I was not "in the mood" this morning when I realized that I must have put on a few pounds. My indicator? Well, I could feel my favorite pair of skinny jeans hugging quite tightly my skinny legs :( I told my boyfriend about my "problem", and contrary to what I expected, he gave me a laugh and quipped that my problem is way too little than that of Ces Drilon's family and relatives. I wanted to protest, but undeniably, his comment knock some sense into my nearsighted brain!
While I complain about the unwanted pounds apparently because I eat more than the required calories and hardly exercise, millions of people are struggling to have something on the table. Then, there are those who are sick and dying because they haven't been eating enough. The worse part is, they don't have money to buy medicines...they are helpless, just waiting for their "day". And I could go on enumerating the countless, almost unsolvable problems of society.
Of course my not complaining will not make the hungry full, or the sick well. The point of this writing is that we should strike a balance between nearsightedness and farsightedness. It is not bad to assess our lives---worry a bit about how little we have accomplished vis-a-vis our goals; make resolutions to do better within the family, work, and circle of friends; invest to secure our future; etc. But we should not stop at that level. We don't exist in isolation, but within a society characterized by decay and so much injustice.
It has been said time and again, that people do not just need to satisfy their physical, belongingness and security needs. To be truly happy, people need to find meaning in their lives, and that "meaning" can be attained by sharing of oneself...helping others. And we could only help others if we use one more lens...that which enables us to "see" beyond ourselves.
While I complain about the unwanted pounds apparently because I eat more than the required calories and hardly exercise, millions of people are struggling to have something on the table. Then, there are those who are sick and dying because they haven't been eating enough. The worse part is, they don't have money to buy medicines...they are helpless, just waiting for their "day". And I could go on enumerating the countless, almost unsolvable problems of society.
Of course my not complaining will not make the hungry full, or the sick well. The point of this writing is that we should strike a balance between nearsightedness and farsightedness. It is not bad to assess our lives---worry a bit about how little we have accomplished vis-a-vis our goals; make resolutions to do better within the family, work, and circle of friends; invest to secure our future; etc. But we should not stop at that level. We don't exist in isolation, but within a society characterized by decay and so much injustice.
It has been said time and again, that people do not just need to satisfy their physical, belongingness and security needs. To be truly happy, people need to find meaning in their lives, and that "meaning" can be attained by sharing of oneself...helping others. And we could only help others if we use one more lens...that which enables us to "see" beyond ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment