Good Morning Judge: “Life goes on”

As I was going over my files, I came across a copy of the IBP/CASTLE (Camarines Sur Trial Lawyers League) Newsletter issue of October-December l999 and in the column “Tussles for Thought” I run in the Newsletter I wrote an article entitled “LIFE GOES ON” which I believe is still relevant even at today’s setting, hence I have decided to adopt it in this week’s issue of this paper. The article is quoted hereunder: “As we struggle for thought for this column, the soft melody of a Christmas song is wafting in the air from an FM station conveying message of hope, cheers and joy. Songs are the language of the soul, they say, and poems are the song of angels. It is only a few days from Christmas but can we Filipinos, we in the poorer segment of society ever appreciate the beauty of a Christmas song (as the language of the soul) as we face the plunging value of the peso and the rising price of basic commodities? Perhaps in the privacy of our own thoughts we can just fantasize imported apples and oranges for good luck on our dining tables on Christmas and New Year’s day and at the same time look at reality with jaded eyes. With money one can buy everything. That’s what they say. Indeed, with money one can buy food, but can it buy appetite? With money one can buy medicine, but not health, ‘knowledge but not wisdom; glitter but not joy; acquaintances but not friends; servants but not faithfulness; pleasures but not peace.’ So I’d rather recite my favorite poem and listen to the song of angels! Or run home to my native place, a town guarded by a mountain and a sea, where I can seek solitude and where all is quiet except the beating of my heart. Indeed, life is not a laughing matter especially at hard times like these. But can you ever imagine having to live without laughing? After all, life goes on, no matter how much time we have ahead of us. And as someone has put it, “in the end there is only one person in this world who can drag you down or lift you up, and that person is you.” So keep on and let your reach go beyond your grasp otherwise what’s heaven for?” And as one Filipino poet has said: “Not yet Rizal, not yet; Sleep not in peace; There are a thousand water to be spanned’ There are a thousand bridges to be crossed; There are thousand crosses to be borne.” TRIVIA: Hi and greetings to Mr. Amador of Milaor, Camarines Sur, whom my spouse Minda and I chanced upon at the Basilica Minore after the funeral mass for the late Salud Manago Contreras. He now resides in New Jersey, USA. He said that through the internet is an ardent reader of my column. QUOTATION OF THE WEEK: “THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SAINT AND THE SINNER IS THAT EVERY SAINT HAS A PAST AND EVERY SINNER HAS A FUTURE.” OSCAR WILDE FOR OUR WORD OF LIFE: “ALL RIVERS GO TO THE SEA, YET NEVER DOES THE SEA BECOME FULL TO THE PLACE WHERE THEY GO, THE RIVERS KEEP ON GOING.” ECC. 1:7