Pag-ibig: Nag-aalab na Damdamin (Sanaysay sa Filipino 163)

     Noong bata pa ako, itinuro sa akin ng aking mga magulangkung ano ang pag-ibig. Sabi nila, ito raw ang damdamin na nananalaytay sa pagitan ng bawat isa, sa pagitan ng ating mga magulang, mga kapatid at sa Diyos. Basta raw may pag-ibig laging magiging masaya at matiwasay ang pagsasama ng aming pamilya. Siguro nga, ito kasi ang pangunahing dahilan kung bakit simula noong tayo ay isinilang sa mundong ito, pag-ibig na ang naghahari sa ating mga puso.
     Ngunit, habang humahaba ang paglalakbay natin sa buhay na itinakda para sa atin, aking napagtantao na ang lahat ng paninindigan natin tungkol sa pag-ibig ay nababago. Bunga na rin siguro ito ng mga karanasang nagpasaya, nagpalungkot o hindi kaya nakasakit sa ating mga damdamin. Sabi nga nila, karanasan daw ang nakapagpapabago sa pagtingin natin sa mga bagay-bagay. Oo, totoo iyon, dahil sa aking paglaki at pagtahak sa bawat karanasan, ang pag-ibig ay hindi na lamang basta sa pagitan ng isang pamilya kundi isa rin itong biyahe ng buhay na lahat tayo ay kinakailangang pagdaanan.
     Isang bagay nga ang makapagbubuod kung ano ang pag-ibig para sa akin, at ito ay ang depinisyon ni Zoe Johnson sa pag-ibig. Ayon sa kanya, sa lahat ng damdamin tanging pag-ibig lamang ang nangingibabaw sa pamamagitan ng oras. Kaya nitong hamakin ang lahat ng bagay. Ito ang pinaka-makapangyarihang elemento ng buhay na nagbibigay ng sigla at kagalakan sa atin. Walang saysay ang buhay kung walang pag-ibig. Hindi sa lahat ng oras ay tao ang kinakailangang paglaanan nating nga ating pag-ibig, maari rin naman itong ilaan sa mga bagay na tunay na nakapagpapasaya sa atin. Sinabi rin ni Johnson na kahit na lahat ng kayamanan ay nasa iyo na, kung wala ka namang mahal sa buhay na makakasama upang matamasa ang sarap ng buhay na mayroon ka, ang lahat ng ito ay walang saysay. Ang pag-ibig ay isa raw paglalakbay sa buhay na isang masayang karanasan.
     Isa pang paniniwalang aking pinanghahawakan ay nagmula sa liriko ng kanta ni KC Concepcion na nagsasabing ang pag-ibig ay hindi tulad sa isang pelikula. Totoo ito, karamihan kasi sa atin (lalo na ang mga kababaihan) ay inihahambing ang pag-ibig sa mga pelikula. Malayo ito sa katotohanan, dahil hindi sa lahat ng oras ay may magandang pagtatapos ang pag-iibigan. Marahil nga ay masarap tignan ang konsepto ng pag-ibig sa perspektibo ng pinilakang tabing, ngunit naniniwala ako na mas masarap itong maramdaman sa riyalidad. Maliban pa rito, naniniwala akong walang kahit isa sa atin ang nakakaalam kung ano ang storya ng pag-ibig na inilaan para sa atin, dahil ang Diyos lang ang sumusulat ng ating mga storya.
     Sa kabilang dako, hindi lamang ang aking mga karanasan ang nagturo sa akin ng tunay na depinisyon ng pag-ibig. Nariyan rin ang institusyong aking pinanggalingan kung saan pinalawak at pinalinaw kung ano ang pag-ibig. Ayon sa aming pag-aaral sa wika noong ako ay nasa mataas na paaralan pa lamang, may iba't ibang uri daw ng pag ibig:

• Eros - pagmamahalan sa pagitan ng dalawang tao
• Storge - pagmamahal sa pamilya
• Philia - pagmamahal sa pagitan ng magkakaibigan
• Agape - pagmamahal sa kapwa
• filia-nagmamahal sapagkat siya rin ay minamahal bilang kapalit.                                                                                                                                                                                                                Dahil sa mga kaalaman na ito na natutunan ko sa aking pamamalagi sa mundong kumanlong sa akin sa iilang taon kong pamumuhay natutunan ko na ang pag-ibig ay isang daan upang tayo lumago bilang isang indibidwal, ito rin ang makapagpapatibay kung ano tayo, sino tayo at ano ang ating kahihinatnatnan sa mundong ito dahil mayroong PAG-IBIG na naghahari sa ating mga puso.

Ma philosophie sur l'amour (My Philosophy About Love)

                                                                                 (courtesy of:  Google Images)
I was reading one night when I came across an interesting question in our Logic book wherein it says, "What is your philosophy about love?"

Well of course, the primary concern of Logic is man's ultimate reasons and their principle about things. And then LOVE, a feeling that almost all individuals could not resist.




I asked myself, "Do I have principles concerning love and have I got reasons to show love for others?"

And as I pondered over the thought, I found myself answering the all the doubts that I have with me.

Yes, love is a great feeling, something that most of us just couldn't deny, something worth the wait and something that could probably shape us as better individuals. But looking at the deeper side of the context, I guess love comes with the right time, with the right understanding, with the right person and with a ready mind and HEART. Love is not a want but a need. It is not acquired just for practicality purposes but as a source of "defined" happiness. Love comes with respect, and indeed, the feeling should always be taken care of. Love is a debt that we always have to pay, something that we should consider  as a thing(of personal ownership) that when borrowed, in time, should be returned. And lastly, like an equation, love SOMETIMES has an end point, love dies. It may be so hard for us to accept but we should.

Why?

Because for me, love is a borrowed time, a time we have all borrowed from God. It is for the reason that, as soon as we learn to love others, we sometimes tend to forget that there is a God whom we should all be giving our love. But as death comes, I know that along with the numbness of our body, OUR LOVE FOR OTHERS SUDDENLY DIES, and all that's left is our love for God, who's been there waiting for us to give ourselves back to Him.

The Devastated dream.

"MANILA, Philippines – Students and faculty members of the University of the Philippines have not only condemned the murder of a third year student whose body was found near the campus earlier this week but have also banded together in cyberspace.

Cebanico’s body was found last Tuesday, sprawled in a canal along the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) Road, Barangay Putho-Tuntungin, near the boundary of the university campus and the International Rice Research Institute, police said.

Authorities believed that the victim was raped before being killed, detailing that her hands were bound behind her and her mouth was gagged with a handkerchief and covered with tape. They said she had bruises, a stab wound in her back, and sustained a gunshot wound to the head, said Cruz(http://ph.news.yahoo.com/uplb-community-mourns-slay-victim.html)."

I personally feel anxious about this recent news not just because Ms. Given Grace Cebanico was raped and killed but also because all her dreams were suddenly put to waste. I know how hard it has been for a student like her, given that she's studying in the prestigious University of the Philippines and that she's about to graduate in a few years time. It has never been easy to understand why it had to end that way and why she had to suffer from the hands of men who want to get satisfaction from women. I can imagine how  narrow-minded the suspects are for not thinking about the life they destroyed and the big dreams they've shattered. I mean, what if that happened to their daughter whom  they have invested so much money and effort just to provide all their needs and fulfill all their dreams, would that make them anxious too?

JUSTICE FOR UPLB STUDENT GIVEN GRACE CEBANICO.

My promise.

     When I was in high school, I have been so excited about the future. All I wanted to do then was to imagine how college life goes, how can I cope up with the life in Manila, and how exciting life must be when you're far away from your parents. In short, I made myself busy with my dream of getting the best freedom a person could ever have after finishing high school. And yes, at some point I was able to get what I want. But you know what, I didn't let all my plans destroy me, I did not abuse my freedom, I made it sure that my purpose of studying in Manila would be fulfilled. Besides, it would hurt my mom badly if I won't fulfill my promise of finishing college with flying colors and of course getting the title: ENGINEER JEROME C. PAMINTUAN, REE. And so no matter how hard my subjects are, no matter how stressful college life is, no matter how heavy the emotional stress I would face, I am willing to give it my all just to finish the race that God has prepared for me. I know it would not be easy for me, and I would have to be ready for everything. And so I leave this promise to my parents, friends and loved ones: "I will graduate on time, no matter how long and hard it would take. No matter how difficult the challenges would be. God is with me, and I know I can do it." Five or six years from now, meet me and I am sure, you will meet the person who at first craved for freedom, did not abuse what has been given, and made a way to fulfill his dreams. And so as to fulfill what I have written here, I leave all the rest to God.

Pagbabago (a short speech for Filipino Class)

Isang taon matapos ang pambansang eleksyon sa Pilipinas, malaki na ang pinagbago ng ating bansa. Kung ating napapansin halos lahat ng paraan upang mapaginhawa ang buhay ng mga Pilipino ay ginagawa na ng ating gobyerno. Binigyang solusyon nila ang problema ng mga drayber sa gasolina, nagpapatupad sila ng programang makakapagbibigay ng puhunan sa mga mahihirap upang sa ganoo’y makapagsimula sila ng magandang buhay. Ngunit, isang tanong ang gumugulo sa akin, bakit kaya kahit anong gawin ng pamahalaan ay hindi pa rin makuntento ang mga Pilipino?

                Siguro nga ay nagkaroon ng kaunting pagkukulang ang gobyerno kaya mas nagiging mahirap ang pamumuhay dito sa bansa. Pero isipin natin, hindi ba dapat tayo rin ay kailangan kumilos upang mas mabilis nating maramdaman ang pagbabagong ating inaasam. Hindi ba dapat na tulungan natin ang pamahalaan imbis na lagi tayong nagproprotesta sa daan sa bawat kamaliang ating napapansin? Mahalaga ang oras at hindi natin dapat ito sinasayang, tayo ay magkapit-bisig ng sa ganoo’y dumating din ang ginhawa sa buhay na hinahangad ng bawat mamamayan. Pasasaan pa’t sayo rin naman nakasalalay ang pagbabagong hinahangad mo.

Reproductive Health- A big deal.

    Recently, the Philippine President Benigno Aquino was invited as the Commencement speaker of the University of the Philippines. And in his speech, he shared his view of the Reproductive Health Bill and gave his support on the bill. And as expected the Catholic Church opposed with the president's statement. However, Mr. Aquino stood firm upon his statement and said that he would be ready to face the challenge of excommunication due to his support for RH Bill.
   Along with this controversy, many members of the House of Representatives gave their insight about the latest development for the said issue. Many of them thought that it was a good news to hear because with the pursuance of the bill, the country would no longer face the issue of HIV Epidemia, Irresponsible Parenthood and Informal Family Planning.

    As for my opinion, this bill should really be properly dealt with because it involves national and spiritual aspects. We may say that Mr. Aquino was very brave of his conviction. Well I guess, he really is, and I support his stand. I believe the real reason of his support for RH Bill is to really promote Responsible Parenthood and to really keep the Filipinos away from penury and misery. Admit it, because of the growing population, our country could no longer afford to give the rest of the citizens a good life. And by the RH Bill, we don't  promote abortion but we would love to post a warning to others that it is not always good to just enter any sensual activity without thinking of the supposed outcomes of what you would do. I guess, with RH Bill we would just drive any Filipino away from any unnecessary disease that an unclean sexual activity may post unto a person.

  However, the representatives and the president should also consider the stand of the Catholic society for always it would be the citizens decision on what would be the outcome of a certain issue. If they are not in favor of it, let them be. Sooner or later if realization comes, any decision that they have with them has the possibility to change.

  Above all, we should just leave all the rest to God's hand. He will surely provide an answer.

Learning How to Breathe Again

If you would ask a grade 4 student about the definition of love, what do you think would be his answer? Most probably, it would be " Love is Blind." But now that we, students, are teenagers, perhaps, we would have learned of the best definition of love.

Let us all look back at how things used to be before we felt the ever famous problem of students--LOVE. When we were still a child, all we asked for is the love of our parents. Whenever, we receive a gift, and hear them say "I love you so much", we would jump and appreciate what they did. In school, most probably during break time, girls would gather in a certain place and talk about their ultimate crushes. One girl would even say, " Ay, grabe nag-hi siya sakin kilig to the bones talaga!" But the time came when we felt something unexplainable, something that you've been dreaming to happen--to meet the one who would make us feel loved and deeply appreciated.

But, what if beyond all the happiness, your studies would suffer and would start getting very low grades? Are you willing to sacrifice love for your future? What if you brake up and you're finding it hard to move on? That's when you need to come into realization and learn how to breathe again.

Many people would ask me how is "Learning How to Breathe Again" applicable to young students like us. My answer is, it would help us learn the best lessons in life, open our eyes for the future and encourage everyone to pursue studies without any interference.

I have two tips to help students get back what they've lost, and achieve what they were not able to, when they were still blinded by love.
{1} Be able to see what the future can do to you. Open your eyes, concentrate on your studies because it would help you see the best things the world has to offer.
{2} If it's not meant to be yours, then let it be. Love can wait, you are still young! enjoy what you should enjoy and focus on the things that would bring you success.

Indeed, there are things that are meant to happen in the future but would suddenly come and ruin your goals. But being determined in life would hinder those things to happen. Remember this, if you really love a person, you are willing to wait even how long it would take. Thank you for listening and have a great day!