ALIN ANG IILANG MAY KABULUHAN

Marami ka ngang ginagawa, hindi naman lahat dun, makabuluhan.

Sa tuwing narerecall ko ang buhay ko bilang isang BS Accountancy student, nangangasim ang mukha ko. Siguro dahil medyo bitter pa ako sa experience ko doon. Pero mahal ko naman ang BSA kahit iniwan ko na  ang landas na 'yun. Nung lumipat ako sa AB Masscomm, umasa akong magiging madali na ang buhay ko. Mahal na mahal ko ang kurso kong ito. At akala ko, ganon ka smooth ang lahat.

Akala ko talaga. Period.

Nitong semester lamang ay parang binomba ako ng maraming gawain. Pinagsasampal sa mukha ko ng magagaling kong mga major subjects at pati teachers kung gaano kapait maging isang future journalist. Field coverage dito, video shoots dyaan, photowalk dito banda, sulat ng editorial, feature, news at kung anu-ano pa na hindi basta-basta dahil kailangan talaga ng mga researches. At ang common denominator: ALL AT ONCE. Maghahabol ka talaga sa magkasunod-sunod na deadlines.

Hindi naman halatang ako'y nagrereklamo. Nagcocontemplate po lamang. Actually, hindi lang sa akin na-aapply to. Yun bang tipong kinakain ka na ng sariling mong mundo. Alam mo yun? Logically, ikaw naman itong may utak. Ikaw naman ang may buhay at may control, pero mahirap din pala isagi sa kokote natin na may special force din pala aside from us na pwede tayong i-lambast ng biglaan.

Shocking man pero ito ang nangyayari. Kung tinatanong mo ano tong special force, ito po lamang ang mga pinagagagawa natin sa ating mga buhay. Tasks. Works. Duties. Responsibilities. Sabihin mo na lahat ng synonyms yan, iisa parin category nila: MGA GAWAIN.

Wala naman sigurong problema sa mga gawain. Pero kung iisipin mo ng malaliman, alin o ilan ba doon sa mga ginagawa mo ang may kabuluhan sa'yo?

Eto ang tempting. Akala natin, kung saan tayo masaya , iyon ang makabuluhan. Pero sa tingin ko, hindi sa lahat ng oras ganoon. Isipin mo sa tuwing nagpaparty-party ka, masaya ka. Ang laki ng smile mo habang sa ibang anggulo, nasa kanto ang iyong magulang sabay taas ng kilay. Lagot ka ngayon. Parehong senaryo ang nasaksihan niyong dalawa: ang party. Ikaw na nagpaparty, masaya. Pero ang magulang mo, galit. Bakit kaya? Kasi para sa kanya, hindi makubuluhan ang ginagawa mo.

Eh ano ang point? Ang issue dito ay hindi lamang ang kubuluhan ng isang bagay. Sa kadami-dami ng mga pinagagagawa natin sa buong buhay natin, conscious ba tayo kung makabuluhan ang mga ito? Eh ano pala ang "makabuluhan" ? Sorry, di ko agad naexplain. Driven lang masyado.

MAKABULUHAN. 'Yun bang may pakinabang sya sa prinsipyo mo sa buhay.
I really don't know kung paano niyo yan maiinterpret pero parang ganito:

Tulad ko ngayon. Masyadong busy, kaka-comply sa academic demands na halos sya nalang sentro ng attention ko. Tapos, eto pa, pilit ko sinasabi sa sarili na okay lang kasi masaya naman ako sa ginagawa ko. Masaya nga naman talaga ako. Pero hindi ko parin magawang iset aside na hindi lahat nun ay makabuluhan para sa akin.

For many circumstances na masyado tayong consumed sa iisang bagay, gaya ko na isang estudyanteng consumed sa academic life, nagkakaroon lamang ng kahulugan ang buhay ko sa iskolarling pag-aaral. Pero sa labas ng paaralan, bulag na ako sa pagkilala sa kagandahan ng simpleng bagay.

Masasabi kong ang ganitong sitwasyon ay hindi healthy para sa kaluluwa ng isang tao. Dahil kapag sinabing makabuluhan, yun ay kung lalabas ka mula sa routine na iyong nakagisnan upang maghanap at mangilatis ng bago.

Aba, sa kumplikadong mundo, lahat ay bago. Tao lang yata ang hindi marunong magdiskubre. In short, sa tuwing may natutuklasan tayong "wonders" at "mysteries" sa ating buhay, nagiging makabuluhan iyon. Sa kadami-dami ba namang aspeto ng buhay, hindi ko parin maintindihan kung bakit dito ako lubog sa pag-aaral.

Note, iba ang "nag-aaral" sa "natututo". Ang point ko lang naman dito ay kung gusto mo ng makabuluhan na gawain, aba'y dapat ka muna magkaroon ng courage na gumawa ng mga bagay na hindi laging pabalik-balik. Remember, na walang bagay na inuulit-ulit ang hindi pinagsasawaan. Kung lagi ka lang focus sa ganyang anggulo, ang matututunan mo lang din sa buhay ay ang mga shades sa ilalim na nasabing perspektib.

Paano ka uunlad ngayon? Hindi ko naman sinasabing mawalan ka ng focus, ang sabi ko lang, huwag mo balewalain ang kayamanan ng riyalidad sa paligid mo. Sayang din kaya?

Kaya kung ako sa'yo, 'wag ka matulad sa akin na minsang nagpakain sa mundo ng pag-aaral.
Mag-enjoy ka, magparty. Tingnan mo ang buwan, batiin mo ang pusa sa kalye. But at the same time, focused ka parin sa sarili mong goal.

Simple lang ang buhay, tao lang talaga ang kumplikado.

WHAT THE WORLD IS DOING FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD

For many centuries,  the humankind has locked himself to a way of living where everything he did, does and will do shall be directed to his own credit.

Surviving in this world has never been so easy and this has become the common excuse of the selfish concern of a man for himself. This approach to life, though it is the most conventional, is not most of the time the appropriate.

As St. Ignatius de Loyola would tell the world, the people ought to strive more and dare struggle harder not mainly for the praise to himself but for the greater glory of God. Thus, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

However, in the pursuit of this principle, sometimes people are left confused with many issues. The most common irony reflects how man executes his decision with the uncertainty of why he is doing such choice.

Most of the time, the reason of such choices is his own ego. But from the context of a religous order founded by St. Ignatius himself, the Society of Jesus, a man’s life isn’t all about the man’s sense of self. Because it is claimed, that there is a God. And therefore, people are inserted to complexity of including God to their actions.

But more than this matter, what is more questionable is how much of what a man is doing is intended for God’s glory. Or the simpler way around, what is a man doing for God’s praise.

Looking back, the world’s lifestyle has been so simple but gradually turned into an intricate structure. It is the transition like of an apple, as once a fruit but now becomes a laptop. Like of a mouse, that children are trying to run away but now they loved to hold.

The technology that man has developed over the years has usurped their own attention. But you might doubt on which part of these technologies was made for God. More so, if these technologies were either used for God’s glory or man’s triumph alone.

During the course of World War II, as hundreds of bombs had blasted and destroyed homes, you might want to cast a query if atleast one of those explosions would make God more glorious. Or if at any rate, one of those million lives that were killed will serve as offering to Him or just as a plain revenge of a man’s anger to his own race.

All through the dark days under Martial Law, many souls were silently protesting. Perhaps you could get skeptic if at one point, Ferdinand Marcos had ever think of Ad Majorem dei Gloriam before such rough proclamation.

When you try to examine how the Filipinos courageously marched towards the armed forces, you would probably wonder of their intention. Is it for their freedom? Or is it for God’s greater glory?

You see how people has been put into an illusion that what is success for themselves will be also a victory for God. This circumstance had always mislead the people to destruction. And unfortunately, in the weak manipulation of leaning in their own understanding.

At one point, a man may come up interrogating what is the meaning of Ad majorem dei gloriam. If it is not about thinking of oneself alone, what it is then?

Ad Majorem dei Gloriam is not abandoning yourself and addressing to no one else but only God your ultimate motivations for living.  It is instead including yourself  in the process but learning to be selfless. It is the drive to execute things as they are to what they should be even if it would cost your selfish desires. Because for the greater glory of God,  the purpose of making things is not egotistic but altruistic.

Trace from the president of this country to congessional representatives, barangay officials down to class officers, it is inevitable that people in those positions may lack consciousness of doing things for the Supreme Being. Occassionally, everyone is tempted to submerge themselves in a responsibility. They thought that serving the people is the end of the profound reason. But beyond their service to mankind, they are actually serving God.

Reality is, either a person chose to be corrupt or faithful, possessive or liberal, peacemaker or peacelover, at the back of every contradicting forces he may wish to accomplish something, it has an impact of whether it is for the greater glory of God or not. Ad majorem dei Gloriam, such an easy phrase to comprehend but a difficult principle to live with.  This might be the reason why the late Pope John Paul II loves to include this line affixed in his signatures; to keep him reminded of such essence.

            This world is very tricky but humankind themselves are more clever. People could have declare that what they are doing is for God’s praise. No one is being punished under the human law for making such assumptions. To claim is easy, but to prove is not.

            It is how an individual evaluates himself with his personal relationship to the Almighty if his actions were guided by the principle of Ad majorem dei Gloriam. And if time comes he’ll get lost in search of God’s answers, he has no other option but to reflect which among those things he has done to the world he became victorious in bringing glory to the Divine.