My General Reflection in CNF

To start with, I don't like reading books, and I'm not fond of expressing feelings while reading (it feels
like cringey stuff). When Ma'am Rubillar told us about the importance of reading books and how it can
change our perspective on life positively, I found myself curious about reading. Actually, I like exploring
new things—that's what I'm going to tackle in this new season of my life: seeing myself reading; seeing
myself crying over books; seeing myself applying the lesson that I've learned from reading. In this
reflection of mine, I want you to also join me in my learning, especially in the compilation of the short
story.

The first short story we read was "The Diary of the Girl", It was all about a father who still chose to be
happy despite his deceased wife to show his daughter that he's rich with love. I was touched by the
story because I'm still lucky to have a complete family and sad at the same time—though we're
complete, I didn't feel the presence of my father because we haven't shared that strong bond since we
were kids.

The second one was "The Sparrow and the Shrimp", The story was all about the love of the Sparrow and
the Shrimp despite their environmental differences. In reality, it shows that Muslims can't love other
religions because it's taboo in their culture. In the end, they compromise their love and show us that
"love has no boundaries."

The third one was the story that makes me feel disheartened and frustrated, and the title was "A Piece
of String". No matter how you explain the truth and how you express your feelings to the world, even if
you're using megaphones to be heard, it shows that it was ineffective. I learned that the most efficient
way to prevail over truth is to just be true to yourself. As in the story in "Sapay Koma", you don't need to
prove yourself to be right; you only need to be true to your feelings and feel no regrets about the
decisions you've made.

The next one was the "Open Your Books", the story was all about a person who fulfill her dreams to
become a teacher— a passionate teacher. It makes me realize that "small steps starts with an inch" and
just like that she achieved it through determination and dedication (I wish I could be like her— full of
hope despite the elusiveness of the way).
 Morrie, how can I forgive you for accepting that death is a natural process of life? Indeed, reading can
make you feel different. Just like what Ma'am Rubillar said: "Appreciate reading and emphasize life's
greatest lesson." This book by Mitch Albom inspired me a lot to make progress in life. I learned that I
couldn't be the person I am today if I had accepted death before. And it impacted me a lot because it's
true—how can I accept death if I haven't yet found my purpose here on earth?

“Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”

We are afraid of facing death because we fear of suffering from pain and loneliness and wonder what
life might be like after death. Nevertheless, Morrie wants to tell us that we should live our lives to the
fullest. The young generation nowadays is afraid of taking risks and has weak decision-making that has
led them to question their existence. Life is not just about successes but also failures. Death is
something that we should not fear; we should fear the things that we are able to achieve but are afraid
to give them a try. Always remember that living life to the fullest is about finding meaning and purpose
in one's experiences and striving to make the most of the time we have. It is a reminder to embrace life's
opportunities, learn from its challenges, and pursue one's passions and goals with enthusiasm and
dedication. (CNF GROUP 4 REPORT, FOURTH TUESDAY).

Overall, reading is not what I expected. I thought it was boring; I thought people were reading it because
it's a trend. I was wrong; I found myself enjoying it, and reading books eased the burden of feelings that
I've been lifting for too long. If I feel so unmotivated, I always look forward to Morrie, who is always
there to comfort my bloody heart. If the time comes, I will be like Mitch—I want to express my gratitude
to the teacher who molded me into the person that I wanted to be. Especially you, Ma'am Cath.