOD AS OUR REDEEMER makes it possible for us to start anew. This He did by sending His Son, Jesus. He offered His Son's blood to redeem from our sins. We need God because as our Redeemer we have the opportunity to be forgiven of sins and to start our lives anew! A third reason we need God is because HE IS OUR PROVIDER. GOD IS THE PROVIDER of physical life itself which sustains our physical life and our spiritual strength that we need. GOD AS OUR PROVIDER has promised to meet our physical needs. If we will put Him and His righteousness first in our lives, he has promised to meet our spiritual need if we will put on His armor.

More things could be said to illustrate our need for God, but for now let these suffice. God is our Creator, God is our Redeemer. God is our Provider. Those who reject any need for God go through life with no true knowledge of self or purpose in life have no way to atone for or to truly correct the many mistakes they make, have their lives devoid of the fullness of God's providential care. How much better to confess our need for God, and look to Him for wisdom and guidance in making the best of our time here on earth, for forgiveness and renewal when we mess up our lives through sin, for providential care and spiritual strength to live the truly "abundant life". Yes, dear friends and brethren that is why we need God!

Game of Life

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass.

If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

How? Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special. Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you. Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as they would your life, for without them, life is meaningless. Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave. Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.
Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way.
Yesterday is History,
Tomorrow is a Mystery and
Today is a gift: that's why we call it The Present.

-Author Unknown

Kailan ba ako huling nagalit sa aking saliri, nagwala at nawalan ng tiwala sa mga taong tinuring kong pamilya? Since then naging ibang tao na ako sa sarili ko. Akala ko hawak ko ang bawat galaw ko. Akala ko tama ang bawat pagpapasya ko.

Mabilis umusad ang mga araw. Nadagdagan ng mga taon ang buhay ko. I never thought my life would be this lonely. I chose my own path. I journey a life without direction. Every day I ask myself, “Why am I this lonely?” It’s difficult to always ask for love for I know I am just hurting myself. Love, shall I deny it when it visits me? There’s always the end to every road. And usually it’s the sad one. Ngayon ko naisip, ang dami ko pa palang dapat gawin sa buhay ko. May katuparan pa ba kaya ang mga pangarap ko. My God! I am not getting any younger anymore. Most people my age are already establishing their own family.

A voice echoes: “Kaya mo yan Zaldy. Akala mo lang yon…nag-sesinti ka na naman. Ngayon ka pa ba bibitaw sa mga pangarap mo? Di ba noong araw pinangarap mo lang ang buhay na meron ka ngayon? Andito kana. Ano pa ba ang gusto mo? Gear up! Soar high!”

Retrospect S.Y 2009-2010

Gusto kong baguhin ang approach ko sa aking blog. Naisip ko na gamitin ang mga salitang alam na alam ko para mas ma-express ko pa ng husto ang mga bagay-bagay na madalas naglalaro sa isip ko. At ipakitang hindi hadlang ang ibang salita para maparating ang gusto kong ma-absorb ng aking mga blog followers.

Retrospect School Year 2009-2010

I'm in Tarlac City

Today is my second day in Tarlac. Walang masyadong mapagkaabalahan, gumagala nalang around the city lulan ng van as our service vehicle. I like the tour. Now we're going to Tarlac National High School. Yesterday, I busied myself making a movie I always dreamt to finish. Kailangan pa bang mapunta ako dito sa Tarlac to finally realize it? Indeed, it was fulfilling feeling!

Zal, congratulations!

It was my dream to win in competitions like Science Investigatory Project (SIP). That dream came true when I finally decided, with the help of my co-teachers in the science department, to give it a try.

It‘s no easy thing to conduct an experimental research with limited resources at hand and with so little time to do it. It was even more difficult when I had to do it alongside with my training and coaching my students for the Student Technologist and Entrepreneurs of the Philippines (STEP) Skills Competition particularly in Techno Quiz.

But sacrifices paid off. It is true that success is achieved and maintained by those who keep trying with positive mental attitude. I won in the regional science fair in Butuan City and I would represent Caraga Region. My students also won in the Techno-Quiz.

The next level of competition was about to unfold in National arena. The 7^th National Science Quest was held in Tabaco City, Camarines Sur on February 3-5, 2010. This event was spearheaded by the Association of Science Educators of the Philippines (ASEP). The mere thought of it brought me lots of mixed emotions. What would I do? It was really breathtaking. I kept myself motivated and in high spirit all the time I thought of it. I told myself that I am doing it not only for own benefit but for the honor and glory of Caraga Region; my province, Surigao del Sur; and my school in particular, the Jacinto P. Elpa National High School.

This line of thinking kept me energized. It kept my adrenaline running. I remained high even on the day of the science congress. I presented my science investigatory project with so much confidence. After seeing my teacher- contenders demonstrating the same interest, passion and professionalism as I do, I showed up all the best I know how.

We were all 16 contestants for Applied Science Teacher category, each representing his or her own region. Only top five scientific studies would be chosen. After all the entries were presented I felt a rather negative feeling. I told myself I never gonna make it. My appearance in the National contest means I am already a winner. Not everybody had the chance to be here, I reasoned out. If they pick me up, it’s already a bonus. The next day, the moment of truth came as a thunderstruck. My name was called during the awarding ceremony. I got 3^rd place! I couldn’t believe what I had heard.

Going back home with the bacon was the nicest thing that ever happened in the entire trip of the contest. When I got back to school, I saw a congratulation streamer hanging high in the school entrance. I felt a sense of pride in myself and became grateful to the people behind the success. A large part of it would be credited from my co-teachers in the science department who motivated me to participate in the first place.

Everybody in the school campus flashes a smile on me. But the feeling I couldn't forget was when our school principal said these lines, "Zal, congratulations. Thank you for bringing pride to our school."

New Life, New Beginning

I have often wanted to change things in the past and I have not followed through. I think now is the time in my life that I can finally implement these changes. I am tired of things which never working out when I start them. Now I am a better place with my mental health and I should remember that this is different than ever before. How can you do all these changes if you can’t stick to healthy lifestyles?

After a long trip down a painful period in my life, I try to find beauty in everything I see and every person I meet. I hope I will feel the happiness inside. Honestly, aside from God, tayo ang gumagawa ng ating kaligayahan.( We are the ones making our own happiness.) May this year bring prosperity and good things in my family and in my life. May this become my new life, my new beginning.

I listed down here the things I want to happen to me this year 2010. I resolve to:

1. Save for the rainy days. I want to save my first Php 100,000.

2. Maintain positive outlook in life despite the misfortunes.

3. Study the art of questioning and learn how to ask the right questions.

4. Go where few feet have trodden.

5. Live life like there’s no tomorrow.

6. Build my knowledge and seek excellence.

7. Learn something new every day.

8. Follow my head and not my heart.

9. Exceed my own expectations.

10. Make ethically responsible decisions.

11. Stay fit and healthy.

12. Spend quality time with my family members.

13. Make weekly plan and follow it.

14. Dare to start a business that really earns.

15. Attend church activities and fellowships.

16. Follow a time management program.

17. Take good care of my siblings and mind their needs.

18. Renew my relationship with my family members.

19. Regularly update my blog.

20. Compile photo albums of my family, students and friends.

21. Be effective in my teaching and become a proactive teacher.

22. Welcome people to love me and be loved by me in return.

23. Spare time in my artistic diversions like writing poems and stories and blogging, now movie directing.

24. Be kinder in myself.

25. Worship Jehovah God with all my heart and soul.

It’s Gonna Make Sense

It’s Gonna Make Sense
Michael Learns to Rock

Life comes in many shapes
You think you know what you got
Until it changes
And life will take you high and low
You gotta learn how to walk
And then which way to go
Every choice you make
When you’re lost
Every step you take
Has it’s cause
Chorus:
After you clear your eyes
You’ll see the light
Somewhere in the darkness
After the rain has gone
You’ll feel the sun come
And though it seems your sorrow never ends
Someday it’s gonna make sense
Tears you shed are all the same
When you laughed ’till you cried
Or broken down in pain
All the hours you have spent in the past
Worrying about
A thing that didn’t last
Everything you saw
Played a part
In everything you are
In your heart
Chorus:
After you clear your eyes
You’ll see the light
Somewhere in the darkness
After the rain has gone
You’ll feel the sun come
And though it seems your sorrow never ends
Someday it’s gonna make sense
Release:
Someday you’re gonna find the answers
To all the things you’ve become and all they’ve done
At your expense
Someday it’s gonna make sense

Philippine massacre charges filed

The killings sparked outrage across the Philippines and embarassed the country's president [AFP]

Prosecutors in the Philippines have formally filed 25 murder charges against a man accused of leading a election-related massacre on the southern island of Mindanao that outraged the nation.
The charges against Andal Ampatuan Jr, the son of the governor of Maguindanao province, were filed in a court in the southern city of Cotabato, which has jurisdiction over the site of the massacre.
According to prosecutors, at least 10 witnesses have said Ampatuan Jr led the gang of gunmen that carried out the killings of political campaigners and journalists.
Ampatuan Jr has denied the charges.
Prosecutors allege armed followers of the Ampatuan clan murdered 57 people including the wife and two sisters of their political rival, Esmael Mangudadatu.
Also among those killed were journalists, lawyers and other civilians.

Political rivalry

Edilberto Jamora, the prosecutor in the case, said Ampatuan Jr was only being charged with 25 murders so far because authorities had only processed 25 death certificates.
Ampatuan Jr is accused of leading the killings to prevent Mangudadatu from challenging him in the May 2010 race for governor of the province.
Ampatuan's father, together with six other clan members, have been summoned to submit affidavits in the investigation into the massacre in Maguindanao province.
They are also suspects in the investigation, but have not been charged.
The Ampatuans control many local positions in the southern province of Maguindanao and have hundreds of armed followers there.
Prosecutors said the killings were carefully planned and that more charges will follow.

'Strong evidence'

Jovencito Zuno, the chief state prosecutor, said at least one witness alleged that the Ampatuan clan had gathered in the patriarch's mansion in the provincial capital of Shariff Aguak days before to plan the killings.
The graves were dug in advance and a backhoe positioned to bury the bodies, prosecutors said.
Police said earlier they took into custody six officers, including the Maguindanao provincial police chief and his deputy.
Two inspectors among them were allegedly seen during the massacre with Ampatuan Jr, said Erickson Velasquez, head of the criminal investigation division.
The massacre has also embarrassed Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the Philippine president, who has longstanding ties with the Ampatuans.
Arroyo has declared a state of emergency in Maguindanao and a neighbouring province, ordering troops and police to confiscate unlicensed weapons and restore order.
But few think the measures will go far enough in the region which is notorious for its political warlords who have been outside the central government's control for generations.

Lifting martial law

CNN) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lifted martial law in the country's south, which she declared after the massacre of 57 people last month, Philippine news outlets reported Saturday.
The order lifting martial law was due to be effective at 9 p.m. (8 a.m. ET) Saturday, the Philippines News Agency (PNA) and CNN affiliate ABS-CBN said.
Military troops will remain in Maguindanao province to keep the peace despite the move, said Victor Ibrado, chief of staff of the Philippine armed forces, PNA said.
Arroyo imposed martial law December 4 but lifted it Saturday after deciding it had achieved its objectives, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said, according to PNA.
Local government was now back in power and the justice system was functioning again, he said.
Authorities have said the November 23 massacre in Maguindanao province was a politically motivated attempt to keep an opponent of the politically powerful Ampatuan family from running for governor.
Thirty journalists were among those killed.
The martial law allowed arrests without warrants, and at least six members of the Ampatuan family -- including a local mayor -- were arrested, according to ABS-CBN.
Authorities raided a warehouse and ranch belonging to the family last weekend and confiscated firearms, ammunition and vehicles, Maj. Randolph Cabangbang, deputy of operations for the eastern Mindanao command, told CNN.
Ermita said Saturday that three charges of multiple murders were filed in court, and that 24 people were charged with rebellion. The Philippine National Police has referred nearly 900 other cases to the Department of Justice, he said.
Violence in the run-up to elections is not uncommon in the Philippines. The Maguindanao massacre, however, is the worst politically motivated violence in recent Philippine history, according to state media.
The victims included the wife and sister of political candidate Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu, who had sent the women to file paperwork allowing him to run for governor of Maguindanao. He said he had received threats from allies of Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., the father of the accused mayor, saying he would be kidnapped if he filed the papers himself.
Maguindanao is part of an autonomous region in predominantly Muslim Mindanao, which was set up in the 1990s to quell armed uprisings by people seeking an independent Muslim homeland in the predominantly Christian Asian nation.

I attended the week-long National Accreditation for Officiating Officials Visayas-Mindanao Cluster in Dilopolog City, Zamboanga del Norte last November 23-27, 2009.

Victory Moment

Lesssons Learned from Bagyong Ondoy

Ondoy is considered the worst storm that hit Metro Manila in 40 years and that it was equivalent of one month’s worth of rain falling within 6 hours. The result, landslides and raging flood reminiscent to the great biblical flood during the time of Noah. During which, not a few died, lost loved ones, their own homes and valuable properties.The factors to consider and blame are:
1. An extraordinary weather incident
2. Climate change via global warming
3. Lack of civil defense planning and vigilance; inadequate weather bulletins and alerts from PAG-ASA
4. Poor waste management. If the creeks and rivers had not been clogged, they would have allowed for released waters from the dams and floodwaters to have somehow drain faster.
5. Environment degradation
6. Wild and unregulated property development

Metro Manila settlers themselves contributed to the disaster. That is, from the plastic bags they throw into the sewers to the trash in the streets everyday. The sewers and drain systems are like veins in our body. If you feed it with junk, it will give you a heart attack.

The garbage was the doing of the common people. These were thrown into the waterways because that was the easiest and quickest way to get rid of them. The result, because the trash clogged waterways, the latter is made shallow and narrow. Eventually with the storm “Ondoy”, nature took revenge. Waterways overflowed the banks and entered the homes, yards and streets and to the very people where the garbage came from. As the trite adage says, “the trash you throw into the streams will come back to haunt you”.

While the flood was heavily accompanied by mud washed down by rain, landslide continue to occur even after the storm Ondoy. This is because there are no more roots of trees to hold the soil together. Those people responsible in cutting down the forest must have been the first to be buried alive by landslide but they are accordingly merely watching high and dry from their mansions and condos. These people who got rich by illegal logging assuage their feelings of guilt by donating some of their ill-gotten wealth to the relief organizations helping flood victims.

“We benefit more from our failures than from our successes; that crises teach us more important lessons than we can possibly learn from books and classrooms. As someone puts it, one of the things that hits you most forcibly and offers ideas of value is failure and suffering. Success and happiness give out great feelings but it is affliction that enlightens and prepare us best for the future.” -- Ramon J. Farolan, Phil. Daily Inquirer Columnist

Your Thought and Mine

Your Thought and Mine

by Kahlil Gibran

Your thought is a tree rooted deep in the soil of tradition and whose branches grow in the power of continuity. My thought is a cloud moving in the space. It turns into drops which, as they fall, form a brook that sings its way into the sea. Then it rises as vapour into the sky. Your thought is a fortress that neither gale nor the lightning can shake. My thought is a tender leaf that sways in every direction and finds pleasure in its swaying. Your thought is an ancient dogma that cannot change you nor can you change it. My thought is new, and it tests me and I test it morn and eve.
You have your thought and I have mine.

Your thought allows you to believe in the unequal contest of the strong against the weak, and in the tricking of the simple by the subtle ones. My thought creates in me the desire to till the earth with my hoe, and harvest the crops with my sickle, and build my home with stones and mortar, and weave my raiment with woollen and linen threads. Your thought urges you to marry wealth and notability. Mine commends self-reliance. Your thought advocates fame and show. Mine counsels me and implores me to cast aside notoriety and treat it like a grain of sand cast upon the shore of eternity. Your thought instils in your heart arrogance and superiority. Mine plants within me love for peace and the desire for independence. Your thought begets dreams of palaces with furniture of sandalwood studded with jewels, and beds made of twisted silk threads. My thought speaks softly in my ears, “Be clean in body and spirit even if you have nowhere to lay your head.” Your thought makes you aspire to titles and offices. Mine exhorts me to humble service.

You have your thought and I have mine.

Your thought is social science, a religious and political dictionary. Mine is simple axiom. Your thought speaks of the beautiful woman, the ugly, the virtuous, the prostitute, the intelligent, and the stupid. Mine sees in every woman a mother, a sister, or a daughter of every man. The subjects of your thought are thieves, criminals, and assassins. Mine declares that thieves are the creatures of monopoly, criminals are the offspring of tyrants, and assassins are akin to the slain. Your thought describes laws, courts, judges, punishments. Mine explains that when man makes a law, he either violates it or obeys it. If there is a basic law, we are all one before it. He who disdains the mean is himself mean. He who vaunts his scorn of the sinful vaunts his disdain of all humanity. Your thought concerns the skilled, the artist, the intellectual, the philosopher, the priest. Mine speaks of the loving and the affectionate, the sincere, the honest, the forthright, the kindly, and the martyr. Your thought advocates Judaism, Brahmanism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. In my thought there is only one universal religion, whose varied paths are but the fingers of the loving hand of the Supreme Being. In your thought there are the rich, the poor, and the beggared. My thought holds that there are no riches but life; that we are all beggars, and no benefactor exists save life herself.

You have your thought and I have mine.

According to your thought, the greatness of nations lies in their politics, their parties, their conferences, their alliances and treaties. But mine proclaims that the importance of nations lies in work – work in the field, work in the vineyards, work with the loom, work in the tannery, work in the quarry, work in the timberyard, work in the office and in the press. Your thought holds that the glory of the nations is in their heroes. It sings the praises of Rameses, Alexander, Caesar, Hannibal, and Napoleon. But mine claims that the real heroes are Confucius, Lao-Tse, Socrates, Plato, Abi Taleb, El Gazali, Jalal Ed-din-el Roumy, Copernicus, and Pasteur. Your thought sees power in armies, cannons, battleships, submarines, aeroplanes, and poison gas. But mine asserts that power lies in reason, resolution, and truth. No matter how long the tyrant endures, he will be the loser at the end. Your thought differentiates between pragmatist and idealist, between the part and the whole, between the mystic and materialist. Mine realizes that life is one and its weights, measures and tables do not coincide with your weights, measures and tables. He whom you suppose an idealist may be a practical man.

You have your thought and I have mine.

Your thought is interested in ruins and museums, mummies and petrified objects. But mine hovers in the ever-renewed haze and clouds. Your thought is enthroned on skulls. Since you take pride in it, you glorify it too. My thought wanders in the obscure and distant valleys. Your thought trumpets while you dance. Mine prefers the anguish of death to your music and dancing. Your thought is the thought of gossip and false pleasure. Mine is the thought of him who is lost in his own country, of the alien in his own nation, of the solitary among his kinfolk and friends.

You have your thought and I have mine.

Zwani

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Zwani

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