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.”
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 21st 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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