Of Respect and Disagreements

A quote from one of the books i recently slept on read...

"You think I can't disagree with you, passionately, come to that, and care for you? Respect you, admire you, even knowing inside my heart you're wrong about the thing we're arguing over? The same I wager, as inside yours I believe I'm wrong. I'm not, but that's another matter. If everyone has to believe the same, if there's never passionate differences, how do people come together in your world?"

Well, respect, I believe, happens only when both are as honest as they are passionate in expressing what they believe in...

A Tired and Weary Heart

Ever since I was young, I am always drawn to people with all sorts of problems. People come to me for help, advice and even compassionate scolding. Growing up I have become a shoulder to cry all--a comfort sort to the aching hearts and mind of my friends. I welcome all of them willingly, embraced them, even love them openly.  This I have come to accept as a gift.

At a young age I learned that being able to give is always better than receiving. That self sacrifice for the good of others is the noblest act of love. After all, we have no less than Christ as our role model.

It has, however, come to a point where loneliness gets the better of me. The giving of emotional comfort without enough reservoir of your own to shield you from personal misfortunes can really take its toll. This and the cynicism that grips the heart of most people. 

We have become so cynical that the essence of kindness and giving are lost to us. So cynical that we even forget how beautiful originally all of us are inside. We have devalued our own worth that we often raised a skeptical eyebrows when we were being given.
 


In these days, an act of kindness is often viewed as a means to an end. If you give, people would view it as either you want to impress others or that you just wanted to buy your way in. I should know, someone told me in no uncertain terms, just that. It hurts. It especially hurt because I have chosen this person to be my mentor. After that, I'm back at keeping my own counsel.

Somehow it would never occur to them--oftentimes, not even the very recipient of the act--that the one who gives, honestly believe that this person deserves a little ray of sunlight even for just a moment. Personally, I give because other people's smile and laughter enriches me more in as much as their aches pain me.  If at some point I have said, "Why are you hurting me like this when all I did was love you with all that I am?" Am I not entitled to express such pain, when I am truly hurt? Does saying that, makes the giving less meaningless to you? Yeah, I guess, if you are so blinded by your own guilt--that is. If a parent tells a child of his that has gone bad, "Why are you doing this? Why don't you listen to me? Is that the way you're going to repay me for all the hard work that I have done so that you can have a good life?" Does that sound like the parent have ulterior motive in giving his child everything that he had? Will that degrade all the things that he had given his child?

This had burned me that for a time, I stop myself from reaching out and offer whatever there is that I can offer. I was lost, not because I am cynical but because I can sense the mistrust that seeps through the heart of others. I held myself back from giving because I did not want people to besmirch something that is pure.

However, we can only repress what we are for much too long.


I love people. Love caring for them. And when I gain back some of my putting. I give. And when I'm about to gain my confidence back, I banged my head up at a brick wall. I am told I'm just buying my way in. Oh, it was said nicely. Some glittering sashes and trimmings. But the message boils down to, I can't be that way because no one is as unselfish as that.


Well, I admit, I am not totally out of selfish interest, but hey, I'm trying and I won't stop. After all, if man is truly not capable of being selfless, Christ wouldn't have bothered showing us how to do it.

So this time I have stood my ground. I give, and if others came up with all sorts of ulterior motives for it. Then by all means, let them believe it. Its not my problem.

On second thought, if you really can't get the very people you have opened your heart with to believe the purity of your intentions, what then is the value of being kind? Wouldn't it be best if we will just do as everyone  else does? Put kindness and giving for sale to the highest bidder. I mean to people who can deliver the greatest ROI.

But then again, that is were humanity's problem lie.

Disconnected

Hello dear folks! I know its been a while since you've read me online. Maybe you've seen my avatars doing some round on my farm and my pet went fishing, well that's not me. And please don't get offended if the avatars ignore you. My farm hand and the caretaker of my pet is quite a snob. She felt entitled by the way--she is planting not trees in farm town but mansion, although i am told that mansions are no longer the most expensive building around Town.

My caretaker also finds it within her right to invest in Restaurant City. She is using my name as a dummy for her chain of restaurants, so again if you've seen and been ignored by my avatar, don't mind it. She meant no ill well. It's just that my caretaker abhors the role of being my PR officer. I still need to hire one for that.

The hardest part is leaving my mafia family for so long. My caretaker also does not care for the darker side of my business. I also need to hire some thugs for that. Anyone interested, just say hi.

Ooops need to take some rest now, it will be the doctor's advise come Monday--but I'm hoping its just rest that I need and nothing more serious than that. Doctor's advise or not, I still hope this is a start of another round of thoughts from me. I have so much more to say, so many thoughts to share and mostly because I am currently working for 2 of the best guys I ever meet in my journey along the corporate corridors.

Love and Loving

What is love?

What does it entail when you love someone?

I've been in love a lot of times or so I thought. At some earlier point in my life I thought I love someone, and a lot of people think so too. The symptoms: I like to talk and think about him.
I can sense his moods even when others do not. And when the feeling goes a little deeper, I can sense his pains. Is that love?

Love I was told was selfless. It admires and at the same time desires what is good for the one that you love. But when you feel someone, when you experience pain as the other experiences, is wanting that person to be happy and have all that makes life worthwhile a selfless longing? Cause when you feel the pain, it is but natural that when the person is happy, you too will be happier. So going back the above premise that love is selfless for it desires what is good for the other; isn't the desire itself a selfish longing to be happy?

We'll I don't know, I really don't. Why don't you tell me, hmmm.

Giant Steps Towards Living the Dream

I was always told to never let go of my dreams. If it matters that much hang on to it; think, feel and visualize your dream and somehow, somewhere it will come true.

When I was young, I dream of becoming a teacher. Back then I put teachers at the top of a golden pedestal. To me, they are one of those people who can and will shape the future of young lives. I have so much regard for my teachers that I dreamed of wanting to be just like them.

The opportunity to guide, to influence and to inspire young minds to reach their full potential and live a good life is like a light that beacons me forever.

Until now I never got around to becoming a teacher-- a school teacher that is. But I did some teaching and my share of trying to inspire others. Growing up, the desire to teach and inspire never leaves me even when I left the pursuit of earning a professional educators license. I traded one means with another, but still working on the same dream.

The two pictures you find here are hard proofs that no matter what; no matter when and for how long you will wait; and whether or not you feel ready for it, someday you'll just have to tough it out and take that first step towards living your dream.

The pictures were taken during the Basic Supervisory Skills seminar that I had the good fortune to facilitate at Cebu Graphic Star. These are the wonderful supervisors that have given me the opportunity to test the waters and gauge whether I will comfortably fit in with the role I have always envisioned my self to be.

I know I still have a long way to go in fulfilling what I always wanted to become. However, after that experience with Graphic Star, I am quite confident that if I will allow myself, I can be whatever I wanted to be.

To all the staff of Cebu Graphic Star. Thank your for letting me jump start my dreams inside your walls.

And to all those out there that's looking for some highly customizable leadership and supervisory trainings for your staff and crew that's within your budget, I am here waiting, anticipating and enthusiastically preparing for the second helping of my dream.