I Concur

Truer words have never been said. Spoken like a true traveler-- one who has most definitely found his road and who knows how to walk it...

BAGGAGE DELAYS
Javier Alpasa, SJ * Ateneo de Naga University * January 26, 2005

Upon arrival from a major trip, I texted a friend, Mary Ann that I just arrived but my baggages are delaying my exit. The airline took time to unload the baggage so it delayed all of the passengers. Mary Ann replied "All baggages do that, they always delay us." Witty and true.

Oo nga. Ang kahit na anong dala-dala mo, nakapagbabagal ng iyong kilos.

That is the same principle for mountain climbing, the heavier your load is the slower you get.

Ganun din sa buhay natin. Kung malagkit pa ang kapit mo sa isang mapait na alaala ng pagtataksil ng iyong kasintahan, hindi ka makahahanap ng ibang mamahalin. Kung masama pa rin ang loob mo sa iyong magulang sa pagiging strikto nila sa iyo, makukulong ka sa konsepto na malupit ang kahit anong ipinaguutos kaya magrerebelde ka.

Ang kahit anong hinahawakan mo sa iyong loob, sa totoo lang, ikaw ang hinahawakan nito.

No wonder, the Gospel admonishes us to carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals. Kasi babagal ang usad mo.

Of course, carrying nothing is the ultimate goal but the process would mean removing some stuff one by one. Try an immediate application now - imagine the following scenarios:

On a short notice, you were invited for an overnight swimming, what would you bring?
You have to rush a relative to the hospital and you anticipate an overnight stay what would you bring?
You just woke up and realized that your house is on fire, what would you bring?
You see a more than 10 feet Tsunami wave approaching, what would you bring?

Notice that as the urgency of the problem increases the stuff you bring gets lesser and lesser. With an overnight swimming, you might still want to grab a Tequila bottle with you, but with Tsunami right before you, you bring nothing except your own life.

Ah, ang kailangan pala ay malaman na kailangan na, ngayon na, ora mismo. So why are you taking your time? Why don't you feel the urgency? Maybe because you believe there's still a long time, enough time.

Haven't you heard that life is short? People die. Last week a student who's a teener passed away. Even infants die.

But more than the reason of fear that you will lose your life, I believe it is more important to see the value of life per se, the life you are living, now. At kapag nakita mong mahalaga ang buhay mo, makikita mong dapat mahalaga lang din ang katuwang nito.

Dahil mahalaga ang buhay, hindi kailangan ng walang kwentang drugs. Dahil mahalaga ang buhay, gugugulin mo lang ang oras mo para sa mga mahahalagang bagay. Dahil mahalaga ang buhay, iaalay mo lang din ito sa mahalagang dahilan.

At sa Sagradong Dambana ng Buhay kung saan makikita mo ang pinagmulan, ang patutunguhan ng buhay, makikita mong naroon na ang lahat ng kakailanganin. Kaya pala wala na dapat dalhin. Wala ka kasing madadala na mas mahalaga pa sa makikita mo sa Altar, kaya iwan mo na ang lahat. Ang lahat-lahat.

Kaya mo?

Huwag kang mag-alala, ang lahat ng iniwan mo, katumbas lang ng alikabok sa altar na pupuntahan mo.