An inspired, blessed, joyful, hopeful new year to you all!

Amid all doubts and debates about the practicality and effectiveness of character change that is much needed for our nation, past and present history continues to show the proof that it only takes real change within just one person to affect the course of events and hence, construct a new private and social reality.

Ninoy Aquino, after his reckoning with the Lord during imprisonment, used the rest of his life to move from being a traditional politician to become a transformed reformer for the Lord, for this nation, for our people. The disciple Paul, much earlier, had that character change after his encounter as well with the Lord. From being a persecutor of the Jews, he became a very active witness for the Lord.

All that is needed is for present politicians, one by one, within themselves, to meet and accept the Lord in their hearts, and then on their own will, decide to create an alternative, honest, sincere political system in the service of the Lord, of our people. That is true for the rest of us, whoever, wherever we are and whatever we do. All that we need to do is to change ourselves. One by one, if all decide to change for the Lord, for oneself, for others, then we can create the honest, prosperous, protective social, political and economic systems that we all hope for.

All that is needed is the first step within each of our hearts. If we change, one by one, on our own, then social transformation is possible. Character change is a basic step to take and one that will proceed once each of us decides to do so. There has to be an acceptance, the free will to change one's character. Character change just requires one the will to change his/her ways for the benefit of all, then a better world for all is possible.

A recent tv program in Japan showed this inspiring story. Mr. Hiroshi Ikeda used to be a bank employee in Japan when he decided, in his early 30s, to give up his comfort zone and be an OISCA volunteer assigned to Dipolog. Mr. Ikeda had no illusions about what his decision could do for others but he knew that, within himself, it was what wanted to do with his life.

As a volunteer, he encouraged the local Dipolog residents to plant crops in a more systematic way. Before they could harvest, however, landslides swept away their crops. The discouraged residents did not wish to plant any longer, especially when they were aware that their plants would always be swept away with frequent landslides caused by the balding of the heavily logged mountains in their area, the logged lumber exported to Japan. When Mr. Ikeda was shown the bald mountains, he resolved, again in his own heart, to restore the splendor of nature by planting trees anew. Together with Tomas (a Filipino who, like Mr. Ikeda, also decided to share his life with other Filipinos in Dipolog), they started to recruit volunteers to replant the mountains but no one wanted to join their "useless" endeavor, the approached residents telling Ikeda-san and Tomas that replanting would not bring in money that they urgently needed.

Mr. Ikeda, upon returning from such a discouraging, unsuccessful campaign for volunteers, broke down in tears as he probably saw his earlier dream of helping others crush before his eyes with the refusal of those he wanted to assist, with his offer to help rejected by them. In this predicament, a knock on the door by his friend Tomas, who appeared at the door with a handful of volunteers, rekindled the fire in his heart not to give up his dream to help. Together, Mr. Ikeda, Tomas and few volunteers looked for remaining tree species in the logged mountains, planted these at random, one after another, by scooping the earth's soil with their bare hands.

Soon, the whole community saw the trees grow and the mountains slowly restored back to health. However, a mountain fire started and quickly burnt down the trees lovingly, painstakingly planted by the volunteers. Mr. Ikeda, Tomas and a few volunteers rushed to scoop soil to douse the spreading fire but this gallant effort proved inadequate.

Again, just when Mr. Ikeda thought that his dream would die with the mountain fire, suddenly he felt water fall from banana trunks brought by local residents, this time, in large numbers, who rushed to save their trees and their mountains! From that time on, the whole community joined hands with Mr. Ikeda and Tomas to make life better for themselves by restoring the health of their natural environment.

One life offered for a community, a whole community finally transformed. That is the inspiring message for all for the coming year: It takes only one to change him/herself for others, for a society to be transformed for the better. That was the message of Christmas, of Christ's nativity, of His passion and crucifixion as well. Resurrection comes after one gives up oneself for God, for others.

An inspired, blessed, joyful, hopeful New Year to you all!

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