The meaning of life when you are 74
On March 19, 1950, two boys were born exactly on the same hour: one in Dingle, Iloilo, the other in Argao, Cebu. Today, the Iloilo boy is the archbishop of the biggest archdiocese of the Church, Cebu. The boy from Argao is now a young man, a lawyer who teaches in four Law schools, writes a daily column, wrote 38 books on labor law and 12 HR books, is father of five and grandfather of six, and refuses to grow old.
Old are those who retire at 60 or 65 and stop contributing to the creation of new values and the appreciation of the immense beauty that God has gifted us with. Old is when men of our age spend hours counting the pains and regrets of what should have been and what really happened. Old is when we could not appreciate anymore the importance of every moment and the many great things we could still produce. Old is when we linger with the sad and harsh memories of broken friendships and ruptured relationships, recalling how many things we have failed to do because we never tried.
But I feel young because I am grateful for every moment that is given to me to continue living, to keep on seeing the flowers beneath my windows, to listen to the chirping of the birds that visit the old mango tree behind my house. I feel young because I look forward to every day when I break bread with my wife of 46 years, and look forward to every weekend when my married sons and daughter visit me with their children and spend precious hours creating beautiful memories of joy, laughter, and togetherness. God has been very good to our family for we survived and became stronger as we faced all odds together.
I refuse to grow old and I keep on writing, teaching, and speaking before many young folks who appreciate the nuggets I share with them. Imagine how many thousands of people I touch each daily through my column “What Matters Most”, and also via my digital platforms where I express my views, declare my positions on burning issues of the day, post many important messages that provoke intelligent exchange of opinions and decent debates and argumentation. I do not restrain myself from exercising my freedom to share my views even on controversial issues because I have been gifted to reach out to the minds and hearts of others. And these are gifts that I am always grateful for.
Inside my Law school classrooms, I help mold the intellect and feelings of budding lawyers who are future judges, justices, prosecutors, and defense counsels. Hence, I am influencing the future of the administration of justice. Through my Law books, I am guiding Law students and Law professors along the path of law, justice, and the often perilous search for truth and the call to build stronger relationships and contribute my share in erecting more sustainable institutions. I feel I am a dynamic force being used by the Almighty to improve the relationships of peoples through the power of law, especially my specialty, labor laws and social legislations.
Whenever I lecture here and abroad before HR managers and young professionals who handle talent acquisition, rewards management, career development and organizational justice I feel that indeed I am an active and productive instrument of improving the quality of life in the workplace. It has always been my advocacy to make every factory, every construction site, every office, and every worksite in our country and in foreign lands a haven where employers truly value the dignity and well-being of every human talent, much more than they value artificial intelligence and robotics.
Today, as I celebrate my 74th birthday, I shall visit again, the most worthy servant of the Lord, Archbishop Jose S. Palma, the boy from Iloilo who has been our amazing pastoral leader in the biggest and the best led and managed archdiocese in the Church. I am happy that between the two boys who were born on the same day and hour 74 years ago, one became a chosen son of God, while the other one became the sinner that I am.
But the Lord is kind and merciful and never fails to forgive me and make my life even more and more meaningful each day. Every moment gives a new meaning and I never cease to thank the Lord for all of such blessings.