The Power of One

After that somewhat depressing piece on causes and morality, I feel compelled to write about hope, and about how we can still do something despite all the madness that goes on around us.

I’m not going to write about it in abstract terms. Let’s just say that I was fortunate enough to have been “reunited” with a fellow artist and advocate whose only passion is to make his community a better place, and I’d like to share his story with everyone here. If this seems like the work of an enamored poet, then I apologize. It’s been a source of inspiration for me, and I hope that it will somehow make you think about your life’s possibilities.

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He had a crazy idea way back in college.

He noticed that many of the kids in the Ateneo grew up in sheltered environments, and were oblivious to the social ills that pervaded Philippine urban society. Yes, they had their theology and philosophy classes, but the things that they discussed in class were so abstract that these didn’t compel students to take action.

He couldn’t bring the students out of their comfort zones, so he brought the symbols of these social ills right smack in front of the students’ faces, where they would no longer be ignored.

One Christmas, he worked to bring in hundreds of streetchildren from the Katipunan and Marikina areas to the Ateneo campus, where they would be treated to a day of fun and games, food and friendship. It was a simple gesture, but it forced students to acknowledge what was happening just outside the campus gates. People became more aware of the changes that needed to be made in society. The project clicked. Thus began an Ateneo Christmas tradition.

He knew that his pet project was only the beginning of a lifetime of servant-leadership.

This man was fond of comics, and he related most with Batman because of the latter’s “humanness”. The Dark Knight didn’t have any inate superpowers, and yet he had outwitted and overcome many a powerful adversary. It was just the sort of thing that he himself wanted to do.

He got his chance when his family was thrust into the political arena, and when public service became a large part of his life.

But he wasn’t just a social activist; he was a musician and an athlete as well. And he masterfully fused these gifts to introduce change in his community.

With his kulintang, his kahon (a box-drum), and 5-gallon water bottles that doubled as congas, he introduced indigenous music and culture to the urban folk. In a city that was (and still is) run by celebrity-politicians, his work gave people a sense of history and dignity. With his arnis sticks and fellow arnisadors, he empowered the barangay tanods and brought some semblance of security into the communities (with an indigenous martial art, no less). Now he is taking things a step further by fusing arnis and percussion in a performance art that is distinctly Filipino.

He is a struggling artist, but his struggles go beyond artistic expression, financial stability, and fame.

Seeing him work from up close has given me a reason to believe that things can get better for our country. He is just one man, and yet he has already created ripples of change in our community—ripples that will, in time, grow to be waves of real, sustained progress.

People may scoff at his efforts, for art, music, and culture are really “just” peripheral concerns. How about feeding the poor? Educating the ignorant? Healing the sick? Serving justice to the marginalized?

Oh, he gets into that, too. But it’s his art which he feels most passionate about. It’s his art which uplifts the spirits of his cityfolk and makes them feel that they have an ally from “the other side” of the societal spectrum. It’s his art which galvanizes both young and old people from his community to make real and significant changes. His art has breathed life into our rotting little city.

It’s amazing what art can do.

Having been born into a well-off family, and being the son of a political figure, he could have chosen to bum around and live off his parents’ fortunes. He could have been like other coke-sniffing, gun-toting political brats who live each day as if they were half-dead. Instead, he has chosen to take up his own cause and use his resources to uplift the lives of those in need.

He gets tired. He gets very, very tired, but he also finds that he can hardly sleep at night. Knowing that he lives each day with a purpose, however, gives him enough strength to forge on and devote yet another day to serving his community.

It’s amazing what one person can do.

And imagine what will happen if more people decided to stop yakking and start moving in the right direction.

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“To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.” ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

(Written: A Spoonful of Sugar, 11 August 2003)

Seeing Signs

“You’ll never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you’ll never have to fear an unanticipated blow” ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

(To CC and Niño and their art; and to Jean Paul, his music, and the blue pill.)

Before anything else, I’d like to apologize to Mr. Pascasio (Nikko, is that you?) for not responding to his question on goals and ethics in this Spoonful.

Something amazing happened to me this weekend that I just had to share with everyone.

I came face-to-face with signs that I had never thought I would find. Signs that I had often prayed for but forgotten about. Until now.

When I saw them and recognized them for what they were, I felt as if I had seen ghosts from my past. I was stunned, overwhelmed, and scared. I could hardly believe what I was seeing and feeling, but I had to believe that they were real.

Coincidences happen once. But a string of coincidences that are somehow related to the subject of my discernment must mean something.

I cannot relate the details of my experience, but I’d like to talk about recognizing the signs that exist around us.

They are everywhere.

In The Alchemist, the bestselling work by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, a shepherd boy named Santiago leaves his Spanish hometown in search of a treasure. He encounters many interesting individuals—a gypsy, an old king, a crystal merchant, an Englishman, and finally, the Alchemist—all of whom teach him about understanding the Language of the World.

It is a language that can be understood by everyone who lives, including plants and animals. It needs no words, no foreign vocabulary and grammar, no special characters. Only a true understanding of our own Personal Legends—our reasons for being—and an openness of heart, mind, and soul.

Do you believe in signs? Some of you probably do, but many probably don’t.

We live in a very pragmatic and technical world that it seems foolish to talk about signs, much less look for them.

But think back to some of the decisions that you’ve had to make in your life. Did you decide entirely based on your clear-headed judgment, or did you get some help from a friend’s advice, a passage in a book, or a nagging feeling in your chest?

And how about some decisions that you didn’t make? Have you ever been at that point where you had to either move or stay, and you chose to stay not because you really wanted to, but because you were scared to move? Do you still get that nagging feeling in your chest that you should have done something?

I’ve felt that countless times in my young life. And with each time that I chose to ignore the signs, I felt that I was straying farther from my dream. The signs were leading me to a certain direction, but I stubbornly chose to go my own way. And I got hurt. Over and over again.

We do that fairly often, don’t we? We stay paralyzed and stuck to our little corner of the world because we’re scared of taking risks—especially personal ones. We’re scared of moving. We’re scared of changing. We’re scared of failing.

The weird thing is, we’re not scared of not succeeding.

And that’s probably the greatest tragedy of all. Paulo Coelho says, “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”

I’m not fatalistic, and I still believe that we make our choices. Nothing is pre-destined to the point where we’re no longer required to act on anything. But I believe that signs guide us to the right path, so that we can achieve our dreams sooner.

These signs are found within us, in the stillness of our hearts, in the deepest recesses of our being.

To actually see them, and recognize them for what they are, we have to clear ourselves of all doubts, fears, and worries. We’ve got to remove the trappings that stay stuck inside us. We’ve got to know who we really are and what we’re really meant to do. It’s a painful task, but it will be even more painful to go through life not knowing our life’s purpose, our life’s worth.

Listen to your heart. Just try.

(I’ve always been a mind-over-heart person, but the moment I listened to my heart everything just fell into place. “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”)

Here’s another passage from The Alchemist:

“Well, then, why should I listen to my heart?”

“Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. Even if you pretend not to have heard what it tells you, it will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you’re thinking about life and about the world.”

“You mean I should listen, even when it’s treasonous?”

“Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you’ll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them.”

“You’ll never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you’ll never have to fear an unanticipated blow.”

Good luck with your life's pilgrimage. May the signs be with you.

(Written: A Spoonful of Sugar, 23 July 2003)

The Other Side of the Coin

Each life is like a coin, with two sides. There’s a side that is introspective, inward-looking, concerned about who and where we are, and who and where we want to be. It’s the side that throws us these existential questions once in a while, and forces us to step back from the world. It asks, “Who am I really? What is my life’s purpose? Why am I here?”

Then there’s another side that is outward-looking, the social side of each human being. It’s the side that seeks acceptance, attention, love…the side that seeks growth in the context of others. This is where altruism, compassion, and empathy lie; it’s the side which forces us to go out and make our mark in the world and asks, “How can I make a difference in other people’s lives?”

I’m talking about this now not because I want to launch into a philosophical discussion about the Self and the Other, but because, right after sending out the latest Spoonful, a friend threw me this question: What about a cause? Are you willing to die for a cause?

I realized then that I had spent some time talking about personal dreams and visions, but had forgotten the other side, the social side, of each human life. We exist not only to fulfill our personal goals, but to do so in the context of a larger community. We are here to accomplish a life mission, but this inevitably involves other people, be it your family, your community, or the rest of the world.

We need dreams to fuel our existence, to live a successful life; but we need a cause to live a meaningful, a significant, life.

These causes don’t need to be as great as saving the rainforests, or as noble as fighting for indigenous peoples’ rights to ancestral lands. It can be as basic as ensuring that our communities are safe and secure, or encouraging our neighbors to segregate our waste. What’s important is for us to look beyond ourselves, and ask what we can do for the world. How can we align our personal dreams with a cause that will benefit more people outside ourselves?

Tricky question, huh? (We don’t even know what we really want, how can we know what we can do for the world?!)

But it’s a question worth asking. So… think about it. You may be surprised with how easy it can be to live a successful and significant life.

Oh, and do I have a cause? Am I willing to die for it? Stay tuned and find out.

(Written: A Spoonful of Sugar, 10 July 2003)

The Power of Cut-and-Paste

Living life without a vision is like building a house without a blueprint or a floor plan. It's like getting up one morning and saying, "I'm gonna build myself a great house!", then rushing off to pick up some bricks, wood, nails, and stones, then beginning to work on a structure that has no plan and (worse) no foundation. Sounds funny, doesn't it?

But it happens. Everyday. To millions of people around the world who wake up each morning, then rush off to work with nary a sense of where they are REALLY headed. YES, they go off to work, and try to beat their deadlines, which will put them on their boss' good side, WHICH may someday catapult them to the holy chamber of "high cubicles" (or even "rooms with a window"). But then… what next? What's going to happen after reaching Room with a Window 1? Will it be Larger Room with a Window? Or Million-Peso Bank Account? Or Large House with American SUV? There's nothing wrong with those things, but let me ask you…

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING FOR?

Beyond the position, the perks, the money, the house, and the cars, WHY ARE YOU REALLY GETTING UP EACH DAY? Is it to be a damn good CEO so that you can change the face of Philippine economy? Or is it to be the most prolific writer of your generation so that you can rekindle our passion for the arts and the written word? There's gotta be SOMETHING in you that fires you up! What is it? (Please, please, PLEASE don't say it's money for money's sake! If it were that, at least donate some to charity! Hehehe…)

Recognizing a dream, or a vision of ourselves, is not easy. It takes a long time of soul-searching and experimentation before feeling the perfect fit. Kinda like dating, actually. You have to meet lots of bad ones before you see The One. And, sometimes, you don't even know that s/he's The One until it just hits you. Hard. And when it does, you just feel your defenses shatter, your barriers break, and all sense of superiority dissipates.

Recognizing your dream makes you get a grip on reality, and shows you that your dream is LIGHT YEARS away from where you are now. It humbles you, makes you cry sometimes, but it gives you a renewed sense of purpose. Life suddenly becomes more significant.

I met my dream again through the power of cut-and-paste. My business mentors told me to think hard about why I was doing this. Why did I want to get into business and try to make some money? Certainly not for money's sake! They encouraged me to excavate the dreams that lay buried within me, and extract that one thing that will keep me going when the road gets all bumpy and slushy and pothole-y.

So I did. I unearthed the magazine clippings and pictures that I had kept all these years, then tore off more magazine pages (much to my brother's dismay), and cut and clipped until my fingers hurt from being stuck within the scissor-hole for hours on end. I unearthed a four-year-old scrapbook that had lain untouched, and then slowly, almost religiously, I began building my dreambook. The manuscript of my life.

I witnessed images of an exciting future unfolding before my very eyes. Images which, until now, had only been in my head. Okay, so they were magazine cutouts, but they could be real someday. At least the pictures will help me recognize my future life once I come into contact with it!

I saw the house in Provence which I (artfully) clipped from Architectural Digest (I know, I know! My mom will kill me if she found out where the picture came from!). The house which will someday be, or at least look like, mine… I saw the fine glassware and china that I will someday use to entertain my friends… The BMW that I will get to drive (as soon as I learn how)… The Tiffany & Co. diamond-and-platinum engagement ring that I someday hope to wear (if nobody gives it to me, I'll buy it myself!).

Yes, these are all material things, but as I went on, the things became just mere symbols of the kind of life I wanted to live. I wanted to travel, I wanted to experience as much of the world as I possibly could… and at the end of the day, I wanted to return to my little nook at home, and WRITE. Write until my fingers hurt and my eyes watered. Write about the world and its people, and bring the magic of a larger life back home to the Philippines. About what WE can do, and what WE can reach. About the possibilities.

All these from cut-and-paste.

Amazing, isn't it?

You should try it and see how liberating it can be to see your true self emerge… from formerly ordinary pictures within Cosmo, or Life, or Gadgets. Never, ever underestimate the power of cut-and-paste. It could be your key to a larger, better life.

(Written: A Spoonful of Sugar, 30 June 2003)

Let’s Get Real

One criticism that I'm expecting from people is: that I'm idealistic, unrealistic, and naive. I've gotten that so many times in my young life that it's something I almost always expect people to say about me (though, thankfully, none of you have said that to my face!). It's fine, really, because I do tend to think differently. I guess I just choose to see the world for what it CAN BE instead of for what it is. But, anyway, that's not the point of this piece; the point is that I'm dedicating this to people who need me to speak to them a little more realistically.

So, let's get real: not everyone can afford to quit their jobs in pursuit of a passion. For most, if not all, of us physical needs take precedence over psycho-socio-spiritual ones. We all need to eat, sleep in a safe home, take a bath, wear clothes, and pay bills (some pay larger bills than others though!). Even if we REALLY wanted to sing, dance, cook, paint, write, act, or whatever else it is that we want to do, we need regular jobs that give us our 15-30. And I totally understand. For even now, as I talk of pursuing my dreams, I worry about how to pay for my credit card, insurance, and retirement fund payments. And, oh yes, my precious gym membership… But I dread the thought of having to ask my parents for money. I want to be financially independent.

However, all these needs shouldn't bar us from doing what we REALLY want to do, even if we don't get into full-time careers doing them. Yes, there is always the excuse of "not enough time" or "not enough money", but really, would you rather face each day regretting what you didn't do, or at least wake up knowing that you have a little something to look forward to today?

All of us have 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week. We all need to eat, sleep, bathe, work, stufy, travel, and what-not. But what if the key to living a piece of your dream is doing things a little differently? Wouldn't you?

This reminds me of my pre-gym days, when I was constantly wishing that I had enough money to get me a Gold's Gym VIP membership (you know, the one that cost Php85K, discounted?). I was daydreaming, praying to God that I come across some big-time "racket", and even trying to convince my dad to loan me the money. When all these didn't work, I decided to get up and get real. I wanted to work out, I wanted to lose weight, but I didn't have any money. So I surveyed my stuff at home: a stepper that helped me lose my first 15 lbs. back in 1995, an ab-roller that helped me lose some post-graduation flab, a pair of 4-lb. weights, a Playstation that could double as a VCD player, and… the stairs.

So I bought tae-bo and yoga VCDs, cleaned my equipment, and got to work. For several months, my workout routine consisted of: waking up at 4 a.m. to walk up and down the stairs, then work out with the tae-bo VCD, and do some light weights. At night, before going to sleep, I'd work out with my yoga VCD. It was highly effective, and very inexpensive. (But now I can afford a gym membership, and although it's not Gold's Gym, it's my most precious investment.)

Okay, okay… Most of you would probably dread having to wake up at 4 a.m. just to do what they want, but all I'm saying here is that it's possible; we CAN do what we want to do–and it probably doesn't require anything life-changing. One inspiring speaker I recently listened to said, "Visit your passion." Now let me ask you, when was the last time you opened your little box of treasures and visited yours?

For the realists: Life is a series of trade-offs; we've got to learn to trade some to earn some. (I think that's about as real as I can get.)

So now I'm trading in some time and some money for a chance to fulfill my dreams. Maybe all YOU have to do is wake up an hour earlier, park your car a block farther, or spend a couple hundred bucks on that pottery or photography lessons that you've always wanted to take. In that sense, you're quite lucky because you don't need to jump ship to get where you want to go.

The question NOW is: are you willing to do things a little differently to make some dreams come true?

(Written: A Spoonful of Sugar, 12 June 2003)