Transformative change

TODAY is Good Friday. The day when we commemorate the death of our Savior Jesus Christ. The main message of the Lenten Season, which peaks with the solemn Easter Triduum, is METANOIA (transformative change of heart). Hence, I will do my best to abstain from connection Economics with our commemoration. So help me, God.

I was watching on YouTube a staple video for organizational consultants, “Who moved my Cheese?” The video tackles change that is made more understandable even by a grade school pupil. The characters include two humans, Hem and Haw, and two mice, Sniff and Scurry. They lived in a maze where there were a lot of cheese. They got used to going to one part of the maze where they eat cheese to their fill. No one did not mind that the pile of cheese was getting smaller and smaller, until there was nothing left. The mice instinctively sniffed their way around until they found a new pile of cheese, while the humans investigated why and how the cheese disappeared.

After sometime, one of the humans, Haw, because of hunger, he ventured out further into the maze, writing signs along the way for him to find his way back. On the other hand, Hem, stayed behind where the pile of cheese used to be. He did not want to go somewhere else, and insisted that he will get to the bottom of that disappearance.

Finally, Haw was able to find the biggest pile of cheese ever, and met with Sniff and Scurry there where they have been gorging on cheese for a while now. Haw went back to Hem to announce the good news, however, Hem did not want the new cheese. He still wants the old cheese. He wants things to be just as they were. He was just so afraid of venturing into the maze. His negative thoughts have led him to stay as he was, unmoved, lonely and hungry. While Haw was so happy and felt so alive with the thought that somewhere further inside the maze were more cheese and he just has to have the courage to risk in order to find them.

One question that may be asked: “Why were the two mice able to find the cheese way before one of the humans found it? “

Well, because they did not think. They followed their instincts and gave in to their need/hunger for cheese. They essentially followed their heart. Sometimes in life, we refuse to choose change because we think first. We weigh our costs and benefits, and more often than not, we highlight the costs, the negative, and finally conclude that we do not want that change because we are surrendering more than what we can gain.

If we were choosing between our present job and our dream job, ideally, we would choose our dream job, however, it pays less. It is located farther than where we are working at present. We would be even starting from the bottom of the ladder. With all these disadvantages, we would choose to remain in our present job where we are stifled and disgruntled. And since, we are unsatisfied, we tend to affect the people around us, make their lives miserable, because misery loves company.

A popular adage from Confucius goes, “Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” Take note of the verb used, LOVE. This emotion or feeling is not felt by the mind; it is only felt using the heart. The farthest journey is only 12 inches; the journey from your mind to the heart. If we keep on using our mind, we will never be happy. We may appear happy, but true happiness comes from the joy of loving what we do.

Which leads us to another question: “To whom do we identify our selves with more, Hem or Haw?”

Hem didn’t want to change. He was already comfortable where he was, with who he was. Turns out, he became lonely and hungry. Haw took the risk and ventured into the maze. He was happier than ever. Sometimes, we are more like Hem. We do not want change. We thought we are already happy just the way we are, but when everything and everyone around us have already changed, we realize that we are now left behind, and we tend to go inside our shell for fear that these changes will greatly affect us and lead us to our doom. We are just so stubborn. We tend to challenge God’s wisdom in all the events that lead to changes in our lives.

The call to conversion is directed toward the Haws of this world. The courage to transform our lives towards living the purpose that God has originally created us for will not only give our lives more meaning, but will provide a lasting joy that God can only provide.

How would we know the original purpose God

On the whole, the debate centered and focused on the alleged ineptitude and foolishness of the candidates thus, even when the issue of climate change was the topic of the discourse no reasonable answer or reply was given. Take the case of Junior Senator Grace Poe who said the first thing that needed to be done was to evacuate 13 million residents in high-risk areas and build dams, water entrapment facilities and flood control projects. Evacuate and transfer them to where? At what cost and how long would it take? That’s like taking the entire population of the National Capital Region (11,855,975 as of 2010) and putting them somewhere else in the archipelago. Or the proposal from former DILG secretary Roxas who said that since the country stands to bear the brunt of the effects of climate change if he will become the next president he would give incentives to those who would pursue renewable energy projects. Now how small can his thinking be? If he becomes president shouldn’t he pursue government programs that would focus on renewable energy and not simply give incentives to those who would undertake them, and because of the alleged adverse effect of climate change in the country shouldn’t his government, as president, pursue with single mindedness and full conviction efforts to transform all our energy requirements into renewable ones? The government must be at the forefront in the exploration and exploitation of all renewable energy projects and not simply give incentives. plants, the planet had already been covered in vegetation for millions of years. The first flower probably did not survive for long, and flowers must have remained rare and isolated phenomena, since conditions were most likely not yet favorable for a widespread flowering to occur. One day, however, a critical threshold was reached, and suddenly there would have been an explosion of color and scent all over the planet – if a perceiving consciousness had been there to witness it.”

That was precisely the same perception that inspired the flowering of the “Panagbenga” festival. ( e- mail: mondaxbench@ yahoo. com for feedbacks.) Comparing notes I'm sure. I suspect talks of girls and boys. The younger ones usually have their toys or some electronic gadget and mill alongside each other. A lot of giggles and later some whining or crying.

Music to dad’s ears, he will say. Surely a warning from him when small fisticuffs erupt from all this. The grandkids total eight bugoys and just 5 lovely girls. But the boys are always a different story. Lolo will surely ssssst every time.

During this time and other than reflecting on what was, we surely move on and plan for what is ahead. As early as this time we begin to plan our next. A never ending spectacle for us. Our tradition. Surely somewhere different and interesting.

We share from everything, no out shining any one. Our time together just enjoying each other's company. It is always different every time as it is also time that just changes. Kids growing, a new project, some new promotion at times a new hobby or possession.

This is holiday. A time away from it all. We always never want to be around when everyone is here anyway. Time too for some time as one. New adventures to be had. Last year it was in Baler, Aurora. So much fun as one. Just wait for what adventure comes from these holidays. Not one weekend but give it a few more. All my kids are free Wednesdays. My son till Tuesday next week. We are all excited for this coming days during the Holy Days, our Holly Week. Please Forgive Us, as He has Forgiven all of Us, Peace!

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