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The following is one of the articles I wrote for ourschool paper The Anthonian somewhere in 2005 or 2006. Please visit my blog atwww.blogaddict.info to read my other write-ups. Thanks!Self –Reflection: A Thousand Miles Across One's Self
Take some moments to reflect on this…There was a man who was dissatisfied with himself. Discontentment and indecisionseemed to be his lot because he was afraid of what might happen if he ventured out byhimself. So, he thought that if he’d follow what other people tell him to do and imitatewhat they do and pretend as them, he would somehow do well. And he did!He won. He had reached the zenith, that breathtaking victory that he’d been wanting for.But what is truly breathtaking is that at the end, he realized that he didn’t really win at all:everything was just a mere illusion. Following every whimsical emotion and desire hadleft him with failing relationships, with compromised job performances and a life withsteady undertones of annoying irritability and uneasiness—which are also blamed onothers!How many gaze despondently into the unending nothingness of a mental blank spot,rehearsing their list of ‘what if’s, what for’s, why me’s, why not me’s, and only if’s? Howmany, like that man, live in remorse because of the fear to stand on their own? How manyresort to pointing their fingers to others because they could not admit their ownshortcomings?They are numerous. And that number includes you, me, us… everyone. Don’t believe it?Okay, let me elaborate. We do grumble, oftentimes, right? We always have a flood of complaints against somebody else about almost anything. We criticize our teachers for the way they teach us because we got low scores in our exams, or our leaders for the waythey run the government because of what is happening to our country. We also blamefate, bad luck and evil forces for a series of unfortunate events that come our way. And,we’ve even entertained the thought of questioning God why he put us where we are now.(Haven’t we?)Well, why not?But do you know what label is applied to those who have chosen to do nothing butconstantly moan about their misfortune?—LOSER! Let’s face it, you’re a loser. But noone wants to be called a loser. Who would you be foolish enough to be one? Of course,no one!What an irony! We don’t want to be either of the two but we do both. We always havereasons for everything. We have excuses for everything. We’re fond of scoffing at other peoples’ faults and shortcomings when in fact, we’re worse than they. We fool ourselves by pretending to be strong and happy, and by believing the falsehood we created, butdeep inside, resides a lonely isolated soul. Definitely, we have plenty of ways to elevateourselves above others and the lists keep on growing. It all sounds harsh but it’s true.Oftentimes, it’s easier to react and defend our actions than to truly examine them.Although the freedom to do this is a gift, many will not choose to have it for its tag bearsthe highest price—keeping selfishness and expectations of others in check, eliminatingluck and coincidence from the vocabulary, confronting fears, acknowledging own flawsand swallow pride—which are certainly hard to do.
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