Thoughts on turning 61

By the time you read this article I will have turned 61 and a day old! Sixty-one? That used to seem really old to me. But I feel superbly young! Not just healthwise, but inside!

I feel really happy and positive. I am brimming with excitement with the projects I am currently involved in. I am confident a difference can be made. I love the direction of creating models — which gives the message, “Yes! It can be. We CAN alleviate poverty. We CAN have communities of love peace and harmony.” I am not arrogant enough to presume we are the only ones who know the way or that there is only one way; there are so many other NGOs and individuals who are facilitating models in their own universe.

Because of my involvement with Professor Ed Morato who used to be the dean of the Asian Institute of Management and is currently the president of Bayan Academy, I have taken an interest in social entrepreneurship, which in essence is the ability to generate revenue, but with social impact. The very spirit of social entrepreneurship is to go “out of the box” but with passion and will. Our way out of poverty is to have the spirit of social entrepreneurship at the grassroots level.

Given the reality of storm surge, and the reality that the Philippines is within a geo-hazard zone — and the further reality that what can save us from the adverse effects of our geo-hazard location is a focus on the environment — I continue to be steadfast in my environmental leanings.

I feel that if we string the various successes that we have had together, it would create a beautiful garland of hope and light that will get more effulgent and beautiful as the number of “flowers” increase. It is in this light that I am informing you of our upcoming TV show on ABS-CBN, called Eat, Play, Love. Part of the show will highlight the good that institutions and people have done so that the benefit of their success spills over to the country at large. So if you have great projects that merit exposure, please contact Susan Afan at ABS-CBN. She is our marketing head in charge of the program, and her email is susan_afan-cst@abs-cbn.com.

As I interact more and more at the grassroots level, it gives me a deeper feel of the Filipino as a race. I continue to be “bowled over” by the decency, the simplicity and heartfulness of our race. Actually I find these traits at all levels of society — A, B, C, D and E. It’s who we are as a people.

My sincerest hope is that light increasingly shines down on this blessed country and its people. Last week I came across something I must have written several years ago, and it still manages to bring tears to my eyes.

There is nothing in the world that can stand in the face of a people united for a noble cause. Nothing. Blessed by the Divine, these people will light a flame that will touch people’s minds and hearts and leave a legacy that can last forever.

So, from an increasingly youthful 61-year-old, my message is: Fill your hearts with the awareness of your specialness and the grandeur that lies within you.

Take care of your health! Stay away from chemicals and preservatives (white sugar, white flour, MSG, iodized salt, anything highly processed). Take organic and natural red rice instead of white; eat free range — and happy, instead of antibiotic filled —flesh. If you have any ailment, you might seriously want to consider the oils I am currently using. They work fast and cover the psycho-emotional planes of existence. The more you stay away from chemicals, the better. Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is so good for the health.

Lastly, stay away from any negative or toxic energy. This holds true externally and internally.

A commitment to internal growth is so essential to living well. This is different from religion, which sometimes can be kept at the level of externalities. It’s a commitment to up the quality of one’s thoughts and emotions. To see where one can improve and go that way. Keep a diary; I have been doing that for the past two months now and it’s super helpful as a tool to evaluate oneself.

Life is designed to be difficult. But if we learn how to maneuver adroitly — always being open to guidance and positive change — we will not only fill ourselves with joy and meaning, we will have made the world, in whatever universe we have been living, a much better place.

And what a great way to enter the next world, no?