Lessons from Mar

Lahat ng tao may kwento. At lahat ng kwento may mga magandang aral na mapupulot. Katulad ng love story ni Mar at Len sa nakaraan kong post.

Sa kwento ni Mar, lalong tumatag ang aking pananampalataya na may tumitingin sa ating lahat. What would have happened had Mar approached the four cannabis smoking men? I’m sure, hindi niya makikilala si Ken at hindi rin niya makikilala si Mr.C at siguradong maiiba ang takbo ng buhay niya ngayon. At worse, baka nga napahamak pa siya. Some will call it luck, but I believe Someone up above actually manufactured the luck that helped Mar make the right decisions. Ang kailangan lang ay matuto tayong magdasal at tulungan ang ating sarili. Di ba kasabihan nga na “God helps those who help themselves”.

Ano kaya ang nangyari kung naging masyadong ma-pride si Mar at hindi siya humingi ng tulong kay Ken at kay Mr.C? Di ba, sabi nga na: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find...”. A lesson in being humble. Dapat tanggapin natin ang ating weaknesses. Huwag tayong maging hambog. Huwag nating isipin na kaya natin ang lahat, na hindi natin kailangan ang tulong ng iba.

Another lesson I learned is about trusting other people. Totoong maraming masasama at mapagsamantalang tao sa mundo. Subalit hindi tayo dapat mawalan ng tiwala sa lahat ng tao. What would have happened had Mar not trusted Ken? A Taoist saying goes:

"If while building a house, a carpenter strikes a nail and it proves faulty by bending, does the carpenter lose faith in all nails and stop building his house?"

Obstacles can be blessings in disguise. The fact that Mar knew no one in NZ, that he had only $500 in his pocket and that he was initially given only one month to stay in NZ, all added up to the gravity of the situation and the urgency for him to find a source of income. I thought those circumstances were actually blessings in disguise because they forced Mar to take positive steps towards his goals by first finding the strength within himself.

Kung minsan kasi kapag may kakilala ka dito disadvantage pa. Kung minsan yung kakilala or host mo nagiging masyadong hospitable. Kung saan-saan ka ipapasyal for sight-seeing. Nakakaligtaan tuloy yung immediate goal mo, which is to find work. Then you tend to rely on them for transport. Kapag di ka nila pwedeng ipag-drive, di ka rin gumagalaw. Nasa bahay ka lang. Tapos dahil libre ka sa accommodation and food, o kaya naman kung marami kang baong dolyares, you don’t feel any urgency to find a job. When your host is over-hospitable to a fault, it is your responsibility to set things straight. Because If things don’t turn well blaming others later won’t help. In the end it is still you that suffers.

On the practical side, kung may pupunahin lang ako sa mga naging desisyon ni Mar, ang mapupuna ko lang ay ang pagpunta niya sa NZ with a Visitor’s Visa. Maraming bagay sana ang naging madali at ibang gastos ang naiwasan kung sa Pilipinas pa lang Student Visa na kaagad ang kinuha niya. Dapat sana sa Pinas pa lang nag-inquire na siya at nag-enrol na sa school sa NZ nang sa ganon, Student Visa kaagad ang nakuha niya.

Lastly, from Mar we learn about the virtues of commitment, dedication and hard-work. No matter what kind of task we undertake, if we put our hearts and minds to it, the rewards will surely follow. Kayo, anong aral ang napulot niyo?