A CONSCIOUS GRATITUDE

by Earlie Doriman
To me, gratitude is a feeling and a virtue of being grateful to others whose influence into your life creates a lasting remembrance and profound difference. To say you are grateful means you appreciate genuinely the kindness and goodwill extended to you by someone who might be a family member, a relative, a friend, or perhaps a complete stranger. Therefore, conscious gratitude is an expression from your heart flowing out naturally, expands within, and makes you an inspiring reflection of that same compassion bequeathed unto you by others. You become what their kindness has sown into your own being.
I grew up in a big family. My father was a very humble farmer and my mother a plain homemaker, who looked after seven children. I knew then that as a farmer, my father could not provide us everything that we wanted, but I did not reckon we were deprived of our happiness as young kids because what I could reminisce today were the happy memories of a countryside life. The bursting laughter with my younger brothers and friends as we climbed trees like monkeys, the thrill on riding carabaos (water buffalo which is so called farmer’s beast), the enjoyment of flying kites, the real excitement running on hills and valleys and a whole lot more.

HAPPINESS FOR SALE

Can you buy happiness? This question brings me back to the theology class I attended when I was a university student in the Philippines, nearly two decades ago. The topic has cropped up through a group discussion about Morality and Commercialism; and how young people should recognize the significance of Faith and Prayers to preserve one’s moral standard and values. Even in meticulous catholic universities, the issue of deteriorating ethics and moral principles of its students is a portrait of reality. The influence of education (even at that time) as far as morality is concerned was slowly showing signs of waning and silent disregard.
From the same group discussion, many social issues were inevitably brought upon, including drug addiction, corruption, abortion, premarital sex, amongst others. Back then, these were forefront indicators (at least in that particular location of the earth) to recognize the level of morality a society has. With wide-ranging arguments flying around the classroom, on the impact of these to our individual lives, our respective purpose to this world, and the subtle defiant against Christian teachings; our enduring theology teacher called our attention and asked us to define a fulfilled and happy life based on the philosophy that we individually clung to. Then as we seriously figured out the best answer we could write, one funny classmate stood up and enquired; ‘Is it the commercial happiness?’.

MY SONS at SNOW on SUNDAY

by Earlie Doriman

My two sons: Matthew Earl & Thomas Miguel

I thought I could sleep a little longer because it’s Sunday, yet my son remembered so clearly what I promised him the night before that I would take them to the park today to play snow. It was snowing whole afternoon yesterday and my son gets used to playing in the white fields when it is possible and because I bought him a sledge in preparation of the big freeze then I didn’t have any reason to say NO.
He whispered to me and said: ‘We are going to the park Tatay’, and then went to his younger brother and woke him up. We slowly went downstairs and told them to wait patiently whilst I prepared our breakfast. Then by the time the meal was ready, their mom followed down and we ate together.

DEATHS AND GOODBYES

by Earlie Doriman

Mark, may you rest in Peace 

There is no truth in this world so absolute than death. I used to include a trifling discussion about this in my Physics class when I taught the Theory of Relativity some years back. I would eventually convince my students that death is an absolute fact and there is no way to fake it even the mightiest of science. Death is science itself. While everything else has colour of uncertainty, we are so prompted that we will all die, sooner or later. At what point death conquers the physical body? Obviously, it is when all the vital organs stop to function, and the supply of oxygen is no longer adequate to sustain the basic human cell? The complexity of death is one thing that even the most powerful technology of these times would fail to prevent.

ARTHRITIS and ATTITUDE GONE BAD

by Earlie Doriman

Gout attack on the big toe. (Photo by yahoo images)

For a long time, I suffered attacks of arthritis – matter-of-fact severe ones because it is gouty arthritis, the most painful of all the rheumatic diseases. You might ask my age now and well, I am only 37 years and that would surely surprise you. You would be more worried to note that I had it when I was 34 years. It had really gone bad that my typical routine, my work, and usual life were so much affected. During the first attack in 2007, I realized it could render me useless. As my big toe was swelling red, I could not lead myself to stand because of the excruciating pain at the joints connecting my toe and feet. It would normally take five to seven days to subside, and I lived in silent agony for that same span, I should say.

A SECOND LOOK at OUR CLASSROOM

by Earlie Doriman

An ailing education!Is there a bright future
to look forward to?

I feel obliged to share my viewpoints about the current state of education in my home country – the Philippines; and the effect that the new system known as ‘K+12’ would suggest to improve the quality of education and quality of graduates. This is purely my opinion and I wish to get across my message as objective as possible to the issues about the radical changes that would take effect very soon. To provide you a general idea, K+12 is introduced to improve the ailing state of basic education and rectify the inadequacy of secondary graduates with essential aptitude for a university study. The new system adds two more years to the typical four years of secondary education creating a two-year senior high school.