Contentment is a Virtue

An old joke goes like this; A mother went to the beach with her child. She arranged their things and sat on the beach towel. She opened her book and starts to read while her child run into the ocean and swam. After a few hours a big tidal wave rushes to the beach. The mother saw her child engulf by the wave and was gone. Lifeguards and people in the beach tried to save her child. The mother while crying fell in her knees and starts to pray. "Dear God, Please bring my baby back to me." As if a miracle just happened, the same wave came back carrying her child and gently returned it to the beach. The child was a little shaky but was not hurt. The mother hugged her child, wiped her tears and cried out loud "God damned! My child had a hat when we came here!"
I just went from a derma clinic inside a hospital for the elecrocautery of my warts. Beside the derma clinic is a clinic for diabetic patients. A patient just finished her check-up. She was fat and in a wheel chair. Both of her legs were cut off. The patient's companion was called inside. I heard the doctor telling to the companion that if she could not control her blood sugar her wounds would not heal and she might die. I pity her at the same time thankful to God that I only went to the hospital for my warts.
How many times that we presumed our wants as our needs. Many people have their happiness attached to worldly things. They are so attached to this world that they even spend lots of money to take care of their corpses when they died. People just want and want all of his miserable life and finally when he died he never felt true happiness. All of the material possessions are just temporary, it will fade fast and gone.
"What does a man gets when he gains the whole world and yet looses his own soul". It is only normal to people to be ambitious. Ambition is the fuel for the achievements of man. But it must also have a limitation. Ambition must not be for the glory of man but for the glory of God. We must know when to stop ambition and starts contentment. Let us not reach the level of loosing one's soul. Let us be contended when our wants are affecting our happiness. I believe that theoretically man should be happy. The life that God gave him should be enough to make him happy. If that ambition is making one sorrowful do not wait that it does not only take your happiness but also your faith.
It is very hard to be contented in this world. Everywhere you look is a temptation. Most of us are not saints and contentment is a virtue. But as time passes and your dream fail, that is the time to embrace contentment.

Save Binuangan

Barangay Binuangan is a small island in the province of Obando, Bulacan Philippines. For centuries the community in Binuangan live with peace with nature. Their primary commerce is fishing. The sea surrounding their island is their source of food and income. The bounties of the sea send their children to school. There are also some who was born with artistic talent that instead of fishing they make masterpieces. They use the beauty of their surrounding water as their source of inspiration.
They live in peace and prosperity. But now their fishing community is threaten. A nearby town, Navotas has converted their vast land, just boundaries to Binuangan into an open dumpsite. The wastes are coming from major cities in the Philippines. The tons of garbage are being shipped using open barge boats passing the sea of Binuangan. Trash that fell from the barges and the dumpsite floats in the sea. Toxic fumes could be smell from the homes of families living in Binuangan. Dead fishes float in the sea. The impact to their livelihood is tremendous. Fishfence and oyster cultivation is now impossible, specially the oyster which could only grow in exceptional clean water. Just years ago Binuangan was known for oyster cultivation.
People specially children are getting sick. They have bronchitis and skin diseases. Proliferation of flies, cockroaches and mice has also been observed.
The neglect of the government to Binuangan was obvious eversince. Children go to public school during rainy seasons wearing rubber boots because their classrooms were flooded. They tolerate the government's neglect to them for years, but now they cannot endure anymore.
The people of Binuangan protested They wrote to the President of the Republic of the Philippines. They even used their fishing boats to barricade the boat barges carrying wastes. The government's action was they send military personels. The presence of military gives an intimidation to the community. Because of the anti- masses action of the government, the community has no resort but to wrote another letter. This time addressed to the National Democratic Front. The armed struggle group of the Philippines. Two months ago the rebellion group raided the military detachment in Binuangan. They disarmed the military and took their communication equipments. Good thing there was no bloodshed. Again, the government reacted to the incident. They sent more troops to the site.
Now there is tension in Binuangan. The peace loving people whose only wealth is the sea and the nature surrounding their community are in constant fear. Afraid of what might kill them first, the bullet or the garbage.
The Philippine government is pro- environment. Just last month they banned the use of CFC to car aircons. Car owners whose vehicle models are 1998 and prior must convert their CFC aircons to HFC. Ofcourse, the government only did this because of the pressure of the international community. The direct impact of the pollution to the masses has no significance to them.
The survival now of Binuanagan lies in the hands of the international community. To those who have the power, authority or any ways and means. To those who still believe in Humanity.

-Binuangan Artists Society www.artmajeur.com/binuangan