I was in the Candaba Swamps in the afternoon of February 6, 2012. I was there to watch the migratory birds, but I got an added bonus: I was able to watch the sun as it was about to set.
It was a most beautiful sight to see – a picture of tranquility, solitude and peacefulness. I looked around to check if the other people I saw working the fields earlier were watching the sunset. They were not. They were either walking or pedaling their bikes towards their homes.
Just like in Manila, I thought. We have a most beautiful sight of the Manila Bay sunset, but only a few people care to watch it. At the time the sun is setting, most Manilenos are still at work; are already on the way home from work; or, doesn't care about the sunset at all!
The sunset is not the only natural phenomenon suffering the same fate. The plants and the flowers in the forests are in the same boat. They grow, they die and they rot without anybody seeing them. The birds in the forests sing beautiful songs with no man being able to listen to their tunes.
So the next time you did something which you thought was outstanding but nobody praised you for it or even called your attention to it, just remember the sunset and the plants, the flowers and the birds in the forests.
Beautiful things and outstanding deeds are sometimes left unnoticed. But even then, they remain beautiful and outstanding.
Here is a story of a rich businessman who wants to retire and has to choose from among his three sons the one who will take over his business. He decided to give it to the one with the best business acumen.
He called all three and gave each of them a thousand pesos. He instructed them them to buy something that will fill up all the corners of his office.
The first son bought a tree full of branches and leaves. He had it cut down and brought everything to his father's office. It filled up half of the room.
The second son hired a laborer to cut as much grasses and bring it to his father's office. It filled up more than half of the father's office.
The third, bought a candle, went to his father's office, turned off the lights and then lighted the candle.
A friend of mine sent this piece via email and suggested that I post it in in my blog. He claimed it contains excellent advice for the young graduates of 2012. It turns out that this material was the famous essay written in the late 1997 by Mary Schmich, a columnist of the Chicago Tribune. In 1999, Baz Luhrmann released a song called Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) in which Schmich's column is read word for word. Today, such song has various MTV versions on You Tube.
The essay provides a discursive advice for living without regret. This may not make sense to most young graduates now. But as a they will grow older, they will start to appreciate its message. And yes, it is as relevant in 2012 as it was in 1997 when it was first written.
Here is Mary Schmich's column published in the Chicago Tribune on June 1, 1997:
Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who'd rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there's no reason we can't entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.
I encourage anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 1997.
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
And here is one of the versions of the various music videos. It is 6 minutes long but I am sure you will enjoy watching and/or listening to it.
