Insights about life

"Don't take life too seriously. You'll never escape it alive anyway."
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) -

Life is probably one of most quoted subjects but I find this one particularly special. It made me rethink about how I deal with life and existence and the reason for everything that I am pursuing now. Living away from family and close friends in a country that seems to be so enigmatic and ironic in a lot of ways could be lonely and frustrating sometimes. This oftentimes traps me in difficult crossroads that drain my optimism and makes me regret on some decisions that I have made in the past. Maybe it's a case of premature mid-life crisis, but if you were in my shoes, then you would probably understand why.

I grew up in a large, tightly-knit family that has remained together despite the countless economic, political and natural crises that ravaged the Philippines. Just like any other families, the older generation has deliberately and inadvertently instilled so many values to the younger ones. But my family, both sides being strongly matriarchal because of the early demise of my grandfathers, has grown to be home and family oriented so that no matter how attractive the opportunities were in the past, nobody migrated to greener pastures. In fact, among the family members of almost one hundred loveable individuals from both sides, I am the only one who has decided to live abroad for a number of years. So you could just imagine how homesick I could get when I call them and they are all together celebrating every imaginable occasion. Sometimes my friends ask me if I have plans to permanently settle outside the Philippines after my studies, considering that I only need to work for myself and life back home has abundant support. I find it difficult to answer and it leaves me with so much questions in my mind.

Life in a progressive country has good things to offer to me, most especially to the career path that I intend to tread. Here, I experience doing research projects that could have just remained pure figments of the imagination if I have chosen to pursue a career in the Philippines . Also, the opportunity to travel, earn, improve and to immerse myself to another culture is boundless if I work honestly for it. The situation in the Philippines is very unpredictable, the return of investment is uncertain and the fruit of labor can be very elusive.

So, what will it be for me in the future? In my homeland or somewhere else? The answer, as repeatedly uttered by people around me is very simple - go where my heart is. But where my heart leads me in the future remains a riddle at the present. After reading the quotation that has been around for more than a hundred years, my outlook became less complicated. I will just make the most of what I have now, enjoy life one day at a time but wisely preparing for the future and having feasible plans that come from the heart. Thanks, Mr. Hubbard! You just saved my forehead from more wrinkles due to worries and stress. Words are really more powerful than the sword.

My Life