Why?….(haiku)

Haiku

 

Why?….

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

Must life be sacrificed

To let others see what is right…?

Can’t others open their eyes –

To see hunger in the faces

With tearless cries?

Harmonizing Life with Time…by Virtue of Discipline

Harmonizing Life with Time

…by virtue of Discipline

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

We cannot control time, much more, go against its ticking hands. But we can live in harmony with it by virtue of discipline. We cannot turn back the hands of time, as the song says, so we have to synchronize our life with it for our own advantage.

 

Synchronizing with time and the degree that calls for it differs according to culture and environment. In Spain, siesta time after lunch till early afternoon is an integral part of the people’s culture. Their “nighttime” is also long, lasting till the wee hours of the morning. Meanwhile, in other countries, the people are not conscious of time.

 

In a well- disciplined country like Japan, time is treated with respect. And, so is in the United States, where time is followed to the last second, in which at the strike of five in a workplace, everything is dropped. In European countries, the same treatment of time is observed – with strictness, hinged on discipline.

 

The standard work period is eight hours. But to date, because of the many factors that affect the daily lives of the people, especially, traffic, “broken time”  or “flexible or flexi time” is applied by some companies, for as long as the eight-hour period is completed. Adjustment is made on the work period of employees in consideration of the traffic and distance that needs to be covered by commuting from their home.

 

On the other hand, regardless of whether we are in a workplace, at home or just anywhere, time is very much part of our activity…our life. Practically, since the first day that life is developed in the womb of the mother, time element is already involved, such as the number of days until the fetus finally breaths the fresh air as it comes out into the world. And, the development of the growing child is reckoned by phases of time– physically, mentally, and emotionally.

 

In wrapping up, the best thing to do, if we do not want to be hassled then, is by being always ahead of time. Whatever time is “earned” can always be used for some other things that we need to make our life comfortable. We should, however, remember always, that living in harmony with time should be tempered with discipline.

Simplifying Life with Love, Tempered with Respect

Simplifying Life with Love, Tempered by Respect

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

A positive life or rather, way of life is supposed to be ruled by just love and respect. Basically, we should love God, love life that He gave, and love others, be they within our family or strangers, as well as the so-called lesser creatures.  And, with love, comes respect. That is how life should be lived…supposedly.

 

But because of selfishness, life has been polarized. At one end are those who are exploited by others and at the other end, are those who exploit them. Life has become complicated because of the emergence of the mentioned evil desire.

 

If only we can simplify life with love tempered by respect, then, there will no longer be a desire for anything that is more than what we need. Selfishness is the reason why man is never satisfied. Man covets those that are not his. He even covets those that are not yet on hand.

 

Because life today is ruled by strength and money, man can no longer say that in order to survive, he can just run to the wilderness and harvest food, just like they do in the days of old. Today, living is simply a choice between simplicity but entails a lot of physical sacrifice, and complexity which calls for a lot of spiritual sacrifice. Simply put, it is either to live with hunger and needs, then die with a mouth agape with pain, or live in luxury, and die with a reluctant and heavy heart due to the amassed wealth that will be left behind.

 

But, since God gave man intelligence and free will, the choice is his. One encouraging fact, however, is about the seeping in of a need among many men and women, to reach out to Him, as they approach the threshold of their life. Unconsciously, there is a transformation in the way they live, leading to one of simplicity. Many are surprised about their loss of interest for socials, but veer their interest, instead, toward religious congregations. Some even start donating their wealth to worthy causes. If ever there is a need for socials, simple “ballroom dances” in multi-purpose halls are enough.

 

One only needs to look around to see this phenomenon – senior citizens smiling their way to their respective Church, with some donning work clothes on weekends to render volunteer service for community outreach projects, while others protect themselves with umbrellas on their way to depressed areas to conduct Bible studies. They all seem to shout to the world that they can still do something for the love of God and others despite their age. With their simple acts of living, they, indeed, are showing love and earning respect!

The Termites in Our Society

The Termites in Our Society

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

The current administration of Rodrigo Duterte has no doubt, inherited a sorely- weakened government due to the piled up unsolved cases of corruption with more undetected commissions added as days go by. Duterte has practically entered a home heavily infested with termites!

 

Some of these termites are plain citizens who just love to ride on issues. The others are attention-hungry and highly-entrenched government officials who are obviously blind to the consequences of their detractions. These termites paint a harrowing picture of the Philippines, as if they belong to another nation and with the intention of taking over the reign from Duterte. These nincompoops thought they are doing a favor to the country by trying to pull down a guy whose efforts are geared toward the healing of a sick society.

 

While leaders of powerful nations have finally recognized and supported Duterte in his campaigns, these pea-brained Filipinos act like deranged dogs with rabbis-infected saliva foaming down their mouth snarling at him, giving credence to what has long been suspected as their being financed by a powerful group or groups. Now, that is what I call selfishness and greed to the max!