“NAVIGATING MY SHIP IN THE OCEAN”
Some dreams in my childhood seemed so possible to reach but as I grew older, I lost self-reliance and those dreams got lost.
From first year high school up to third year, I was so unconfident that I didn’t get myself involved in exposure activities. This summer, when I was working(summer job), I learned a lot from my workmates. I realized that I was born privileged and there is no point of me being abashed. Most of them are undergraduates and I learned that they were not working in a bakeshop to escape from school. Instead, they had no income to pay for their studies and here I am, loving each weekend and holidays… This last year of my schooling, I decided to turn over a new leaf. I have learned in third year Values Education that my future depends upon my present. I don’t even like picturing myself being an undergraduate because I didn’t want to go to college because of self-consciousness!
Things seemed to change rapidly when my father passed away and I came to a point when I realized that I can become a better student, it happened when I got my bronze medal last March. It was sad to note that daddy wasn’t there anymore to see me shine for the first time since fourth grade. I didn’t want it to happen again, I didn’t want my family see me as a disappointment and so, I began to learn little things I was afraid to do or wasn’t permitted to back when dad was still around… I learned to ride a jeepney by myself, my father never allowed me to do so because he was worried something might happen to me. I learned how to work with others, how to get along with them and it felt really good to actually belong.
The only problem is my image. I showed most people that I’m inferior and too modest. Today, I am struggling to change my image at the same time boost my public relationship because I discovered that my key to success is influenced by the way I talk and perform.
Navigating my ship in the ocean is like living my life on earth. Navigating is making choices and decisions in my ship(life). The ocean is a mystery just like the earth. There may be facts, yet, there are a lot of secrets behind them... Navigating my ship in the ocean is what I am exactly doing right now; I am plotting the coordinates because if I miscalculate, there’s a big possibility that my passengers might get hurt and we’d be stranded in the middle of nowhere until rescue parties arrive. My passengers are the people around me, my family and friends. If I screw up, they might be dismayed and it will take a lot of time fixing my faults. I just hope that if I get lost, there’s always a map; God is always around to rescue me and my passengers to safety.
PART II.
When God created man, He endowed us with diverse blessings and among these are values. These values in turn direct us in making our choices. This means that our future is determined by the kind of values we possess. We define values as a principle or belief that a person prizes and publicly affirms with conviction, acts on consistently, and chooses from among alternatives. Values are of several classifications. Personal values are values wherein it involves you alone. Examples are independence, privacy, self-respect, peace of mind and health. Values does not just stop on oneself, in fact, because of our intermingling with others, we begin to establish family values. These are the values that involve the closest people in our life, the family. Family values include close family ties and family happiness. Cultural values exist because as families increase, cultures emerge. It includes utang na loob, pakikisama and authoritarianism. Personal growth and professional advancement are examples of career values. Work values like exercising competence, resourcefulness and industry is consequential in handling one’s job. It may affect one’s self-image and success. There is what we call social and humanitarian values too. These values are concerned about the society. Social and humanitarian values, therefore, does service to others, help the needy, and love for country. Because God is so perfect, He did not forget to confer man with spiritual values like establishing a close personal relationship with God, seeking His will in our life and following His commandments. A person may possess something valuable but a “value” is only considered such when it has been chosen deliberately from several alternatives and it is acted on consistently. Our background affects the values we acquire. Customs and traditions vary as places vary and for this reason, it is not surprising why different people are influenced with different values. Values originally comes from the self, it is God given. Yet, it is enhanced or tapped because of the people around him and his daily experiences. Thus, the values of an individual are based on his lifestyle and usual encounters. The most common values that most-or maybe all people share are mostly human nature like love and faith. Because we come from different backgrounds, our values are as well, distinct. As a result, our values tend to be relative. But, in my opinion, absolute values are most preferable because, as we define absolute values, these are values that all people share. And so, if we share common values, then, there would be no misunderstandings and the world will then be a better place. Now, if I am asked, what values I would consider predominant, it would be love, close family ties and a close relationship with God. Love, I believe is like a root. It is the foundation of all the other values and virtue as well. Without love, it would be intricate for one to have self-respect, not to mention, respect for others. Without it, families would cease to exist and with its absence, life would be in vain. I treasure my family so much that establishing a close family ties among each member is substantial. And finally, having a close relationship with our Lord is part of a man’s journey and therefore, it is good to start early.
PART III.
It was during third year when I realized that values education isn’t another academic subject that deals with virtues, character, etc… Instead, it directs, me, in particular, on what road to take in the pursuit of truth. My own journey is enigmatic and continuous until the day I finally succeed. I am a pilgrim of God; He gave me special abilities to abate the burden of temptation and sin. Long time ago, man disconnected the bridge between him and God. Yet, because of His endless mercy and compassion, He gave us a second chance… He gave us Jesus Christ who taught us means to communicate to the Father; Christ taught us how to PRAY. From this, we gradually are drawn closer to God… to attain our utmost desire.
I am so lucky that God made me a human and not some animal or plant and for this reason, I believe I am blessed with the ability to do things freely. I am given intellect, freewill and body to choose my own road to truth. My hands for example, can be of two facets, it has the possibility to be creative or destructive. It is my freewill to choose what I am to use with my hands. And, having been given the intellect to know what is right or wrong it is up to me to put my thoughts into actions. Which leads me to education and schooling; I am enriched with intelligence to learn from my experiences and I tend to discover facts about life, which is requisite for my future. This is why I need to go to school to learn new ideas essential for my journey. Schooling not only teaches me facts and information, moreover, it contributes to my socializing with others and later with the world. These are the topics in values education I consider as a guideline in my journey.
