perspectives

(This entry is also published in ridenwrite.blogspot.com)

Yesterday, a recent venture of mine took me to the road which took me to one of the premiere subdivisions in Cebu City - Beverly Hills.

Going to the venue (a function building called the Beverly Pavilion), we passed by big, beautiful houses - the kinds that cost millions to build. Though I was driving and had to follow another vehicle to the venue, and hence, didn't have the luxury of visually exploring the place - I couldn't help but notice these houses. My amazement climaxed when we arrived at our destination - a pavilion nestled on the edge of hill (cliff-ish?) overlooking a ravine and the city.

The cool air and the ambiance quickly took me to a trance-like state as I can't believe I never left the city at all. In fact, I was at the very heart of it. The beauty of the place got me thinking about how much people would pay just to have this view from their balcony; and even how much people would pay just to hold an event in such a place.

From my vantage point, the horizon was blurred by storm clouds and the city seems harmless and serene. I almost got lost in the moment until I refocused my eyes on the immediate surrounding. I can't believe I missed the shanties dotting the other side of the ravine.

I wondered: if one of the houses near the pavilion was mine, would I be able to look out the window every morning knowing what "disturbing realities" await right outside?

Then it hit me: looking at reality (and life) straight in the face boils down to one thing - perspective.

One can look at the "shanties of life" - realities that often bring us down; one can look to city and its lights - mesmerizing escapes that are often just around the corner; one can look at the horizon and get lost in the tug-of-war between earth and sky; or one can look up - to God, have faith, and see that the sourness of reality is indiscernible in the sweetness of His love.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Presumptuous Me

May of last year, I and my girlfriend attended the first death anniversary celebration of my Lolo Roger. We drove south (on my motorcycle) from Cebu City to the southern tip of Cebu Island and took the barge going to Negros Oriental. Lolo Roger is buried in Dumaguete City.

A few months after, in a proud, almost boastful, voice, I told a good friend of mine about our summer escapade.

It was then that I learned that this friend of mine drove from Mindanao to Manila during the same time I drove from Cebu to Dumaguete. Then he told me that when they were driving to the capital, they met on the road a foreigner walking. The man has been to different countries on a mission: to walk around the world.

I went to my friend so proud about my adventure only to find out that he's been to a greater adventure and that other people are on or have been to much greater ones.

There is nothing wrong about being proud of the things that you have done but bragging and thinking no one's ever done the things you did probably is. And it just might make you lose your face...

In Luke 14:8-10, Jesus said:

When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.

take a pause

Traffic, most of the times, irritates us. And it often results to friction, conflicts and misunderstanding.

We do not like traffic because we do not want to be slowed down or stopped when we are driving/traveling. Often, I see people beating the red light and/or going before the light goes green. There are reasons why the light goes yellow for about 3 to 4 seconds before turning red; or why there is a 3 to 4 - second interval (or delay) before the light goes green. Safety is foremost among these reasons.

Naps, blank spaces in magazine pages, short pauses, recess, coffee breaks... All these give us time (and space) to think more, think better; they give us a chance to relax and rest; they give us an opportunity to appreciate things; they keep us from the dangers of rushing or overdoing things... The gaps between traffic sign changes are pretty much like these things.

Why then do we beat traffic? Why then do we let a few seconds to think, relax, appreciate and keep us safe pass us by?

Let us take a few seconds off.

Let us also remember that God wants us to stop, pause, or be still once in a while, for us to know Him and His glory... He has told us through the psalmist in Psalms 46:10:

"Be still, and know that I am God"

Past Car

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
(Matthew 6:14-15)

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you (NIV)
Know where you are headed and you will stay on solid ground (CEV)
(Proverbs 4:25-26)

Let me share the analogy of a car on what's behind (the past) and what's ahead (the future):

A car's windshield is far greater in area than the combined areas of the side-view mirrors and the rear-view mirrors. This simply tells us that we must pay more attention to what is ahead of us - the current moment and the future, rather than what is behind us - our past experiences and pains.

One may argue that we need to look behind to better prepare for and understand the future. True. That's the reason cars have at least three (3) mirrors facing backwards. When making a turn, parking and even overtaking another vehicle, the driver (the good ones, I may add) look at these mirrors in order to avoid accidents and injuries (to self and others).

In life, making a turn, parking and overtaking may be compared to making decisions. Quite similarly, we look at our past experiences, with a hope of not making the same mistakes or misjudgments as before. We look at our past pains to avoid future pains. We look at our past victories to win greater challenges.

Still, we need to pay more attention at what is directly ahead of us. The past is always there to teach us lessons in life. But if we look ahead, armed not only with the knowledge (and understanding) of the past, but more so, with a determination of getting to where we are going, we can get there, and even beyond, safe and sound.

The windshield is still wider than all the mirrors facing backwards.

getting rid of problems

This morning, before going to the office, I removed from the front tire of my motorcycle a piece of wire. It was shaped like an S or a Z. Apparently, it did not puncture the interior tire. But I realized it was this wire that was making ticking sounds for the past few days.

After removing the wire, I looked at it and said to myself "Well, problem solved. No more irritating ticking sound this time." Then I carelessly threw on the path way.

I got on my bike and then sped off to the office. After running about eight kilometers, I felt something fishy about the way my bike runs. I figured it's a flat tire. I checked the front tire thinking I may be wrong and it got punctured after all. But it was not. So I continued driving but there is still something funny about the bike.

It was then that I learned that my rear tire was flat. So I drove about a hundred meters to the nearest vulcanizing shop. It was the same shop where I had my rear tire replaced a few weeks back.

There I learned what had caused my flat tire. It was a piece of wire shaped like an S or a Z. And I had a strong feeling it was the same wire I removed from my front tire and carelessly threw on the path way.

The lesson of the story? When you get rid of a problem, be sure it doesn't come back. Because when it does, it does more damage.

no ID, no discount

I and my brother got on a bus on our trip from Santander to Cebu City yesterday. We bought two tickets: a regular ticket for me and an SP (student privilege, discounted ticket) ticket for my brother. The conductor, upon hearing “SP”, immediately asked for an ID. This is pretty normal. Bus companies may have learned from the past that many of those who were availing of the privilege are not really students. Many people get SP's just to save some peso and make a fool of the bus companies in the process. Hence, not so very long ago, they started asking for ID's.

To my surprise though, the conductor did not peruse my brother's ID. He just looked at the ID my brother got out of his pocket. He did not even touch it. Had he looked at the ID, he would have known that my brother graduated early last month and that technically, he is no longer a student. In fact, he is in Cebu right now searching for a job (and trying to get in to law school at the same time). We saved some peso. Good riddance!

About halfway to Cebu, an elderly woman got on the bus and sat right beside me. She asked for a Senior Citizen's discount from the conductor. He then asked for an ID. The woman said she forgot to bring her ID. She ended up paying the regular fare.

How can he not give the lady a discount? He gave my brother a discount without even checking his ID. Yes, my brother can pass for a student. But so can I. I could have tricked him if I wanted to. However, it was very much obvious that the lady was old and therefore deserves the privilege.

I can't blame the conductor though. Asking old people for their Senior Citizen ID Card (and not all old people have ID's) before giving them discounts is one of the loads of crappy things about this country.

ID's are proofs – of being a student, of being a member of an organization, of being an employee of a company, and of many other stuffs. When you are old, you do not need proofs! So why can't we just give old people their rightful discounts? To hell with Senior Citizen's ID's.