LESSONS LEARNED

If there is one thing I wish my parents taught me and that I would like to pass on to my children is that life can be unfair. It is understandable that parents get to be too protective of their children so they do not have to stumble over the same mistakes and hurts they went through. Thing is, more often than not, this teaches the child to live in a bubble of illusion which would burst eventually with the harsh realities of life.

I would teach them the values of hard work and honesty but tell them that there would be times that people who shortchange others and kiss the boss’ ass would be rewarded. I would teach them the value of truthfulness but make them realize that some people who cheat and lie may get a better deal in life. I would teach them the value of compassion and love but remind them that sometimes most-trusted friends would betray your trust out of envy or malicious mischief. I would teach them the value of justice but warn them that standng up for the truth could mean standing alone and they themselves could be victims of injustice.

While we all strive to raise our children to grow into good adults and law-abiding citizens, the world teaches them otherwise. It would be good to balance the godly virtues with the realities they have to deal with. With that, they would hopefully end up wise not gullible, be loving adults but not doormats that others would trample on, innocent yet streetwise. In the end, it is the pure of heart that God will reward if not in this short-term world then at least in heavenly eternity. :)

MUSES ON MANKIND

Each day, we wake up to the wonders of nature- magnificent sunrise and sunsets, perfect alignment of planets, the uniqunesss of each human being and so much more. Yet, it is so surprising that some people refuse to attribute all these to the existence of a Supreme Being under the guise of Science. Charles Darwin insists on man’s evolution tracing back to apes. The Big Bang Theory points to a major meteoroligical accident as the beginning of the Universe. What I find amusing is that despite scientists’ insistence on research-backed studies and repetitive measureable methods to prove reality, they seem to be gullible enough to accept such rather absurd explanations.

Mankind has this tendency to complicate things when almost everything is supposed to be simple. They deny the existence of a loving Heavenly Father despite the attestations of the Bible. They dismiss the biblical truths as fiction but Science is slowly proving the existence of the historic events related in the Old and New Testaments. When things turn into a mess, mankind suddenly remembers God and blames him for allowing their children to go berserck and end up in shooting sprees in schools. Accusing fingers point to a Higher Being when war, famine and cancer hit innocent people.

Mankind refuses to accept the responsibility for the abuses of its free will many of which results to the devastation of the environment and mutation of viruses that cause pandemics. I wonder if God gets so exasperated with us. God sent His only Son for us to realize how much He loves us and having a personal relationship with Him would give us true joy. Yet man shuns away from Him. In his pride, he insists he knows better and pursues things which he thinks would make him happy only to realize in the end that everything is in vain. :)