Thursday, December 21, 2006 Viray: Three things that complete a man's life By Atlee T. Viray In and Out of Court
ACCORDING to a Chinese proverb, there are three achievements that make the life of a man complete.
First, sire a son. Lucky is a father whose child is a son. His name is perpetuated and becomes immortal. A kingdom in the older times is doomed when there was no prince to take over upon the death of the king.
Douglas McArthur, the famous General, said it: "My son is my future." He bore a son although he was not as famous as General "I Shall Return."
The Quezons, Osmeñas and Laurels of today are the descendants of their forefathers. Manuel Quezon Sr., Sergio Osmeña Sr., and Jose Laurel Sr. are easy names to recall largely because the younger Quezons, Osmeñas and Laurels continued what was started by their seniors.
Our province is led by second generation politicians - Mark Lapid is the son of Manuelito Lapid, the former succeeded the latter as the Governor of the Province; Bren Z Guiao' s legacy is carried to this day thru the efforts of Vice Governor Yeng Guiao.
On a personal note, I have two sons - Raymond, the eldest of our three children and Rosco, the youngest of our brood. I am assured that there is a youngest lawyer (Raymond) in the family whose budding career is about to flower in full bloom. Rosco is about to be a male nightingale who cares for the health of mankind.
Second, plant a tree. The poem of Joyce Kilmer on the value of a tree is worth remembering and reciting. It is simple and beautiful.
TREE
Joyce Kilmer
I think that I shall never see
A poem so lovely as a tree;
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain,
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
I learned that one full-grown tree is equivalent to 25 air conditioners. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and process it to oxygen. Trees provide the raw materials for houses, fixtures and furniture. Even paper is by product of wood. I am excited by the project of the First Gentleman, Mike, to plant 440,000 trees in Central Luzon. I remember my lolo who planted a mango tree in our backyard. The tree outlived its planter. On a personal note, this columnist has planted no less than a thousand trees and many of them have bore fruit.
Third, write a book. Books make a person live forever. Long after we are gone, the written word stays. The wisdom of civilization is preserved because of books. The Bible has withstood generations. The decisions of the Supreme Court are written in the Supreme Court Reports Annotated (SCRA). Shakespeare would not be a by-word without the books he published. The speeches of Churchill, Lincoln, Kennedy and even Hitler would not be alive if not contained in books. On a personal note, I am proud to state that I have written one humble book - Pampanga: Little Threads for a Colorful Tapestry. I hope to write one more in the near future.
With these feats, I say I have justified my earthly existence.
