Along the path I have taken, I am fortunate to have witnessed the great many possibilities of life. From the high rise offices of multinational companies in Makati to the humble routes of mambobote in the streets of Mandaluyong, I have witnessed the true meaning of what it is to be made in the image and likeness of God. This simple truth holds so much power for every man who discerns its true meaning. Genesis 1:26 of the Bible, King James Version, writes and I quote “ And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle, and over all the earth …” Man’s Capacity to create. Man’s power to define his internal and external environment. Man’s freedom permits him to discern right from wrong and to choose accordingly. Human freedom over predestination, such that, man is not defined by his environment. Man’s capacity for infinite possibilities. In the face of peril, man has a choice to stand his ground in pursuit of greater meaning as honor and justice. Human history is full of stories of heroism. King Leonidas with his 300 brave Spartans stood there ground amidst a formidable foe of a thousand invading Persians. He defended the narrow pass of Thermopylae to his last breath. No less than our beloved Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino and Jose Rizal faced an overwhelming opposition, a government administration with all the might to crush them. Took away there liberty; incarcerated them, accused them of crimes they are innocent of and forced them to exile. With love for our country, a discernment of truth, they braved there moral dilemma despite the threat to their lives for the sake of greater ideals. For with this God given faculty, we can reach for the heaven and the stars. One can only imagine the possibilities if one realizes the truth of our human existence; to aspire for more. To live our dreams today or die trying to achieve it. To exert our full force defining our lives and discern the meaning behind our circumstance in life and the setbacks we encounter. Human history is full of stories of great battles and extra ordinary events. Behind all these historic moments are great men who defined there lives and refused to be defined by others. Let us now conclude this chapter with a contemplation on the beautiful verse of Longfellow’s “A Psalm Of Life”
“lives of great men all remind us
we can make our lives sublime
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time
Let us, then be up and doing
with a heart for any fate
Still achieving, still pursuing
learn to labor and to wait”
I have kept this piece with me for the past 13 years. Verses of some poet long dead shared to me by a mentor on his retirement hundred of miles away. Driving along the dark highways of NLEX in the early monday mornings of 2006 and sleepless nights in Mactan preparing my territory plans for Panay, I have found solace in the words of poets and songs I have kept in my heart since my days in the Chapel. To follow a dream would mean so much sacrifice and I took that Manila bound bus at Agora early January 2 morning prepared to embrace all the loneliness and triumphs my dream would award me. 11 years after, I have not kept a single regret only thoughts of affirmation that I am who I am today because of the choices I have made.
"Live today as if its your last" I always tell myself. Pursue your dreams with relentless determination never looking back and I have not. Set your sail to your appointed course and brave the winds never to let go; what wind and storm that came my way and still I stand. For life is too precious. Never, never give up. I say to a weary soul - as long their is breath in you, never give up.
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