Okay, so despite the fact that I think I'm about to crack, I'll just maximize my energies to send GV to everyone. Life has been a bit of an adventure recently, and somehow I got taken aback by how fast everything has happened. I actually regret not being able to really focus on my thesis, though. I'm still feeling a bit confused about it and maybe the next few days can help me clarify my thoughts.
I've also had my fair share of frustrations for the past few months. I hope not to dwell on them, but it's quite difficult. Yes, I easily get anxious and so I get caught up in things I should not even think about. I don't know, I'm just a magnet for these sorts of things.
Anyway, I should get back to the topic.
So yesterday, happened to be invited to the Iftar Dinner by the LSPO. I did not expect myself to be there because I did not put it in my calendar. Yes, I'm quite terrible at these things. I doubted if I should have even been present there. I went anyway. I happened to be sat at the table with a Shiite scholar and some of his colleagues. Br. Ricky was also at that table. At one point, they were discussing the context of faith in this generation of believers. One of the main points raised was that we should always think about how to deliver God's message to the youth.
It sort of set off so many thoughts in my mind, but I preferred to sit and just listen. I think what struck me the most is the point where they said, the youth today find God, sometimes, in the strangest of places. Yes, I do agree. I am a person who believes that God manifests his love through different ways. To me, I feel privileged that I get to do the work I love the most. I have a passion for development (and maybe planning. Haha!) and one of the greatest gifts I have received is working at GK DLSU as a Coordinator. Yes, the work is stressful (sometimes) and I have traded it for heaps of security and comfort that my old work place probably gave me.
Then again, when I think about it, it's all worth it. Yes, I have to put off many luxuries so that I can do more with what I am given. But nothing compares the experience of finding God in the poor. Most of the time, it is a real struggle to work with them, especially when you're not on the same plane. It is difficult to extend love to them because they are not exactly my family. I find comfort in working with them because I know that life as a wannabe nation-builder makes sense because they are there. They are armed with hopes and dreams and they are ready to fight for a better future. Their ambitions are even greater than what we think. In so many ways, I respect so many poor people more than academics. Many of them have experience that even the smartest people in the world would never even have. They are my inspiration because working with them has enabled me to dream beyond myself and beyond what I thought I was capable of.
Working with them is like going to the wellspring of life to get rejuvenated. I have found my raison d'etre because of the nature of my work with them. They have taught me so many things that my professors in Development Policy never taught me, and I couldn't be more thankful. My faith makes sense because they always give me a reason to put it into action. Solidarity with the poor makes sense because they have opened up themselves to me and made me feel welcome. I have found God's kingdom. I have found my vocation as a nation-builder. Thank God and praise Him, I have found love in the strangest of places.
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