Realization

Thus, we are also free to choose between good and evil, or live and spread love, beauty, kindness, peace, calmness, ecstasy, success, good fortune, fame and generosity. We can always do what's best for us and others and be a hero or heroine to whoever needs our help or smile every day and everywhere at this time and in this age or further more. We can either give hell or heaven to the person we love or to others but it's always better to be the good guy than the bad who always feel regret since he/she should've have done things differently or nicely than be a bitch or an ass all the time. But heck, we can't judge a book by its cover, for sometimes the cold or heartless are the genuine lovers or the ones who truly have soft spots for others than someone who is all sweet but is insecure and wear masks to appear good on the outside. So we need to be careful in letting people in our lives, in our hearts and on our beds!.

I have been reading a lot now to be able to get over the hurt Vicky caused me. Reading my professor's books made me a new person and I really need to thank her someday for the positive impact her writings caused for my life to experience growth. It's like my life shifted in full reverse but in a happy and pleasant way. Now I can hardly take my eyes off this booklet about living, loving and laughing. It is making me feel emotions that I have never felt before and it feels wonderful.

LIVE.

LAUGH.

LOVE.

MARIA VICTORIA T. MANALO

LIVE

Life, where did it come from. The Bible stated in the book of Genesis that God created man and woman to inhabit the earth, so He breathed life in them. The Creator made 'soul' and placed it inside each and every one of us like water in a vessel of clay. The physical body is the home of this soul that just like the stomach gets hungry and needs to be fed, so as the soul. How can we feed a soul? Can it survive by manna or bread? Or will it live through social media or sex?

The soul is complex but the most important part of a human being. Without it he / she would not be able to breathe, or live or grow. All is lost without a soul to keep a body alive and survive anything and everything in and out of his/her self, with his/her peers, family or colleagues or in the world. What is then the food of the soul?

A soul is a warm, transparent and light energy that is connected to the word spirit. But this is alive and goes back to the Creator when the person's time on earth is over. We all have souls and we feed it with prayer, meditation, yoga, good deeds and many more act of heroism or holiness.

The body is the same one feeds it with bad habits or vices that inhibits the mind and heart to think, feel properly. We must feed our bodies and souls good things such as nutritious food and positive vibes or outlook, to lead to a happy and healthy life.

But what is to live, really? Influencers say that, to live is to dream and act or work hard on your dream to make it a reality. I always say that phrase too for I believed it is possible and there are those who are living their dreams now by joining Bitcoin or listening to their daily horoscope and mantra to use as guide to live by.

None of these are wrong. Influencers and motivation speakers, teachers or even business entrepreneurs are never wrong or lying. These ways or rules they lived by have worked for them, so they are just sharing their ideas on us or those who are willing to give up anything to be rich, happy, free of the nine to five jobs and financially secured maybe up until they grow old and die, probably.

However, I have learned from the forty-four years of my existence that, we can dream, work on that dream and be successful doing the things you love to do and earn from it. But it is seldom true that we can always become that dream and work on the dream job, live in that dream house or even be famous for the books that we have written, just like what I am doing now! Hehe!. My friends, loves, we can dream as much as we want and try to work or even die to work our asses hard enough to achieve the things we want in life, and yet fail to get that promotion you wanted, or due to illness you can't travel the world or because of your elderly parents you can't apply for the job you have desired for all your life.

In the prayer beads of the Holy Rosary, as a Catholic myself, growing up in a religious family, we are taught to be patient in times of illness and offer it for the souls and the world. We are also taught to accept suffering just like Jesus Christ who was nailed to the Cross when he died there to save us from our sins and the sins of the world. But those are the past. Jesus already died and He already saved us from sin and sufferings. So now it's our turn to spread His story of his salvation but not relive it, instead contemplate on it and hold it as our example of goodness and everlasting service to humanity. Jesus never want us to suffer or be crucified just like him but he wants us to be the one to save others who are in need, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the homeless. Jesus wants us to practice loving God just like loving ourselves/our neighbors. He also wants us to fulfill his promise of raising from the dead and coming back, by accepting our brothers/sisters who don't want him and teaching them his words and letting them fee his love for all mankind. By forgiving those who have hurt us or betrayed us. Or by loving those who are lost, confused, alone, different or casted out by society or by the world.

Life is not as hard to understand when we know what truly is essential in it to live it. I thought being rich, popular or learned, I can have a fulfilled life. I was wrong. It is an accomplished life if it is fruitful and if it is shared with others. Experiences with ourselves and others can make a lot of difference in a day, and more in a lifetime. The Bible had spoken of the good works and miracles of the apostles, saints, kings, great women and Jesus. But that was a long time ago. Have we ever thought that maybe, God, Jesus wants us to write our own story or stories, tales of heroism, goodness and service. The Christ lived and died in the service of the people, for the people, for the glory of his God the Father. What about us? Who do we pledge or give our lives to, the work of our hands to and the blood/sweat that we die hard to do? Maybe for ourselves pride or self-actualization, for our family and friends and or maybe for our future or for the world. Whoever it is we offer our life's work or our accomplishments, we always need to remember our intentions. Sometimes we get blinded by fame, fortune or popularity that we forget the sole purpose of our existence and our ultimate goal. That is to live our purpose and knowing what that purpose is to truly fulfill it.

Then, what is your purpose? Your reason to live in this world, being a speck of dust in a vast universe?...

We are our purpose. God gave you this life for the reason that you are a gift to your family now that you take care of them as the head or the breadwinner. You are special because you tend for your sister/brother who is sick or mentally challenged. You are a hero to your countrymen for you fight to defend them towards truth and against racism. You are a blessing to your community because you care for nature, and made a man-made coral reef out of old tires or water dispensers to serve as artificial reefs for the school of fishes, and etc.

We can be someone in this world but we can never be truly human if we neglect and disregard our responsibility to protect, preserve and develop our family, our nature, our community, our nation and our world. We can never truly love our family if we hate our neighbor. We can never really respect our boyfriend/girlfriend when we yell at our own parents. We can never truly like others when we can't even like ourselves.