Life as They See It

The Ultimate Question by Dan Christian Z. Avila & Grace E. Andoyo

 Shall I follow the stream

Or cross the sea,

Strive for a dream

Or let life be?

Shall it be neon lights

That spell success,

Or flickering lamplight

For happiness?

Follow the thunder?

Follow the storm?

Follow the whisper?

That breeze and leaves form?

Follow my heartbeat?

Follow my head?

What shall each bring me?

Where shall each lead?

-          Crossroads (Anonymous)

(We were scanning through the pages of an English book when we saw the poem. Times have changed but not the age-old veracity of such lines. )

Choices are basic truths in life. Wherever life exists, choices are there.  We are our own parents and what persons we will be tomorrow depends on how we play our cards today. It is either you pursue your dreams or stop at the middle; either follow your heart or follow your mind. But a man should not rely on escapism. If he does, he would betray himself. We all have the Hobson’s choice --- choose to live or nothing. Life is not about serendipity or luck; it is purely choices.

 There comes a time when a man’s soliloquy becomes the defining moment of his happiness.  Innumerable choices may be… money, fame, education, love, gadgets, car, house, and all things imaginable… but we cannot be naïve, or cynical. Choices after all, can lead to our Hades or our Elysium.  Either way is our call.

 Young as we are, we have to be careful in every choice we make. Choices are sometimes deceiving. Choices affect every part of the whole. Every mistake is a stone that is thrown by a catapult and every hit may result to destruction of the wall.  Choices are not anathema or monsters that would eat you alive.

The trick is how to choose the one which we think is good. If we fail, we can make another choice. The Arcanum of life is only visible to those who can see. And as the unfolding continues, we can only wonder what really the ultimate question is.

On Ignorance by Theo Renz Pasion

“Silence does not always mean YES; sometimes it is a sign of Ignorance.”

(I have given this to my cousin when she asked me yesterday for a quote she will be using for introducing herself in our barangay’s annual pageant. The theme is about Ignorance.)

Silence is a powerful weapon—it cools down rising conflicts, it eases the pain of a bleeding heart and it makes each one pleased and free. On the other hand, when silence starts to blow in any assembly and debates, ignorance depicts and merely results to prejudices and preconceived notion.

The hardest thing about being ignorant is that you cannot distinguish the accurate from the erroneous. You can never experience bliss when you are not informed. However, why we let ourselves lay into silence when we can speak?

Ignorance has spread rampantly; people are unaware of this incapacity, the most awful thing is that they do not take actions to feed themselves a little knowledge. People looked down on your feelings. People who had contributed nothing to the society believe that society owe them something—how ignorant right? Society does not mind at all, they do have their own intentions.

Ignorance is too much of stupidity: too much of a crime, too much of a suicide. Always be knowledgeable on the phenomenon around. More prominently, the greatest ignorance is when you ignore God’s law....

The Walk by Jayson Salida

“Life will take you to high and low.

You got to learn how to walk, then which way to go.

Every choice you make has its cost.

Every step you take has its cause.”

 (These are lyrics from the song “Someday It’s Gonna Make Sense” by Michael Learns to Rock – one of my favorites.)

Life is never constant. It is a romantic ride where the best things in life take us up. Failures and frustrations drag us down. The ups and downs in life are the measurement of how strong we are as a person.

Life is a man’s journey. It is a walk wherein he should know. Sometimes it is a venture and sometimes it is a joyride. We should be aware of what journey to seize.

Choices in life are very important. Everything is affected in every choice we make. Life is more of choices than chances. It should not be taken for granted.

The actions and steps we do in life have motivations and reasons. We set goals, and draw plans and put it into actions. In every action, there are consequences. We are ought to be ready to face whatever the consequences are.

Life is a long walk. It goes up and down. Our actions lead us places where we are destined to be in. Choices affect our action. Therefore, it affects everything.