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Facing the Reality of Life: Both the Good and Bad of the Journey

Facing the Reality of Life:
Both the Good and Bad of the Journey
What is our present state and how should we deal with it?

A. MEANING OF SPIRITUALITY

Spirituality is one of those impressive words that is sufficiently vague as to mean anything you want. In its most broad sense it can encompass how one sees the world and deals with it a sensible human fashion. In this usage it begins with knowledge of the self and the real world beyond the self. It then moves to the development of rules of action for making wise and prudent decisions about living in such a world.

The term "Spiritual Exercises" has always been off-putting for me. It brings to my mind those morning meditations I went through which were based on thoughts someone else created, conveniently organized into three or four points. In the early days of my religious life, this exercise was done at 5:30 in the morning, an auspicious time giving sleep to weak and an excuse for the strong to avoid further "spiritual thinking" in the midst of their busy day.

In our present worldly world, a discussion of Spirituality can be sleep-inducing in lecture form and conversation-inhibiting in small groups. The sentence "Let me now talk about my spiritual life" invites scoffing by the unkind and tempts normally patient friends to walk quickly away.

It is unfortunate that this is so because a developed spiritual life is a strong support for us as we make our wandering way through the sometimes pandemonium of daily life. Most of us can identify with the trials of that poor mythological fellow, Sisyphus, day after day rolling a huge boulder up a steep mountain, only to have it roll back down to the bottom to be pushed up again. We seem to be doing something similar day in and day out: rising, off to our chores, four hours of labor, lunch, more labor, finish our tasks, dinner, sleep and then begin another day with the same old rock to be rolled up the same boring hill.

On most days we go through the process in an unthinking way, but then suddenly we may stop in the midst of our routine and ask: "Why?" "Is that all there is?" "Is this blindly mechanical existence the total meaning of my life?" Such questions that seem to drag us beyond the daily pedestrian "grind" of our lives, are the beginning of a movement into the spiritual realm. It is in this realm of "the spirit", a vision of human life that goes beyond the humdrum of everyday life and material needs, that we begin our efforts to make sense of our ordinary day by day existence.

B. THE CHALLENGE TO FACE THE REALITY OF OUR LIVES

One thing seems certain, a sensible spirituality must be based on reality ... the facts of life as they really are not as we sometimes pretend them to be. We must accept the truth about life before we can handle it sensibly. Dealing with life demands that we first know what it is, that we recognize both what we are and what the world is like.

As Augustine remarked: my knowledge captures the truth of my situation only when my judgments, my insights about the reality of my world correspond with the facts. (On True Religion, 36.66). Certainly that most perfect form of knowledge, wisdom, cannot rest on an erroneous idea about what the world is truly like, what I am truly like. If I claim to know that I am all-perfect, that indeed I am God, I cannot be called wise. Indeed, I am insane. Like those poor souls who laugh at a world their terrible fever has created, I am not in a happy state, a state which (if we recognized its true character) would cause horror, not ecstasy. The fact of the matter is that (again as Augustine observed):

Such is the overwhelming power of unconquerable truth, that one would rather keep one's wits and cry than lose one's wits and laugh.

Sermon 150, 10; cf. Sermon 175, 2.

It is in this realistic spirit that I offer the following facts about ourselves and the world. They are not exotic truths. Most of us have come to recognize the truth of most of them through our own personal experience. I would suggest that these basic truths about ourselves and the world are (unless I am crazy too) the foundation for a healthy spiritual life.

C. FACTS ABOUT OURSELVES

In response to his prayer "Let me know myself!" Augustine heard deep inside himself the answer:

" You are a beast."
"You are a beast with dreams."
"You are a bit cracked"

These were the first truths that Augustine came to know about himself. They also are truths about you and me and every human being. We too are beasts. We too have our dreams. And we too are a little bit cracked.

a. We are "beasts."

As I stand here hungering for my lunch, I freely admit: I AM A BEAST! I am an animal. I am not a pure spirit and (to quote Seinfeld from another context) "there is nothing wrong with that!" Indeed, Augustine tells me that I am crazy if I try to pretend that my body is not part of being "me". (On the Soul and its Origin, 4.2.13) I must not be ashamed of being an animal. I am an animal because that is how God made me to be. Sometimes I try to ignore the fact but that is because of my pride. Sometimes when I am pretending to be God, I try to deny that like other animals I have physical needs and drives and passions, that like other animals I am gradually falling apart, that like other animals I will someday die.

It is sad that sometimes I feel ashamed of being an animal. I am what I am because God wanted me so to be. My body is part of my being and in my body I glorify the God who made me. In taking care of my body I take care of a temple of God. God made me to glorify him and to be happy. And he wanted me to be happy not as some disembodied spirit but as a human being, a being of spirit and flesh and blood. In heaven even Jesus can do no more for me than to make me a glorified (but glorious) animal.

Indeed, Augustine goes so far as to say that we humans cannot be fully happy WITHOUT our bodies. That's why the Christian heaven is so much better than the heaven of the pagans. Crossing the river Styx to the place of the dead was not a pleasant prospect for the ancients precisely because seats on Charon's ferry were reserved for "nobodies", shadowed souls without flesh and blood. Augustine rejoiced in the miracle of Christ's resurrection because it showed that indeed the human body CAN survive the grave. It gave him the hope that one day he would be able to be in his eternal home with his flesh and blood. He for one knew that he could not be fully at peace until his body rejoined his soul and he thought those who believed otherwise to be quite insane. (Sermon 241, 7)

The fullness of heaven will not be in being cut in half but in being well-tied together. In heaven we will not be alienated from our bodies. As Augustine says:

We will be friends with our body. (Sermon 155, 14)

And, as a result:

Whatever our spirits decide will be accepted happily by our bodies and our spirits will be careful not to choose anything which would embarrass their good physical friend.

City of God, 22.30

God made me and you to be beasts and beasts we shall be forever and ever. But if and when we get to heaven we shall be very, very happy beasts. And that's a fact.

b. We are beasts with dreams.

Luckily being beastly is not the only fact about ourselves that we must accept. For sure, I am a beast but I am a beast who dreams. I dream of being something more than I am. Because I am a being of body I must live in the present, but I also live in the past through memory and in the future through anticipation. I am a beast with spirit and sometimes my spirit seems to carry me to the very heavens. I am a SPIRITED being and to ignore this is just as silly as to ignore my beastliness.

To ignore the needs of my body is to die. To ignore the needs of my spirit is to die in a much more terrible way. It is because of my spirit that I dream of living forever. It is because of the awesome (but terrifying) powers of my spirit that I have the possibility of living forever unhappy. It is because of the wonderful, fantastic powers of my spirit that I can come to recognize the Infinite God and, with the help of his healing grace, to choose to live forever happy.

But eternal happiness or unhappiness is not part of my present. Just now I only dream and hope and love and believe. Indeed, I am a beast with spirit and woe to me if I forget it. I am a being who hungers and the hungers of my spirit are eternal and infinite. My happiness depends on their fulfillment.

c. We are dreaming beasts who want to be happy.

The further fact we discover about ourselves when we look deep inside our "self" is that day in and day out we are consumed by a thirst for happiness. As Augustine reminded his listeners one day:

You are seeking happiness. You want to be filled with joy. You want to be so stuffed with good things that you don't experience any unfulfilled desire or lack anything.

Sermon 72, 10.

I want to be happy and that's a fact! But I can't be happy if I am hungry and my hungers are many. The prophet Jeremiah had me in mind when he cried out one day:

If I enter the city, look at those consumed by hunger!. Even the prophet and the priest forage in a land they know not.

Jeremiah, 14.18

What are these hungers? What indeed do I want? Each of us has his or her own personal list of "wants" but I believe that some of the things I "want" are wanted by every human being.

For example, I want to LIVE! and this means more than simply existing. I want to live and at the very PEAK of my powers. I don't want to merely survive; I want to FLOURISH and indeed flourish forever and ever. I don't merely want to MAKE a living ... to have enough bread for my table. I want orchids on my table too. I want to be able to live and enjoy life at the highest level possible for a human being. And then I want to go beyond that possibility (because humans, you see, must die and I truly do not want to die). I want my life-force to be in me without end. Indeed, I hunger for LIFE ITSELF.

It is because of my hunger for life that I do my best to forget about death, avoid pain, and worry about future security. I want to LIVE! and for this reason I clutch at things that seem to promise secure and comfortable living in the future. I want to LIVE! and thus I avoid taking risks, rocking the boat, sticking my neck out. I avoid taking responsible positions because taking charge makes me vulnerable to the envy and hatred of those I must rule. It seems so much safer to be ignored in the anonymity of the crowd. And yet I don't want to be simply an anonymous THING in this world. I want to be more than just a "cog" in someone else's wheel. I want to be a SOMEBODY!

That's my second great desire: I want my life to have some MEANING. After so many years as a little kid having people look down on me, now I am finally grown up. I have had enough of being told to go and play, to go to school, to go to bed, to "eat my peas", to "sit up straight", to "stop scratching", to do all sorts of things of no particular importance. Now I want to be treated with respect. I want my life to be of some consequence. And hence each day I analyze my life for its value and try to do things that will make it seem more important. And yet I am not all that sure what IS important. Certainly it is more than being feared, being a presence in the lives of others. I was that when I lumbered clumsily about the basketball court as a sincere but inept member of my high school team. I was a presence to others. Some may even retain the scars. But the whole affair had little meaning. It was just a game that children play. Is there nothing more to life than that?

I along with the young Augustine hope there is more. I hope that I am not now wasting my life on adult games. In his Confessions the forty year old Augustine sardonically observed that the trifling games of children are called "business" when they grow up. (Confessions, 1.9.15) I hope that is not the story of my life, a movement from game to game. I want to be different. I want to be myself. I want to depend on no one else. I say

If only I could stand on my own private mountain, a person of special character and independent means, then the world would look up and I would be important.

Of course it is a fantasy. I cannot exist by myself. To get by I need a little help from my friends. Oh it is true that I want to be free, (that is another of our basic desires) but the freedom I seek is not the freedom of the solitary. It is the freedom I feel when I am held in the arms of one who loves me. I want to live, and I want my life to have meaning, but more than either of these ... I want to be LOVED.

This is my third great hunger. I hunger for love. I want my life ... no, I want ME to be loved and I want somebody for me to love. I want to be important for someone else. I want someone to be a fool for. I want someone to look at me and truly SEE me and not turn away in horror. I want someone who will be able to say to me:

"My friend, I cherish you."

I want someone so close to me that if I should ever leave I would rip away part of their life and take it with me. I want someone to be so buried in me that when they leave part of me will go with them. I want someone who would be willing to empty themselves and take me into them. I want someone who would be willing to live in me. I want someone for whom I would willingly die. I want someone who would die for me. I know that if I have such a love, whatever else happens to me, my life will flourish and have meaning. In such an eternal, all-embracing love I may even last forever. And forever I will never ever be alone.

After 30 years Augustine found such a person, it was Jesus-God ... lover who indeed died for Augustine and lived in Augustine even before Augustine came to recognize him.

And so too is this wonderful fact true for us. It is a fact known only by faith, but it is a fact nonetheless.

d. We are limited beings who are somewhat cracked.

Such a fact is indeed a happy fact and there are other happy facts about ourselves that are well to remember especially in the midst of the sometimes winter days of our spirit. It is that basically we human beings are GOOD and we have wonderful powers. Thus, we find Augustine saying:

The great good God has made us human beings the loveliest ornaments on earth. City of God, 19.13

And again:

If you praise the works of God, then you will also have to praise yourself, for you too are a work of God.

Commentary on Psalm 144, 1.

And again:

If the creation of any living creature calls for unutterable praise to the Creator from the thoughtful person who devoutly considers it, how much more the creation of a human being above that of any living creature!

Letter 166, 15

Indeed, God does not make junk. Or, Augustine succinctly observes:

There is no such thing as a useless human being. Freedom of the Will, 3.23.66.

This being said, there is a somber fact that must be added a fact we learn from experience, if not by the sometimes unkind remarks of others. It is that we are beings who are limited and cracked. When some came to Augustine proudly proclaiming that they were going to create the perfect society by admitting only those who were perfect, Augustine laughed and said:

How in the world are you going to find such people? Many promise themselves that they will live a holy life, but they forget that they have been placed in the furnace of life and have come out half-cracked.

Commentary on Psalm 99, 11

Indeed, I (and you too) are "cracked pots" and we must face up to that reality every day of our lives. I may be destined for heaven but just now I don't feel that good. I roll out of bed each morning in parts. I have knees that ache and a stomach that gets upset. Just now I sometimes have unreasonable fears for my future. Just now I sometimes have very justified remorse for my past. I am a professed religious but that does not change things. Augustine once said that when you baptize a drunk all you get is a baptized drunk. (Sermon 151, 4-5) So too, when you profess a cracked pot all you get is a professional cracked pot.

God knows (though sometimes I don't act that way) I am limited. I can't figure out the answers to everything. I can't do everything. Such limits are not a sign that there is something wrong with me. My limitations come not from my cracks but from my creatureliness. I am limited because I was created from nothing. My "crackedness" shows itself in my limitations when I pretend that I am not limited, that I know everything, that I am a savior of the world capable of doing anything. The fact that I cannot know or do everything is not a disability; it is just an expression of my being "me", this "Donald". Not accepting my limits is a sign that this "Donald" is cracked.

If we were not cracked, If we had remained whole, we would have rejoiced in our limits. We would have been happy with our limited intelligence, knowing that we had infinite time to discover the answers. We would have been like kids giggling as they pieced together a huge jigsaw puzzle because they just KNEW that ultimately they would discover how all the pieces fitted together. Without our cracks we would have rejoiced in our limited powers of loving, knowing that our taste for infinite good would be continuously satisfied. Like children clutching giant cups of lemonade, we would have exulted in our limited straws that extended the pleasure of our long cooling drinks.

It follows from the good and bad we find in us that the best we can hope for in this life is that our lives will be a mixture of the good and bad, of the pleasant and the unpleasant, of sorrow and joy. But, whatever the character of our life may be just now, another fact is that it is transitory.

e. Life is passing.

Augustine stated this fact about our lives in terms like the following:

We are now travelers on a journey. We cannot stay in this place forever. We are on our way, not yet home. Our present state is one of hopeful anticipation, not yet unending enjoyment. We must run without laziness or respite so that we may at last arrive at our destination.

Sermon 103, 1

Indeed, the reality of our life just now is that it is constantly passing away. Whether we are now feeling the pleasure of a good life or the pain of a bad life, whether we are in the innocence of our infant life or in the regrets of a life lived long but not always well, whether we are at the peak of our mental and physical powers, or at a stage where we are beginning to forget that "long ago" period when we were "flourishing" and not simply existing ... in sum whatever our condition is at the present moment we are in the midst of a life that is moving towards death.

We are in the midst of a truly dying life. Whether we are young or old, we are all travelers on the same road, a road that leads ultimately through the door of death to a life without death. We are in the midst of a life that is rushing towards that death-door that is the entrance to eternal life. To ignore this fact is a special form of madness. It is like living in a motel, an Inn for Travelers, as though we would be there forever.

All of the facts mentioned so far, the facts ...

... that we are body;
... that we are spirit;
... that we want to be happy:
... that we are essentially good;
... that we are limited and cracked;
... that we are in transit

... each of these facts can be known by experience if we but open our minds to see them. But there is a fifth and perhaps most important fact that can be known only by Faith. It is simply this: we live in a world ruled by an infinitely good God who by his provident care works with us so that some day we can be perfectly happy and who, in the meantime, gives us the strength to get through.

CONCLUSION: DEALING WITH THE FACTS OF LIFE

The question now becomes: how should we deal with such a transitory life just now? Augustine suggests that it comes down to two things:

1. we must control ourselves

2. we must endure.

First, we must control our enjoyment of the good things of life. And, if we are not terribly unlucky there will be good times, times which prove the truth of Augustine's statement:

The world is a smiling place, a place filled with beauty and power.

Sermon 158, 7.7

But also we must be prepared to endure the bad times that will inevitably come upon us, times perhaps filled with sorrow when we are tempted to despair. Augustine put it this way in a sermon to his people:

There are two things enjoined in this life by the Lord, which seem toilsome to us: to hold back and to hold out -- restraint and endurance. We are told to restrain ourselves or hold back from things that in this world are called good, and to hold out against or endure the things that abound in this world that are bad. Whether we never had it so good or never had it so bad, we must wait for the Lord, wait for him to give us what is truly good and pleasant and to ward off from us what is truly evil.

Sermon 38, 1.1; cf. City of God, 1.29

Finally, in good times and bad we must constantly remember that they will not be forever, that we are still like the injured Samaritan in the New Testament story. In good times or bad we are waiting for the Lord to come and take us to our heavenly home.

Augustine came to believe in the promises of Jesus Christ that, whatever happens to us in this life, we will never be left alone. If we are lucky (and again sadly some are not), we will always have some humans who care for us who are willing to rejoice with us on our good days and support us on our bad. But even when we lose all of these we still have present with us a loving God ... a God who, though unwilling to overrule the bad human decisions that cause so much of our suffering in life, has through his own death guaranteed that we can have perfect happiness on the other side of death, who has promised that on this side of death and through death he will stay with us supporting us along the way.

This is the reality of our lives. Facing up to it and dealing with it, is the beginning of a truly spiritual life.

The Reality of Life

Night is approaching and another phase of life is coming to a close, what ever might have happened during the day is as good as gone. Morning is coming, this is another reason to be hopeful, hopeful cause what will happen later in the day nobody knows. The ambiance of the early morning breeze is so relieving and reassuring that one tends to forget the worries of life.

The cry of a new born baby signifies a new beginning,because new things start to happen,there is a new affection,love and compassion. The grey hair connotes wisdom but leaves everyone with the thought of a sudden departure,then the heart is prepared for the unexpected.

The mind is so beautiful and gracious,its like a butterfly,it can soar freely in search of lasting imaginations.

The world is so big, that is why it has so much to worry about,issues like GLOBAL WARMING, NUCLEAR WEAPONS, TERRORISM, POVERTY AND CORRUPTION.

Think of this, ''humility is like nectar that attracts bees to a flower, it attracts favor, while arrogance is like a foul smell, it repels every hand of help and friendship." So start believing and working in reality.

THE BEAUTY OF LIFE IS FOR ONLY THOSE WHO BELIEVE AND LIVE UNDER THE ATMOSPHERE OF JOY AND LOVE. Who ever down plays the importance of Time definitely can't appreciate the beauty in love cause both words are so vital and relevant in the day to day activities of every living being. Time, time, a word as close in importance and value as love. Time moves quietly with pseuodopic feet, it moves gradually and casually. It never gets tired of moving as if that was what it was created for moving everyday.

The beauty of life is for those who live and work in its reality!!

You Should Know!!!

Reality of Life

Life is fragile, Life is short.
Do not take Life for granted.
Live a balance lifestyle and enjoy Life!

A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered. Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped on to his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry and tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible. Came to the point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, “Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to burry myself.”

The above story is similar with the journey of lour Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love to do. One day when we look back, we will realize that we don’t really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed. Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition. Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to kept us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasure of life. Life is a balance of Work and Play, Family and Personal time. You have to decide how you want to balance your life. Define your priorities! Realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on our instincts. Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence. So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature.

"Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become characters.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny"

WHEN THE FAIRY TALE ENDS, REAL LIFE BEGINS

IML Ecopark: Sarangani Resort

MAASIM, Sarangani, May 25 (PIA) – The province’s newest resort this year rising at a peak in Lumasal village is IML (shortened Irineo Miguel Lopez) Ecopark in an old hacienda now owned by former Mayor Aniceto Lopez, Jr. and family.

“I remember as government troops were running after the rebels that day in August 2008, I was busy planting bananas here,” Haydee Lopez said. The former first lady has purchased the old Hacienda Ong for her banana plantation while being assured of her husband’s consent despite the odds.

Her husband, the visionary town leader, sees where the municipality is heading. The fact is he was able to instill an excellent leadership among his constituents for simply being a peace advocate.

“What is Maasim yesterday?” Lopez said. “Now we even invested on our own not to take the risk, but to enjoy old age at the resort,” he gushed.

“This resort will give new meaning to guns and bullets,” the couple had to say.

At the resort, the Lopezes planned to construct 25 rooms from P1,500 air-conditioned rooms to economy rooms and a dormitory. These rooms will soon be named with different ammunitions accordingly, thereby renaming bullets of death into cozy and convenient rooms to relax and be private.

The resort sits in a 100-meter altitude. It started admitting guests since April 9 but will have its grand opening at the town’s Kestebeng Festival and the national shoot fest competition next month.

Last weekend (May 21-22), the resort opened the zip line to the public. At the end of the promo day, it accommodated 120 riders -- for free.

IML Ecopark is an all-adventure destination, recreation, and a place for vacation. Seated at the 33-hectare banana plantation is a shooting range at the right, a 580-meter long zip line overlooking two swimming pools, one for adults, the other one for midget, a garden, playground, a conference room and private cottages at the left.

There is a restaurant, a display center and a park that can accommodate 25 vehicles. A bigger conference hall will also be constructed at the back portion for 300 business guests. The parking lot has five open cottages offering a view of the national highway that strips off the vast coconuts and the seashores.

All these are overlooking the Sarangani Bay. Iniong playground, named after the family’s youngest son, Irineo Miguel, gives a wide view of the two pools. Up there, one can feel and see the sea-breeze busying all day combing the leaves of a vast coconut trees below.

The 580-meter zip line crosses the twin pool below, the patterned coconut trees and a pond the Lopezes planned to develop soon for boating and fishing.

“I was nervous at first but before reaching the finish line, I’d already recovered and enjoyed the thrill,” Shina Marie Batiancila said in excitement. Shina is Miss Malapatan 2009 and had her life’s first zip line ride here.

A view of the zip line from the resort gives a fascinating sight of Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape as a background.

For walk-in guests, it costs P50 entrance fee to enjoy the exhilarating view and a swim-all-day at the pool.

Farther about 200 meters from the beach are artificial reefs. Maintenance staff Mansor Masdok named the reefs as Lobo, Supo, Lunay, Taluk, Katubao, and Kulafu reefs.

“For a real diving experience instead, you go to Lemlunay Dive Resort,” Lopez said. “All we do here is to compliment our business partner in this side of Sarangani coastline,” the former mayor said.

IML Ecopark, with Lemlunay Dive Resort and South Point Divers, are Maasim’s tourist destinations. Maasim as part of the Maasim-Kiamba-Maitum Industrial Triangle (MAKIMA-IT) is turning to be the province’s investment capital.

With polishing and tiling at the pool and the cottages and concreting of the private road yet to be done, the family has already invested P20 million for the resort.

At present, there are already 6 aircon rooms good for three persons at P1,500 per room and two P1,000/room good for two.

All-Filipino cuisine is offered at the restaurant -- from quickly served short orders to main menu of sautéed and garnished beef, pork and chicken recipes to desserts and drinks.

The restaurant features its Chicken Aloha, a unique chicken adobo bathed in sweet chili sauce and oyster sauce garnished with spring onions and sliced pineapples.

But IML Ecopark’s operations manager Bernard Salveron, chef Ariel Perreño and supervisor Arnel Alforque were one in saying their beef, pork, or seafoods sotanghon guisado were still the most requested menu at P150 good for 4 persons.

IML Ecopark has one of the best shooting ranges in the country. Actually, the idea to build a resort started from the father-and-son’s shooting hobby. This is why the former father of Maasim wanted to call it “Otoy’s firing range,” an allusion of his namesake and son, former Board Member Aniceto Lopez III.

Two Gov. Migs’ steel challenge competitions have already been held at the firing range. IML has 80, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400 and 1,500 meter shooting ranges at the back of a hill.

“Yol”, as the former mayor is known among Maasimians, bragged the range to have such shooting distance excellent for sniping practice and a natural huge buffer that can even handle explosion tests. No wonder Otoy makes an expert rifle marksman.

For her part, Haydee, the resort’s brain and beauty and labor (she being the engineer, the landscaper, the lady mason and the architect of it all) was simply looking for trucking exit of banana products but found a far better idea. But that’s over a year and a half ago.

“I made it my motto in life not to wait for tomorrow what you can do today,” Haydee mused. “I can’t wait. The idea is there and I have to grab it,” she added.

“That’s me,” the lady insisted, “while his (Yol) is, ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness.’ He knows what he meant. Our staff at the resort calls him the ‘overall general manager’ because he would come very early in the morning and check if everything is clean,” the mother of three said.

IML Ecopark (contact number 09489757710) is 20 kilometers from Maasim Poblacion which is 45 kilometers from General Santos City. (PIO Sarangani/PIA General Santos City)

Fantasy World

Fantasy World

Did you ever imagine living in a place where full of magic? Where magical creatures exist and where everything you see in Disney Movies is there, moving and living for real.

We are in a world where no magic but of chaos. Where every country needs a leader and people who live doesn’t know the meaning of contentment and worst tries to be like god, superior and undefeatable.

In every day you woke up getting ready for your daily routine, did you ever imagine, even for a minute, if how does it feels to live in a place where you don’t need to work just to earn and buy your primary and secondary needs. Where you don’t need to against to a wrong doing and fight for what you thought is right because everything flows perfectly right. And a place no crime, no snatcher, thieves and whatever bad people you can ever imagine.

Aren’t you tired of being sick because of the unhealthy food you eat, pollution you cannot escape ‘cause in every place you go got no space for fresh air to breath. Different shape with fancy doors and transparent or glare windows from a very high view you even need to twist upper your head just to see the full height of the building. And when you’re inside, you cannot avoid a thought that keep on sinking to your mind if suddenly an earthquake attack, everything you see around, falls down and turns into a nightmare for everyone but after years they are going to build and build even greater than the first one and again the same thing will happen. People don’t get the lesson.

Did you ever wish that schools were not built? Teachers don’t exist and books are not made? For a certain reality that these are the reason why people nowadays became demanding and all they wanted is to create and create to provide more and more money. It is sad to think that there are some of us wanted nothing but to be known, be famous without thinking what they are doing are actually insane. School develop people and provide intelligent mind set. But aren’t this people will be the one to destroy everything that a simple human’s typical type of living demands? Are they? Books provide knowledge, but people are using that knowledge too much to destroy future which they never realize it could be their own child’s. That’s reality.

One beautiful sunny morning, I woke up in my bed with wonderful feelings from a very sweet dream i had. Realizing all of these is too late to be right.

Are you a fan of Disney Movies? I confess that I am. I actually imagine living in a fantasy world. A world where there is peace, simple life and no bad thinking’s and doings. Fresh air and lot of trees, fountains and clear water from a very high falls where you can drink with no worries ‘cause it’s all safe. Fresh and cold feelings when you wake up early in the morning seeing that beautiful fogs.

A colourful butterflies and birds are flying all around and of course Fairies with nice fluffy shinning wings and magical dashes falling from their back leaving their path. Plants are so green and flowers are in their own colours like every time they are always new and the fresh water drops on the tip of every leaves seems to be a crystal in your sight.

Animals from usual dogs you knew to extra ordinary creatures you haven’t seen create harmonious relationship together in one place. Where snake and other mammals don’t fight and frightened humans ‘cause they are bonded to become friends and not enemy. A place where all you see are not ordinary from what you have used to see.

How I wish fairytale is true and there we live happily. Where mermaid are free to swim and swim all they can and talk to human without thinking to run away and avoid. A flying carpet like Aladdin has where you can go anywhere to the limit of your imagination and a genie for everyone’s wish to come true but would ignore bad wishes. Human can talk to animals like Cinderella can do with her pet. A lot of castle like Sleeping Beauty lived and people are united helping each other without asking in return.

A place that everyone who lives don’t fight with each other and never thought of doing bad things but only to be happy and keep living. And place that people don’t need to be someone because everyone levels the same. Can you imagine this kind of living? I always do.