"All three construction workers are doing the same job,
but when asked,
one says, ‘I’m laying bricks.’
The second says, ‘I’m building a wall.’
And the third says, ‘I’m building a cathedral.”
-The Bricklayer’s Parable
One of the main reasons why a lot of Filipinos don’t get ahead in life is because of the lack of vision towards the future.
This is very evident in our culture where we tend to buy in terms of overpriced sachets in our nearby sari-sari stores instead of buying in bulk which is cheaper. Where can you find salt and a shampoo in sachet form? Yes, ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES! Sure, there are countries which practice the same thing but this is exactly one of the things which makes the Filipino in the Philippines popular throughout the world. Yes, times are hard, thus, it kind of makes sense to buy in sachet pieces. But the thing is, even though times are hard the typical Filipino does nothing about it. All he ever does is work very hard without ever thinking whether what he’s working is worth it and complain using the “Dahil sa hirap ng buhay” liner if he gets fed up with life and gives it up altogether. That’s why there a lot of hard working but poor Filipinos who are easily manipulated by people “smarter” than them. We Filipinos tend to be more past and presented oriented but never future oriented. If you don’t believe me, just look at the traditional politicians in our government who are elected over and over again because a lot of us Filipinos have the “tendency” (or stupidity, I should say) to forget the terrible acts these politicians had done. Furthermore, the Philippines was considered an Asian superpower 40 years ago but now we’re considered one of the most corrupt countries on Earth. And the sad thing is, the typical Filipinos simply just looks back at the “good old days” and complain about the dilemma we’re in.
Each and one of us need to be future oriented. God has given us the human endowment of “creative imagination” to picture out an expanding future and come up with solutions in our current situations in life to reach that picture we have in our head. One of the differences between human beings and animals is that, we, human beings are capable of creating our future. Animals cannot do that but a lot of us tend to live like one. By looking forward to the future and working it out, we don’t get stuck in the past and the present but we become hopeful and excited in living life because we know we can do something now to live a better life. Yes, it’s important to look back in the past to learn valuable stepping stone lessons and to live out the present to the fullest because the now will become something in the past. But to be stuck in the past and present is never good.
Believe it or not, I believe each one of us has a lot of potentials to do great things in life. And we cannot manifest this greatness by living in the past and present but by keeping our eye towards the future and working our way towards it. For one of the greatest pleasures in life is to acknowledge to ourselves that we have a lot of potentials and to see each and one of those potentials become a reality. The only way to enjoy that wonderful pleasure in life is to always look ahead, to always look forward, to be hopeful. Each and one of us should live life by always beginning with the end in mind. And the end that I’m talking about in here is the end of becoming the best people that God want us to be. By beginning with the end in mind, you’ll be able to see a deeper and expanding meaning on your experiences and what you’re currently doing in life. By being able to focus that picture of a bright future in our head, we live each moment of our lives with meaning. A student who aspires to be a doctor or a lawyer or a public servant or a businessman will be able to see studying and learning not simply a waste of time, tiring or a way to get a diploma but something more meaningful. By being able to see the bigger picture, we are able to appreciate and see with deeper meaning the smaller things in our lives. By seeing the whole, we’re able to appreciate the different parts of that whole.
God wants us so badly to live a life of meaning and greatness. Of course, we have to understand that He can’t do that for us but we need to do the work of looking ahead of tomorrow so that we’ll be able to appreciate life better. We’re given the human endowment of “creative imagination” to do exactly that. Let us put this human endowment to the test. Let us create this future we want in our lives. Let us be hopeful and optimistic beings of God. And by doing so, we become the great beings which God destined each and one of us to be.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
-Albert Eisntein
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