– There are so much stupid people than rational ones.
– There are so much greedy people than people who try to live within their means.
– There are so many people who really believe that their religion is better than others.
– There are so many people who would rather receive than give.
– There are more lazy people than hard-working ones.
– There are more ‘talkers’ than ‘doers.’
Moreover, most people are:
– Proud of their stupidity.
– Proud of their greed.
– Proud of their arrogance
– Proud of their religion.
– Proud of their laziness.
And, the saddest part of all:
– These kind of people live the longest in the world!
What differentiates man from animals is the ability to look forward to tomorrow and to look beyond the externals. While man can see beauty in a flower and think of either God or a loved person and even of love itself, a beast will stop short at seeing the flower as something good to eat or not.
What makes man worthy of the same name is his capacity to see beyond the here and now and perceive meanings.
Man’s Search for Meaning (Photo credit: marklarson)
In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl describes his experiences at the Nazi concentration camp where he was detained during World War II. In the concentration camp the prisoners were stripped of everything that made them experience personal worth: name, respect, profession, family, knowledge, wealth, etc.
He noted that some of the prisoners gave up surviving when everything that made them feel that were someone was taken away.
Others got crazy and behaved even worse than beast, capable of killing another man for a loaf of stale bread or a rotting potato. And, finally, he noted that those who had something or someone considered more precious than their own lives never lost their will to live even as they were not afraid to either suffer or die.
From this experience, he believes that man’s life and even just his survival is determined by what meanings he perceives and chooses to live and die for.
We can push the statement further by saying that a person is worth what he chooses to live and die for. Heroes and saints, as well as villains and criminals, are a proof of this statement. If heroes and saints are great, it is because they have chosen to live and die for for causes and meanings greater than themselves or things lower than themselves to live and die, like money or power.
How a man discovers what meaning to give his life is a story of both the environment he lives in and the choices he makes. What counts is what values in life he discovers and ultimately makes his own. “Where your treasure is, there your heart is also.” (Mt 6:21)
One of the most trying things about being young is that of being in a stage where one has to choose what values to live and die for. Human society is full of models and examples of persons who have embraced their own values. If there are rock stars and actors and actresses making it to the limelight and to wealth, there are also those who, like Francis of Assisi of long time ago, leave behind them a life of ease and comfort to pursue ideals of nobility and service. And what is awful is that today’s young man or woman is left alone to choose.
To discover which model one has to choose, one need not look beyond or outside himself. Instead, one should look into his heart. If he does, he will surely discover passions and drives that are either constructive or destructive: his capacity to love or hate, to give or possess, to build or destroy, to forgive or avenge. When he chooses what is positive and shuns what is negative, he will naturally discover what model or example to embrace. And there he will discover the meaning in his life.
Any doctor will tell you that, diabetes, as a disease, is characterized by having an unusually high blood glucose level. While many factors cause the high glucose levels in the blood, it is the result of something that prevents the glucose from getting into the various cells of the body, where it’s needed to provide the nutrients that the cells require.
This is why it’s called “starvation in the midst of plenty.” Your body has all the glucose you could ever use, but it can’t get into the cells to go to work.
The same analogy can be used to describe how I view life -as an expatriate in the U.S.- using the iPod as my ‘aid’. Here are some of them:
I’m constantly listening to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s, “Triste” (Sad –Is To Live in Solitude) on my iPod and immediately turns nostalgic. I long for the hand-to-mouth, not-so-loaded-with-material-things yet carefree and happier existence I had back home. Nothing beats the natural design of things.
I’m constantly listening to Astrud Gilberto’s rendition of the Burt Bacharach classic, “Wanting Things” (from the Broadway musical, “Promises, Promises”) on my iPod and immediately turns sad. In spite of the material things I had accumulated in my adopted homeland, they all simply provide temporary enjoyment and do nothing to uplift me spiritually. I guess, the adage “less is more” fits the bill perfectly here.
I’m constantly listening to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s, “Look To The Sky” on my iPod and immediately turns dazed and confused. Dazed because of my utter amazement at its vastness and infiniteness. And confused, because it offers a way of ‘searching’ for any hidden clues that it may offer in my quest for some of the answers to the nagging whats and whys of living.
I’m constantly listening to Gino Vanelli’s, “Where Am I Going” on my iPod, and I’m immediately reminded of the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. It narrates the desperation of all our actions while we are living…the ‘nothingness’ of everything we do or had accomplished. Yet, we must consider life as a ‘gift‘ in reverence to a good and all-knowing God.
I’m constantly listening to Bebo (Valdes) and El Cigala’s (aka, Diego Jimenez Salazar) take of the classic song from Argentina, “Vete de Mi” -from the album, “Lagrimas Negras”- on my iPod and immediately turns teary-eyed. I pine for the days when the world was much younger before my eyes and when a casual walk (alone or with friends) along the beach near the town where I grew up, was enough to make me happy.
I’m constantly listening to Jean-Luc Ponty’s, “The Gift of Time” on my iPod and immediately wonder where had all my younger days gone by. Only the memories linger on.
Maybe, life -fascinating and mystifying as it is -like diabetes, is a ‘disease’ brought upon us so that we may find the cure for the ‘starvation‘ we constantly feel in our hearts, deep within ourselves, as we plod along through its very arduous course.
Now I’m also constantly listening to Sting’s, “Be Still My Beating Heart” on my iPod, and immediately, adrenaline rushes through my blood–to tackle what life has to offer…each and every day…as long as I’m still breathing.
He used to come often to our store/house in Baclaran (a ‘barangay‘ in the, then, town -now, city- of Paranaque, which is a mere 2.5 miles south of Manila) to visit his younger brother (my father) as well as to acquaint us with his latest interest — which was quite diverse.
Those years were in the 70s and 80s when I was old enough to comprehend the things he discussed with my parents. It was also in those days that I was able to glean that, he, not only was my uncle but also was my grandfather by co-sanguinity — his wife (whom we fondly called, “Lola Paring”) being the aunt of my mother.
Most of the time that he was with us in Baclaran (and if I also happen to be at home), there was always a discussion -over cups of instant coffee- that centered on his wide array of interests: honey bees, silk culture, alfalfa, grapes, pigeon-breeding, vitamins, mushrooms, asparagus sprouts, oranges, and many other agri-related topics.
His interests and how he explained them to all of us, were with so much enthusiasm and persuasiveness, such that he was also able to convince my mother to sell those pure honey contained in ‘patis‘ (fish sauce) bottles in our store.
Every New Year’s Day, when he was still residing in Grace Park, Manila (part of what was then known as ‘Manuguit‘ or presently, Jose Abad Santos Avenue in Manila’s district of Tondo), our family made this annual trek to their house, as it was his birthday.
I used to recall those visits with so much anticipation because it was one of those very rare occasions that our store will be closed. Not only will we be free from store work for the entire day but we also always looked forward with delight as to what Tata Fidel and his family will serve for us that day.
I especially loved the fried chicken – the house special – and the very delicious cakes and pastries that they made.
I knew he was not a good cook but it happened that one of their tenants in the mixed-apartment building that they own, was a restaurant and that, for a time, they also operated a small bakery in the same building. Hence, while there were plenty of good foods, good talks were also awash every New Year’s Day.
Growing up, he would badger me -as well as the rest of my siblings and cousins – to take up courses like orthodontics, X-ray tech, and baking, and always reminded me of the benefits of taking-up short courses at PCAT (the Philippine College of Arts and Trades, presently known as TUP, Technological University of the Philippines).
But what I remembered best about my Tata Fidel was his passion for looking for natural methods to keep fit, trim, and healthy. It was only a natural diversion for him after being a successful businessman that operated a battery shop and then, an auto-parts shop in Pasay City, right after World War II ended.
He also ventured into other businesses including the small bakery as well as small garment-making, after he semi-retired in the early 70s. These were not long after he made sure that his family was secure financially by making some brilliant real-estate investments during the years they still operated the auto-parts shop.
Tata Fidel (extreme right, with glasses) with siblings and mother. The author’s father is on the far left. From left to right: Kiko, Amado, Terya, Ambo, mother (Lola Belay), Oliva, and Tata Fidel. Not in the picture is Tata Mundo.
He was so much into health and organic foods that he bought a parcel of land in Plaridel, Bulacan (adjacent to the Tabang Toll Boothof the North Expressway) so that he could put into practice his interests for them.
There, he planted (or, tried his best) grapes, mushrooms, and asparagus (these were not known to grow very well in the country’s tropical climate — much more, in very humid Metro-Manila at that) as well as a variety of crops common in the region.
The place was a proverbial gardener’s garden with a modest house -made of wood, bamboo, and concrete- in the midst of all the greenery. He even had a ‘mini-lab’ in the basement of that house where he kept his collection of seeds and various plants whose names I didn’t even know existed in the Philippines!
Those were the days I remembered my Tata Fidel best. Except for a mild hearing loss that he remedied with the use of a hearing aid, he was energetic, so full of life, and still very strong even when he was already in his early 80s. So strong that he can still crush those bottle crowns with the force of his fingers using only one hand – while I watched with awe- at that advanced age. A feat I wasn’t able to accomplish at my relatively young age of 30 something or so, way back then.
The last time I had the chance to see him was in the late 90s – times that I spent preparing to migrate here to the U.S. – and I had the opportunity to accompany him to a drugstore to get some of his medicines before he went back to Bulacan. I did not bother to ask him what those medicines were for. And, didn’t I notice any changes that he may have had on his health. He was, for me, the same strong and health-conscious man, continually lecturing me on the benefits of natural foods and organic medicine.
This year, about the middle of February, he was gone. Which led me to wonder, once more, about life’s real meaning – the whys and hows of creation and death and, why we, mere mortals, have to endure all these events that seem to have happened before — in a never-ending circle.
What are we living for?
I may not be able to come up with an intelligible answer over the course of my own personal odyssey…in my very own lifetime. But, I’m very sure of one thing: life’s memories – for as long as one lives- linger on. And, I’m also very sure that my Tata Fidel had truly accomplished what he was here on Earth for.
Notes: The picture above is their family portrait with Tata Fidel on the extreme right (with dark glasses). From left to right: Tata Kiko (+ -this author’s father), Tata Amado, Nanang Terya (+), Tata Ambo (+), Lola Belang, the family matriarch (+), Nana Oliva (+), and Tata Fidel (+). Not in the picture is Tata Mundo (+).
2016 Update: In late August 2012, the author’s father, Tata Kiko, also passed away at the age of almost 94. He was born Oct. 12, 1918 in Hagonoy, Bulacan.
2020 Update: Tata Amado passed away in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, Philippines in 2017 while Nana Oliva died peacefully in her sleep — late July 2020 in Cerritos, California.
