Skip to main content

Quote of the Day

"A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life" - Muhammad Ali


A very inspiring thought from a man who rolled with the punches for a living, how you view life after years of taking blows and celebrating victories do change with time. It is the difference between your present and previous views of the world that defines you.

Our perception of the world when we are young comes from the programming that we get from home. This programming protects us until we are prepared to face the world and experience it first-hand, with our very own sets of biological sensory gizmos. Every experience, good or bad, alters our acquired programming and transforms us into the person we are “meant to be” – our own unique self.

Without disrespect to our parents who so lovingly and patiently ushered us to adulthood, if we are still stuck to the perception that they have programmed us as a child, I believe we have just wasted our years. The learning and the values our parents have taught us should be our ground zero and our moral compass for our own exploration, not the chain that limits our own journey to self-discovery.

The journey to self-discovery is not a blissful road of beautiful scenery. It is mostly a thorny, rocky, dangerous path conceived to break one’s body and spirit. But then again, who said life is about being safe and happy in the confines of your comfort zone? Life is about braving what life brings head-on and rolling with the punches. How one views the world through life’s perennial highs and lows, is the true measure of one’s character.

When you come to the point where you think you have rolled enough, and yet can still sit calmly by the beach, taunt life and say, “Bring it on!!!” with a gentle but confident smile, you know you are living a full life.


 

Comments

What people are reading...

Impeachment Complaint Filed vs Duterte

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/16/rodrigo-duterte-impeachment-papers-filed-in-philippine-congress The impeachment complaint filed by the opposition lawmaker Gary Alejano in the House of Representatives today, May 16, 2016, is the glue that pieced together what seemed in the past as dispersed efforts to destabilize the current administration. The opposition would vehemently deny that this is an act of destabilization.  Most of them would say that their mere intention is enlighten the public and to ensure that the truth is known to all Filipinos.  To put things into perspective, let me define what “destabilization” really means.  Oxford defines destabilization as, “The process of upsetting the stability of a region or system, especially of government.” With this internationally accepted definition, I can only conclude that impeachment, although considered as part of the democratic process and embedded within the laws of our land, is nothing more...

New Year Resolutions

Another year is over. Before the hands of time struck the final minute of 2012, we all had a clear vision of what we wanted for our 2013 -- the so called "New Year Resolutions". Some made a promise to live healthier e.g. lose weight, stop smoking, etc. Others have more abstract resolutions like, "will be happier", "will smile more", "will be more sensitive", etc. And there are others like me with a very simple resolution, go on a "no rice diet". In the business lingo, this goal makes a lot of sense because it is SMART (S=specific, M=measurable, A=attainable, R=relevant and T=timely). There is no way this cannot succeed as it makes for a perfect goal. However, there was a big flaw in the plan -- as the clock struck twelve, I had my right hand flexing its muscles with a spoonful of rice. Need I say more? To make long story short, I was doomed to fail from the get go. And so I welcomed 2013 with a broken promise.

#WeArePhilippines

Recently, we have seen a lot of political disorder in the Philippines that has literally divided, and continue to divide, our nation.  Majority of the government officials, who the Filipino people have chosen to represent their best interests, have misused the trust and the authority that the people have given them to further their individual (and that of their party’s) political interest.  This observation is not only directed at one person or one political party.  Parties and individuals have been hell-bent on criticizing anyone who sits on the other side of the fence.  Privilege speeches and press conferences, under the guise of “at the interest of the Filipino people” have been used to either discredit another official or to defend a “personal attack” directed at them by a member of the opposition.  This has fueled the nation’s divide and has distracted the Filipino people’s sight away from the positive things that currently unfolds right in front of us. O...

The Last Cab Ride

A true story by Kent Nerburn Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. One time I arrived in the middle of the night for a pick up at a building that was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80′s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it ...

Desiderata

The word "desiderata" is the plural form of the word "desideratum", a Latin word which literally means "something desired". I came accross this beautiful work as a teenager and it has greatly influenced and shaped how I see the world.   *** DESIDERATA by Max Ehrmann, 1927 Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender  be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly;  and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant;  they too have their story.  Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.  Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession...

The Law of the Garbage Truck

By David J. Pollay One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck'. He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally, just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take th...

Obstruction of Persecution

There is something fundamentally wrong with the state of affairs in our country right now that makes it awfully hard for anyone to be neutral.  I personally have tried for so long to remain objective in interpreting the news.  I have always believed that no matter how flawed our justice system may be, we should always put our trust in our government and in our institutions to somehow work for us, the people.  After all, if we just simply say the institutions are corrupt and we no longer honor them, we condemn our society to eternal chaos.  A flawed system is better than no system at all.  And so for lack of clear strategy to address fundamental system flaws, every administration for years has maintained the status quo in order not to rock the boat. The rise of Duterte to power has rocked the boat and has disrupted the status quo.  Flaws within the systems are exposed.  Social classes are challenged.  Power and influence struggles ensued. ...

The Miracle of $1.11, A True Story

Tess was a precocious eight year old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn’t have the money for the doctor bills and our house. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was looking like there was no-one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, “Only a miracle can save him now.” Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for ...

History: The Battle of Bataan

These are the writings on the wall of the Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor) in Mt. Samat, Pilar, Bataan - a monument built to remember and to celebrate the resilience of the human spirit.  Reading through the inscriptions sent chills to my bones.  It makes me proud to be a Filipino, even more so being a Bataenyo (a native of Bataan).  Let this be a reminder to us all, of the valor and the glory of our roots.  We shall not forget...  "Our mission is to remember."   Photo by Irwin Richard Dizon The Battle of Bataan On this ground gallant men chose to die than surrender. From all corners of the Philippines they came, youthful and brave, to make their last stand in Bataan against an implacable enemy which had marched through Asia. What transpired was a ferocious combat between raw, ill-equipped recruits against seasoned, well-armed troops.