The test of affluence is the observed fact that when you are really uber affluent, apathy becomes a very frequent friendly visitor at the doorsteps. Affluence apparently drives one's soul to dry up and slowly and tragically go down the road of "I do not care anymore!"
Ever wonder how come in the most affluent countries, like United States and Europe, depression abound? Ever wonder how come the financial kind of philanthropy also abound in those places? Because if they don't do that, the overwhelming burden of wealth stewardship will drive one crazy = )
Why not try "googling" the number of really uber rich persons who killed themselves recently?
But do not get me wrong. I am not advocating let's all get poor. My point is I hope when one is given the privilege of earthly wealth, our hearts are ready for it. For if our hearts are not ready for wealth, what is suppose to be a blessing is now a curse.
To know someone, do not give him hardship.
He will rise above that.
Instead, give him power.
Give him success.
Give him wealth.
And see what he becomes = )
"... man can not serve two masters... God... money"
Wednesday
Saturday
hurt's blessing
Why do we hurt?
In the first place...
Why do we long?
Why do we desire?
Why do we dream?
... if most of the time, all there is to it - is The Hurt!
... frustration.
... lies!
Why do we long for heaven in this fallen world?
Why do we long for heaven in this dark world?
Was I wrong to seek Heaven, Paradise, in this fallen world?
Was I wrong?
This I know...
We long for Heaven, Paradise, because we are not of this fallen world!
We long for Heaven, Paradise, because, though we live now in this fallen world,
we are going some place else - heaven!
... I am truly a spiritual being having human experiences!
"... be still and know that I am God!"
In the first place...
Why do we long?
Why do we desire?
Why do we dream?
... if most of the time, all there is to it - is The Hurt!
... frustration.
... lies!
Why do we long for heaven in this fallen world?
Why do we long for heaven in this dark world?
Was I wrong to seek Heaven, Paradise, in this fallen world?
Was I wrong?
This I know...
We long for Heaven, Paradise, because we are not of this fallen world!
We long for Heaven, Paradise, because, though we live now in this fallen world,
we are going some place else - heaven!
We long for heaven, for heaven is our home!
We are merely passing through this fallen world...
Lord, thank you for ministering me during this dark moment.
And reminding me that I am not a human being having spiritual experiences!
The very fact that I long for Heaven and Paradise is the proof that
... I am truly a spiritual being having human experiences!
"... be still and know that I am God!"
Tuesday
what to do with a bad situation
The thing with a bad situation is that it gets worse, without really getting worse, in our minds when we talk about it, entertain it and let it fester and move around in our minds as it is. Totally unedited. Raw.
The best thing to do is to look for a silver lining and try putting positive spin on it. With that, it helps us deal with it.
But the key is"dealing" with it. For when we do that, the bad situation becomes a blessing and a vehicle that actually helped us grow and wiser.
"Be still and know that I am God..."
The best thing to do is to look for a silver lining and try putting positive spin on it. With that, it helps us deal with it.
But the key is"dealing" with it. For when we do that, the bad situation becomes a blessing and a vehicle that actually helped us grow and wiser.
"Be still and know that I am God..."
the gift of sorrow
"... in this fallen world, sorrow without despair
is His chosen way to introduce us to ourselves."
~ Streams in the Desert
is His chosen way to introduce us to ourselves."
~ Streams in the Desert
Friday
ignition's burden and privilege
He who ignites others must be burning...
To set others afire, one must have fire...
In order to give, one must have received...
To receive this, oh, Lord, is a gift I do not deserve!
... it is a privilege!
Everything I have, You gave!
Thank You!
To set others afire, one must have fire...
In order to give, one must have received...
To receive this, oh, Lord, is a gift I do not deserve!
... it is a privilege!
Everything I have, You gave!
Thank You!
Thursday
the very human president
He is His Excellency Ramos-Horta. The President of Timor-Leste. This statement pierced my very Filipino heart in a painfully good way.
"Do not underestimate the hope and the resilience of the Filipinos!"
That was part of his opening statement in the Bridges Seminar held at DLSU-Manila today. A seminar that tried to answer the BIG question of "Is long lasting peace an attainable dream?"
Coming from a Nobel Peace prize winner, 1996, that statement carried so much weight. It is refreshing to hear statement like that from a very politically seasoned and observant foreigner. Refreshing in a sense because if you are at it, doing your contribution in nation building, "it" can be such a burden. Sometimes, it feels like a thankless fight. Thank God He reminds that this work is for Him.
It is alleviating to hear that someone appreciate the fight the Filipino people are doing unlike some Filipino political leaders, in my opinion, who has given up. Given up because all they do is take, graft and corruption. They have forgotten to build.
It was also nice to hear that here is a Nobel Peace Prize winner who said that do not believe freedom fighters who has said that they do not care about their family because all they care about is the country. To him, that's hogwash = )
But the most priceless gift that President Ramos Horta gave me is the realization of the link and the shared history of all Southeast Asian nations. He gave me the realization that we are not alone in building a nation. A country. A Philippines not as a former colony of Spain. Not as a former colony of United States of America. Not the Philippines that was occupied by Japan.
But a Philippines as an Asian nation.
"Do not underestimate the hope and the resilience of the Filipinos!"
That was part of his opening statement in the Bridges Seminar held at DLSU-Manila today. A seminar that tried to answer the BIG question of "Is long lasting peace an attainable dream?"
Coming from a Nobel Peace prize winner, 1996, that statement carried so much weight. It is refreshing to hear statement like that from a very politically seasoned and observant foreigner. Refreshing in a sense because if you are at it, doing your contribution in nation building, "it" can be such a burden. Sometimes, it feels like a thankless fight. Thank God He reminds that this work is for Him.
It is alleviating to hear that someone appreciate the fight the Filipino people are doing unlike some Filipino political leaders, in my opinion, who has given up. Given up because all they do is take, graft and corruption. They have forgotten to build.
It was also nice to hear that here is a Nobel Peace Prize winner who said that do not believe freedom fighters who has said that they do not care about their family because all they care about is the country. To him, that's hogwash = )
But the most priceless gift that President Ramos Horta gave me is the realization of the link and the shared history of all Southeast Asian nations. He gave me the realization that we are not alone in building a nation. A country. A Philippines not as a former colony of Spain. Not as a former colony of United States of America. Not the Philippines that was occupied by Japan.
But a Philippines as an Asian nation.
Wednesday
the discipline and practice of management
Management.
No, not the group of people we call Boss.
No, not them.
By Management, I meant the discipline of getting things done.
Management, is not easy. It is simple. But it is definitely not easy. If it was easy, why do companies fail? Why do economies fail? Why do stock markets crash? Why do we have global warming and depleting natural resources? Why is the Philippines the Philippines as we know it now and not the Philippines na "dayuhan ay nahalina?"
Management is the silent and invisible force and practice that shapes our shared economic destinies. The economic theory propagated by Adam Smith must have a force for it to properly materialize.
And that's management.
Again. It is not them. It is the discipline and the practice of them.
Whoever they are = )
Lord, do we need better leaders or better management?
No, not the group of people we call Boss.
No, not them.
By Management, I meant the discipline of getting things done.
Management, is not easy. It is simple. But it is definitely not easy. If it was easy, why do companies fail? Why do economies fail? Why do stock markets crash? Why do we have global warming and depleting natural resources? Why is the Philippines the Philippines as we know it now and not the Philippines na "dayuhan ay nahalina?"
Management is the silent and invisible force and practice that shapes our shared economic destinies. The economic theory propagated by Adam Smith must have a force for it to properly materialize.
And that's management.
Again. It is not them. It is the discipline and the practice of them.
Whoever they are = )
Lord, do we need better leaders or better management?
Saturday
fear that is also courage
"I am afraid to lose, too. To beaten in a fight. To die in a fight. But I am more afraid to be alive and yet totally useless. Not a man..."
Bedan, the Korean martial arts master
Bedan, the Korean martial arts master
Tuesday
justice and power
What is earthly power without justice?
- A violent man
What is the result of justice without earthly powers?
- A prayer warrior
Though I am futile, I pray to the Almighty God!
And vengeance shall only be Yours...
- A violent man
What is the result of justice without earthly powers?
- A prayer warrior
Though I am futile, I pray to the Almighty God!
And vengeance shall only be Yours...
Sunday
burdened
My pain and first prayer for 2009 is this:
Father, have we limited our thinking and actions to practical choices?
Safe choices?
Father, am I being proud?
When I am burdened to do something other than practical and safe choices?
Father, why do I have these burdens?
Are You nudging?
My Lord and my God,
I am nothing compared to the burdens
but you are God Almighty.
What I have, You gave.
Everything, You gave.
I go to battle only with You.
I go to battle only for You.
Father, have we limited our thinking and actions to practical choices?
Safe choices?
Father, am I being proud?
When I am burdened to do something other than practical and safe choices?
Father, why do I have these burdens?
Are You nudging?
My Lord and my God,
I am nothing compared to the burdens
but you are God Almighty.
What I have, You gave.
Everything, You gave.
I go to battle only with You.
I go to battle only for You.
Friday
the gift of being tiny
My brother, Ellis, died because of dengue. I was "first-person afraid" when I had dengue late October 2007.
The "transcendental" thing about the whole episode, aside from a death, is the fact that you get dengue from a tiny and never, ever, older than 15-days mosquito. Why never ever older than 15-days? Because all mosquitoes has an an expiration date from hatch lings to disease-carrying version of 15 days. After 15 days, all mosquitoes die. Even if they ate, or sucked blood and lived a healthy lifestyle = )
Can you imagine, a tiny mosquito can be used to alter, even end, life?
And yet, in our world of trillion dollar debts, this truth is only "for sure!" embraced in a spiraling story of one's health to decay. And, almost always, never outside that context.
Lung cancer, always starts from the first smoke. Sorrier if it is 2nd hand smoke. Children of diabetic parents, is put in greater risk, from the day they start appreciating their first Classic Coke.
This "great things comes from small beginnings" is almost always, accepted with certainty, when it is a tragedy. We doubt it when it is a comedy. (By comedy, I mean, with a joyful ending.)
We almost always say that it is because they are lucky. That they were given a break, early in life. I mean, we almost attribute success and happy endings to something cosmic and stars were aligned or something. Never about the person that in a particular day found out why he was born. And when he found out that, he put in the hard work. Day in. Day out.
Have we ever wandered that when we put in the hard work, day in-day out, in doing something we are designed to do, the whole system works for us?
Going back to the dengue analogy, when a mosquito bites, we do not immediately get dengue. The virus will take time before it becomes a deadly threat. And if we look at it from the eyes of the mosquito, it may be dead before the victim gets sick. The mosquito will never "see" the fruits of its labor because it has only 15 days to live = )
What is a day compared to a life of 75 years? It is a quark. A nano second.
How much does the weight of the dengue virus from a tiny and never-older than 15 days mosquito compared to the weight of a full grown man? Negligible.
Yet, that single bite, has the potential to kill a person. Usher in a flood of tears. Change the life of a person. Change the outlook of a family.
Why can't we think of a day, fully lived, in that way? That a day has the potential to change our lives, too?
What do you think will happen if all of us went to a place where dengue-carrying mosquitoes abound? You think we'll go unscathed? I doubt it.
What do you think will happen if all of us fully lived a day? You think nothing will happen? Answer that. Do you doubt nothing will happen, too?
The difference in the way we answer those two questions, determines the quality of our hearts. It also tells us how we value our life. The lives of other people. Our dreams. The dreams of other people. Our desire. The desire of other people. Time.
It determines if we are actually alive or sleep walking through life!
If "great things comes from small beginnings," it must not only be true when it is a tragedy. It must also be true for a comedy = )
Which of the statement do you think is absolute truth: [a] The hemorrhagic dengue fever, that kills people, starts with a bite from a never older than 15 days mosquito or [b] The journey of a thousand miles start with the first step?
Serious. Answer that.
Do you think our great journey starts today? In this new year?
Serious. Answer that.
Father, though I am one, feeble and inconsistent, I am praying to an Almighty God and that's all I need to know.
The gift of being tiny...
The "transcendental" thing about the whole episode, aside from a death, is the fact that you get dengue from a tiny and never, ever, older than 15-days mosquito. Why never ever older than 15-days? Because all mosquitoes has an an expiration date from hatch lings to disease-carrying version of 15 days. After 15 days, all mosquitoes die. Even if they ate, or sucked blood and lived a healthy lifestyle = )
Can you imagine, a tiny mosquito can be used to alter, even end, life?
And yet, in our world of trillion dollar debts, this truth is only "for sure!" embraced in a spiraling story of one's health to decay. And, almost always, never outside that context.
Lung cancer, always starts from the first smoke. Sorrier if it is 2nd hand smoke. Children of diabetic parents, is put in greater risk, from the day they start appreciating their first Classic Coke.
This "great things comes from small beginnings" is almost always, accepted with certainty, when it is a tragedy. We doubt it when it is a comedy. (By comedy, I mean, with a joyful ending.)
We almost always say that it is because they are lucky. That they were given a break, early in life. I mean, we almost attribute success and happy endings to something cosmic and stars were aligned or something. Never about the person that in a particular day found out why he was born. And when he found out that, he put in the hard work. Day in. Day out.
Have we ever wandered that when we put in the hard work, day in-day out, in doing something we are designed to do, the whole system works for us?
Going back to the dengue analogy, when a mosquito bites, we do not immediately get dengue. The virus will take time before it becomes a deadly threat. And if we look at it from the eyes of the mosquito, it may be dead before the victim gets sick. The mosquito will never "see" the fruits of its labor because it has only 15 days to live = )
What is a day compared to a life of 75 years? It is a quark. A nano second.
How much does the weight of the dengue virus from a tiny and never-older than 15 days mosquito compared to the weight of a full grown man? Negligible.
Yet, that single bite, has the potential to kill a person. Usher in a flood of tears. Change the life of a person. Change the outlook of a family.
Why can't we think of a day, fully lived, in that way? That a day has the potential to change our lives, too?
What do you think will happen if all of us went to a place where dengue-carrying mosquitoes abound? You think we'll go unscathed? I doubt it.
What do you think will happen if all of us fully lived a day? You think nothing will happen? Answer that. Do you doubt nothing will happen, too?
The difference in the way we answer those two questions, determines the quality of our hearts. It also tells us how we value our life. The lives of other people. Our dreams. The dreams of other people. Our desire. The desire of other people. Time.
It determines if we are actually alive or sleep walking through life!
If "great things comes from small beginnings," it must not only be true when it is a tragedy. It must also be true for a comedy = )
Which of the statement do you think is absolute truth: [a] The hemorrhagic dengue fever, that kills people, starts with a bite from a never older than 15 days mosquito or [b] The journey of a thousand miles start with the first step?
Serious. Answer that.
Do you think our great journey starts today? In this new year?
Serious. Answer that.
Father, though I am one, feeble and inconsistent, I am praying to an Almighty God and that's all I need to know.
The gift of being tiny...
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