Trees lie down like tired souls, some were even uprooted. The buldings inside the compound where I work, are still without electricity. All these were caused by a typhoon that hit Metro Manila yesterday.
The city reminds me of Akbar and the destructions brought about by its fight with Assyrian war troops. So very timely was my reading of the The Fifth Mountain, the book that I've started reading many times but never finished until yesterday, while the typhoon winds hover around the city, paralyzing most of the business establishments, putting out electricity in every household, jabbing billboards and causing them to fall on vehicles whisking by the highways. Roofs were flying like it can hit anyone (scary).
With all these goings-on, I was inside the house, lit by just a small candle, sitting in a corner reading the Fifth Mountain (thanks to my booklight and spare batteries, too). At least my time was put to good use somehow.
From Elijah, the main character, I learned that if we are to rebuild something that's been ruined, it's best to forget about past failures and just focus on the good things we have done. If we think there's not much yet, then we do some more once there's a chance.
The unavoidable always happens. To overcome it, one needs discipline and patience. And hope - when this no longer exists, one can't waste his energy fighting against the impossible.
Some people go on a journey to find success yet they do not find what they they're seeking, for they carry with them the weight of earlier failures.
On the other hand, some are full of ardor. They profit from every moment of life. To these people, life is a constant triumph and would go on being one. They have wonderful tales to tell. They achieve everything they desire because they are not limited by the frustrations of the past.
As the shepherd with whom Elijah got to talk with said "If you have a past that dissatisfies you, forget it now. Imagine a new story of your life and believe in it. Concentrate only on those moments in which you can achieve what you desired, and the STRENGTH will help you to accomplish what you want."
Hardships and unpleasant circumstances may hit us like typhoons do. They may be unavoidable much like when nature takes its course and just blows and paralyzes all that we're used to having - electricity, internet access, water, lovely trees, busy streets, fast transportation, those that make living easier for us - we call the comforts of life... and then we're left idle and empty because it seems that a part of us has been stolen and is missing and we feel incomplete.
It is at times like this, when we feel helpless that we realize that which really matters. And we are reminded that we are powerless, that there is something greater than the self that occupies the whole of our being.
And then we ask, "Am I taking the right course for my life?" and then we go back to the Source and realize He's been around all along. Only, we don't listen well to the the whispers of His power...
From heaven, God smiles contentedly, for it was this that He desired, that each person take into his hands the responsibility for his own life. For, in the final analysis, He had given His children the greatest of all gifts: the capacity to choose and determine their acts.
Only those men and women with the sacred flame in their hearts had the courage to confront Him. And they alone knew the path back to His love, for they understood that tragedy was NOT punishment BUT CHALLENGE. - the Fifth Mountain
