A Realization

     I MAKE trips once in a while to my high school, because in those moments, it’s better for me to be alone while I think. You may ask, what do I think of? Mostly it’s how I much I miss being in high school, and what it was like way back when I thought high school seniors were really old, and college students even more so. I ponder on how I used to think high school life was so difficult.

     I named my column “Turning point” because I would like to stress on this peak of my life where I discover different things, have deeper understanding, face more challenges and accept new responsibilities. From being a happy go lucky kid to becoming a more mature person.

     I would like to share with you a forwarded message that I got from the Internet coming from my best friend. Be the judge as to the intensity of the message on your life:

     We have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways,

I NAMED MY COLUMN "TURNING POINT" BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO STRESS ON THIS PEAK OF MY LIFE WHERE I DISCOVER DIFFERENT THINGS, HAVE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING, FACE MORE CHALLENGES AND ACCEPT NEW RESPONSIBILITIES...

but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicines, but less wellness.

     We drink too much smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much and pray too seldom.

     We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom and hate too often. We have learned how to make a living but not a life. We have added years to life and not life to years. We have been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

     We conquered outer space, but not inner space. We have done larger things but not better things. We have cleaned up the air but polluted the soul. We have conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We have learned to rush but not to wait.

     We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever but we communicate less.

     These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses but broken homes. These are the days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

     Remember to spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person will soon grow up and leave your side.

REMEMBER TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH YOUR LOVED ONES, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE AROUND FOREVER...

     Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent. Remember to hold hands and cherish that moment for someday that person will not be there again.

     Upon facing the world beyond the walls of the Colegio, we shall encounter the harsh realities plaguing the society today. Poverty, injustice and inhumane living conditions are just a few of the social realities that have become persistent.

     We are called to carry out our faith, respect human rights, show preferential option for the poor, understand globalization and being supporters as well as exemplars of transformative leadership.

     Letran taught us well, and now, it is up to us to answer God’s call of living a life of faith by being advocates of the Good News and active participants in human promotion.

     In life, change is inevitable. To move on is something we are bound to do, no matter how hard we may try to stick to a current status quo or no matter how we may anchor ourselves to the present. Maybe this is why God created us with crevices and convolutions in our brains and chambers in our hearts, to have a larger “storage space” for all the memories that will accumulate over the years and to keep in mind that all these memories should serve as a guide in the future.

     Let us have a simple lifestyle, appreciate little things and always put in mind that all the best things in life are free. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away.