Drug-Dependent

One thing to be noted in drug-addicts is that they virtually cannot do anything without drugs. They cannot start their day without drugs. They cannot be happy without drugs. They cannot work without drugs. Likewise, you probably know a person who -in his ordinary mode -is very shy and very timid, probably one who cannot even find the courage to speak. But this same person, when he is under the influence of alcohol becomes the exact opposite: he becomes confident, becomes talkative, expressing everything that his mind finds to think about. When he wants to say something, for example: he wants to express a hidden anger he has with a friend, or he desires to confess his love for a girl, this person deliberately gets himself drunk because he knows he cannot do it without alcohol. That is why he is called an alcoholic -an alcohol dependent. He is dependent on alcohol for courage; dependent on alcohol for confidence; dependent on alcohol for virtually everything.

As Christians, that should also be our attitude when it comes to God and His Word. God called us to be dependent on Him. How long will we realize and accept the truth that we cannot do it by ourselves. I, personally, as I mature more and more in my relationship with God, I all the more come to realize the ever increasing list of things that I could not do, and things that I do not have control of. In other words, I become more aware of my limitations. But this awareness causes me, drives me, and makes me more determined to seek God and find my strength in Him. It causes me to be more dependent on Him, because through Him, I can do all things (Philippians 4:13). The more I grow in God, I become more and more of an addict to His Word! I simply could not start anything without Him and His Word knowing that there are very few things that are under my control. The wisest thing to do is to lift up these things to The One Who controls them.

One more benefit of being dependent on God is that it takes you away from the desperate search of finding dependence on people. You see, no matter how your truest of friends desire to be there for you always, they won't, because they can't. They can't be with you 24/7. They can't be with you round the clock. Being dependent on people is foolishness. I am not saying that we should not have friends, it's just that we should not put the dependence that is due to God on them. When I feel that those who I refer to as my closest friends grow cold, and when I really cannot feel their care and concern, I get angry, I get sad, and frustrated at the same time. When they don't reply to my text messages or to my calls, I get the feeling that they're not there for me, and I get angry and sad. But from what I learned from these instances, I now start to thank them, because had it not been for those experiences, I would not have been in this level of dependence on God that I am in now. Because the help I am expecting to get from men was deferred, I started looking for it in the Right Place -from the Word of God. My friends are treasures, but my dependence is not on them.

I could very well relate to the psalmist when he said:

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."

Psalm 16:2, NIV

If some are called drug-dependents, I am proud to say that I'm a God-Dependent! 

"Kung Buhay pa si Rizal. . ."

"Kung buhay pa si Rizal, malamang ay na-impluensyahan na rin siya ng mga kasamaan ngayon." --iyang ay isa sa mga katagang nasabi ng aking kaibigang tsuper na si Sir Eddie (60 taon gulang) nang aming napag-usapan ang tungkol sa korupsyong tila wala nang pag-asang mawala at ang patuloy na pagbagsak ng moralidad ng sangkatauhan.

Sa totoo lang, ako ay nagulat at natigilan sa aking narinig. Marahil kasi ngayon ko lamang narinig ang katagang yaon.

"Noong panahon ni Rizal..." -ang dagdag pa niya. "Wala pang mga night clubs, o mall, o sinehan, o ano pa man na maaaring pagka-abalahan. Pagdating niya sa bahay, eh ano pa nga naman ba ang pinakamaganda niyang puwedeng gawin kundi magbasa nang magbasa, dahil isang gasera lang naman ang meron noon sa kanyang silid. Walang telebisyon, walang radyo. Kaya ang tatalino ng mga tao noon eh!" --ang patawang sabi ng aking kaibigan.

Ang katagang nasa taas ay isang katagang haypotetikal. Walang maaaring makasiguro kung totoo ito o hindi, gawa ng simpleng kadahilanang si Rizal ay patay na. Ngunit isa ang masasabi ko tungkol sa aking kaibigan --May punto siya. Kung sa bagay nga naman, buong pagrespeto sa ating pambansang bayani, si Dr. Jose Rizal ay isang babaero, at ang lahat ng mga historyan niya ay sang-ayon dito. Sinong makapagsasabing kayang layuan ni Rizal ang mga tukso ng mga pubhouse, night clubs, at bars na meron tayo ngayon? O 'di kaya'y sino ang makapagsasabi na si Rizal ay hindi mauunahan pagsuko at tuluyang kawalan ng pag-asa kapag nakita niya ang korupt na gobyerno natin ngayon? Isang gobyernong pinapatakbo --hindi ng mga dayuhan-- kundi ng sarili niyang mga kababayan. Sinong makapagsasabi kung magkakaroon pa ba siya ng pag-asang ipaglaban ang tama o mapapanghinaan na lamang ng loob at sasabay na lang sa agos na siya nga namang mas madaling gawin?

Ngunit ang punto dito ay --Hindi ito panahon ni Rizal eh! Hindi niya ito problema. Ginawa ni Rizal ang kanyang mga magagawa noong panahon niya, oras naman upang gawin natin lahat ng ating magagawa ngayong panahon natin.

Maaari ngang masamang tao na rin si Rizal kung sa mga panahong ito siya nabuhay, at maaari rin namang hindi. Walang nakakaalam, at walang nang maaaring makaalam. Ngunit ang puwede nating malaman ay kung ano ang mangyayari kung nabuhay tayo sa panahong ito... dahil totoo namang nabubuhay tayo sa panahong ito. Minsan, palihim kong naihihiling sa aking isip na sana'y nabuhay na lamang ako noong panahon ni Rizal --noong mga panahong ang mga tao'y marunong pang magpahalaga sa mga bagay na totoong mahahalaga ,at marunong pang magbigay puri sa mga bagay na totoo nga namang kapuri-puri. Gayunpaman, sa mga pag-iisip kong ito, laging pumapasok sa aking ala-ala ang isang usapan sa pagitan ng dalawang pangunahing tauhan sa isang paborito kong nobela:

Frodo: "Sana'y hindi na lang nangyari ang mga bagay na 'to! Sana'y nabuhay na lamang ako sa ibang panahon!"

Gandalf: "Hindi para sa ating mga nilalang ang mamili kung saang panahon tayo mabubuhay. Gayunpaman, ang maaari nating piliin ay kung ano ang ating gagawin sa panahong ipinagkaloob sa atin."

Huwag nating ikumpara ang ating mga sarili kay Rizal. Dahil may sarili siyang panahon. Tulad ni Rizal, gawin din natin ang ating maaaring gawin... sa ating sariling panahon.

WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF JESUS CHRIST?

Taken from the book God in the Dock

'What are we to make of Jesus Christ?' This is a question which has, in a sense, frantically comic side. For the real question is not what are we to make of Christ, but what is He to make of us? The picture of a fly sitting deciding what it is going to make of an elephant has comic elements about it. But perhaps the questioner meant what are we to make of Him in the sense of 'How are we to solve the historical problem set us by the recorded sayings and acts of this Man?' This problem is to reconcile two things. On the one hand you have got the almost generally admitted depth and sanity of His moral teaching, which is not very seriously quetioned, even by those who are opposed to Christianity. In fact, I find when I am arguing with very anti-God people that they rather make a point of saying, 'I am entirely in favour of the moral teaching of Christianity' - and there seems to be a general agreement that in the teaching of this Man and of His immediate followers, moral truth is exhibited at its purest and best. It is not sloppy idealism, it is full of wisdom and shrewdness. The whole thing is realistic, fresh to the highest degree, the product of a sane mind. That is one phenomenon.

The other phenomenon is the quite appalling nature of this Man's theological remarks. You all know what I mean, and I want rather to stress the point that the appalling claim which this Man seems to be making is not merely made at one moment of His career. There is, of course, the one moment which led to Hid execution. The moment at which the High Priest said to Him, 'Who are you?' 'I am the Anointed, the Son of the uncreated God, and you shall see Me appearing at the end of all history as the judge of the universe.' But that claim, in fact, does not rest on this one dramatic moment. When you look into His conversation you will find this sort of claim running throughout the whole thing. For instance, He went about saying to people, 'I forgive your sins'. Now it is quite natural for a man to forgive something you do to him. Thus if somebody cheats me out of five pounds it is quite possible and reasonable for me to say, 'Well, I forgive him, we will say no more about it.' What on earth would you say if somebody had done you out of five pounds and I said, 'That is all right, I forgive him'? Then tere is a curious thing which seems to slip out almost by accident. On one occasion this Man is sitting looking down on Jerusalem from the hill above it and suddenly in comes an extraordinary remark - 'I keep on sending you prophets and wise men.' Nobody comments on it. And yet, quite suddenly, almost incidentally, He is claiming to be the power that all through the centuries is sending the wise men and leaders into the world. Here is another curious remark: in almost every religion there are unpleasant observances like fasting. This Man suddenly remarks one day, 'No one need fast while I am here.' Who is this Man who remarks that His mere presence suspends all normal rules? Who is the person who can suddenly tell the School they can have a half-holiday? Sometimes the statements put forward the assumption that He, the Speaker, is completely without sin or fault. This is always the attitude. 'You, to whom I am talking, are all sinners,' and He never remotely suggests that this same reproach can be brought against Him. He says again, 'I am the begotten of the One God, before Abraham was, I am,' and remember what the words 'I am' were in Hebrew. They were the name of God, which must not be spoken by any human being, the namen which it was death to utter.

Well, that is the other side. On the one side clear, definite moral teaching. On the other side, claims which, if not true, are those of a megalomaniac, compared with whom Hitler was the most sane and humble of men. There is now half-way house and there is no parallel in other religions. If you had gone to Buddha and asked him: 'Are you the son of Bramah?' he would have said 'My son, you are still in the vale of illusion.' If you had gone to Socrates and asked, 'Are you Zeus?' he would have laughed at you. If you had gone to Mohammed and asked 'Are you Allah?' he would first have rent his clother and then cut your head off. If you had asked Confucius, 'Are you Heaven?', I think he would have probably replied, 'Remarks which are not in accordance with nature are in bad taste.' The idea of a great moral teacher saying what Christ said is out of the question. In my opinion, the only person who can say that sort of thing is either God or a complete lunatict suffering from that form of delusion which undermines the whole mind of man. If you think you are a poached egg, when you are not looking for a piece of toast to suit you you may be sane, but if you think you are God, there is no chance for you. We may note in passing that He did not produce that effect on any of the people who actually met him. He produced mainly three effects - Hatred - Terror - Adoration. There was no trace of people expressing mild approval.

What are we to do about reconciling the two contradictory phenomena? One attempt consists in saying that the Man did not really say these things, but that His followers exaggerated the story, and so the legend grew up that He had said them. This is difficult because His followers were all Jews; that is, they belonged to that Nation which of all others was most convinced that there was only one God - that there could not possibly be another. It is very odd that this horrible invention about a religious leader should grow up among the one people in the whole earth least likely to make such a mistake. On the contrary we get the impression that none of His immediate followers or even of the New Testament writers embraced the doctrine at all easily.

Another point is that on that view you would have to regard the accounts of the Man as being legends. Now, as a literary historian, I am perfectly convinced that whatever else the Gospels are they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legend and I am quite clear that they are not the same sort of thing. They are not artistic enough to be legends. From an imaginative point of view they are clumsy, they don't work up to things properly. Most of the life of Jesus is totally unknown to us, as is the life of anyone else who lived at that time, and no people building up a legend would allow that to be so. Apart from bits of the Platonic dialogues, there are no conversations that I know of in ancient literature like the Fourth Gospel. There is nothing, even in modern literature, until about a hundred years ago when the realistic novel came into existence. In the story of thw woman taken in adultery we are told Christ bent down and scribbled in the dust with His finger. Nothing comes of this. No one has ever based any doctrine on it. And the art of inventing little irrelevant details to make an imaginary scene more convincing is a purely modern art. Surely the only explanation of this passage is that the thing really happened? The author put it in simply because he had seen it.

Then we come to the strangest story of all, the story of the Resurrection. It is very necessary to get the story clear. I heard a man say, 'The importance of the Resurrection is that it gives evidence of survival, evidence that the human personality survives death.' On that view what happened to Christ would be what had always happened to all men, the difference being that in Christ's case we were privileged to see it happening. This is certainly not what the earliest Christian writers thought. Something perfectly new in the history of the universe had happened. Christ had defeated death. The door which had always been locked had for the very first time been forced open. This is something quite distinct from mere ghost-survival. I don't mean that they disbelieved in ghost-survival. On the contrary, they believed in it so firmly that, on more than one occasion, Christ had to assure them that He was not a ghost. The point is that while believing in survival they yet regarded the Resurrection as something totally different and new. The Resurrection narratives are not a picture of survival after death; they record how a totally new mode of being has arisen in the universe. Something new had appeared in the universe: as new as the first coming of organinc life. This Man, after death does not get divided into 'ghost' and 'corpse'. A new mode of being has arisen. That is the story. What are we going to make of it?

The question is, I suppose, whether any hypothesis covers the facts so well as the Christian hypothesis. That hypothesis is that God has come down into the created univers, down to manhood - and come up again, pulling it up with Him. The alternative hypothesis is not legend, nor exaggeration, nor the apparitions of a ghost. It is either lunacy or lies. Unless one can take the second alternative (and I can't) one turns to the Christian theory.

'What are we to make of Christ?' There is no question of what we can make of HIm, it is entirely a question of what He intends to make of us. You must accept or reject the story.

The things He says are very different from what nay other teacher has said. Others say, 'This is the truth about the universe. This is the way you ought to go,' but He says, 'I am the Truth, and the Way, and the Life.' He says, 'No man can reach absolute reality, except through Me. Try to retain your own life and you will be inevitably ruined. Give yourself away and you will be saved.' He says, 'If you are ashamed of Me, if, when you hear this call, you turn the other way, I also will look the other way when I come again as God without disguise. If anything whatever is keeping you from God and from Me, whatever it is, throw it away. If it is your eye, pull it out. If it is your hand, cut it off. If you put yourself first you will be last. Come to Me everyone who is carrying a heavy load, I will set that right. Your sins, all of them, are wiped out, I can do that. I am Re-birth, I am Life. Eat Me, drink Me, I am your Food. And finally, do not be afraid, I have overcome the whole Universe.' That is the issue.

Reference:
Hooper, W. (1971) God in the Dock: Essays on Theology by C.S. Lewis. Great Britain: William Collins Sons & Co Ltd, Glasgow, pp 79-84

'The Trouble With "X" ...'

 Taken from the book God in the Dock

I suppose I may assume that seven out of ten of those who read these lines are in some kind of difficulty about some other human being. Either at work or at home, either the people who employ you or those whom you employ, either those who share your house or those whose house you share, either your in-laws or parents or children, your wife or your husband, are making life harder for you than it need be even in these days. It is to be hoped that we do not often mention these difficulties (especially the domestic ones) to outsiders. But sometimes we do. An outside friend asks us why we are looking so glum; and the truth comes out.

On such occasions the outside friend usually says, 'But why don't you tell them? Why don't you go to your wife (or husband, or father, or daughter, or boss, or landlady, or lodger) and have it all out? People are usually reasonable. All you've got to do is to make them see things in the right light. Explain it to them in a reasonable, quiet, friendly way.' And we, whatever, we say outwardly, think sadly to ourselves, 'He doesn't know "X".' We do. We know how utterly hopeless it is to make 'X' see reason. Either we've tried it over and over again - tried it till we are sick of trying it - or else we've never tried it because we saw from the beginning how useless it would be. We know that if we attempt to 'have it all out with "X" ' there will either be a 'scene', or else 'X' will stare at us in blank amazement and say 'I don't know what on earth you're talking about'; or else (which is perhaps worst of all) 'X' will quite agree with us and promise to turn over a new leaf and put everything on a new footing - and then, twenty-four hours later, will be exactly the same as 'X' has always been.

You know, in fact, that any attempt to talk things over with 'X' will shipwreck on the old, fatal flaw in 'X's' character. And you see, looking back, how all the plans you have ever made always shipwrecked on that fatal flaw - on 'X's' incurable jealousy, or laziness, or touchiness, or muddle-headedness, or bossiness, or ill temper, or changeableness. Up to a certain age you have perhaps had the illusion that some external stroke of good fortune - an improvement in health, a rise of salary, the end of the war - would solve your difficulty. But you know better now. The war is over, and you realize that even if the other things happened, 'X' would still be 'X' and you would still be up against the same old problem. Even if you became a millionaire, your husband would still be a bully, or your wife would still nag or your son would still drink, or you'd still have to have your mother-in-law to live with you.

It is a great step forward to realize that this is so; to face the fact that even if all external things went right, real happiness would still depend on the character of the people you have to live with - and that you can't alter their characters. And now comes the point. When you have seen this you have, for the first time, had a glimpse of what it must be like for God. For, of course, this is (in one way) just what God Himself is up against. He has provided a rich, beautiful world for people to live in. He has given them intelligence to shoe them how it can be used, and conscience to show them how it ought to be used. He has contrived that the things they need for their biological life (food, drink, rest, sleep, exercise) should be positively delightful to them. And having done all this, He then sees all His plans spoiled - just as our little plans are spoiled - by the crookedness of the people themselves. All the things He has given them to be happy with they turn into occasions for quarrelling and jealosy, and excess and hoarding, and tomfoolery.

You may say it is very different for God because He could, if He pleased, alter people's characters, and we can't. But this difference doesn't go quite as deep as we may at first think. God has made it a rule for Himself that He won't alter people's character by force. He can and will alter them - but only if the people will let Him. In that way He has really and truly limited His power. Sometimes we wonder why He has done so, or even wish that He hadn't. But apparently He thinks it worth doing. He would rather have a world of free beings, with all its risks, than a world of people who did right like machines because they couldn't do anything else. The more we succeed in imagining what a world of perfect automatic beings would be like, the more, I think, we shall see His wisdom.

 I said that when we see how all our plans shipwreck on the characters of the people we have to deal with, we are 'in one way' seeing what it must be like for God. But only in one way. There are two respects in which God's view must be very different from ours. In the first place, He sees (like you) how all the people in your home or your job are in various degrees awkward or difficult; but when He looks into that home or factory or office He sees one more person of the same kind - the one you never do see. I mean, of course, yourself. That is the next great step in wisdom - to realize that you also are just that sort of person. You also have a fatal flaw in your character. All the hopes and plans of others have again and again shipwrecked on your character just as your hopes and plans have shipwrecked on theirs.

It is no good passing this over with some vague, general admission such as 'Of course, I know I have my faults'. It is important to realize that there is some really fatal flaw in you; something which gives the others just that same feeling of despair which their flaws give you. And it is almost certainly something you don't know about - like what the advertisements call 'halitosis', which everyone notices except the person who has it. But why, you ask, don't the others tell me? Believe me, they have tried to tell you over and over again, and you just couldn't 'take it'. Perhaps a good deal of what you call their 'nagging' or 'bad temper' or 'queerness' are just their attempts to make you see the truth. And even the faults you do know you don't know fully. You say. 'I admit I lost my temper last night'; but the others know that you're always doing it, that you are a bad-tempered person. You say, 'I admit I drank too much last Sunday'; but everyone else knows that you are a habitual drunkard.

That is one way in which God's view must differ from mine. He sees all the characters; I seel all except my own. But the second difference is this. He loves the people in spite of their faults. He goes on loving. He does not let go. Don't say, 'It's all very well for Him; He hasn't got to live with them.' He has. He is inside them as well as outside them. He is with them far more intimately and closely and incessantly than we can ever be. Every vile thought within their minds (and ours), every moment of spite, envy, arrogance, greed and self-conceit comes right up against His patient and longing love, and grieves His spirit more than it grieves ours.

The more we can imitate God in bot these respects, the more progress we shall make. We must love 'X' more; and we must learn to see ourselves as a person of exactly the same kind. Some people say it is morbid to be always thinking of one's own faults. That would be all very well if most of us could stop thinking of our own without soon beginning to think about those of other people. For unfortunately we enjoy thinking about other people's faults; and in the proper sense of the word 'morbid', that is the most morbid pleasure in the world.

We don't like rationing which is imposed upon us, but I suggest one form of rationing which we ought to impose on ourselve. Abstain from all thinking about other people's faults, unless your duties as a teacher or parent make it necessary to think about them. Whenever the thoughts come unnecessarily into one's mind, why not simply shove them away? And think of one's own faults instead? Fof there, with God's help, one can do something. Of all the awkward people in your house, or job, there is only one whom you can improve very much. That is the practical end at whick to begin. And really, we'd better. The job has to be tackled some day; and every day we put it off will make it harder to begin.

What, after all, it the alternative? You see clearly enough that nothing, not even God with all His power, can make 'X' really happy as long as 'X' remains envious, self-centered, and spiteful. Be sure there is something inside you which, unless it is altered, will put it out of God's power to prevent your being eternally miserable. While that something remains there can be no Heaven for you, just as there can be no sweet smells for a man with a cold in the nose, and no music for a man who is deaf. It's not a question of God 'sending' us to Hell. In each of us there is something growing up which will of itself be Hell unless it is nippled in the bud. The matter is serious; let us put ourselves in His hands at once - this very day, this hour.

Reference:

Hooper, W. (1971) God in the Dock: Essays on Theology by C.S. Lewis. Great Britain: William Collins Sons & Co Ltd, Glasgow, pp 74-78

Lies unltd.

They say that it’s the small but frequent things a person does that make up his character. I don’t think I’d be the best person (or the right person for that matter) to write on the issue of lying. Nevertheless, I’ll take the job.

An Assortment of Lies

Just like McDonald’s Happy Meals, lies come in different shapes and sizes: some are gigantic, and some, microscopic; and boy would you believe it?! They come in different colors too! Great isn’t it? ;-D There are white lies, yellow lies, purple lies, fuchsia lies, indigo lies, and even transparent and invisible ones! There’s a whole bunch of them for heaven’s sake! You name it! :-D

Lies also have a variety of uses too! Some are used to get a job, while others, to run from them. Some are used to avoid problems (who would want to have a problem anyway?), and some are used to avoid people. The more popular brands are used to acquire a girlfriend, still others – for more grown-up stuffs: lies used to get out of prison; to win a case in the court; or to simply get rich! There are also the multi-purpose and all-purpose lies – guaranteed to function whenever and wherever to whomever. These are ‘one-lie-does-it-all’ types. A neighbor of ours uses this type, you know. . .

. . .nah! just kidding! What they do use are the old-fashioned ones

. . .kidding again! Now seriously. . .they do

. . .not use any of those (at least that’s what my innocent heart wants me to believe, hahah!)

But regardless of their size, color, shape, name, or purpose, these lies have one thing in common – THEY’RE ALL LIES :-D

Why Exactly Do We Lie?

Whether it’s an innocent six-year old child or an experienced government official (if you know what I mean), the most common reason why people lie is to defend their reputation, to protect their image. Am I correct, or am I correct? Yes of course, there are other reasons why people lie: to spare others’ feelings; to quicken things up; to make someone feel happy, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. But our most (I said the most) common rationale for lying is to defend our reputation.

Reputation is NOT synonymous with Integrity. The latter is defined as who we are in front of ourselves, when “nobody’s” looking; whereas, the former refers to who we are in front of the people. Maintaining our reputation involves being what we think is the best of who we think we could be in front of the eyes of our friends, teachers, or partners, even if it entails lying a little (after all, it’s just a little). Integrity, on the other hand, means being true to ourselves, to our conscience, with or without the eyes of those significant persons.

In a funeral service, it is easier to believe someone saying: “This man was a man of good reputation” than it is to believe someone say: “This man was a man of integrity”. Moreover, a man with a good reputation may not necessarily be a man of integrity; and likewise, a man with integrity may not necessarily have a good reputation, especially if the community where he lives in does not value this so-called integrity that he so passionately protects. True enough, sometimes, it feels better to have a good reputation though without integrity than to have integrity but without popular reputation.

That is why we people try so hard to protect our reputation, even if we have to lie a little to do so (just a little ;-P ).

The Liar Becomes The Lie-ee

One thing interesting about the art, science, and principle of lying is that: one lie increases the tendency of a person to lie again. the more you lie, the easier it gets. Cool, right? :-D

Another very interesting thing to note is the great possibility for a liar to believe his own lies. This my friends, is the dangerous and scary part for the liar. The person who keeps and keeps of telling false stories or false answers will – sooner or later – believe those things himself. When this happens, he can no longer distinguish between fantasy and reality. The liar has become the lie-ee.

Have you ever experienced (and I think you have) that feeling when you cannot tell whether an even really did happen or was it just a dream? It’s the same thing! The liar will come to believe his own deception; his own invented stories, and may even fight for it with his life, that it really happened.

One more disclaimer on liars concerns the issue of trust. I would not want to be with someone who keeps on lying and twisting the truth. Man! I will not be able to tell whether he/she is already telling the truth or still lying. Consistency breeds trust; consistency in lying breeds mistrust.

What Lies Ahead?

So what lies ahead for a person who lies, lies, and keeps on lying? Well, he has a variety of career options: he could choose to become a Registered Liar (RL), a Certified Master Liar (CML), or if he’s persistent enough, he may even become a De. D. – Doctor of Deception. Or. . . he could become a lie-ee, just like what we’ve talked about in the last part.

But just in case he gets too tired of lying, then there’s always another option – he could choose not to. The most effective and proven way to break the habit of lying is for a person not to lie. ;-D One may have tried doing this, then ended up returning to his habit. But friend, unlike in arcade video games, we live in a world where it is free to try again, no tokens needed.

If you have started and failed, start again. . .and again. . .and again. But also, you must not forget to assess yourself. If you keep on starting over and over and over and over again, then maybe there’s something wrong. Maybe you are starting at the wrong starting point. Why not begin with what they call the bible? After all, they say it’s filled with instructions on how to live rightly – and eventually (as they say) – happily. Besides, many have claimed to have been actually changed by this wonder-book. How can you be so skeptic to say you're not gonna be any different when you try?

When it comes to character-formation, the Best Time to begin is NOW. “The hardest thing to do is to begin”. But after that, things become easier. Just as one lie makes it easier to lie again, then one truth makes it easier to tell another. So go ahead. . . Tell the truth :-D

What is “Truth”?

(What would you do with a link that says "do not open"?)

An Invitation

© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo

Moses' Despair: Part the First - His Disobedience

Moses was 80 years old when God called him to lead a large noisy squandering complaining ungrateful ambivalent crowd of 1 million Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land – Canaan. For 40 years, he strived with them, stretching his patience to uncommon limits. Yet when the time came when the Israelites were just about to reach Canaan, when they were just a stone’s throw away from the Promised Land, the Lord – Moses’ Friend – reminded Moses: “Sorry friend, you cannot go with them.” Heartbroken as he was, Moses knew the reason why. This can be traced from an earlier part of the journey where in Moses disobeyed God’s command (Numbers 30:1-13). Here’s the story. . .

When the Israelites were at Kadesh, in the desert of Zin and when their supplies of food and water were already depleted, they were pretty darn tired and thirsty to the bone. So they did what they do best; they did the most effective and most logical thing to do for them; with one voice, they grumbled against Moses and Aaron saying: “Why the heck did you bring us up from Egypt to this terrible place!? There’s no food to eat and no water to drink! D*mn it!

So Moses and Aaron consulted the Lord. The Lord commanded them to speak to a particular rock, and that rock will pour out its water. However, when Moses and Aaron faced the mob, the pressure brought about by the people and the hot temper of Moses got the better of Moses. Instead of speaking to the rock to yield its water, Moses raised his staff, and hit the rock instead. The community was able to drink, but the Lord was not pleased. He was not pleased at all.

As a verdict, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “Because you did not trust Me enough to honor Me as Holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” So to make the long story short, the next generation of Israelites – under the leadership of Joshua – did reached the Promised Land. But as for Moses and Aaron – with that single and seemingly simple act of disobedience – they never got a taste of Canaan. Moses was not able to reach his dream land.

With these thoughts in mind, I asked the Lord: “Is it actually possible that Moses died with despair? Can a man of God die with despair?"

The answer came rather quick. . .

continue. . .

© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo

An Invitation

Moses' Despair: Part the Second - A Man of Weaknesses

Part I
If one will look at it on a natural point of view, compared to other bible characters like Joshua, David or Paul, Moses was the least (no offense Sir Moses). He was timid. He was shy. He was fearful, hot-tempered, and incapable of exercising his authority over the people. He wasn’t as brave and daring as Jonathan; he wasn’t as intelligent as Joseph and Daniel, or as tactful as the apostle Paul. Naturally speaking, he was a failure.

But what is actually the measure of a leader’s success?

You see, a leader’s success – or anyone for that matter – should be looked upon based on the thing he sought, the thing he looked for, his goal, his purpose. If Moses’ goal was to be the most beloved and respected leader of Israel; or the most famous bible character; if his ultimate desire was to step on the land of Canaan and maybe even kiss it, then I say – Man! He indeed died with despair!

But this was not the case. Moses lived to love God. He lived to please Him – and with that, he was quite successful according to the bible (Exodus 33:17). Why did God Almighty delighted on Moses so much? It was because Moses was weak! God’s Glory is made perfect in weaknesses, and man! The guy had a lot of them! No wonder God delighted in Him so much – so much that He (God) even gave Moses what he did not ask for. Moses did not ask for fame. But look at how the Pharisees in Jesus’ time would defend their arguments by saying “Moses said. . .” or “According to the law of Moses. . .” Look at the children’s bibles in our days – the front cover is almost always an image of Moses leading the Israelites in crossing the red sea. Moreover, the story of Moses is one of the first stories told by Sunday school teachers to their pupils, and one of the first bedtime stories told by parents to their children. People from different parts of the world, and of different religions know Moses. In the long run, Moses did become one of the most beloved, respected and famous bible characters. God gave Moses what he sought, and much more.

continue. . .

© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo
An Invitation

Moses' Despair: Conclusion

previous
When he left Egypt to run away from Pharaoh, Moses was already as good as dead. This argument is strengthened by the fact that when God called him, he was already 80 years of age! His life was as good as over. This knowledge made Moses even more grateful. He knew that he couldn’t have gone far without God. He was an ordinary person who could have lived an ordinary life with an ordinary job as an ordinary shepherd, and died an ordinary kind of death, but he knew he got lucky, or more rightly put, he got called. These experience and encounter molded Moses to develop an attitude of gratitude.

You see, it matters a lot to have the right attitude. According to Pastor John Maxwell, a leader can indeed succeed even without having the right attitude. But the difference is that he would not be able to enjoy his success as a leader with the right attitude would.

You may call this person, or that person successful; you may call him/ her a failure. But all of that depends on how you define failure and success. That depends on whether that person was able to reach what he sought for or not. Our friend Moses reached what he sought for.

With the above premises, I therefore conclude that in the issue of fulfillment, and in the decision between ego integrity and despair, good old Moses did not die with despair. He left the earth rather satisfied. Indeed, full of hope and gladness, he slept.

© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo

An Invitation

Let Go; Let God

Let Go. . .

What’s interesting about this day is that I heard messages about “letting go” for three times, from three different persons (Last Tuesday, it was the phrase “lead by example” that I heard for three times from three different people). The first message - I heard (actually I didn’t hear it, it was a text message, so I read it) from my big brother (but not by blood) Kuya Allen. The second message – I heard from our truly unequaled professor in Literature – Sir Hibek. The last one – I heard from actress Ms. Cherry Pie Picache – we had an open forum with her after watching an alternative movie featuring her. But this blog isn’t about stars or being starstrucked but speaking of stars, this same day, I met (or more likely – nakasalubong) Pen Medina in Gateway Mall. He wasn’t really that tall, that’s all. Okay, so back to the true topic. . .hehe

Regarding Memories

Memories play a key role in the lives of Homo sapiens. Imagine living a life without memories! According to our beloved and very eccentric unique professor in literature, memories – whether good or bad, happy or sad – are a blessing. Then he asked the class: “When does a memory become a curse?” When no one inside that cold, dark, and dirty classroom could give him a satisfying answer, he did what any sensible teacher would have done – he answered his own question: “A memory becomes a curse when you cannot let go!” he said. “We forgive, but. . .do we forget?”. And indeed the old man is right. How exactly could we really forget!? It is definitely easier said than done. You see, the pain of letting go arises from the fact that unlike unused or unwanted files in a computer – memories cannot be erased or deleted simply by clicking the delete option. In fact, typically speaking, memories cannot be erased at all. They can only be repressed, or buried in our subconscious, or in our unconscious mind.

How to Begin

There is only way to start the process of letting go. We must learn to face the reality of the situation, the reality of the memory. We must desensitize ourselves with what happened. It is not gonna be easy! No way! It could make us cry, weep, and feel bitter, but we must not give up trying to accept what happened. You see, we cannot always prevent ourselves from having false expectations or hopes, and we do not always want to face and experience the frustrations and disappointments that come with those false expectations. But the challenge in being a human being is learning to accept that this is an imperfect and evil world, and yet, being able to hope for good, beautiful, and happy things.

The Solution

One very effective way to be able to let go and face the frustration that came from false expectations is to place our trust in God – the kind of trust that places God’s Standards higher than our standards. You see, we may have a particular job, type of life, or future, or person in mind, and when we do not get it, we feel bad, at worst, we feel angry towards God. But Genuine Trust helps us to believe that God has the best in store for us. It may not be evident at the moment, that’s why it requires faith. Besides, there’s really not much we could do about it, so might as well leave it to God. You see, if you know God and if you have a relationship with Him, then your future’s already decided man! So go on. . .Let go

. . .and Let God

© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo

An Invitation

Overflow

Writing is the overflow of the soul. You can never give what you do not have. It is difficult to write about something you do not actually feel and very hard to say what you do not actually mean. It is like being forced to sing when you do not feel like singing, or to dance when you cannot find any reason to dance. Our professor in literature spoke to us saying (it was something like this):

"When you feel lonely, sad, forsaken, depressed, mistreated, ignored or rejected, and when all you want to do is to kill yourself, then go to a corner, get a blade get a pen with a blade and paper and pour your heart out as you write, wriTE and WRITE! Before you know it, you have created a masterpiece! A work of art!"

After all, that was the very way how Hamlet was born. And Hercules. And Oedipus. And the sphinx. That is how Pygmalion and Galatea came to life. That is how the face that launched a thousand ships came to be. Through it, Snow White found her Prince Charming, and Juliet lost hers. This is how Prince Cor (Shasta) regained his kingdom and how Macbeth lost his. This tells us why Smeagol (Gollum) killed his best friend for a ring, and why Sinbad (almost) gave his life for his best friend. And what else? For time would fail me to tell you of the minotaur, or of Zeus and Hera, or of King Arthur. They are all the expression of man's creative mind. The overflow of his soul - of his dreams, ambitions, of his anger, his love, and his fears. Our hearts (not our physical hearts of course) have a limited capacity to contain things (both hatred and joy). When this capacity is filled, our hearts tend to let out the excess, via tears, screams, dancing or writing. Now, this excess needs to be let out, otherwise, it can be dangerous, and oftentimes, fatal. A certain Man once said:

"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (1)

Still, another wrote in a certain place at a certain time:

"I believed, therefore I spoke. . ." (2)

It is therefore understood that your written words are your thoughts made flesh. Now I hope that I have made it clear by now that writing is the overflow of the soul, as words are the overflow of the mind, tears-the overflow of either extreme grief or joy, and screams-the overflow of anger or hatred. Now, let me tell you of a Man. He is also an overflow as the ones that we have been talking about. But unlike them, He is not the product of man's creative thinking or imagination. Jesus Christ is His Name-the overflow of God's Love. Not just the excess, but the whole of it. He Himself is Love Personified (3). Okay, you may take His Story as "a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference - that it really happened!" (A) ". . .and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" - John. (4) My friend told me that a friend of his once told him: "You know what, it is crazy and sane to think that there is a Being beyond nature, a God, and what's more, a loving God. The very thought of it gives me goosebumps."

Well then, Call me CRAZY!

Footnotes: (A) God in the dock by C.S. Lewis, 1979

© 2008, Karl Zion M. Remojo
An Invitation
Isang Paanyaya

Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Kabanata Uno

Aking narinig dati (o nabasa 'ata, 'di ko na matandaan), na ang buhay umano ay parang isang Rubik's Cube - magulo ngunit may solusyon din at posible pa ring mabuo at mailagay sa ayos sa huli.


Sa aking sariling pananaw naman, ang buhay ay parang tong-its - isang laro sa baraha. Sa tong-its, hindi mo maaaring piliin ang mga barahang makukuha mo, at kapag nagsimula na ang laro at nailagay na ang mga pusta, wala nang atrasan. Gaya ng sinabi ko, hindi mo maaaring piliin ang mga barahang mapupunta sa'yo.


Tulad din sa tong-its, malaki rin ang papel ng 'suwerte' sa buhay. Ang salitang 'suwerte' dito ay nagsasabing hindi natin kontrolado ang lahat. May kasabihan nga sa Ingles na: "Mas mabuti nang maging masuwerte kaysa matalino" ("Better to be lucky than smart"). At minsan, tama nga naman! May mga bobong mayayaman, at may matatalinong namumulubi.

Ngunit hindi lang 'suwerte' ang may malaking papel sa buhay, meron pang isa, at sa aking pananaw, mas malaki ang papel na ginagampanan nito. Ano ito? - Desisyon.

Ang buhay ay puno ng mga desisyon. Punong-puno talaga! Ayon sa mga pag-aaral, ang isang ordinaryong tao daw ay gumagawa ng humigit-kumulang 2,500 na desisyon sa isang araw. "Anong isusuot ko?; Saan ako dadaan?; Babangon na ba 'ko?; Magre-reply ba 'ko sa txt nia?; Saan ako kakain?; Papasok ba 'ko ngayon?" - 'yan at ang ilang libo pang iba't ibang desisyon ang mga kasama natin sa araw-araw. Bawat desisyon at aksyon ay may hatid na reaksyon. Parang sa tong-its: "Ibababa mo na ba ang bahay mo? Eh pa'no kung masapawan? Bubunot ka ba o pupulutin mo ang tapon ng kalaban mo? Eh ikaw, anong tatapon mo?" - mga simpleng desisyon na gaya nito ang magdidikta ng tindi ng pagkapanalo o pagkatalo mo.

Ngunit hindi gaya ng tong-its, ang buhay ay hindi isang laro. 'Yan ang pagkakamali ng marami, ginagawang laro ang isang bagay na hindi biro. Isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit napaka-halaga ng Buhay ay dahil isang beses lang natin ito maaaring gawin. Isang beses lang tayong puwedeng mabuhay. Sa bidyogeym, may 'Play Again' o 'Try Again' kapag na-game over ka. Pero walang ganito sa layf. Ang game over ay game over. Patay, tepok, dedbol, dedz. Period.

May mga bagay na isang beses mo lang puwedeng maranasan: isang beses mo lang siyang puwedeng yakapin; wantaym mo lang siyang puwedeng isayaw; isang beses mo lang silang puwedeng makatawanan; isang beses mo lang siyang puwedeng ngitian. Ito'y maihahalintulad sa pagpunta sa isang ilog. Bawat agos ay kakaiba. Ang isang agos ng tubig na dumaan na sa'yo ay hindi ka na dadaanang muli. Gustuhin mo man itong balikan, hindi mo na ito puwedeng habulin. Isang panibagong agos naman ang darating, tapos panibago, at panibagong muli.

Kung nagbabasa ka ng mitolohiyang Griyego, makikita mo doon na kina-iinggitan ng mga imortal na mga diyos at mga diyosa ang mga mortal na tao. Bakit? Dahil hindi tulad nilang mga imortal na maaaring gawin ang kahit anong bagay sa pamamagitan ng kahit anong paraan, sa kahit anong oras nila gustuhin, ang maaari lamang gawin ng tao ay tanggapin kung ano ang binabato ng tadhana sa kanya. At isa pa, ang tao ay maaari lamang mabuhay sa loob ng kulang-kulang sampung dekada kaya mas alam niyang namnamin ang bawat sandali at maging masaya. Ang katotohanang ito na ang buhay ay maikli at na isang beses lamang tayo puwedeng mabuhay ang nagpapataas sa presyo at halaga ng Buhay.

© 2008, Karl Zion M. Remojo

Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Kabanata Dos

Nakumbinsi ka ba ng iyong mga nabasa?

Were you convinced by what you've read?

Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Kabanata Dos

Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Kabanata Uno

Balik tayo sa baraha. Kung papaanong hindi tayo maaaring mamili ng mga baraha sa tong-its, kadalasan, sa buhay, hindi din tayo ang namimili ng ating mga responsibilidad. Maaaring habang binabasa mo 'to ay napagtatanto mong tama ang sinabi ko: Ikaw ba ang namili ng kasarian mo? Ikaw ba ang namiling maging panganay ka? Ikaw ba namili ng kurso mo at ng paaralang ginagalawan mo? Ikaw ba namili ng pamilya at lugar kung saan ka pinanganak? Ikaw ba namili ng tatay at nanay mo? Ikaw ba namili ng mga kapatid mo, o 'di kaya'y ng mga anak mo? Ang wikang kinasanayan mo, ikaw ba namili nian? Eh ang ilong mong pango, ang mata mong nakabural, ang kulot mong buhok, ang balat mong sunog, ikaw ba namili ng mga 'yan? Ginusto mo ba yan? Kitam, hindi naman ikaw namili ng mga 'yan 'di ba?

Ang mga bagay na nabanggit sa taas ay ilan lamang sa mga patunay na hindi lahat ng gusto natin ay masusunod at hindi lahat ng mga pinlano at pina-plano natin ay mangyayari. Nakakainis 'di ba? Nakakainis tuwing hindi nangyayari ang mga bagay na gusto natin: Huling episode na ng pinaka-paborito at pinaka-inaabangan mong tele-nobela o anime, tapos biglang nag-brown out sa baranggay nio, ayan tuloy 'di mo napanood; o 'di kaya'y finals na ng liga nio at talagang atat na atat ka nang maglaro, todo warm-up ka na at sobrang sabik nang biglang umulan at hindi natuloy ang laro; o 'di kaya'y may one-time, big-time exam ka kinabukasan at halos 'di ka na natulog para lang tapusing basahin ang sing-kapal ng haloblaks mong libro sa Chemistry para lang marinig ang prof mong magsabing:

"Okay class, canceled exam natin. Enjoy your
vacation!!!"

Oh. . .Matutuwa ka ba o magwawala sa galit? Nakakainis hindi ba? Ngunit kahit gaano nakakainis ang mga bagay-bagay na ito, ito pa rin ang realidad eh. At ito ang dapat nating tanggapin. Isang babala lang mahal na kaibigan, dalawa lang ang kinahihinatnan ng mga taong 'di kayang matanggap ang realidad - maaaring sa sementeryo (suicide) o sa Mandaluyong, sa 'loob' (mental hospital). Kaya kung mahal mo ang buhay mo at mahal mo ang mga mahal mo sa buhay at ang mga nagmamahal sa buhay mo, dapat mong matutunang tanggapin ang realidad na hindi lahat ay kontrolado mo at hindi lahat ng gusto mo masusunod.

Ang isang lumalaking bata o sanggol ay may isang napakahalagang bagay na natututunan. Sa umpisa, kanyang nadidiskubre na napaka-makapangyarihan pala ng kanyang iyak, isang iyak lang niya at ang buong bahay ay taranta na. Isang iyak lang niya at meron na siyang masarap na pagkain o gatas, bagong damit, o bagong laruan. Ngunit habang tumatagal at habang lumalaki siya, kanyang napapansin na humihina ang kapangyarihan ng kanyang iyak. Unti-unti niyang napag-aalaman na hindi lahat ng gusto niya ay kayang ibigay ng kanyang mga magulang. Napag-iisip isip niya na kahit magwala pa siya nang todo-todo, maglupasay sa sahig at magpagulong-gulong, wala pa rin siyang magagawa. Kanyang natututunang tanggapin ang mapait at hubad na katotohanan -

"Hindi lahat ng gusto ko, masusunod."



At sa kanya pang tuluyang paglaki, hindi niya namamalayang kanya na palang ipinapamuhay ang isa sa pinakamahalagang aral sa buhay - Ang Pagtanggap.

© 2008, Karl Zion M. Remojo
Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Huling Kabanata
Nakumbinsi ka ba ng iyong mga nabasa?
Were you convinced by what you've read?

Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Huling Kabanata

Ang Buhay ay Parang Tong-its: Kabanata Dos

Paubos na ang mga baraha sa mesa at paubos na din ang aking mga sasabihin - ang buhay ay hindi biro. Alam kong alam mo na 'yan dahil sinabi ko na ito nung simula. Ngunit hindi porke hindi laro ang buhahy, hindi nangangahulugang hindi na ito puwedeng tawanan. Ang totoo nian - masarap mabuhay. Mahirap - oo, pero masarap at masaya.


Imperpekto ang mundong ito - sa tingin ko, hindi na lingid sa'yo yan:

• Maraming masasamang tao ang malayang gumagala, at maraming inosenteng tao ang nakabilanggo.



• Maraming mga gahaman at pusakal ang nakaupo sa puwesto at maraming malilinis ang puso na nasa maruruming lansangan.



• Maraming mahihirap ang inaapi at maraming mapang-aping hindi naghihirap.

Oh ano? Naiinis ka na ba? Naiinis ka na ba sa mundong ito? Imperpekto talaga 'yan kapatid. Wala namang nagsabing madali ang buhay. At hindi mo rin maaaring sabihing madaya ang buhay. Bakit, sa tong-its ba, masasabi mong dinaya ka porke walang pare-pareho at magkakasunod na numero sa mga baraha mo? Hindi naman 'di ba? Ganoon din sa buhay.

May nakapagsabi sa akin dati na ang pinakakaawa-awang tao raw sa mundo ay 'yung mga walang inaasahang maganda sa buhay. Ngunit mas kawawa ka kung ang lahat ng iyong pag-asa at mga inaasahan ay nasa pangkasalukuyang buhay na ito lamang. Mayroong mga tao ng kung makapag-plano at makapagpayaman, akala mo, isang milenyong mabubuhay at titira dito sa daigdig, ngunit sa aking pagkaka-alam, wala pang nakakagawa nun, at walang makakagawa nun.

Ang buhay natin ay tila isang munting patak ng tubig lamang sa gitna ng isang malawak na karagatan, isang butil ng asukal sa buhanginan. Selah (pagbulayan). Balang araw, ang ating buhay ay magwawakas, ang mga baraha'y mauubos, ang laro'y matatapos at ang lahat ng ating mga pinakamamahal (tao man o bagay) ay maglalaho at mawawala. Kaya ano ang pinakamagandang gawin? Enjoyin ang sarili habang maaga at "unti-unting lunurin sa kasiyahan"? Maaari, oo. Maganda nga din yun at walang masama dun. Ngunit alam naman natin na kahit paano mo enjoyin ang isang laro ng pustahan sa baraha, iisa lang pa rin ang maaaring maging masaya sa huli, at 'yun ay ang nanalo. Ang maaari lamang gawin ng mga natalo ay magmukmok/malungkot, o magkunwaring masayam, upang magmukhang bale wala lang sa kanila ang lahat.

Ngunit mayroong magandang balita dito. Dahil hindi gaya ng tong-its, ang buhay ay hindi naman kailangang mgaing sugal. Hindi na natin kailangang mabuhay nang walang katiyakan at walang kasiguraduhan. Maaari na tayong sumuko habang maaga. Sumuko - hindi sa laban ng buhay - kundi, sa may Bigay ng ating Buhay, isuko ang ating buhay sa Panginoon. . .

Oh. . .bakit nag-iba ang mukha mo? Nakakagulat bang isipin na ang sulating ito ay tungkol sa Kanya? Hindi mo ba ito inaasahan? Okay lang 'yan, ganyan din naman ang pananawa ng marami. Ewan ko ba, pero tuwing pinag-uusapan na Siya, ganoon na lang maka-react ang iba. Heheh, 'wag kang mag-alala, hindi sermon sa misa 'to, isang paalala lang naman. Paalala na ang magulo, marumi, at bulok na mundong ito ay hindi dapat pumigil sa 'tin sa pagtawag sa ating Manlilikha. . .

Dahil sa gitna ng isang masama at imperpektong mundo, kung saan ang lahat ay
walang katiyakan, mayroon tayong Mabuti at Perpektong Diyos, na ang hatid ay
kasiguraduhan.

Libre lang tumawag sa Kanya. Walang mawawala sa'tin sa pagtawag, ngunit maraming mawawala kung patuloy tayong magbibingi-bingihan. 'Nga pala, 'eto hotline Niya. Personalin mo na Siya, dahil personal din Siya sa'y

"Ang paggawa ng mga libro ay walang katapusan, at ang sobrang pag-aaral ay
kapaguran lamang sa katawan. At ngayong ang lahat ay nasabi na at nadinig,
atin
nang pakinggan ang buod ng napag-usapan: Mahalin mo ang Diyos at sundin
ang
Kanyang mga utos, 'pagkat Kanyang hahatulan ang lahat ng mga gawaing
ginawa dito
sa lupa, maging ang mga bagay na ginawa nang patago, mapa-mabuti
man, o masama." (source/pinagkunan)

Oh. . .Pa'no ba 'yan? TONG-IT na ko!

© 2008, Karl Zion M. Remojo

Nakumbinsi ka ba ng iyong mga nabasa?
Were you convinced by what you've read?