When Internet was not yet born..

Undeniably, now that we are in the modern era --- the stage with so many technological advancements, life of the people is seemingly more progressive and easy. With just one click, we can reach the world and connect with other people even from miles away. Through Internet, everything is now accessible such as all the information, communication, products, services, entertainment, learning and many more. Indeed, it’s too far from the life of our grandparents and ancestors way back then.

Many years ago, life is too simple. “Apple” and “Blackberry” were just simply known as fruits. The term “Yahoo” was just a joyful expression and there’s no such thing as “Facebook” only people facing books. There’s no Twitter at all, just tweeting birds. And “virus” was just a cause of common colds.

Long ago, the term “friend” is actually denoted as someone who personally knows you and someone who is always your buddy but now, your friend list might include people whom you really don’t know, more so, gaining of friends is so instant and to remove friends can be done in just a snap. In fact, Brene Brown said that social media has given us this idea that we should all have a posse of friends when in reality, if we have one or two really good friends, we are lucky.

During the old times, encyclopedias, books, libraries are very in-demand for people seeking for information but nowadays, the answers are right in the tip of your hand through Google and other search engines.

Before, our ancestors and grandparents were just happy and contented sharing their life experiences and stories with their family and their neighbors but now “everything” is being shared online. From the food they eat, their drinks, the restaurant that they are in at the moment, their outfit of the day, to what they are doing, their mood at that time, their feelings, their wrath, agony, secret affections, gifts they received, and so many more, and commonly their posts are associated with pictures.

And speaking of pictures, before, photo albums were just the book or binder with blank pockets for printed pictures but now these photo albums are not that too significant because there are online albums which are available in different social networking sites that doesn’t required printed photos.

Indeed, different concepts of life were changed as we welcomed and embraced these social networking sites. It’s true that it has positive and negative impacts, but at the end of the day, the effects of these sites will definitely depend upon the user. And it is important to take note that before bursting out to the netizens all your aspirations, gratitude and repent through your statuses and tweet, how about trying to tell it first to God? And remember no matter how the world has changed, let us stick to the simplest and most effective mode of communication, the prayer.

Philippine Literature

No question, Philippines is a country rich in diversity and language heritage. That’s why there is no wonder why our country is also well-off when it comes to literature. And eventually, our literature was more enhanced through the influence of different invaders and their cultures as well.

During pre-colonial times, there has been widespread evidence that the ancient Filipinos display a culture rich with traditions. Folk speeches, folk songs and indigenous rituals are part of their daily lives. The blend of such elements represents a lifestyle deeply embedded in the locals. I find this particular idea exciting. Of course, I would really want to get a glimpse of what they call “indigenous Philippine literature” during the pre-colonial period. An understanding on the history of Philippine literature will allow us to appreciate the literary riches of this nation. Taken as a whole, these literature are truly a source of Filipino pride because these interesting stories provide us an overview of the rich literature, folklore and culture of pre-Hispanic Filipinos.

16th Century was the start of the deprivation of the indigenous Philippine literature. Spanish colonial government finally got in the scene. They were able to manipulate literature by monopolizing it under the religious orders.  Literature evolves mainly on the themes of Spanish/ European culture and of course, the Roman Catholic religion. The colonization by Spain did not subject literature development to a halt. Rather, it breathed a different kind of life into the local literary works.

Much later, Spain brought about liberal ideas and a sense of internationalism to the people of Philippines. Similar to the period of renaissance, it has substantial influence on local intellectuals. They start to question and portray the meanings of "liberty and freedom" in their works. I think this stage is a notable era in the history of Philippines literature because it is the awakening stage of the Filipino writers to fight for the freedom through literature. Thus, literature became the catalyst for the achievement of the aspired freedom. This realization brought about a reformation movement which eventually led to the downfall of the Spanish colonial.

The history of Philippine literature was once again marked by a change when English was introduced. The introduction of English language led to the slow demise of Spanish, and subsequently literature written in Spanish. The sustaining use of English language birthed some of the well known English poems, short stories and once again enriched the local literature in a unique way.

Philippine literature is a uniting element among its people, and will continue to evolve as enriched by modern changes. And now, we are in the modern time, and I believe that Philippine literature is also in the stage of modernity whereas the themes and topics are centered to timely and contemporary issues nowadays. The advancement of technology today also gives way to the innovations in our literature. The Internet also became an avenue among writers to spread their works. The homogenization effect that globalization poses is the biggest challenge not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well: the preservation of literature which is the precursor of culture, making it relevant and significant in our present age of postmodernism.

The literature of the Philippines is just one of the many aspects that will prove how rich our country is.  Indeed, this beautiful country unified by more than 7000 islands is a home of many intellectual people. I may not be one of those writers creating names through their writings, but I believe that I can show my support on our own literature by reading their works as well as sharing these to other people.

“Literature, is definitely, much more than its literary meaning, which defines it as 'an acquaintance to letters'. It, in fact, lays the foundation of an enriched life; it adds 'life' to 'living'… “                                  

-Anonymous

Judge Me Not…

We live in an imperfect world and apparently, we are not perfect either. But most people keep on judging anyone else and looking for their flaws. It seems like it’s a traditional notion among people to judge someone and seek for their negativities. They tend to be self-centered and forget the flaws within themselves.

As what the old saying wanted to imply, we should eye upon ourselves first before looking to someone else because we also have imperfections and most importantly, we don’t know what their situations are and what are the real stories behind other people.

Let me share you a story that I read. A story of two fathers which might enlighten us to be open minded and care about others’ position.

A doctor entered the hospital in hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call as soon as possible, changed his clothes & went directly to the surgery block. He found the boy’s father pacing in the hall waiting for the doctor.

On seeing him, the dad yelled, “Why did you take all this time to come? Don’t you know that my son’s life is in danger? Don’t you have any sense of responsibility? ”

The doctor smiled &and said, “I am sorry, I wasn’t in the hospital & I came as fast as I could after receiving the call…… And now, I wish you’d calm down so that I can do my work.”

“Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do??” said the father angrily.

The doctor smiled again and replied:, “I will say what Job said in the Holy Book,  ‘From dust we came & to dust we return, blessed be the name of God’. Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go and intercede for your son, we will do our best by God’s grace.”

“Giving advises when we’re not concerned is so easy,” murmured the father. The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy.

“Thank goodness!, Your son is saved!” and without waiting for the father’s reply, he carried on his way running. “If you have any questions, ask the nurse!!”

“Why is he so arrogant? He couldn’t wait some minutes so that I ask about my son’s state,” commented the father when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left.

The nurse answered, tears coming down her face: “His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was at the burial when we called him for your son’s surgery. And now that he saved your son’s life, he left running to finish his son’s burial.”

            Never judge anyone….. Because you never know how their life is and what they’re going through. And we should keep in mind that no one else except the God has the right to have judgments.

“Switch”

            All couples in the world have their own stories on how their love rekindled. Some stories are worth sharing for but there are also some that are better kept untold because it doesn’t make sense at all.

            Fortunately, my parent’s story is indeed, “a love story made in heaven”, a story that is worth sharing for. They proved that when two people are destined, fate will bring you to each other’s heart. This is a story of two hearts from north and south of the Philippines who found their way to become one.

My father named Joel lived in Nueva Ecija while my mother, Ma. Elena who is a native Bisaya came from General Santos. When he was 18, my father went to Manila along with his friend, Noel to work as construction worker. In nearby place, my mother came all the way from Mindanao with her best friend named Rowena. When they all four met, my mother became close to Noel and my father became close to Rowena. Days passed, their relationships became even closer with the company of each other partner and soon go out for a double date. Everyone and even people around them assumed that Rowena will be my father’s girlfriend and Noel will be my mother’s boyfriend.

But world turns upside down as they found out in the long run that they are in love and more interested with the partners of their friend. It seems like there’s a switch of partners, Rowena becomes Noel’s girlfriend while my Mom becomes my Dad’s girlfriend. Sooner, Rowena and Noel had their marriage, the same with my parents who decided to live in Nueva Ecija.

And now, Rowena and Noel are happily living with their three children. My mother and father are also happy with their marriage life with us, their four daughters.

            Apparently, it is still a question to me if destiny is true but my parents’ sentiments about their love story lean me towards believing in destiny.

“Sad Stories behind Modernity”

In the midst of my adventure in Luneta Park together with my friends, several photographers trolling around the area captured my attention. Most of them are old, wearing their classic chaleco with their cameras on hand and they offer to snap souvenir photos to tourists, but usually tourists declined to their service because they actually have their own digital cameras and cell phones.

Tiredness and lament were painted on their face as they travails in Luneta Park day and night but it seems that no one needs their service anymore and they were just overlooked by the people. From that, I realized how the life of people and world were affected by the advent of technology. I came to think for other people in the service that were seemingly busted by these technological evolutions.

When I was a child, I remember when I go with my mother to the post office located in the public market in our province to send letters and pictures to our relatives in Gen. Santos. But many years after, I came back to the same place where the post office is located, but sadly, it was not there anymore, it was replaced by several business establishments.

Well, it’s not a surprise anymore because of so many new ways of communication that offers fastest, convenient and hassle-free service compare to the snail mail. I just wondered what happened to the people that used to work before in the post office to deliver the letters throughout the country. For sure, not only the employee of the post office and the mailman lose their job through these new ways of communication but also the makers of decorative stamps that were put on those letters.

Though we are perfectly enjoying the convenience of life today because we are in the heights of modernity, still it feels gloomy to realize that there were sad stories behind these innovations. Stories of our fellowmen whose jobs were affected as the majority of people embraces the new technologies in their life.

I am now thinking if what kind of jobs will be disregarded too in the future as the innovations of technologies continuously grows.

Quest for Genuine Happiness

Happiness. It’s the ultimate dream of all of us, to live in a blissful life. Many people are constantly battling for happiness and striving to defeat all the things that hinder it. Some find it easy to achieve but for others who barely get a hold of it, it’s like a magic that only exists in fairytales.

Money, success, fame, material things, honors, and love life are some of the assumed major source of happiness by most of the people. And for these things, they struggle a lot and do whatever it requires just to have it. And when they get these, what now? People will now set a new criterion of happiness to target. And at some point, it became the start of a problem. Once people have it all, they tend to have higher standards of happiness and find it frustrating for not getting those.

Now, what’s the real ingredient to a genuine happiness? Never rely your happiness to other people because you’ll feel alone and melancholic when they left you. More so, never search your happiness on money or any other material things because it will only make you feel depressed and wretched when you haven’t got it or when you lose it.  Instead, you should find happiness within yourself.

As an initiative, you should learn to appreciate and to be contented on what you have in a moment. It’s the problem with some people why they feel miserable, because they always compare their life to others and they always look for their emptiness. Always remember, there’s no need to have it all, you just need to make the best out of what you have. Never assume that you were in the position of other people because it will only generate insecurities and doesn’t help at all. Just walk in your own shoes contentedly and happily and if that so happened, you might be surprised to know that some people are aspiring to be in your position too. It is also a good thing to lower your standards of contentment to avoid disappointments.

Stop complaining, just be thankful for what you have and what you don’t have. Because as you waste your breathe complaining about your life, someone out there is breathing for their last. Some people are just being too dramatic over things as if they have the worst condition in the world. If you think you were neglected by God, just place your hand over your heart then feel a precious gift from Him, your heartbeat.

When problems batter you, face it. Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about dancing through the rain. Ask for God’s assistance and do your part. If God solves your problem, you have faith in his abilities and if God doesn’t, He believes in your abilities.

Failures and mistakes? It’s part of life, you do not have to be perfect all the time because you’ll gain experiences in committing mistakes rather than doing nothing. After all, if “Plan A” did not work, remember that there are 25 letters more in the alphabet. So stay cool and relaxed. Moreover, it’s a big help to always wear your smile rather than frowning.

You will be the sole accountable for what will be the quality of life you’ll have. It’s not about the things, it’s about your state of mind and how you handle life over the uncertainties. After all, no one or nothing is in-charge for your genuine and infinite happiness, only you. 

Pursuit of Peace

 “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

Peace is such an elusive dream. Though many people aspire for it, we cannot deny the fact that many people destroy it too. It seems like an endless search to those who seek for it because of the interference of others who want to obliterate peace.

A place without peace is like a home with open doors and open windows, perilous to stay in and unsafe to live in. Each and every moment, life is at stake because in just a snap, robbers or any other bad elements might enter to attack you.

Though absolute peace is hard to achieve, many people still have hope that peace is attainable through understanding and cooperation of the nation.

Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and must begin with a single step. Searching of peace is not like searching for a lost kid in the crowd. It is more on finding solutions within ourselves. The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. A persistent simplification will create an inner and outer well being that places harmony in one’s life. It is not an absence of war; it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for b­­­­­enevolence, confidence and justice.

Let me tell you a story. There was a King who offered a price to the artist who would paint a best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all pictures but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest ………perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won? The King chose the second picture. Why?

 “Because, peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace,” the King explained.

The quest for peace is indeed the start of attaining it. And we can start searching for it within ourselves. We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves. We should always remember that a mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe.