Dearer than life

What could be more precious than life? I had some funny inkling the other day when a friend of mine invited me to take a ride on the zip line as a way to have a break and fun in the middle of a nosebleed-causing seminar of classes, talks and lectures.

This friend is actually very different from me. Yes, we share a lot of things in common, like love for books and discussing ideas and issues, but we are almost poles apart in terms of character and temperament. We kind of follow the law of the magnet: like poles repel, unlike poles attract.

This is a law that at least for me actually works well in gaining and keeping friends. I also have friends whose character and temperament are like mine, but whose ideas and convictions are opposed, even hostile to mine. Still, I manage to make friends this way.

It’s this kind of friendship that has enriched me with insights and experiences I would have missed if I didn’t have it. In fact, the discovery of my vocation to the priesthood went through this itinerary. A friend introduced me to a priest, then to things spiritual and religious, and then to my vocation.

Though I at first did not like the idea of seeing a priest, I could not say no to my friend. What started as a noblesse oblige ended up hooking me to a commitment of a lifetime and even beyond. That’s one example of God’s inscrutable ways.

Back to the zip line, I of course would not think of it even if the now famous Dahilayan Adventure Park in Bukidnon that features Asia’s longest zip line of more than a kilometer was just at the next hill. I could even hear the screams of the girls riding it, and in fact could see from where I was, plus of course a little of imagination, a faint image of the people enjoying it.

Still, these things just made me amused and happy for those who are having fun with it. It did not occur to me to try it. So when this friend proposed it to me, I was at first surprised, and with my built-in naughty mind, suspected the idea must be one in his bucklet list. But I reconsidered. A friend’s idea just cannot be dismissed outright.

So, one morning, dressed in excursion clothes and trying our best not to behave very conspicuously as priests, my friend and I found ourselves queueing up for the ride. But we were not successful in our masquerade, because after a few minutes, we heard someone calling us, “Father, I´m so glad to see you here...”

We were made to read some indications printed on the wall. The last line said, the park management tries their best to secure safety, but is not responsible for any untoward incident that may occur, including death. Of course, I didn’t like to read that, but there was no more turning back.

The attendants put us in a harness for the first leg of the ride-320 meters long. We were given helmets too for our heads, then some instructions, and there we were, poised at a certain launching pad with a deep valley below.

I tried not to get scared, and I was amazed to see how the mind automatically looked for justifications to appease the normal fears. If those little girls could do it, if those old women could do it, heck, I could do it. Of course, afterwards I was ashamed to myself that I entertained those thoughts.

We were pushed, then off we hanged in mid-air sliding toward a certain destination I didn’t have the chance to know from the attendant. Things moved so fast I was at loss what to think and see. I found myself twirling and could not control my direction. I wanted to see things around, but then the bump to stop me already hit me.

Then we went to the second leg, a shorter line of 150 meters. This time, fear simply vanished, and replaced instead by a spontaneous bravado softened by laughter and back-patting. I knew this was not my usual behavior, but, ok, at least for this time, I decided not to give it a hoot. This is just for fun with a friend.

The third leg was the real challenge, a line of 860 meters. To cut it short, we made it, and found ourselves feeling much younger. Lesson: Having fun with a friend out of trust and care for him can be dearer than life.

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