Some thoughts in these trying times

God gave us life through our biological parents. What we do with that life is up to us. We are given a choice. We reap what we sow. Things happen because we made them happen - like when one failed in an exam because he didn't study well, or when one fell down from a guava tree because he was stubborn and hardheaded not to listen to his parents' warning not to climb the tree.

In a world of instant things (instant coffee, orange juice, oatmeal, etc.), life is never an instant thing. We have to work hard in order to achieve our goals. Working hard and hardly working are two different things. It's either we make it or break it. We made it because we were working hard. We broke it because we were hardly working. Life is indeed full of choices where we can freely choose from among the many alternatives. Choosing is an act. But choosing right is a decision. In like manner, love is not just a feeling; it is a decision.

Youth is the best time in life simply because it is that period when our sunrise has just began and we feel we're on top of the world because there's so much time in our hands: Time to commit mistakes, to learn our lessons, and make right what is wrong. But as we go up to the higher echelon of life, when time is seemingly running short, we dread and fear to commit mistakes because then there is no turning back. There's little time left. We have to be precise with our every move as life becomes a "no return, no exchange" deal. So, before we decide on something, let us pause and ponder and evaluate it many times over. And when we have decided, let's go straight ahead and not look back because for always there will be something or somebody that would be left behind. No "if's", no "but's". Just go straight ahead.

As Desiderata would put it: "Keep peace with your soul. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy".

Henry L. Yu, M.D.