My Personal Synthesis of Life

(taken from my Multiply Blog dated April 30, 2009)

We are often compelled to ask: "why am I here?", "what is the purpose of my existence?", "why did God place me here?"

We always want quick answers to these questions. We always end up disappointed when we do not get the answers. We tend to rebel when we do not get the satisfactory answers.

Ang buhay nga naman tlga, parang life (I couldn't find an exact translation). Contentment, purpose, people, career... daming mga bagay ang dapat tignan, i-consider, at ipagpaliban (there are so many things to check, consider, and let go)... And then when the things don't turn up the way we want them to be, or when things start to topple off the balance, we start to complain, question and rebel.

After twenty-seven years of my existence I am now able to synthesize the answer to these questions. It's this:

First Synthesis... Life is in partnership with patience. It reveals things in due course. Life is like getting into a relationship. Know it first, befriend it, court it, trust it and then once it allows itself to be "seduced" it gives you endless possibilities and opens the door to limitless beauties that it can offer. The problem is we now live in the age of Cyberspace where everything is readily made available at the click of a finger. Minsan tuloy tingin natin sa buhay ay isang work-station na meroon internet connection (We tend to look at life as instant as clicking a button in a computer with internet connection). We are growing impatient with life. We want quick results. But the thing is, life is not like that.

Second Synthesis... Make every moment worthwhile. The information age is making us people take things for granted. When things become slow-phased we become bored and we start to feel that time has come still and it's the end of the world for us. Not so. It doesn't have to be. Simple pauses to thank the creator. Short chats with old and new buddies at *bucks. Exchanging ideas with the young. Learning from the experiences of the learned and the wise. Picking up a book to read. Finding a quiet spot to reflect. Spending time with your family. These are the things that will allow us to put meaning in every moment.

Third Synthesis... Know your "Calling." We are given special gifts and are tasked to do special assignments by the Creator. In every instance the gift corresponds with the special assignment. Have we really given ample time for ourselves to determine our gift and special assignment? Call me an idealist but I avoid people who tell me that we have to be practical and we have to give up what we love to do for the people we love. It's not really relative. I believe that we just have to do what we love and the rest follows. Harness and cultivate the gift that was given. I am still a supporter of this ideology. We make a difference and contribute for the wellness of society when we give our best in the best way we can. We can only do this when we know our "Calling."