Cycle of Calling
Perhaps I am one of the many beings in this world
who are aware that there other things that they should be doing in their lives
other than merely surviving it. I maybe one of those who are aware of a certain
"Calling". I wonder sometimes what life could I have been living if I were not
what I am now. What if I did not chose to spend the rest of my life healing
lives? Where would I be? Would I be one of the activists on the streets,
shouting at the top of my lungs for the president to resign and fighting with
the policemen who had no choice but to prevent me from doing so? Would I be an
office employee, one of the many millions rushing about at 8:00 in the morning
just to get to work on time, spending the rest of the day mechanically going
about their duties and complaining about the work they’ve settled for, after so
many unsuccessful job interviews, and then going home, spent, wondering what to
cook for dinner to feed the hungry mouths at home? Or would I be an
entrepreneur, setting up my own little business that hopefully would take up
ample space in our ever-struggling economy?
who are aware that there other things that they should be doing in their lives
other than merely surviving it. I maybe one of those who are aware of a certain
"Calling". I wonder sometimes what life could I have been living if I were not
what I am now. What if I did not chose to spend the rest of my life healing
lives? Where would I be? Would I be one of the activists on the streets,
shouting at the top of my lungs for the president to resign and fighting with
the policemen who had no choice but to prevent me from doing so? Would I be an
office employee, one of the many millions rushing about at 8:00 in the morning
just to get to work on time, spending the rest of the day mechanically going
about their duties and complaining about the work they’ve settled for, after so
many unsuccessful job interviews, and then going home, spent, wondering what to
cook for dinner to feed the hungry mouths at home? Or would I be an
entrepreneur, setting up my own little business that hopefully would take up
ample space in our ever-struggling economy?
No, I don’t see myself in any of these
possibilities.
possibilities.
I want to be a Teacher.
A Teacher of what? And to whom? Nah, I’ll leave
the theoretics to the academe. It would probably be better doing so. I want to
be a Teacher and there will be a Student. And the lesson I will teach is How to
Live a Life. I want to be a Life Teacher.
the theoretics to the academe. It would probably be better doing so. I want to
be a Teacher and there will be a Student. And the lesson I will teach is How to
Live a Life. I want to be a Life Teacher.
Crazy, isn’t? What do I know about life anyway? I
have only lived 25 earth-years of my life. What could I possibly know about
life that nobody else knows?
have only lived 25 earth-years of my life. What could I possibly know about
life that nobody else knows?
Nothing. But the difference is, I am willing to
share what I already know that perhaps would be helpful to someone willing to
learn from somebody else’s mistakes. After all, one does not have enough of a
lifetime to commit all sorts of mistakes to fully understand what is right. And
besides, to be righteous is not the goal of living. The goal is just to spend a
meaningful time in our brief stay here in the world.
share what I already know that perhaps would be helpful to someone willing to
learn from somebody else’s mistakes. After all, one does not have enough of a
lifetime to commit all sorts of mistakes to fully understand what is right. And
besides, to be righteous is not the goal of living. The goal is just to spend a
meaningful time in our brief stay here in the world.
Perhaps the book, "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch
Albom, added inspiration to this "calling" to be a Life Teacher. In this
book, Morrie was the Teacher and Mitch was his Student. At first, Morrie was
Mitch’s university professor, whom he has grown fond of because of his help in
his academics and because of the experiences they had in the university. After
Mitch graduated, they drifted from each other and then, after some time,
crossing paths again as Morrie discovered that he got ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis), a progressive, fatal disease of the motor neurons leading to total
paralysis and respiratory failure. That was when Mitch’s Lessons began and it
ended when Professor Morrie eventually yielded to the disease. It was
interesting to note how Mitch, who found life boring, learned how to live from a
person who is about to die.
Albom, added inspiration to this "calling" to be a Life Teacher. In this
book, Morrie was the Teacher and Mitch was his Student. At first, Morrie was
Mitch’s university professor, whom he has grown fond of because of his help in
his academics and because of the experiences they had in the university. After
Mitch graduated, they drifted from each other and then, after some time,
crossing paths again as Morrie discovered that he got ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis), a progressive, fatal disease of the motor neurons leading to total
paralysis and respiratory failure. That was when Mitch’s Lessons began and it
ended when Professor Morrie eventually yielded to the disease. It was
interesting to note how Mitch, who found life boring, learned how to live from a
person who is about to die.
Maybe I want to be a Professor Morrie. He wasn’t a
perfect person. He did not have a perfect life. And yet his lessons were
perfect for Mitch, so that he may find the way to make his life more
meaningful. As a doctor, I know I touch many lives but, sometimes, a touch is
not enough, I think. I want a melding of lives, not with a purpose of survival
but with a purpose of understanding the existence of Life itself. This
understanding, I think, cannot be fully attained if I focused myself on being an
activist, an office employee, an entrepreneur, or even a doctor. These
professions center too much on the pragmatic aspects of living. However, one
cannot fully abandon pragmatism. Id before the superego. Survival before
enlightenment.
perfect person. He did not have a perfect life. And yet his lessons were
perfect for Mitch, so that he may find the way to make his life more
meaningful. As a doctor, I know I touch many lives but, sometimes, a touch is
not enough, I think. I want a melding of lives, not with a purpose of survival
but with a purpose of understanding the existence of Life itself. This
understanding, I think, cannot be fully attained if I focused myself on being an
activist, an office employee, an entrepreneur, or even a doctor. These
professions center too much on the pragmatic aspects of living. However, one
cannot fully abandon pragmatism. Id before the superego. Survival before
enlightenment.
But maybe I’ll be a Teacher someday and I’ll
have a Student like Mitch. A Student to whom I could leave my legacy of
Lessons, which I learned from some important people I’ve found luckily in my
lifetime…people who also heard their calling and pursued it. And that Student
will be a Teacher too. It’s just a cycle of calling.
have a Student like Mitch. A Student to whom I could leave my legacy of
Lessons, which I learned from some important people I’ve found luckily in my
lifetime…people who also heard their calling and pursued it. And that Student
will be a Teacher too. It’s just a cycle of calling.
