Pursuit of Happiness

When we are young we think everything is for real but as we grow and mature we realized things will not always be the way we wanted. Along the way we find ourselves taking other path and sometimes fate takes its own course.

As I grow up my aspirations in life keep on changing. At five years old I wanted to be a physician. At twelve I wished to be a news anchor. At fifteen I dreamt of becoming a lawyer. After pursuing law school now I wanted t become a peace advocate, an ambassador and someday a legislator. It may sound ambitious but I believe in dreaming big. As the saying goes, “Reach for the moon and if you fail, you will land amongst the stars”.

I have often asked myself what would make me happy as a person. If I get rich and could afford to buy all the stuff I wanted, would it make me happy? If I would get popular and influential would I feel fulfilled? These are the questions that keep on haunting my mind. Honestly, living a simple life, having good health, being secure in my own home, earning a decent living and being with the people I love are the things that would make me happy. Money, popularity and highest educational attainment do not suffice to make us happy. Happiness cannot be bought. Happiness means making other people happy.

It would be more rewarding for me if I could use my profession to help other people. I want to inspire small children and see them smile. I wish to help them achieve their simple dreams. I know I have not done so much yet in my life but in my old age I want to be remembered as someone who had brought major changes and touched millions of lives.

I may not be presently living directly in the community I grew up with but wherever I go I bring with me this simple aspiration. That is someday when I go back home I would see a more peaceful place, more educated people, employment status rising, economically rich and a better place to live in. Some may ask why I left my hometown. Not because the grass is greener on the other side but because I want to equip myself with the education and skills that I will need in my pursuit to help my fellow Basilenos.

As a Filipino I am fully aware of the situations and struggles of my country. I also fully understand that the challenges my country is facing may not be different from other nations. Half the world is experiencing hunger, violence, calamities brought by the irresponsible activities of human and other global crises. Solutions to these problems may not be done over night but taking little steps would surely bring a bigger difference. Education and character transformation are just among the essential keys in achieving change and development. The more educated the people would be the less likely they would be gone astray. Self discipline is also one major factor in community building.

I want to see my fellow Filipinos to be disciplined in many aspects such as valuing time, strictly following traffic rules, obeying the laws and in preserving the good customs and traditions. There is a need to get rid of those bad habits as Filipinos. We need to change the way other nations think of us. We have to show them we are not lazy and we are not mere imitator. We can contribute in millions of positive ways in making our world a better place.

I want to be a “Voices” of our correspondent because I want to be the voice of my community. I want the world to know what is going on in my country. We may share the same struggles but each life story is unique. I want to be a catalyst of change in my own little way. I believe with a network like this I could make a difference. I could share the stories of my people and would find solutions from other correspondents` advices and ideas. I could replicate the good deeds of others in achieving my goals.