Pagpapahalaga

June 2004
8:30 pm Wednesday

Kaya masarap ang isang tagumpay ay hindi dahil lamang sa magandang buhay na tinatamasa kundi sa hirap at sakripisyo bago ito makamtan.

Kaya siguro hindi masaya ang iilan sa kanilang mga ipinagtagumpayan marahil ay hindi nito dinanas ang sakripisyo o paghihirap na kinakailangan.

Hindi nila inilaan nang buong puso at isip, manapa'y pagpapahalaga sa kanilang mga pinagtutuunang gawain.

Ang isang taong kuntento sa buhay, bagama't nagpakahirap at nagpahalaga, nalulugod sa kung anumang meron siya.

Ang halimbawa ng isang dalisay na sakripisyo ay ang ginawa ng panginoong hesukristo para sa atin. Ang sakripisyong iyon ay hindi para kalugdan siya ng diyos Ama kundi para tayo ay kanyang mailigtas. Sa katunayan nga, para sa akin marahil, balatkayo lamang ang mga pangyayari na kung saan ang pagkakaalam ng lahat ay napatay nila si hesukristo. Ikinalugod ng marami ang pagkamatay niya.

Subali't kay kristo, upang matahimik na nga lamang at ikagalak na ng mga taong nagaalipusta sa kanya, siya ay nagpakita ng kahinaan, kababaang loob. Ito ay sa pamamagitan ng kanyang dusa at kamatayan sa ilalim ng mga nakatunghay na mga nangaalipustang mga mata ng mga taong iyon. Lingid sa kanila, ginawa ito ng panginoon upang tayo'y tulungan.

Inyong natatandaan ba nang sabihan si Abraham ng Diyos Ama na isakripisyo ang kanyang kaisa-isahang anak na si Isaac subali't binago nang diyos Ama iyon at sa halip ay tupa na lamang ang isinakripisyo?

Marubdob ang pagpapahalaga ni Abraham sa kanyang anak na si Isaac. Ang katagang "sakripisyo" ay halaw sa pagbibigay-loob ng walang hinihintay na anumang kapalit, ito ay may kalaliman ang kahulugan kumpara sa katagang "pag-aalay".

Kung ang kasaganaan ay hindi nag-ugat sa pagtitiyaga, sakripisyo o pagpapahalaga; ang hinihintay na gantimpala, sa isang taong walang kabusugan, animo'y hindi na dumarating ang kasaganaan.


Samantalang kung ito ay mula sa hirap at pagod, ninanamnam mo ito. Hindi ba't ang kasaganaan habang tumatagal nauubos din? Subali't ang iyong sakripisyo, determinasyon o pagpapahalaga sa isang bagay o gawain, hindi ito mawawala bagkus iyung sasariwain sa iyong mga alaala paulit-ulit. Ito'y magsisilbing inspirasyon upang huwag mapanghinaan ng loob.

Merong dalawang magkaibigan na nagpapaligsahan. Kung sino ang makakaipon ng pinakamalaking pera sa loob ng tatlong araw siya ang panalo at may gantimpalang makukuha.

Si Juan, ang ginawa'y nagsipag, nagtrabaho at nag-ipon para makakuha ng malaking pera.

Samantalang si Pedro ay nagsanla at umutang, samakatuwid ay hindi nagpakahirap.

Ang pabuya na makukuha ng mananalo lingid sa kanila ay pera rin.

Sa ikatlong araw, mas maraming perang naipakita si Pedro laban kay Juan at naiuwi niya ang gantimpala.

Walang pagsisising makikita kay Juan kahit siya'y talunan sapagka't ginawa naman niya ang dapat gawin at nakita niya kung pa'no siya magsakripisyo at magsumikap kung pipilitin.

Samantalang si Pedro at ang kanyang gantimpalang pera, ito'y pinambayad niya lamang sa kanyang mga inutang at isinanla. Ang kaisipang panalo o gantimpala ay walang halaga kay Pedro bagama't siya ang nagwagi.

Balewala lahat ang kanyang mga pinag-aksayahang panahon.

Inis halip na galak ang nararamdaman ni Pedro nang siya ang manalo.

Ang nagpapatatag sa isang tao ay ang mga karanasang nagbunsod sa kanya na magsikap, magtika at magparaya.

Ang bunga ng mga paghihirap na iyon ay isang kunsuwelo na lamang.

Hindi kailanman naging sagabal ang mga ito upang maging matagumpay ka sa buhay bagkus ito ang iyong mga sandata kung sakaling ikaw ay madapa at di nakamit ang tagumpay.

salamat po sa mga pic:
zedge, the pinoy warrior, Datgirl, mga kuwentong liyad
at musin yohan gallery

Garapon

June 09, 1996
11:30 pm Sunday


Napapansin mo ba minsan sa kusina ang mga langgam na hili-hilerang gumagapang na para bang may prusisyon; at kung susubaybayan mo ang pinakahuli nito, nasa may mga pagkain pala sa lamesa nagkukukumpulan ang mga ito? Ang kuwentong ito ay tungkol sa mga langgam na maihahalintulad din sa mga tao.

May mga grupo ng langgam ang nagpipista at kumakain ng asukal sa loob ng garapon.

Dahil sa masarap ang kanilang kinakain, hindi nila makuhang umalis sa garapon ng asukal bagama't may nakaambang panganib.

Nang mapansin ng may-ari ang mga langgam sa loob ng bote ng asukal, pinaaalis niya ito sa pamamagitan ng pagpapag-pag.

Kakaunting langgam lang ang umaalis.

Dahil sa maawain ang may-ari, hindi niya ito pinatay bagkus pinabayaan na lamang niya ang mga ito na makalabas.

Nakalipas na ang mahabang oras ay marami pa ring mga langgam ang nasa loob ng garapon.

Ang ginawa ng may-ari ay isinarado na lamang niya ito.

Dahil sa naka-ambang panganib, may mga langgam na nag-aatubiling lumabas sa bote at ang mga iyo'y nakatakas; subali't ang iba'y nahuli na, sapagka't ito'y sinarahan na ng mahigpit ng may-ari.

Ang mga nalalabing pang mga langgam ay takam na takam na kumakain pa rin ng asukal sa loob ng garapon at di nila alintana ang mga nangyayari sa kanilang kapaligiran.


Nakita ng maawaing may-ari ang mga langgam kaya't binuksan na lamang niya muli ang garapon at pinabayaan na lamang na makatakas ang mga langgam. Nguni't ang karamihan sa mga ito ay ayaw pa ring magsi-alis at patuloy pa rin sa pagkain. Sa kahuli-hulihang pagkakataon ito ay binuksan ng may-ari hanggang sa...

Napagod na ang may-ari sa kahihintay kaya't hinigpitan na muli nang may-ari ang takip ng garapon at pinabayaan na lamang ang mga langgam sa loob. Namatay sila dahil sa sobrang higpit ng pagkasara sa garapon, walang hangin na makapasok sa loob nito.

Awang-awa ang mahabagang may-ari subali't hindi nakinig ang mga kaawa-awang mga langgam, sa halip, takam na takam pa sila sa pagkain sa garapon.

Ang tao'y parang mga langgam. Napakamaawain ng Diyos sa atin; makailang beses niya tayong binabalaan, sinasabihan; subali't tayo ay hindi nakikinig. Sa halip ay patuloy pa rin tayo sa ating makamundong hilig. Ilang beses na tayong pinagsabihan nguni't ayaw nating makinig.

Balang araw, kailangan na tayong kalusin kahit na gaano pa kabait ang ating may-ari kung lahat tayo'y hindi makikinig sa kanya, maaaring ganun din ang ating sasapitin, tulad ng mga langgam sa garapon.

salamat po sa mga imahe:
zedge, superstock.co.uk, buffalobeast.com,ask.com
wildaboutants.com, varbak.com

Melodies of Life

August 26, 2009
12:00 am Wednesday


Songs are imprints in life. Whenever we hear familiar songs, we bring back time and recall specific memories we had experienced before; in effect recapture that old feelings of exhilaration, enjoyment, excitement and even despair all over again. We also recall how we live life in the past; an example of this is we remember specifically the time when we're eating out with our high school friends or even the specific day when we had so many problems in life when we hear the familiar songs.

Seldom we hear the oldies song "devoted to you" by Everly Brothers; but whenever I hear the song , It brought back the era of 1970's in me, happily walking in the street towards my kindergarten school in project 4 Quezon city , clad in my brand new school uniform with light blue bag and blue shorts.

I keep on remembering also that feeling of excitement along with my two other brothers running towards the playground plaza. It makes no sense, in a way, but it's a good feeling; as if you wanted it to really happen all over again.

I knew that the song was made in the 60's but somehow maybe it touched me indirectly because, when we were young, whenever I (with my 2 brothers) walked or run towards the plaza to play, there’s one particular house alongside the street near the playground, that almost always played that song "devoted to you" every single day, every afternoon between 3:00 to 5:00pm, as I recall it.

I keep on remembering the place, the mixed joyful feeling when I was a child, even the "scent" of that one particular period in time. Was it abnormal? Do others have the same feelings when they remember things or places the way I do?

Every song has its meanings and I have no idea at all about the meaning of that Everly Brothers song until I reached high school already. But the melody, the hymn, it really has brought back memories.

When I hear the song “Bad Day" by Daniel Powter I remember the grief that was inside me over the loss of my brother because of his lingering sickness.

And I can't really say if it’s the lyrics or the melody itself that triggers the emotion, it can be both. Irregardless of the meaning of the lyrics or the melody of the song, when you associate one event to a song and you gave meaning to it, then it will stay forever inside you.

Sometimes I wonder if all songs, which I became familiar with, have different meanings to everyday people also, aside from the message of its lyrics.

Maybe, it's the association of the song to that one captured moment we try to cherish; and then we emotionally embedded it forever in our subconsciousness until it creates a feeling of longing or an imprint, be it a bad memory or a good one; ready to flow whenever it is stimulated by the said music anytime.

To me, songs are like BOOKMARKS in the internet; you want to mark a site because you like it; and if you want to browse it you just click the title or the name you want to see. To my mind, we subconsciously catch one fleeting moment in our lives and then bookmarked it by a SONG and re-experienced it all over again when we hear the song again.

thanks for the images:
zedge, ioffer,com
megamuz.com

True Comfort in Life

June 01, 2010
1:00 p.m. Tuesday


The year is 2010 and I belong to this much younger generation where in everybody is emphatically shouting stop corruption and end poverty in the streets. It's like the end of the world is very near. The recent surveys and reports showed that the condition we're into right now is very difficult; so many families are deprived of basic needs.

So many families are living below poverty line; When you walk outside and observe the common people in the streets, in their faces you'll see the hardships that they have gone through. You will see their fears, worries from day to day lives. For this young future generation, life has not been very good; at least that is the impression.

Everybody wanted to leave the country and seek greener pastures somewhere else. Calamities like the typhoon Ondoy, el Niño, the senseless kilings; all these things only added disappointments, misery in the lives of every Filipino.

But we're in the modern age already, and people can watch TVs with remote controls, you can even classify TVs now into HD TV, plasma TV, LCD TV, 3d ,etc..; we can eat in Jollibee, McDonald's etc. with air conditioned rooms and with clean comfort rooms. Resorts and Hotels are very common also in the country.

There are shopping malls and cinemas all around the city where even ordinary people like us are very much welcome to enjoy.

There are computers, laptops, internets, cell phones for better communications; there are MRTs, LRTs for mass transportations. These things can all be enjoyed by common people today. I can watch for example news on TV and at the same time surf the internet with ease in a comfortable air conditioned room or internet room, listening to mp3 player and texting or calling my friends with my cell phone.

Which brings me to my main point. There were questions in my mind that really kept nagging me. Is it true that we live in a much poorer situation today? Do our grandparents and parents enjoyed their generation the way we enjoy ours today? Probably, they did alright... but do they have better privileges in life as compared today?

The year was 1940’s. Those years were very depressing for the country. Japanese invaded Philippines and our beloved Lolos and Lolas, were very unfortunate because they experienced such harrowing event in our history.
I remember one of many telling stories of our grandfathers. He was 24 years old, together with other kababayans; they were evacuated for several days and nights. They journeyed on foot stopping only to rest. When Japanese sees them, they bowed low to them as a sign of submission. It was a pretty scary time.

There was also an 84 year old veteran soldier who recounted that his family fled their town to the mountainside; he was only 17 years old. There were killings everywhere. The last thing that they could do is to put to safety their own children or love ones from the Japanese soldiers. Imagine the agony and the stress that they were into during Japanese occupation. You can't even shout your rights the way they do in the streets today. The "h'wag matakot, makibaka" thing

And finally, I got acquainted with an 80 year old man and he told me stories about his ordeal during the Japanese occupation. He said to me that he saw with his own eyes the Japanese soldiers violently bayoneting infants in Manila. The soldiers, according to him, will toss the babies up and then catch it with their bayonets. I was aghast; this gives me the goose bumps. Imagine, if these things will happen today, what will I do?

Those scenes kept on creeping in his mind that is why he said he never looked at anybody's casket nor attends funeral ceremonies anymore. Picture an 80 year old Grand Pa, spending his last years still trying to comprehend what had happened during the World War II. To my mind, I'm afraid, those telling events may linger up to the last breathe of his life, sad to say.

That, for me, is the most dreadful years in the history of the Philippines (probably the other one is the Spanish occupation). In all honesty, Our Grand Pa and Grand Ma had done so much in order for us to live more comfortably today. We need to learn from them. We need to respect them. Remember we are the second worst hit country in the world during the World War II next only to Poland; that by itself proves the resiliency of Filipinos. And resiliency is the trademark of our Kababayans even overseas. I myself do not know where this trait came from.



Until I read a column of the Inquirer newspaper about Fr. James Reuter who is 94 years old already and had been here in the country for 72 years.

He said: "It's because the Filipinos - and God forgive me for saying this and it's really 100% true - are the most lovable people in the world. You don't realize that what God has given you. When I came first here, I thought I was bringing God to the Philippines, but what I discovered was (the Filipinos) brought God to me."

Of course not all Filipinos are like so.

thanks for the images:
zedge, anakbayan-nynj blogspot, nupxl.com, flickr.com
incredibleimages4u.blogspot, emersonkent.com
www.ww2incolor.com, www.Ibfilamevents.org