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Monday, October 31, 2005
Peñaflorida: A beautiful life
By Atty. Jobert Peñaflorida
On the Spot
WHILE November 1 and 2 remain to be days to honor the saints and to commemorate our beloved dead, the weekends and holidays and the culmination of the Ramadan sandwiching them have made the last week of October until the first week of November a long vacation period.
Certainly, many of us will take advantage of the extended holidays to take a much-needed respite, to re-charge our human batteries or to simply take a break.
We are afforded some time to make meaningful reflections about our own personal lives. Where we are now and where are we heading. Visiting memorial parks and cemeteries where our loved ones are laid to rest also confronts us with our own mortality. It reminds us how life can be so fragile and precious and temporary.
Indeed, despite all our riches and achievements, we have no permanent franchise on living. Despite our passion for and commitment to healthy lifestyle and clean living and regular exercises, they are not absolute guarantees to a long life. The bottom line is: we are not in control. Life is a gift.
But many of us do not always share this view. Others feel that life is one big misery, with frustrations and setbacks rushing in one after the other. There are those who view life as a constant fight and a never-ending struggle for survival. We cannot deny the reality that life can be harsh and hard and difficult. To some, in fact, life can be so unfair and cruel that they feel it is not worth living. In fact, suicide has become a common occurrence today.
But while many have tried to end their lives, and some have succeeded, we see many fighting out to live. We see around us cancer patients who battle their diseases valiantly and count each day that they continue to be alive as a blessing and an achievement.
Last Saturday, I was talking to a friend, a popular DJ, who shared with me how he had "wasted" seven years of his life doing the things he enjoyed rather than pursuing his American dream, as he was a certified nurse. I told him pointblank that while some may dismiss what he does as insignificant and that the same may not be a practical choice, insofar as earning green bucks are concerned, he has not wasted his life. Doing what you enjoy doing is not a waste of time.
For strictly adhering to society's conventional standards, such as migrating to the land of milk and honey, is not exactly the true and real measure of successful living.
I told my friend that the simple joy and the good laugh that he gives his listeners each morning, which certainly brightens up their day, cannot be considered wastes. They are intangible, albeit immeasurable, products of a job well done. Touching people's lives and bringing smiles to their faces can be a truly rewarding and fulfilling experience. Imparting your enthusiasm and dynamism on the airwaves is a gift and a blessing to others. It is not pure and simple trash.
Indeed, life can be beautiful. It only requires us to make a paradigm shift in our perspectives. If we dwell on the dark side of life--the hurt, the pain, the frustration--that is how life is going to unfold for us. As a consequence, we expect, we attract and we receive all the negative things life has to offer. But if we view life as half full, rather than half empty, we become more positive and hopeful that today and the tomorrows that follow it are going to turn out to be better and wonderful days. In the process, we create the kind of life that we want to live.
Last week, while waiting for my plane to Iloilo, I read an article about a successful banker, who flunked the CPA board exams. While he temporarily dwelt on his painful failure, he brought himself up and decided that his life did not end with one failure alone. Counseled by his boss that one does not have to be a CPA to be a successful banker, he focused on his job, became branch manager, propelled his branch to be the best, and rose from the ranks to be among the country's top banking executives. Lesson learned: when God allows you to experience a setback,
He simply blocks a way in order to lead you to a better and brighter path.
Indeed, one failure does not make a person a failure for life. The same applies to achievements; we simply cannot rest on our laurels forever. In the end, we become genuine winners not because we never lost, but by the number of times that we have tried and won.
For comments and reactions, email at attyjobertpenaflorida@yahoo.com
(October 31, 2005 issue)
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