HASTE MAKES WASTE

“HASTE MAKES WASTE”. This for me is wise saying.

Almost everyday we hear of car accidents. In most cases the cause is ‘over-speeding’.
In every car accident, damage is done not only to vehicles or properties but especially to the people who are injured or even lose their lives. And then much time is spent to investigate the accident and attend to its consequences. This, indeed, is a great loss in time, treasure and human life – a waste due to haste.

Personally, I started driving way back in 1956. From then on I continued driving up to 2006, or a period of fifty (50) years to several places in Luzon. I thank and praise God that I have never featured in a car accident where people get hurt or properties are damaged. I attribute this to my so-called philosophy in driving – “Enjoy driving, relax, drive with a regular speed of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour, be very cautious in overtaking, and be a defensive driver.”
This saying may also apply to eating, drinking and praying.

In several articles that I have read, I have come across the advise to ‘eat slowly’. This is done by chewing well the food before swallowing it. In drinking, it is also advised to just ‘sip’ the water instead of gulping it.

In praying, we read in 1 Thess. 5:17: ‘pray without ceasing’ For me, this means not to hurry in praying, but to take time in putting mind and heart in the presence of God, Who is within me, and enjoy the grace of being able to converse with Him, the Supreme Being in this world.

In Sacred Scriptures we read the following passages:

“There is an appointed time for everything” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

“He who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 28:20)

“An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning will not be blessed” (Proverbs 20:21)

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There is, indeed, wisdom in taking time to enjoy the activities of daily living and not to hurry in doing them, for “HASTE MAKES WASTE”.

by: Buddy Cagurangan
August 28, 2011

ENJOY YOUR LIFE

“ENJOY YOUR LIFE”. This is the thought that has been running in my mind for the past few days. Hence, I asked myself the question – How am I to enjoy life?

In answer to the said question, I was confronted by two other questions, namely:

1. WHO IS THE SOURCE OF TRUE JOY?
2. HOW IS TRUE JOY GIVEN?

To the first question, I readily answer “GOD”. God created man, and therefore, only God can truly satisfy and make man happy.

To the second question, I have learned from spiritual writers that “GOD’S METHODS ARE PEOPLE AND EVENTS”. To me this means that God acts through people and events to manifest His love and care for us.

Upon further reflection, I see the significance of Christ’s command: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you”. (John 13:34). Love is something that can be given only by people, because it is only people who are bestowed with the gift of freedom which enables them to make a decision; for Love, in the last analysis, is a Decision.

Looking at my own life, the people who in one way or another filled my heart with joy were my parents, my brothers and sisters, relatives and friends. Right now I am experiencing great joy in my own home, where true love is manifested by my wife, Ofel, my mother-in-law, Roberta, and my sisters-in-law, Lou, Evie and Cherry. Likewise, my children and grandchildren, though all are miles away, fill me with joy as we have regular contact thru texting, email and facebook. Great joy also fills my heart as I encounter friends, relatives and acquaintances in the community with whom I have some personal relationships.

Events are also occasions where God manifests His loving concern for us. Celebrations to highlight significant events or commemorate birthdays, anniversaries, feasts, and the like are, indeed, occasions where people come together and give joy to each other with their presence.
TO ENJOY LIFE, therefore, I only have to be open and gratefully acknowledge God’s manifestation of His love through people and events, and respond with all the love I can give; for verily LOVE CAN BE REPAID BY LOVE ALONE.

by: Buddy Cagurangan
August 28, 2011