Monday, August 01, 2005
the family guywhat is the point of each human life? somehow, through all the differences, we have one common goal. they say that it's the closest thing we have to a definite purpose. happiness.
i've just finished a family meeting. see, it's a custom in our family to, every once in a while [say two years], go over each member's plans for the next five, ten, fifteen years, and sometimes, even for the rest of his/her life. sure, these plans are never absolute and will not be served as a basis for expectation, but i guess it's good just to know what each of us want in life. the last time we did this was 2 years ago, in switzerland [and what a place to be doing it].
i clearly remember my answers from the past family meeting and as i compare it with my answers this time, i can see that i haven't really changed all that much. but one thing i could clearly notice was how different each of us is. i mean, us siblings. we all want different things. from taking part in a joint-effort with the private sector to pay off the entirety of Philippine debt, to fixing manila zoo, to settling down outside the country, to joining a non-profit organization whose purpose is to serve the suffering people/nature/ideals of the world. "to each his own" i guess. i always keep blabbering on how life should be lived and how people don't really get it. but i guess i've been wrong all this time. i have no right to judge how people should live their lives. every one's got his/her own style, his/her own flavor, his/her own road to follow. all i've come to realize now is that what everyone really wants is happiness. that's all each of us want and need. once we have that, life's in the bag. we've served our purpose. i guess that's one common definition we have for life. life is the pursuit of happiness.
we abastillas children have been raised by our parents to be very strong, very enterprising, and determined people. so i guess it's common with us kids that there's nearly nothing good enough for us and the pursuit for something more is always present. [we're all a bit too idealistic and our dreams are kinda OUT there] but then, that pursuit comes out differently from each of us. and i firmly believe that with the love, training and oh-so-persistent pushing of our dear parents, each of us will definitely attain what we want.
my mom and dad keep pushing this quote to us: "the secret to a happy life is having someone to love, something to work on, and something to hope for." so i guess, in this sense, we're already a happy bunch. but then, there's still so much work to do and so much more to hope for, which only means that there's so much more happiness in store for us.
i'm going to remember this day. i'm going to remember what each of us said. and when the day comes that doyti and ate abby have turned our family business into a multi-national conglomerate, when doyti and her business magnate associates have paid off philippine debt, when ate pam owns an online marketing agency and moreover, her own magazine, and when i have finally written my book; i will look back on today and say to myself that i never had a doubt in my mind.
P.S.
my ate pam's leaving tomorrow. so after a few months of togetherness, we're suddenly lacking again. and this time, it's gonna be a longer while.... gonna miss you a lot ate. love you.
the adventure ended at 11:30 PM
