Whether we are powerful or not, rich or poor, young and old, we all have the same fate, death. Whether we live to be a hundred years old or just a fraction of our time on earth, it's all a matter of time. Sooner or later we would all die. So what do we do? LIVE! Yes, we live our life through the changes by riding on the waves of ups and downs every day of the year. In this regard let me share with you a poem by Max Ehrmann and my thoughts on it.
"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."
It's telling us to start living now. Not tomorrow, not yesterday, but now. Now is the present moment. We should stop saying, "Tomorrow I will do this and do that, or I will tell her I love her or I will make this and that". Live your life now. Tell our loved ones we love them now, make them feel we care for them now, tell our friends our stories and share with them our precious moments now. If we don't have friends yet, start having them now. We will see the difference between being alone and being with our loved ones. Interact with other people and don't be judgmental. However in going out of the "real world", use our senses, they are God's gift. That's why while respectful of others, be confident for we are special. You are special!
"Avoid loud and aggressive people, they are a vexation 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."
Loud and aggressive persons are boastful. They try to impress others always trying to dominate conversations, always have the last say. Many con-artists are of this type. As the saying goes, "Ang maingay na ilog ay mababaw" or "a noisy river is shallow". We can easily spot people of this type. Whenever we see one, let's remain at the distance. This way we don't hurt feelings and won't also be forced to be goody-goody and friendly when in fact we really don't want to.
Comparing ourselves with others would lead to either self-pity or overconfidence, which way it's bad. We all have our own place in the sun. We are all survivors and born champions. With the extent of abortion cases worldwide, we could have been one among those flushed in the toilet or thrown away like garbage. The fact that we are alive, we have succeeded in our early race in our mother's wombs and that makes us all champions. Therefore it's better to look into ourselves and cultivate our strengths while trying to strengthen our weaknesses. Let us enjoy what we have and look forward to the fulfillment of our hopes and aspirations.
"Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass."
Have we noticed how people become so engrossed in imitating others, even jealous of what others have? In so doing they try very hard to be anything they are not. Trying hard to be loved by everybody and in the process lose the respect of even those who truly care for them. The worst thing that can happen to us is to lose our own identity because there will never be contentment but only resentment for not having what we see in others.
"BE YOURSELF". Every person is endowed by God with gifts. You have yours, I have mine, we all have ours. Focus on our strength and improve further by practice, by learning more, and by sincerely appreciating others not imitating them. Let our weaknesses become part of our totality as a person and never disdain to have them. For we are not alone, we are not unique, we are survivors in the greatest race we ever entered - the race to life in our mother's womb. And we won against millions of others trying to be the first to enter our mother's egg. Thus in our birth, we are born Champion, YOU ARE BORN CHAMPION.
"You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceived Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it's still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."
We are children of One True God who owns the universe through Jesus his son. Let no one doubt our inheritance, it is our right, it is eternal, it is the secret of the ages that will one day unfold to you and me. Right before our very eyes, we will see it and will be part of it. So in our long and short journey through life, we will have many battles, we will lose some, we will win some, but we have been well-equipped by God. We won in our race to live, we are born champions. YOU ARE BORN CHAMPION!
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