SADNESS, SELF-PITY, SUICIDE AMIDSTT SUCCESS AND LAUGHTERS IN OUR LIVES

THE Metamorphosis

By

Ernie D. Delfin

SADNESS, SELF-PITY,  SUICIDE AMIDST

SUCCESS AND LAUGHTERS IN OUR  LIVES

               "Human Suffering is a part and parcel of our life on Earth:  it has not changed   since the fall of   Adam and Eve in the Garden of Paradise.   Such Suffering to have its intrinsic value for our purification is to offer it as a part of the sufferings of Christ on the Cross for our redemption. " 

                                               Some notes taken by the author from one of His  Spiritual Retreats

          The recent untimely death (is there such thing as a " timely " death?)   of a talented actor and laconic comedian, Robin Williams, 63,   caused my medulla oblongata    to ponder, rationalizing and examine my own life   of over 6 Decades.   Like millions of Mr. Williams' fans who were made ​​to laugh at his comic and his sterling performance in movies like the "Dead Poets Society", I too was not only shocked but deeply saddened by His reported suicide.

                    B ombarded by countless demonic bad news and happenings in our world, around the country, in our own local communities, or Even in our families, it is Both a blessing and a mystery that there millions of us who continue to live our lives, Even In quiet desperation and silent sufferings!   How then, can a normal person continue to live happily and   fulfilled, without going Robin Williams?

           Even there was short lived debate in Facebook that Mr. Williams was    a 'coward' person doing what he did to end His Earthly life, on one side, that is equally opposed by others, who think that  he was a "brave" and generous  man doing what he did!    Personally,   I believe, Neither is it cowardice nor bravery that  can really describe this tragedy of laughing in the outside but inside crying desperately.   BUT,  if I had to select just one adjective, I would say, he possibly was a "brave man",   a compassionate human being ,  simply Because he probably did not think only  of himself but  also the potential 'sufferings' and anxiety that His   deteriorating physical condition (mental illness and Parkinson's disease)  will Eventually Affect  His  own family, especially His children that he loved so much.

          Somehow,   I can empathize with and could relate to such a human condition when "the entire world seems going against you,  when everything you do is wrong "   and   that life is not worth living no more! 

            Due to this tragic news of Mr. Williams  death, I could not help but reminisce,   with mixed emotions of sadness and gratitude,   my personal experience along this human predicament of appearing happy in the outside but very melancholic deep inside.    About two scores   ago,  I had a terrible accident in Dagupan City , Philippines, During my first 'returnees' (homecoming) trip to the Philippines   with my wife, and coming back to California physically disabled, and aggravated by the unexpected  closure of the convalescent  hospital where I was working then,  by the government authorities   due to allegations of endangering the health and safety of the patients and other criminal acts.   An investigator from the District Attorneys Office wanted to get some depositions from me, as I was then the Controller.   At the same time, my employer,   then,  wanted me to go back to the Philippines and was willing  to give my "salary"   for a continued vacation, that could  result to a "permanent exile" from America! (Mysteriously or coincidentally, my very first  employer in America, was  a former professor in Auditing Knights   who got me to America just to be "exploited" as I did not have a legal status to work then,  was also sued by the government in the mid 70's   for some shenanigans,  years after I left my professor's management  firm!   And,  in the mid-1980s, another employer, the infamous Eminiano "Jun" Reodica   is  currently    in jail awaiting trial for   myriad of fraudulent financial scams that he has been accused of masterminding . His trial, it was reported, is   scheduled next November 2014,   in a Los Angeles Court. Catch! )

                What would a person, like me,   without much experience in life, then,  do with those God-given trials?   ....   In those darkest hours of the soul,   death (suicide or any other cause) seems the only way out, and for  one lonely winter   night   near the  Santa Monica pier,   I also contemplated suicide!    BUT, some inexplicable voice from above,  barely audible in the fury of the waves in the cold blue ocean, was whispering to me  that "I do not own my life ,   that it is just borrowed from my Creator, my God ".    Mysteriously, I remembered some lessons from  my Theology classes that "suicide is a mortal sin and it was  a taboo in the Catholic Church   that prevents Even a person from being buried in a Catholic cemetery. "   For a suicidal person, however,   those considerations of where to be buried   or what happens after death His Futile and are totally  irrelevant!

               Serendipitous revelation that  brought me to my senses, and the User is following day I went to visit a trusted Dominican priest, Rev. Greg Raymundo, OP (Bless His Soul) who was then a pastor of St. Clement's Catholic Church in Santa Monica, (he was also one of my theology professors in Letran and the Secretary General who knew me throughout my college years) and sought His wise counsel.    After confiding the heaviest burdens of my heart,  (that Even MIGHT wife did not know then), one   sentence coming from His holy man, dissipated all the   dark clouds hovering over me. In His unique soft voice, he simply said, "Ernie, I believe what you are telling me is true, so you have nothing to fear .. all you have  do is tell the truth! "   That advice compelled me to call and visit  the District Attorney's Office in LA,  the next day!   (What happened the next few months is another interesting  roller-coaster, but story)

            Looking back, with a few   more  seemingly insurmountable problems that have come my way, the last four Decades in America,  I  firmly believe that God gives us  trials that we can handle, to make us stronger and better children of His, if we Allow Ourselves to listen to His  very soft  voice.   And that can only happen in a Heartfelt   prayer of trust,  in complete surrender to His will.   After all, as our Catechism book ŢĖŁŀŞ us the real purpose of our life here on earth is very simple:   To know HIM, to love and to serve HIM HIM.    To paraphrase the    Book of Ecclesiastes "There is a reason for every season:   there is a time to Weep and a time to laugh, a time to be born, a time to die! "

*

              

              Although it is quite Difficult and a great challenge to be happy and have a balanced life amidst all the bad news in our world (the beheading of two Americans, wars in Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan,   children being smuggled into the USA, drought in California , two Malaysian Airlines lost, Ebola epidemic,   typhoons and hurricanes, etc etc),   it is still possible to be happy and contented, if we have the humility to  follow the beautiful  Prayer of Serenity:   "God give me the courage to change   the things I can, the   patience to accept the things I can not change, and the WISDOM to know the difference. " 

              The unassuming life of the lotus plant can  give us a lesson  to inspire us.  Thrown into  a pond of polluted muddied   waters, the lotus flower plants    seek the sunlight  to survive, and They Eventually  l blossom and their colorful  flowers celebrate life and through this natural  process, They Even Purify  the dirty and   fetid   water Beneath !.   This analogy also comes to mind as Prison Ministers Whenever we visit the Orange County Jail weekly  to provide hope and some BIBLE ( B asic I nstructions B efore L eaving E arth) lessons to the dozens  of inmates, who for the most part never had    Bible or religious education in their previous lives.

               Interfacing with dozens of deacons, priests and  fellow  Prison Ministers   in our Diocese of Orange,   I  believe that  these unselfish  Christian volunteers are happy and fulfilled individuals.   investing  hundreds if not Thousands  of hours of their     time to help guide and teach these inmates,  who have fallen  from the right path. Living out their faith,   these prison ministers are giving hope to the inmates   as They Follow Christ's  admonition to "feed the hungry, to clothe the naked and visit those in prison to."

             Generally speaking, the inmates who attend  our  classes voluntarily are  hungry to know more about God and the Bible.  We guide,  study and share the lessons  with Them from the   last Sunday's readings,  and also give communion services to those Catholics who have been baptized and   have received their first communion. A part of the services is Encouraging Them to lift up their personal  petitions and   pray for one another.   During that solemn day of being together in one room, it is very hard to imagine that these   inmates and prisoners are the same persons who  have been accused or convicted of some serious crimes in the state's  criminal justice system, especially when They behave just like any other human being:   expressive, receptive and grateful Even  for volunteering our  time to visit Them and ministering to their spiritual needs. (BTW, many inmates do not have families nor friends visiting Them and all!)  

          Our Restorative Justice & Prison Ministry's   main goal is to give our Undivided   presence to the inmates, to share with Them  lessons in the Bible, and the Good News of Christ and many facets of our Catholic faith. All of us   are plain  gone volunteers who have gone through a certification process by the Diocese as well as having  passed a rigid  police clearance system enter these country jails  anytime with our official badge. From time to time, we hear that   some  inmates,  who have gone through our  Diocese Prison Ministry classes,    have turned their lives around when released from prison They are both back to society and Become  better citizens.   prison To all of us ministers,  just learning that good news is   a priceless   reward for our time invested to  this  ministry for the  "lost sheep" that are now found!

  

                                                                            *

Email:   ernie.delfin@gmail.com  or   zhunrize.foundation@gmail.com

Visit:        www.rotaryeclubGlobalKalingaD3780.org

Please shop on our online mall:      www.foundation4nextgen.zhuncity.com 

ENTREPRENEURS CREATE AND PROVED THE ENGINES TO OUR WORLD'S ECONOMY

THE METAMORPHOSIS

By

ERNIE D. DELFIN

ENTREPRENEURS  CREATE AND PROVIDE

THE    ENGINES  TO  OUR  WORLD’S ECONOMY

         Businesses, big or small, are started by entrepreneurs,  who are visionaries.  From the small family business like a bakery to multi-national giants like Apple or Microsoft, they  are founded by uncommon men and women who believe and create  that there should be a better “machine”  to enhance the quality of life than the gadgets that are already  in existence.  Just think about  the evolution of the smart phones.  Less than 50 years ago, there were no cell phones.  The first cell phones were as heavy as a baby in your arms!   I still remember my  first car-phone that was mounted near the driver’s side and its antenna was sticking like a huge dragon fly  bolted  on top of the trunk!

           Since the industrial revolution,  entrepreneurs continue to create jobs, empower  and employ  millions of people around the world.  Collectively, they provide  the engines that turn  the propellers of industry from America to Zimbabwe.  Businesses --- from a seedling farm in an  agricultural village to  the hi-tech  factories of I-phones and computers --- flourish because of these modern day heroes called entrepreneurs.  They are the real heroes --- not the politicians nor the so-called public servants ---- who  deserve public  respect and recognization, every day of our lives!  There should be a National Day for Entrepreneurs  like  Memorial Day or Labor Day or Mothers Day to honor them.

          As a flashback, and as a former  small business owner-entrepreneur myself,  I am biased in favor of  all entrepreneurs, including  those struggling to succeed, who risk almost everything they possess  to follow their dreams with the hope of becoming successful someday.     Unfortunately, not all who desire to become successful entrepreneurs will  make it,  due to many factors:  from lack of capital, to sub-standard marketing strategies, to lack of management expertise, to lack of manpower skills, etc.  Yet, for every 7  who fail initially,  there are probably 2 or 3   who will make it,  who  will eventually   be able to employ 5 or more people each  to grow their respective businesses.   

         Having been one of the lucky ones who survived and succeeded of becoming my own boss for over 30 years now,  I know those scary feelings like  having earthquakes in your bones, especially those  times  when the cash flow was low and you have to write the payroll checks!   There were moments of regrets for  having left the confines of a comfortable but unchallenging   government auditing job (which was a big magnet that attract many people seek to  savor or enjoy for its  relative security and great fringe benefits)  but in the end, that calculated risk was well worth it.   

           In retrospect, there comes a time for every man  to do the unthinkable, to leave his comfort zone to in order to  grow by risking something despite that it can be a bloody process,  like the unassuming  caterpillar, to become a happy and  colorful butterfly  that will then enjoy its  prize of  hovering and smelling  countless  flowers along its flight.

                                                     * * * *

        Now,  that my generation is starting to retire , in my book,  even without the government pension,  my overall life’s  journey  was  more colorful and exciting than most of my contemporaries who worked solely  for the government or big corporations as  employees for most of their lives.    Statistics and studies show that  thousands or millions of people are not quite happy going to their boring job, but have to work because they have to earn their bread and butter to live. On the other hand,  most  entrepreneurs go to work because they wanted to , with that inexplicable joy and  excitement that they feel whenever they can shout EUREKA, for having successfully  successfully created something   that they dreamed about for a long time. As a lasting prize,   they are compensated handsomely  once the consuming public embraces and  buys their creations,   like the  Google products or the Apple  I-phones. 

             Looking back the last 40 years or so, it saddened me that some of my old time  friends especially those whose only job was in the government service are now dead,  and did not live long enough to enjoy their so-called retirement. Their lives were just focused to working and many socials that give ephemeral happiness.   It has been  proven that people who are happy and excited in their lives or in their work tend to live longer than those  unhappy or bored in their work and in their lives.   I hope I am wrong to assume that many of these unhappy people passed away while their life’s music box was still unopened.

            On the other side of the coin,  I have witnessed many who live a full life giving and obviously very happy and fulfilled.  In my Rotary network, I have seen Rotarians in their 70’s or 80’s  who are still involved in their communities as volunteers or  mentors to others.   For instance, I am proud that to mention a great and special Rotarian friend from Orange County, PDG Jim Young,   great human being who is known as “Mr. Paul Harris” (the founder of Rotary) for his decades of performing “Paul Harris” capsulating the essence of Rotary since its foundation in  1905.  Even in his retirement in education and the arts, he continued to be very active in Rotary as well as  hosting  a Poetry Class in Cal State University in Fullerton, that was designed mainly for seniors, which I have also attended several times.

           He has performed “ Mr. Paul Harris” a one-man show over 360 times around the world, including  India and the Philippines, which I helped coordinate during Rotary’s Centennial Celebrations.     Because of his lively spirits and life-long  enthusiasm  and life-long support for the arts and sciences,  the Cal State Fullerton honored him by naming the  a university wing, now known as the “James Young Theater.” His music box was maximized and utilized  to the fullest,  which is his legacy to our society that will last a long long time  after he is gone to the Life Beyond!

           As a postscript,  as my friend Jim Young can no longer perform as “Mr. Paul Harris” due to his aging body,  he has found and inspired another younger but  equally competent  actor, ZOOT,  to perform  to “Mr. Paul Harris”. Both Jim and Zoot belong to the same Rotary Club of Fullerton.   Rotarian Zoot has spoken before our GKeRotary Club and gave  a sample of his PH performance. (Our e-Club  should work for his trip to the Philippines to perform “Mr. Paul Harris” like PDG Jim Young)

           A trivia about ZOOT:  after marrying a Filipino singer, Monette Velasco, he has adopted Velasco as his last name, although in the realm of the theater, he is known simply as  ZOOT. The current Executive Director of the Muckhenthaler Cultural  Center in Fullerton California, Zoot is also the author of “The First 100 Days Leading Small Non-Profits Out of the Wilderness”, which this columnist and Rotarian  highly  recommend for those in the non- profit organization arena.      

* * * *

        To summarize,  what  makes a person an entrepreneur?   I think there is an invisible trait that is uncommon. A  risk-taker, a strong willed, stubborn personality are probably the  predominant traits.  That can-do attitude  that propels the  entrepreneur to act on his belief that “there should be a better way”  to improve or modify an existing service or product is another ingredient of a successful entrepreneur.   A person that is self-starter that dreams his work, from the time  he wakes up to the time he goes to bed.   For entrepreneurs,  they eat, sleep and work  their dreams with them 24 / 7.   They do not know how to stop working on their dreams as their mental fuel tank is never empty . 

                There are classroom classes on Entrepreneurships  but like swimming,  the person will never  learn how to swim without going into the ocean of entrepreneurship to be  real wet and often times muddied, and sometimes  even gets  sick due to  some external elements, especially when the entrepreneur’s   immunities  are weakened!

              Speaking about Entrepreneurship,  our Global Kalinga e-Rotary  Club President Chuck Cota in joint collaboration with several Clubs,like the Altadena Rotary Club of District 5300  is now working for a Entrepreneurs EXPO  slated for early next year, where vendors catering to entrepreneurs and  would-be entrepreneurs can meet successful entrepreneurs who desire to support and mentor others to become  entrepreneurs.  There is in our world today an urgent and massive need for more entrepreneurs, as there are more people to be employed, to be fed, clothed and sheltered.  One of the best  and proven ways to provide this massive need is through ENTREPRENEURSHIP, that disciplined  human process to create and provide the products and services that people need in order to live a decent life on this earth.  There is no way that the government  nor the  existing companies and  organizations today can employ most of this  gargantuan supply of manpower  that are being born every second of every day of the  year!

              In his induction speech last month our very own  GK e-Rotary Club President Chuck Cota, announced with his ambitious project about hosting an ENTREPRENEURS  EXPO,  for early next 2015.  In consultation with other Rotary Club partners in other Districts in LA, Orange  and  Riverside counties,   he is now busy determining the appropriate date and the venue.  President Cota hopes to announce and distribute  the flyers  during the ARTESIA BUSINESS  FAIR AND DIVERSITY  FESTIVAL on  October 4, 2014, where  at least 15 countries have signed up to participate.   Hundreds of  businesses, restaurants and vendors as well as non-profit organizations,  including our   Global Kalinga  e­-Rotary Club  will have a booth to “LIGHT UP ROTARY” ,  the  theme of RI  President Gary Huang this Rotary year.­­­­­­­­­­­­

        In closing,  this entrepreneur-columnist would like to share an old ENTREPRENEURS CREDO poster hanging in his home office:

                 

 

    THE  ENTREPRENEUR’S CREDO

I do not choose to be a common man, 

It is my right to be uncommon … if I can, 

I seek opportunity … not security. 

I do not wish to be a kept citizen. 

Humbled and dulled by having the 

State look after me. 

I want to take the calculated risk; 

To dream and to build. 

To fail and to succeed. 

I refuse to barter incentive for a dole; 

I prefer the challenges of life 

To the guaranteed existence; 

The thrill of fulfillment 

To the stale calm of Utopia. 

I will not trade freedom for beneficence 

Nor my dignity for a handout 

I will never cower before any master 

Nor bend to any threat. 

It is my heritage to stand erect. 

Proud and unafraid; 

To think and act for myself, 

To enjoy the benefit of my creations 

And to face the world boldly and say: 

This, with God’s help, I have done 

All this is what it means 

To be an Entrepreneur.

         ----  3 0  -------

Email:   ernie.delfin@gmail.com           or  zhunrize.foundation@gmail.com

Visit:      www.rotaryeclubGlobalKalingaD3780.org

                  www.foundation4nextgen.zhuncity.org

HAPPINESS IS OFTEN ELUSIVE BUT IT CAN BE FOUND WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW!

THE METAMORPHOSIS

by

Ernie Delfin

HAPPINESS IS OFTEN ELUSIVE BUT IT CAN

 BE FOUND WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW

(Join our  GK e-Rotary and you will catch it!)

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything,  I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”

                                                                                                                                                Helen Keller

                  The issue of “Happiness” is always an interesting topic and somewhere I read about a Happiness Index survey that  rated the happiness of different professionals.    The survey’s ranking  did not really surprise me much  as I felt I already knew it, after many years of  observing, analyzing people during my  professional life as a CPA, marketing person and as a businessman as well as  an active  volunteer or officer of a few professional associations and/or  non-governmental organizations, like the Rotary International and my church.  The survey basically re-affirmed my belief that those in the high income professions (that normally are also great stress producers) like practicing doctors, lawyers, police officers  and project engineers)  do not necessarily have happier lives compared to those in other lower paying jobs like the  teachers, social workers, especially those in the  religious orders  like priests and nuns.  There appears  to be a direct  correlation that those who are giving more of their time to teaching, nurturing, helping, counseling others,  although not compensated  highly like the doctors, CPAs, engineers or stock brokers,  are rated higher in the Happiness Index.  In short, money earned (wealth) does not contribute significantly in increasing the level of happiness of the person, once his basic  human needs for  food, shelter, clothing and education are fulfilled.  

           In another study made by Legatum Institute, they also rated the “Happiest and Saddest Countries”.  Some nationalities, like the Filipinos and Thais who live in a relatively peaceful but “poorer” countries ranked higher than  some nationalities in richer and  more advanced countries in  the West. The countries of  Norway, Sweden, Canada and New Zealand belong to the top of this “Happiness or Prosperity Index” while countries like Chad, Congo, Afghanistan and Yemen belong to the bottom.    This phenomenon is often implied or reflected by the  trite expression that  “Money  cannot buy happiness.”  (It may  be true, but  I also heard a rebuttal “But it is always a good down payment.”)

           This philosophical topic of “searching for happiness” or   “life meaning”  (Read “Man’s Search for Meaning” by a Holocaust survivor, Dr. Victor Frankl)  is as old as some stories in the  Old Testament and will probably remain a favorite topic  as long  as human beings are  endowed with brain that thinks to probe why people behave the way they do.    

             At this junction of my earthly life of over 6 decades,  this topic of happiness carries  some universal truths. Observing and interacting with diverse kinds of people over for most in my life at home,  in my community, church, profession or in NGOs has led me a conclusion that “that service to humanity” is among the top  creators of happiness.   Being totally selfless and loving like a mother to her child gives meaning and purpose to one’s life.  Giving one’s precious time as a volunteer in the hospital or prison gives the volunteers unquantifiable degree of internal fulfillment and happiness.

            If you ever visit a hospital or a nursing homes or some schools, just observe the many volunteers  and  ask  them why they are volunteering.    Having been a volunteer in our  church for many years and also in the County of Orange Jails as a prison minister,  several times a  month,  I can vouch  that the joy we volunteers derive is of different dimension and seems deeper than  the ephemeral enjoyment we experience after watching a great movie or even indulging in an exquisite dinner with excellent wine and dessert.  

             From those experiences the last several  of decades,   I finally understood what a Franciscan retreatant-priest told us in one animated session that “the most happy people are those who are genuinely grateful people.”   I truly believe and agree with that statement now.  Although I am not a very wealthy man, I am living a rich and colorful life for which  and I am  grateful every day.   I have always food to eat  and seldom felt  hunger nor felt deprived unlike billions of in the world.   When  I wake up in the morning, I am happy and grateful  that I can still see  and enjoy the nature outside my window,   hear the birds chirping  and smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.  My human senses are still there to help realize that life is good and is worth living it.

          I am always grateful that although I cannot sing,  I can write.  Although I cannot dance, I can swim.  Although I have not visited hundreds of interesting places, I can read and learn about them.   I am forever grateful for the many things I have, and never envious of what  others possess  that I do not have.  With a grateful heart, I am blessed and happy,  compared to many people who I have met and counseled in our volunteer work.

              I believe that everyone, even  seniors,  who are retired that it is still possible to be very happy and fulfilled via volunteerism during our retirement years that does not entail any expense, except your gas may be.  (Many call it the  “sunset” of  their lives; how about branding it as another  zhunrize?)  For instance,   just in tinkering the many easy tasks in your  garden, playing with young grandchildren or nephews or nieces,  reading and writing, walking barefoot along the beach, and even simple bird or people watching, you can catch that illusive happiness!   Happiness and  Fulfillment can be derived from so many  sources, like  nature (God) that has provided us FREE gifts to  enjoy: from the plants, flowers, trees, birds  and the mysterious oceans beneath us and the stars and planets in the galaxy above us.  Need I say more?

                                                                -----

             The month of August has been  designated by our Rotary International as our Rotary Membership month.  With the readers’ indulgence , please allow me to “LIGHT UP ROTARY” (our theme for this Rotary year, as chosen by RI president Gary Huang, the first Taiwanese who ever became RI president in 109 years)  for a few minutes so that you , our readers,   can learn something new  about Rotary, with the hope  that a few of your are inspired to contact this writer and may even  attend our COMPLIMENTARY DINNER for all our guests and prospective members  on Thursday,  August 21^st  at the very nice popular Royal Garden Restaurant  in  Cerritos, California.   If even just one  person becomes a member of our GK eRotary Club because of this article, then this writer’s efforts are  well rewarded.

         During this  Rotary membership-drive-meeting, you will learn myriad reasons and  several  testimonials  why Rotarians  do what they do in the world, along our branded motto of  SERVICE ABOVE SELF and MANKIND IS OUR BUSINESS. 

         When Rotarians dig artesian wells to produce  potable clean drinking water in a village in a third world country,  when we drop that polio vaccine to a child mouth to eliminate polio from the face of the earth, or when we give artificial legs to amputees or when deliver wheel chairs to those who cannot walk,  or when we  donate thousands of books and school supplies to some rural libraries,  we feel that deep sense of fulfillment.  With a sweet “Thank you, Rotarians”  with a pure and  innocent  smile from a child who will benefit from our humanitarian projects  is enough reason to keep on doing what we do.    

            The vast majority of us will never become  great heroes nor heroines like  the caliber of  many great men and women history, like  Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln,  George Washington, Winston Churchill,  Jose Rizal or  Andres Bonifacio  and thousand others in the world who devoted their  lives in the service of others,  but  we Rotarians can also do  something,  like Helen Keller,   in our own little ways to improve our world that we share.    

         Although there are now approximately about 1.30 million Rotarians from  535 Rotary Districts (Philippines has 10 Districts, with over 20,000 Rotary members) in over  200 countries in the world today,  we still need more Rotarians  to do more good as the need in the world is massive.    Our  3-year old Global Kalinga e-Rotary Club, which this columnist founded,  is just one of over 35,000 clubs of  Rotary International,  chartered under  RI District 3780 (Quezon City, Philippines)  and  is the first e-lectronic based (borderless) club in the Philippines whose members are mostly in the USA, concentrated in Southern California. 

           Last month, the beginning of our Rotary year, our e-Rotary Club iust inducted our new set of officers, led by my best friend of 30 plus years,  Chuck Cota,  a very generous Mexican American, as our new president.  He outlined his four main projects to continue and/or start this  year.  Once they are accomplished, they will certainly make us all GKeRotarians  feel very proud and happy at the end of his term:                         

1.    Livelihood projects not only here in California but also in the  Philippines and in Rosarito-Tijuana Mexico. Also launched an Entrepreneurial Expo in partnership with several Rotary Clubs in the LA-Orange County area.

2.     Help and provide some assistance (financial and materials) the Casa de Hogar   Orphanage in Tijuna

3.     Help though joint fundraising the Physically (legally blind) Impaired Youth here in Southern California

4.     Continue sending books and materials to schools in the Philippines.

              To help  finance these ambitious  projects,  the GK e-Rotary Club has also calendared several fundraising events during the year, as well as soliciting donations that can be tax deductible from the donors’  gross taxable income

          If any of the readers of this column is interested to know more or to get involved with any of our projects or if you have a great humanitarian project in mind,  please email or call this writer at (714) 742 1365.

           We really need more committed members as the work is heavy and more  members will make the work lighter.   Please join us and find true happiness in our Service to Humanity as the Best work of Life!

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  Email:  ernie.delfin@gmail.com   or  foundation.zhunrize@gmail.com

Visit:       www.rotaryeclubGlobalKalingaD3780.org 

             www.foundation4nextgen.zhuncity.com =  our online mall to help our foundation

CREATIVE WAYS TO INCREASE TOURISM AT THE SAME TIME SUPPORTING SOCIAL ENTERPRISES AND NGO's

THE METAMORPHOSIS

By  Ernie D. Delfin

CREATIVE WAYS  TO  INCREASE  TOURISM  AT THE SAME TIME

SUPPORTING  SOCIAL ENTERPRISES AND  NGO’S

               My last column on “Social Enterprises Can Stop the Widening Gap between the Haves and the Havenots” got many interesting responses and feedbacks.  Today’s column is a sort of  an expansion of what we as concerned humanitarians,  can do, both as a potential supporter for a social enterprise or any favorite NGO.   The possibilities can be endless by just changing how we do things when we travel and spend our precious dollars or dinars or pesos.                   

              As a businessman  with  several decades of active involvement  in non-profit organizations, like Rotary International,  that has afforded me to travel and visit other cities and  countries in the world,  I have seen a lot, learned much, especially when I wear my analytical cap as marketing person and conversing with many people of diverse backgrounds and culture.  Many of our  travels resulted into closer friendships in foreign countries in addition to the traditional  cultural and educational benefits, especially when we have availed of Rotary International’s  “International Travel and Hosting  Fellowship”  (www.ithf.org) where I have been a member for many years.  The primary objectives of this  RI fellowship association is to foster camaraderie and friendships through tourism and hosting privileges among its thousands of members.  With common objectives,  we as members can pre-arrange  to be the home stay guests or   hosts of fellow Rotarians  at anytime,  anywhere where those Rotarians reside.   My wife and I have been guests in other Rotarians’ homes in Japan, England, Mexico and in the Philippines.  Likewise, we have also been the hosts of several Rotarians in our Orange County, Southern California   home near the ‘Happiest Place on Earth, called Disneyland, the last couple of decades.

               I have had memorable experiences traveling this non-traditional route that fewer tourists do.  For instance,  I have been a home stay guests by some Rotarians in a few countries, where we were not obligated to pay the hosts.  However, as a token of our deep appreciation I have voluntarily leave some money in an envelope with a brief letter of thanks, and suggestions that the money is to support the local  Rotarians’ community or vocational projects.  That money would have been spent, anyway,  in the  hotel and local restaurants that exist mainly to make profits for the owners and stockholders.  I  was quite  certain that although the donation was not expected,  it resulted into a substantial source of cash to subsidize their Club’s community projects.  Obvious benefits from this transaction or gift  included:   a very good and lasting friendship  between the guest and the host,  possible  “savings” for the guest and a financial support to local  Rotarian’s  community or vocational   projects,  at the expense of the commercial hotel that never received a penny from this home stay and hosting program of Rotary.

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             With that personal anecdote as a background, this writer and humanitarian-traveler has been thinking more and more how we, as tourists,  can create and cause  deeper or lasting  benefits to the communities of both the tourist-guests and their hosts.  The results of my informal experiments during my travels led me to believe that it  might work  with the influx of people who will participate,  with effective  marketing that shows  the potential benefits and recommended protocols.  It can happen one person, one tourist, one host participating one at a time, in any one place, anywhere where willing participants  travel.   Allow me to elaborate:

                Through the  tools of 21^st century  social media, especially Face Book or Twitter,   a member of this group (for our  discussion purposes, tentatively called World Wide Tourism for Social Purposes or WWT4SP) places his  “wish list” in the WWT4SP website  to visit and be hosted in another  city or country at such a date and for how long.  With hundreds or thousand of members (that are listed in the website’s  restricted  page  that can only be accessed with a members password)  there is a great likelihood that a member or members will be interested to respond  to get more informations that may lead to an informal “contract”  as recommended in the WWT4SP’s  Code of Conduct and Protocol (CCP).

            The CCP  may strongly recommend that the home stay guests agree to  pay at least half of the “average”  bed and breakfast costs   or hotel charges  (like Embassy Suites that provides complimentary breakfast to their guests) in the region, to the WWT4SP Social  Fund to be disbursed according to agreed percentages later on.   Let’s  put some imaginary figures.  Embassy Suites  in a region in the United States, for instance, charges $200 a night  for a double occupancy.  The homestay guests will then pay at least $100 for each bed and breakfast night in the hosts’  home or residence.   Just assuming that the guests (as previously arranged) will stay 5 days, the WWT4SP  Social Fund will receive $500 (saving the homestay guests $500 if he were to book his stay in the Embassy Suites).  The Social Fund can then disburse 50%  to the hosts to compensate for his time, energy and related expenses (that MAY even include picking the guests from the airport or train station and driving him around, although NOT required in this proposed WWT4SP program) In this example,  $500 is received by the Social  Fund, that will disburse half  or $250  to the hosts to partially compensate for his time, energy and home expenses for those five days.  The other half or $250, after allocating  10% to 20%, may be, for  administration, website, marketing and advertising  to expand the program,  will  be channeled to support, subsidize or finance social enterprises in the hosts or guests countries, as approved by an Executive Committee  upon the suggestions or recommendations from the hosts/guests who have participated in this  WWT4SP program.  

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          Today as it is still free to dream,  I am dreaming that this outside-the-box idea, can  have hundreds if not thousand of tourists ( in the future) to participate,  and if only 500 guests per year  pay $500 (while saving $500, in our example)  that is a whopping  $2,500,000  that will leave $         1,250,000 million to the Social Fund “Community Fund”  that can be used to fund, subsidize some worthy social project in the hosts’ and guests’ home country.  In the Philippines, that is a lot of pesos,   that is over 50 million pesos!  that can  start several  livelihood projects,  subsidizes or builds a few  Gawad Kalinga housing project for the poor, and help educate poor but deserving children to become useful citizens!

           The possibilities are endless!  The question or challenge NOW, is  how many of the readers of this column  will say,  “LET’S  DO IT”! 

           As we are already doing it in a very informal  manner,  I am dreaming that through  this column and in Face Book and social media,  hundreds more will try it and then participate regularly and thereby converting a millions of tourism dollars to support, subsidize or fund some worthy social enterprises in our communities.  

           Dear readers, please  ponder and be excited  about the possibilities… Comment and feedback, please!  

            Mabuhay… (Cheers!)

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Email columnist:  ernie.delfin@gmail.com                  

                                  zhunrize.foundation@gmail.com

Visit:                         www.rotaryeclubGlobalKalingaD3780.org

Shop:                        www.foundation4nextgen.zhuncity.com