A. Partnership
This idea of partnership is very suggestive of this year’s Baccalaureate theme -- KEEP ON DOING WHAT MATTERS MOST. We see this picture clearly illustrated in Philippians 3:13: "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead."
In this verse, Paul illustrates that after having received God’s grace, our responsibility is to return full effort in striving perfection in moral, ethical, and spiritual areas. Paul is urging his erring brothers to follow his example in persistently concentrating on the common goals. What does Paul mean by “perfection.”
This consists of discarding wrong attitudes and habits accumulated in the past. We must let go of our excess baggage, the weight that pulls us down. We must diligently make unwavering progress in eliminating unwanted fat – so we can do what matters most -- growing in God's love, producing the fruit of God's Spirit, moving toward the Kingdom of God, and putting on Christ's perfection, His image in us.
The Legend of Nataer
Have you heard of the Legend of Nataer?[1] I wish to recall this legend using the story written by Rev. Dr. Mariano Apilado. This is a legend that may have been forgotten by people in northern Philippines.
It is the legend of Nataer, a young man so named because he was handsome, but who started with the name Butiog. Because he was so fat, he walked around like a duck. One day, a hairy giant, Aran, came out of the forest to visit and told Butiog, “I have come here to ask about your dream.”
“I have no dream,” Butiog replied.
“That’s impossible,” Aran insisted, “you must have a dream -- last night, the night before or nights before,” Aran continued approaching Butiog with a menacing look.
“All right, I have a dream,” Butiog answered, “In my dream, I saw a big alingo (“wild hog”), he began to fabricate, “and the biggest bukatot (“bamboo fish trap”) full of dalag (“mudfish”), purong (“carp”), padaw (“prawn”) and igat (“eel”).
“I knew you had a dream,” Aran said happily, “let’s go and find your dream alingo and bukatot.”
Butiog became even more frightened because he knew that what he told Aran was not even a dream but only a fabrication, and so he said, “I am tired, and I can hardly move my body.”
“You can walk,” Aran said in a low but firm voice, “let’s go.” And so they departed, and when they reached the riverbank, they proceeded downstream. As they walked farther, they saw the biggest bukatot near a bamboo grove beside the river.
“See,” Aran said excitedly, “there is the bukatot of your dreams.” They examined it and true enough, it was full of different fresh water fish.
Aran then instructed Butiog to carry the Bukatot. And because it was full of fish, Butiog could hardly lift it. Aran then helped so that it could be placed on Butiog’s shoulder. Butiog complained that he could not carry the load, but Aran told him to be quiet, and so the fat man had no choice but to carry the bukatot and, although he would fall down once in a while, they trudged on.
Soon, they also saw the big alingo caught in a trap, and Butiog had to carry it also on his shoulder.
And so, although he walked with extreme difficulty with heavy loads on each of his shoulders, Butiog trudged on with Aran muttering, “That was your dream, that was your dream,” until they reached the house of the former.
Several days later, Aran came back and asked Butiog, “Where are the reins of your horse? Get them, come with me and let’s join the hunt organized by Apo Baknang (“Lord Wealthy”).
Aran took the reins and put them on Butiog, after which he rode on Butiog’s back until they reach a wide plain of ledda (“cogon grass”) where many people had already gathered together.
They learned that the hunt had been organized for the purpose of catching Ugsa a Balitok (“Golden Calf”), so called because it had golden horns. “Whoever catches Ugsa a Balitok will receive for a prize Apo Baknang’s pretty daughter, Wayawaya, as wife.”
The Ugsa a Balitok had hidden in the ledda and so the hunters set the fire on the grass in order to force it to come out into the open. The frightened animal came out and one by one the hunters tried to catch it; one by one they failed.
Then Aran said, “Watch me, gentlemen, and I shall catch the Ugsa a Balitok and marry pretty Wayawaya.” Getting on Butiog’s back, he shouted, “Run fast, Butiog, we can do it.”
What a sight it was! Butiog, with Aran on his back, at first could hardly move, but he waddled on as fast as he could. Then as he ran, he felt lighter and lighter and he could run faster and faster. It was quite a spectacle seeing Ugsa a Balitok running as fast as it could and Butiog with Aran on his back running after the animal.
Then wonderful things began to happen. Butiog now ran as fast as lightning and soon caught Ugsa a Balitok. Then Aran, the hairy giant, disappeared.
Finally, Butiog was no longer what he was; instead, he had become what he truly was, a very handsome young man, with broad shoulders, upright body, radiant eyes and gorgeous looks!
Everyone saw that he had become Nataer. Carrying proudly, therefore Ugsa a Balitok on his shoulders, Nataer walked proudly towards Apo Baknang’s house, and there pretty Wayawaya met him on the doorstep and all she could whisper to herself was, “Nataer.”
The Butiogs in All of Us
In many ways, most of us may be similar to Butiog: with a huge stomach filled with junk experiences, junk food, junk thoughts, junk learnings, junk activites, junk songs, and many other junks.
Those junks may come in many forms -- materialism, spiritual sluggishness, priorities that are skewed in favor of oneself instead of others, activities that are limited to personal satisfaction, and other deviant behavior that take us away from the lap of Jesus Christ – such as dishonesty.
You have successfully completed an important journey in your life. Perhaps, you need to do a reality check – what baggage you have to get rid of and, in place, important spiritual options you need to acquire.
Dr. Apilado suggests that “Perhaps there is a need for addressing this indigestion, reducing worldly obesity and regaining the dash and dynamism of physically and spiritually fit, morally straight and mentally alert Christians will attempt to win the hand of Wayawaya.
As this year’s theme suggests, we must stay focus on the things that MATTER MOST. Discerning which ones matter most and which ones should become the significant stepping stone in the second stage of your journey. May I suggest that you focus on three values – integrity or honesty, confidence, and responsible citizenship/Christians.
Things that Matter Most
Let us start with integrity/honesty.
Part of my advocacy is governance. I advise local governments and national government agencies on how to institutionalize governance.
It is in this endeavor that I learned that the Philippines lost its eligibility in the millennium development program. With this is a US$500 million grant which is supposed to be a grant to help bring down poverty. We lost that status only for one reason –corruption. We scored quite low in the corruption index.
Survey after survey, we scored the highest in terms of corruption. Year after year, our ranking went up. I understand that as of latest ranking, the Philippines is the number 1 most corrupt country in Asia.
That is a paradox considering that the Philippines is the only Christian country in Asia. That is something that Christians should consider as a task, a responsibility. As graduates of a Christian college, you must bring this value wherever you go. In business. In your profession. As an overseas worker. As housewife, even.
Remember the parable of the Emperor’s Seed (internet-circulate story, author not identified).
o An aging emperor in the Far East called all the young people in the kingdom. He gave each ONE seed and asked them to plant that seed. Then he asked them to come back after one year with what they have grown. From among them, he would choose the next emperor of the kingdom.
o A boy named Ling received a seed, went home, planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day, Ling kept going home to check his seed, but nothing ever grew.
o After one year, they all brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling was hesitant to attend but his mother encouraged him to go, and to take his pot, and to be honest about what happened.
o When the emperor arrived, he spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. He looked at Ling, and said, "Behold your new emperor!
o The emperor said, "I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"
There is a reward for being honest and for keeping your integrity intact. It may not show itself instantly, but it will come.
Second value is confidence. I choose this as a second value because this is a common weakness of many young Filipinos.
I have seen this in many of my new employees. They are very talented. However, they seem to have very little faith in their talent and what they can do. I have instituted a program for building their confidence. Somehow, the challenge to build their confidence remains.
I know of many talented individuals. But because of the lack of confidence and the lack of faith in one’s capability, they were never able to make use of their talents. Looking forward, I believe that it is something that all us, especially young graduates, should seriously look into.
There was this woman who lived in London over a century ago.[2] One evening, she took a leave to hear a great speaker of her day. His speech moved her deeply and she waited to visit with him afterward.
o This woman confessed to the speaker that she never had the opportunity as he and many others had. She narrated that she had been peeling onions and potatoes in her sister's boarding house for fifteen miserable years.
o In response to the questions of the speaker, she said that she had been doing this while sitting on the bottom of the step in the kitchen with her feet planted on the floor made of glazed brick.
o Hearing that, the speaker said, "My dear lady, I will give you an assignment today. I want you to write me a letter about the brick." Against her protests about being a poor writer, he made her promise to complete the assignment.
o The next day, as she sat down to peel onions, she gazed at the brick floor. That evening she pulled one loose, took it to a brick factory and asked the owner to explain to her how bricks were made.
o Still not satisfied, she went to a library and found a book on bricks. She learned that 120 different kinds of brick and tile were being produced in England at the time. She discovered how clay beds, which existed for millions of years, were formed. Her research captivated her imagination and she spent every spare moment learning more. She returned to the library night after night and this woman, who never had a chance, gradually began to climb the steps of knowledge.
o After months of study, she set out to write her letter as promised. She sent a 36-page document about the brick in her kitchen and, to her surprise, she received a letter back. Enclosed was payment for her research. He had published her letter! And along with the money came a new assignment - this time he asked her to write about what she found underneath the brick.
o For the first time in her life she could hardly wait to get back to the kitchen! She pulled up the brick and there was an ant. She held it in her hand and examined it.
o That evening, she hurried back to the library to study ants. She learned that there were hundreds of different kinds of ants. Some were so small they could stand on the head of a pin; while others were so large one could feel the weight of them in one's hand. She started her own ant colony and examined ants underneath a lens.
o Several months later she wrote her findings in a 350-page "letter." It, too, was eventually published. She soon quit her kitchen job to take up writing.
o Before she died, she had traveled to the lands of her dreams and had experienced more than she ever imagined possible! This is the woman who had never had a chance.
Sometimes we need a reminder to tell us that we have the talent to do other things.Third value is responsible citizenship. How do we become responsible Christians. Lee Kuan Yu, former Prime Minister and now senior adviser in Singapore once said that he like Christianity but he did not like the Christians.
Last month, I was part of a group that went to participate in a session that defined the vision of a Southern City. One of the participants was the author of a book “12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country.”
After hearing him speak and elaborate on what he wrote in the book, I was just so amazed to realize that, indeed, little things mean a lot. To those who grew up in this environment, you will find some of these little things quite amusing or even comical.
For example, his first recommendation is for us to follow traffic rules. If you have been to Manila, you will know that this wish is not a joke. One of the required readings in Apologetics in the Seminary is the book “To Each His Own.” That is precisely what traffic is like in Manila. In that part of the world, it takes commitment, dedication, a deep sense of patriotism and a life of Christian values to be able to follow traffic laws.
The recommendation makes sense. The author says that “Traffic rules are the simplest of our country’s laws. But when implemented, it paints a country of strong laws.” The people become better citizens, Christians. You see civic culture in action. This is one little step, but big in impact.
There are 11 other little things that he recommends to every citizen. Each little thing, when reviewed, is really a little thing but may yield proportionately gigantic results if done by everyone. The author quoted a finding in a study on behavior. It says, when a person does something 30 times continuously, it becomes a habit.
Benjamin Franklin said that “the best way to build a dream is by attending to the little things that comprise it. Its foundation is in the little details; its beauty in the fine points.”
Looking Forward
If we go by the average, most of you are graduating at age 20 or 21 years. That was the first stage of your first journey. Looking forward, you have 40 or so years to do something purposeful before you retire. That I believe is the second stage of your journey. The military retires its officers early at 56 years old. The civilian government and private sector retire employees much later, from 60 to 65. The judiciary retires justices at 70.
Forty years may be short. They may be long. How it will be for you – whether short or long -- will depend so much on how you take the journey from now until 2050. It will appear to be short if you live a meaningful, significant or successful life. It will appear to be long if that journey becomes perpetually a struggle or uneventful. You have a choice.
Allow me to do a little arithmetic. Those who will become doctors will need another 10 years to complete their medical education and residency program. Add to these another five years to specialize and to become a consultant. Perhaps, another five years to gain the reputation of a specialist. By the time they become bankable, they are 40 years old.
They have 20 more years to make something out of their lives -- if they haven’t already and before they are considered irrelevant and old by the time they reach the age of 60.
It could be the same arithmetic for those who will become lawyers, those who will work in government, and those who will go into business. There is no short cut to your destination.
Whatever life’s challenges or surprises will be, your task is to look ahead, take what you have learned in this great institution, and use them to full advantage. Put your sight in front of you.
I remember when I started riding a bike. The person guiding me was always reminding me to look forward. True enough, whenever I looked down or else, I lost my balance. What I started driving a car, my instructor told me to look forward. Indeed, we cannot drive a car by using the rear view mirror. We have to look forward.
As the saying goes, “Make the least of all that goes and the most of all that comes.”
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