I’m so sorry Ms. Teacher. You’re a mother. And you have to accept it. Please be different and enduring! Not as the other many teachers who write-off their weak pupils out of frustration, and focus on the bright ones alone. Please, be patient too; patience can soften stones; it’s the most essential virtue in the
Month: October 2019
Losing My Identity
Hello, my name is Jim. I’m approximately 45 years old. I say approximately because the last few years have been a bit sketchy. I’m 6’ 2”. I have salt ‘n’ pepper hair. I am Welsh, I am British, I am of Irish descent. I am a father, a husband, a son, and a brother. I
To Know or To Become
I would like to know who I am because I want to live true to who I am. I would like to know who I am because to get to a formidable height, I have to know who it is that is ready to get there – I have to start from somewhere, permit me
Finding “Me”
Most of my life has been spent searching. Searching for friends, searching for partners, searching for a job… Ultimately, I have been searching for a purpose. I have grasped desperately for an explanation for my existence. Before I turned 17, I had been baptized twice: once as a child and again when I was 15
The Greatest Stories Ever Told
What is the definition of great literature? Certainly, there are as many answers to that question as there are respondents. A work of art that rises to the level of “great” often influences and sometimes irks us. It makes us think and, most importantly, makes us care—about the story and the characters. Novels that survive
What Am I?
What am I? Who am I? Such philosophical questions have been posed time and time again, sometimes by others, sometimes by ourselves. We are experts at grappling with the complexity and magnitude of the human psyche, seeking understanding both in the larger sense of a world shared with over seven billion people and within the
Who You Are Now Is Not As Important As The Person You Can Become
We’re constantly in a state of trying to find ourselves. In order to become who you’re meant to be, you need to know yourself first. It’s a myth I was telling myself and believed for years and it held me back. We think that once we find ourselves, we’ll figure out what we want to
The Good Side of Conflicts
I live in a country where engaging in conflicts is somehow counterculture. In fact, in our culture, there is discomfort to being in a situation where you would have to frankly tell someone about something hurtful or embarrassing. We, Filipinos, use euphemism or artistic ways to state an unpleasant truth as pleasantly as possible. Some
Conflict of the Soul
Conflict is mankind’s longest companion, although conflict has always been despised and branded mankind’s worst enemy. Yet throughout history, from creation to the medieval ages and to this present age, conflict has written and re-written countless stories of humankind. Conflict in our world can be likened to a disease, the diagnosis and treatment of which
Trust Your Instincts – Forget Their Opinions
Business pundits may argue, technology experts may disagree, academics and educational enthusiasts may make a debate out of it, but, not sitting on the fence, I support the notion of Henry Ford, when he stated, “If I had asked for their opinions, they would have said faster horses”. So, what is this notion? It is that simple! Shun
Conflict – An inseparable part of modern society!
Conflicts have become an everyday part of life. The more we try to escape them, the faster they seem to approach us. Even a kind-hearted person will have found himself or herself involved in conflict. There are so many types of wars and battles in the world. Our living room television sets are a prime
What are you?
I am the kind of ethnically ambiguous person that makes people feel comfortable asking “what are you?”. As though having an off-kilter accent or a grasp of several languages is offensive, unnatural, or needs explaining. As though that question is not insulting. Pick a side, and stick with it. What are you? I think about
A journey into the ‘Self’
Man’s intellect seeks nothing but what he perceives as the highest state. But what is the highest state? The quest for the answer to this question lies in our own life’s journey. As a child, I wished to excel in studies. Whenever I ranked first in class, I was on cloud nine. But, even if
A Perspective on Conflict
What is it about a story that draws you into a good book? Is it the description of the scenery, or maybe the character development? Both may be well written and somewhat interesting. Yet I would venture to say that until we know how the character and circumstances reveal a problem to be solved, there
“I don’t feel that it is necessary to know exactly what I am. The main interest in life and work is to become someone else that you were not in the beginning.” – Michel Foucault. Discuss.
Let me paraphrase the above quote the way I understand it. I do not feel that it is necessary to know exactly who I was in previous lives. I could have been Shakespeare, Julius Cesar, Joan of Arc or a father, a mother, a poet, a prostitute, a lesbian actress or a gay actor. What
Tomorrow is Another Person
“It is not necessary to be perfect, as long as you are just a little bit better than the person you were yesterday”, is an oft quoted motivational maxim, and the statement I have decided to discuss. “I don’t feel that it is necessary to know exactly what I am. The main interest in life
The Yin and Yang of Hatred
“Treat others as you would wish to be treated”. This is a rule we are taught from the time we are able to walk. It is drilled into our heads as a drill digs into the rocks of the earth. So naturally, when someone treats us with hate, the first instinctive response is to respond
Are Your Ideas More Important Than Others’?
Do you ever find yourself getting too comfortable with your current lifestyle? We tend to be creatures of habit and frequently forget how important it is to step outside of our box filled with familiarities. Fear may get in the way of progressing beyond our perceived limitations. You see: we place limits on ourselves and
A Picture Really is Worth a Thousand Words
This photo could mean a plethora of things. There are a lot of people together, and they are all raising their arms. That is what is happening in the photo, but it is true when people say that a picture is worth a thousand words: the photo captures just one small frame, of just one
Finding our Inherent Being
Just the other day, I was watching a video on social media where a flight attendant was putting on a hilarious act, while demonstrating the safety instructions to the passengers. This video had over a million views, being shared all over the Internet. Now, you my ask why I am talking about a video on