Reflected thoughts about life and death, and in between

1. To Hannah Arendt, a 20th century philosopher, we live by the choices we make. Such choices makes who we are. But still I wonder, why was not I able to choose my own family? This is a human mystery.

2. We may not have a perfect life, but we can love perfectly.

3. The World Wide Web is based on relationships. Without this concept of relationships I guess the concept of the web simply collapse. I consider Tim Berners-Lee the inventor of the WWW as one of the iconic hero of this planet.

4. As I have said to my students in Sociology, "You cannot resign from your family, because a family, is a family, is a family." You only have one family, that's all you've got in your one life-span.

5. Every family has a flaw in it. No family is perfect. Everyone tries to correct such flaws but such flaws keeps coming back. I guess one of the identifying mark of a family is their flaws in it.

6. When one decides to keep physically fit, one should not forget to be fit internally. Thus, we have to remove those traces of hate, guilt, bitterness about our-self and others.

7. I have been at the edge of the Catholic church, but this Sunday as I attended Mass at the Transfiguration church, it looks like it is in its music as its salvific...

8. "Prayer does not make God aware of our needs. He already knows them. When we pray, we become more aware of our own needs. Prayer is for our benefit, not God's" - Peter McCall

9. I guess the Church is going to save my soul from burning in hell through its beautiful music and songs.

10. Irma Sonnenberg Menkel is 100 years old last 1997. In an article that appeared at Newsweek, being assigned as a Jewish barracks leader at Bergen-Belsen she was able to talk to Anne Frank and saw her die. When Anne Frank was in a coma, Irma didn'...t know that she was very sick. Irma said, "[at the camp] you did not have feelings anymore. You become paralyzed." We have known the humanity of Anne Frank (continued).

11. We have known the humanity of Anne Frank. We have known the inhumanity of her captors. Irma kept this terrifying story for so many, many years. Knowing her twilight years she decided to tell a horrible past.

12. If I lose my life shall I also lose my identity? Or is my identity the only personal thing that I can leave in this disturbing and lovely planet?

13. "When we understand what love is, we realize that we give up nothing when we love. Love is not a bargain. We never lose anything when we love. All that happens is we become more lovable" - Peter McCall

14. "There can be no authentic healing without forgiveness." Peter McCall

15. We think of eternity when eternity cannot be thought of. Eternity resides in our heart.

16. It is true when Kris Aquino lied to Cory. It is never ok when your loved one is finally going to bid you goodbye. There is this infinite pain that needs to be healed by love not just by time.

17. Eternity cannot be thought of as bounded by space and time. It has no dimension. Eternity is the unworded experience of life lived in totality.

18. Eternity is life lived fully on earth.

19. A news last night that a three year old child was run over by a bus at EDSA causing her death. This makes me really sad. It makes my stomach turn upside down.

20. When one has a possibility to experience the goodness of life and it is cut short by death, I think that is a tragedy.

21. Our rage, anger, cannot bring back the life of a loved one who met the creator. This is the reason why we should mourn. We should be able to say goodbye to our loved one, that is the purpose of mourning. In a way it should help up to attain peace.

22. A friend sent this message: 1. If you can't solve it, it's not a problem. It's reality. 2) Sometimes nobody really cares if you are miserable, so, you might as well be happy.

23. Continuation... 3) Enjoy being alive. There's plenty of time to be dead.

24. Somebody told me that it is good to bring flowers when you visit your loved ones because they can see, touch and smell it. But when they are consigned to the earth nobody is going to tell you a sweet appreciation.

25. One of the amazing realization as one ages is the knowledge that one can have more fun in achieving one rational goal.

25. Digitized condemnation. In our society when a person wishes to condemn an act of one, he can go to launch a campaign via the internet and those who will join the chorus can be counted to the last detail.

27. If prisoners are said to be un-free, can they look at the sky with freedom? can they freely express their opinion? can they brush their teeth freely?

28. As a nation, do we want our president to eat in a hamburger stand?

29. Info-mercials are new to our modern world. We have to read the message or multiple messages that they are purveying. Communication experts agree on this. Now who benefits and who pays for it, that is one thing we should know.

30 Again the deaths of soldiers and so called rebels are a waste of lives. Lives that cannot be brought back. When shall the killings stop?

31. I guess the reason why babies keeps on arriving in this planet is to give hope to this planet bereft of hope.

32. I think Sen. Miriam Defensor is correct in saying on the info-mercials, "Don't force your faces on us". I think one of the best way is to turn off the TV and talk to your children. Anybody have heard, "Invasion of privacy?"

33. I have nothing against giving the public information. But when this information is burned to our consciousness without let up, my, my, I think that is too much.

34. On this info-mercials, we need to think if the end of their message is really important to us. After they have reached expiry date did it make a difference in our lives?

36. As we are experiencing underdevelopment, endless social conflict, corruption that becomes a collective nightmare, what we are seeing is a culture where we have no roots and sensitivity to others. We are creating rootless society.

37. "The beginning and the end of all Christan leadership is to give your life for others" - Henri J. Nouwen

38. The earth does not care for us. We have to care for the earth so that it can care for us.