Druggista

It’s a fact of life that when you grow older, you’ll meet a lot more people, you’ll experience more things and you’ll think of a lot more things that had not gone in your head before and then you’ll realize in conclusion that life is short.  In fact, it’s very short.  Think about it… We are schooled from prep to college.  That’s approximately 18 years of life devoted to education.  All those education provided was for us to be prepared to face the REAL world.  But are we?  After schooling, we try our best to find a good job in an economy of rising inflation rates.  Well, let’s say we did find a good job.  So we toil for let’s say 5 years.  That’s a considerable amount of time in a company considering the rapid rate of change the 21st century is now experiencing.  Now before you know it, you’re already well into your mid-twenties.  And now you’re faced with a big dilemma.  Will you continue working like a horse and continue to sustain yourself with this meager salary, or will you venture out and try the business world for greener pastures?  (I forgot to mention in the beginning, that this article is not too applicable to those who have a substantial family heirloom)  Eventually, given the state of economic crises we are constantly in, the individual will realize that doing business will ultimately be more reliable and suitable for his current needs and future family life.  So now he ventures into the business world.  With a limited capital on hand, he searches for the most profitable yet legal business he could find.  He will initially enter into a "safe" business in which profits though not that substantial but a certainty.  As a Bisayan saying goes: "Bahala’g gamay basta kanunay."  So, he will relish in this state for another 5 years given that no other bigger opportunities befall upon him.  Well by now, our commoner is already into his thirties.  And unless you give yourself up to celibacy, this age is considered as the marrying age.  The over-the-calender-age. (For women and some men its much earlier, for some, marriage is just not meant to be; but to make our discussions more general to the common man, we’ll take thirty as the standard age for marriage.)  This age is where we all have to look for someone besides our dreams.   This age is where character will win over beauty.  Where housekeeping and child-rearing skills will win over style and fashion.  Where compatibility will win over affinity.  Where practicality will win over serendipity.  And where most importantly, agape love will win over all other loves.  Whether we’d face it or not, all our dreams of our ideal partners will not be realized.  He/She will remain embedded in our ideals.  Embedded in our minds on what a perfect partner should be, but in which one should never attempt to compare his mate to.  After a year or two, if both are blessed with fruifulness, a child will be born.  Behold!  The fruit of your labors and fantasies!  The crying of the child as he enters this world signals the start of the most challenging phase of your short life — Parenthood.  Two main reasons why this is a challenging stage:  First, you would have to appease and feed the raucous and hungry mouth of your baby each and everyday of his childhood.  Not only is this tedious work but also bothersome to say the least.  Second, you also have to contend with your supposedly-better-half — your spouse.  Now I’m not a marriage counselor of sorts, but at this point they’re bound to be fights.  Fights are inevitable in married life.  It’s also at this point that I would want to reiterate the point I made earlier of needless comparisons.  Because familiarity breeds contempt, and as passion and communication wanes, bitter comparisons and caustic words will only do more harm to an already damaged relationship.  Now it is important for the preservation of the marriage, to resolve matters as quickly as possibly.  Never let the sun set with an unsettled argument.  After a long and weary fight, and agreement is at hand, it is always a good idea to make good and passionate love.  It strengthens the bond, they say.  Regardless of whether a second child will or will not be born, the juggling act between work and family life will render him oblivious to the passing of time.  Unknowingly, he is approaching the age of depression and anxiety.  His mid-life crisis.  The age of forty. 

Life begins at forty, they say.  I cannot disagree more. I bet this phrase was not meant to be taken literally.  In a fast-paced society like the 21st century, people who are go-getters and risk-takers would vehemently reject this idea.  This phrase, I believe, was coined to signify that at mid-life, things are much more clearer than before.  At forty, you are supposed to be at the peak of your career.  You are supposed to be happily married with children.  You are supposed to be heading to a constancy stage in life.  A stable and mature life.   (If you’re over forty and reading this blog, and you have not accomplished the things I mentioned above, then fret not.  For I believe God has a better plan for you and He wants you to be different among the billions of people who go through the same experience.  But I recommend that you stop reading on.)       Forty signifies a plateau in a man’s life.  And where does a plateau eventually lead to?  At the end of the plateau,  it’s all downhill from here baby!!!  Now I’m not gonna go until the age of fifty and sixty.  Don’t worry…  I personally don’t claim to have experienced all this, for the mere fact that I am only in my twenties.  Neither am I claiming to be an expert in human relations nor a guidance counselor.  I just want to illustrate the transience of life.  Which brings me  to my main point of writing this long story.  First, let us look at the bright side.  Considering our age, we still have a relatively sufficient amount of time before reaching our plateau.  With time comes opportunity.  And with opportunity comes chances to improve ourselves.  Though problems might come to beset us, we must relish the fact that problems are there to serve as training grounds for improvement.   Problems provide us a chance to commit mistakes.  Mistakes are lessons we can always learn from.  As a beautiful quote goes: " There’s always something good that comes out of every life experience.  Good times become good memories.  Bad times become good lessons.  You can never lose, you can only gain in life!"  Secondly, most of us have the privilege of having the financial support from our parent’s hard earned money.  I like to view this support as a "fall-back" or an if-all-else-fails fund.  But we must use this advantage wisely, for we know that the money is only so much and they could only last so long.  Like fetching water while the well runs deep.  Lastly, I would like to challenge everyone reading this blog to start something.  Anything.  May it be in business, charity work, or even in your daily work.  Start something for the future.  Even in small incremental steps.  Because it is a series of small events that lead into a phenomenon.  Never let the fear of failure overcome us.  Remember, we are our own worst enemies.  Do not be afraid to be ambitious because the possibilities are always limitless.   

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