THE METAMORPHOSIS
By
Ernie D. Delfin, Newport Irvine
Rotary Club
FIVE PRINCIPLES TO BECOME MORE FULFILLED
THE REST OF OUR LIVES
Last year, like many people who follow the news, I also
felt the pangs of anxiety coupled with some degree of hopelessness over so many
things beyond one’s control. Constant
news of continued economic and financial meltdown, terrorism, global warming and wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan, etc. disturbed my mind.
To start fresh for 2010, after New
Year’s Day, my wife and I just did
something we have not done for decades: LEAVE
HOME and went away for several days to a place we have never been before,
St. Francis Retreat Center, in the quaint town of San Juan Bautista, about 40 miles southeast of
San Jose, California.
We were the only “guests” of the Franciscans as
the New Year’s retreatants have left. Except
for the few friars and brothers who live there, the only company we saw was a
family of the self-supporting wild deers that descended from the mountain to eat
better greens near our cabin. Many different kinds of birds also entertained us as they still enjoy the place that is not yet commercialized
by their number one enemy: the homo sapiens.
As there were no TV or radio (yes, we had our cell phones but no signals) we were forced
not to know what’s going on in the “civilized” world down below. It is a luxury
to just while away the time without interference from anyone or by the pressure
of daily living. We experienced the Spartan
life of the Franciscans, living simply
so others simply live.
Serendipitously, there I read an article from the Catholic News
Service, written by Fr. Eugene Hemrick which is worth sharing to my readers. Describing the five colorful lunettes painted by Charles
Sprague Pearce in the Library of Congress, Fr. Hemrick
enumerated Five Principles to
have a balanced and fulfilled family life.
Let me expound my own feelings from that article as I jot down in my
journal:
First,
RECREATION. Weakened
by the toxins and worries caused by
living a complicated life, our body’s cells must be re-created. By its very nature, recreation is meant to
invigorate us with new energies for a healthier life.
Second, REST. In the mountains the only music you hear is the soothing sound of the wind playing with the leaves and
branches of the trees that surround the center, the chirping of different birds, and the
occasional sounds of animals communicating with each other. Listening to that “sound of silence” emanating from deep
within becomes a melodious music that
mimics the rhythms renewed life.
Third, STUDY. This
verb is closely associated with our human power of reflection that forces us to discern
what is truly important in our unending quest for the meaning of our lives. We
should not allow commentators do the
thinking for our lives that prevent our analytical minds from
deeper thoughts. Socrates said it best when he wrote “An unexamined life
is not worth living for”.
Fourth, LABOR. This
is one of my pet peeves in a society today that is becoming quite socialized
when people can eat even without working!
Our society, subliminally encouraged by Big Brother, has been afflicted with that hedonistic and
minimalist disease: doing the least
labor but expecting the greatest result.
We must as a society re-learn and practice the old fashioned
dictum: “You don’t work, you DON’T EAT!”
Fifth, RELIGION.
I would prefer to call this “SPIRITUALITY”. The realization that we all must die and go to a
life-thereafter (if that is also your
belief) can really slow us down
and motivate us to question ourselves: “What legacy do I want to leave after I am
gone?”. Leaving a legacy to our children
and their children is the raison d’etre,
as we do our random Service Above Self every day.
Until next month, I wish you all a more fulfilled balanced life
the rest of your life!
----------- 3
0 --------
No comments:
Post a Comment