Friday, February 27, 2009

How to Live Life to the Fullest

How to Live Life to the Fullest

Life is short, and everyone should live life to the fullest! You only get one chance to live. Make it the best. Each person lives differently, so make the spotlights shine on your life!

Steps

  1. Make a list of things you want to do before a certain birthday. For example, list thirty things you want to do before you turn thirty. Your list can be made up of places to visit, people to meet or befriend, improve talents or abilities to acquire, or just fun things to do. This way, you have some goals to aim at, and you can keep track of what you have done and what you still want to do.
  2. Make a to-do list or a schedule every day! Don't just lay around all day without painting the fence, visiting Aunt Mary Ann, or finally taking that walk to the park. Have fun!
  3. Remember "Carpe Diem" or "seize the day." - Live life in the moment. The only thing that is assured in life is this moment and death. So cherish every moment of life and make it worthwhile.
  4. Try making life better for the less fortunate people in the world. They could be anyone, from an orphan in Africa to a pauper in Calcutta. Some dollars less in your account will not make a significant difference to you but will make an impact on someone's life. These are the deeds that make you happy in reality, knowing that you have made a difference.
  5. Be comfortable with yourself. Love and accept yourself, even if others don't; especially so that you can show love (kindness) to others "as you would have them love you." Know who you are. You will naturally become an outgoing person if you can do this.
  6. Have an internal locus of control (an internal locus of control implies the belief that one is largely in control of the things that happen to her/him), meaning be who you are and stay true no matter the situation. Be strong and continue to grow your entire life, as you are in control your own spirit and attitudes. No one can normally make you say or do anything that you don't want to do.
  7. Accept other people, even if they're different. Really different. You don't have to like everyone, just show acceptance and tolerance, and you'll be cool with almost everyone (extremely important in connections later on). Also understand not everyone has your world view, thinks like you, or has the same values. But one thing everyone does want is to be treated kindly. You can't judge anyone else because you don't know what that person has been through and how one is affected. Not everyone reacts to the same situations the same way. Some have more tolerance than others. Judging anyone is purely to organize your own little world into making a little more sense at the other person's expense.
  8. Find a purpose or meaning to your life. Whether that be a cause to help the world, religion, or just any kind of worthwhile goal (world domination only if you'll treat the world right).
  9. Accept death. Yes, it can be scary. But it's going to happen, one day you will die. Let it echo through you, and you can begin to appreciate life. Trust you will be okay. Trust it or you'll go crazy. Live your life with the motto: " If I die now I die happy. " Wouldn't it be nice if supposedly you would die now to know that many people would attend your funeral because you've been a great person?
  10. Stop caring what other people think about you. If you've done the previous step, then this one should be easy. Just apply faith and trust in the fact that you will die someday, to yourself, and press forward with the fact that you were meant to be yourself no matter what other people say.
  11. Do something that scares you to death and you'll feel alive.


Tips

  • Keep a diary or journal. It doesn't have to be fancy, or wordy, or confessional. Just make sure that you're recording information about your accomplishments. Even an ordinary day spent in a good mood is a kind of accomplishment. Whenever you feel as though your life is worthless, fraudulent, or otherwise rotten, refer to this diary as a much-needed reminder of happier times. More will come!
  • Live each day as if it's your last! There's no day but today to do what you want.
  • In this idealistic approach, it is also necessary to balance it with reality. Life is a balancing act, it requires constant effort.
  • Stop listening to anyone but yourself sometimes, but then listen to everyone for some advice via experience in crucial matters. There is safety in a multitude of advisers, but you still decide for yourself!
  • Clear up your mind every once in a while.
  • Think positive! Avoid being surrounded by negative people.

Warnings

  • Once you make a plan, follow it! There's no point in making a to-do list or a schedule if you aren't going to go through with it then don't do it.
  • Do not whine about what you don't have. Enjoy what you have and desire, work towards what you want to have and you'll get it hopefully.
  • Don't feel jealous of people who are either better looking or have more money, or for that matter have anything that you don't but desire. Try to achieve it by working hard and making things work for you. Beauty and materialistic things in life don't last very long. What lasts is your soul. So it is important to have a clean and beautiful soul.
  • Be the miracle in someones life and your own, don't wait for a miracle to happen.


Words To Live By

WORDS TO LIVE BY


Condoms aren't completely safe. A friend of mine was wearing one and got hit by a bus.

BOB RUBIN


Don't ask the barber whether you need a haircut.

DANIEL S. GREENBERG


If you cannot catch a bird of paradise, better take a wet hen.

NIKITA KHRUSCHEV


Never eat anything whose listed ingredients cover more than one-third the package.

JOSEPH LEONARD


Write injuries in dust, benefits in marble.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN


People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first.

DAVID H. COMINS


Let your intentions create your methods and not the other way around.

THE AUTHOR although Benjamin Franklin said it first


Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper.

QUENTIN CRISP


You can't tell your friend if you've been cuckolded. Even if he doesn't laugh at you, he may put the information to personal use.

MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE


Put all your eggs in one basket and WATCH THAT BASKET!

MARK TWAIN


It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.

STUART'S LAW OF RETROACTION


Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.

ERMA BOMBECK


Don't go to piano bars where young, unemployed actors get up and sing. Definitely don't be a young, unemployed actor who gets up and sings.

TONY LANG


Live simply that others may simply live.

ELIZABETH SEATON


Murder is always a mistake. One should never do anything that one cannot talk about after dinner.

OSCAR WILDE


Always obey your superiors—if you have any.

MARK TWAIN


Dare to be naive.

R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER


Never underestimate a man who overestimates himself.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT


Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and shoot down the middle.

PRAGMATIC CREED


The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet.

DAMON RUNYON


One does not moisten a stamp with the Niagara Falls.

P. W. R. FOOT


This warning from the New York City Department of Health Fraud: Be suspicious of any doctor who tries to take your temperature with his finger.

DAVID LETTERMAN


No leg's too short to reach the ground.

LYNDON IRVING


She that knows why knows wherefore.

JIM SNELL


He digs deepest who deepest digs.

ROGER WODDIS


My dear, I don't care what they do, so long as they don't do it in the street and frighten the horses.

MRS. PATRICK CAMPBELL


Never call a man a fool; borrow from him.

ADDISON MIZNER


If it might break, don't go near it.

HERBERT STEIN


Go through the motions anyway; you might get lucky.

THOMAS MAGNUM


When you handle yourself, use your head; when you handle others, use your heart.

DONNA REED


When the telephone rings, it is against the law not to answer it.

RING LARDNER


Comments from the public are always welcome in courts of law. When you start speaking, an usher will call "Silence in court" to ensure that you are heard without interruption.

PETER ALEXANDER


__________________________________________________________________

LIFE

Life! Can't live with it, can't live without it.

CYNTHIA NELMA


There is more to life than increasing its speed.

MAHATMA GANDHI


Some people die at twenty-five and aren't buried until they are seventy-five.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN


Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT


While alive, he lived.

MALCOLM FORBES etched on his tombstone


Life's experiments are great fun. This is but another one.

RUDYARD KIPLING


A man's life of any worth is a continual allegory.

JOHN KEATS

Unified, disciplined, armed with the secret powers of the atom and with knowledge as yet beyond dreaming, Life, forever dying to be born afresh, forever young and eager, will presently stand upon this earth as upon a footstool and stretch out its realm amidst the stars.

H. G. WELLS


There's an old joke: Two elderly women are at a Catskill Mountain resort and one of them says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know, and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life.


Woody Allen opening lines to Annie Hall

The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy.

HELEN HAYES AT AGE 83


Some say life is the thing, but I prefer reading.

RUTH RENDELL


We cannot be normal and alive at the same time.

E. M. CIORAN


Is life not a hundred times too short for us to stifle ourselves?

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE


Who knows? Maybe my life belongs to God. Maybe it belongs to me. But I do know one thing: I'm damned if it belongs to the government.

ARTHUR HOPPE


I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

DEUTERONOMY 30:19


Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled brush. He surveyed the fence, and all gladness left him and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit. Thirty yards of board fence nine feet high. Life to him seemed hollow, and existence but a burden.

MARK TWAIN TOM SAWYER


Life is too short to waste In critical peep or cynic bark, Quarrel or reprimand: 'Twill soon be dark; Up! Mind thine own aim, and God speed the mark!

RALPH WALDO EMERSON


What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner.

COLETTE


If I had to define life in a word, it would be: Life is creation.

CLAUDE BERNARD The Bulletin of New York Academy of Medicine


Dear friend, all theory is gray, And green the golden tree of life.

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE


There must be more to life than having everything.

MAURICE SENDAK


There's got to be more to life than sittin' here watchin' Days of Our Lives and foldin' your Fruit of the Looms.

MAMA MAMA'S FAMILY


Remember that you ought to behave in life as you would at a banquet. As something is being passed around it comes to you; stretch out your hand, take a portion of it politely. It passes on; do not detain it. Or it has not come to you yet; do not project your desire to meet it, but wait until it comes in front of you. So act toward children, so toward a wife, so toward office, so toward wealth.

EPICTETUS


Grasshopper, look beyond the game, as you look beneath the surface of the pool to see its depths.

MASTER PO KUNG FU


Life teaches us to be less harsh with ourselves and with others.

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE



Tuesday, February 24, 2009

One Day, Some Day

Nothing can be more serious than the things involving matters of the heart. My love life is a total zelch. Yes, I am a hopeless romantic. But one day...some day...I know sunshine is just on the other side.

(originally written on May 18, 2008)
To HV 2008

















All that is left to me is a dream
that can't be mine
My mind is telling me to say goodbye
While my heart is begging you to stay
How can I say I don't need you
When all I am fighting for
is the love I have for you?
I cross this line to let you know
how much you mean to me
Life and love isn't so fair sometimes
Between you and me the moment
slows down but the passing of time moves faster
I know one day, some day
our love and dreams would be one.
Let's grow in ourselves
I've come to this point to
be strong and brave
And let you choose the life you've ever cherished
It could be a gift or a cursed
But I know one day, some day
our prayers would be answered
And lovers like us would live like those stars in the night.

Monday, February 23, 2009

THe Missing Piece

Life is like a jigsaw puzzle that consists of a mass of irregularly shaped pieces. The objective of the puzzle is simple: to fit the pieces together to form a complete picture or image. I'm still not complete as a person. The image I projected is still not whole. I'm still looking for my "missing piece." I hope someday I would be able to complete my own puzzle.


(originally written on March 13, 2007)

















The Missing Piece

Everybody's looking for the missing piece in life
I've wasted much time searching for it
But I still can't find.

I've searched it in the people who share
their lives with me
I've searched it in the crowd
of strangers passing by
But oh, I still can't find.

It puzzles me
Life's a great mystery
People come and people go
I've got some real happiness
But they all lost too easily
Who could in this world make me whole?
I've learned to fight against the time.

I've traveled far and have reached distance places
But in a while I feel the emptiness in me
I've walked on the other side of the road
Hoping I could finally find it
But oh, I still can't find.

It puzzles me
Life's a great mystery
People come and people go
I've got some real happiness
But they all lost too easily
Who could in this world make me whole?
I've learned to fight against the time.

I've asked so many questions
But the answers are not enough
As I moved on, I realized there's only one to
a lasting joy,
In Him and in Him alone.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Health Important Tips

Health Important Tips

Share the following tips to people you care about. Kindness costs nothing.

1. Answer the phone by left ear.

2. Don't take pills with cold water.

3. Don't have huge meals after 5 PM.

4. Drink more water in the morning less than night.

5. Best sleeping time is from 10 PM to 4 in the morning.

6. Don't lie down immediately after taking medicine.

7. When battery is down to last bar, don't answer the phone as the radiation is 1000 times.

More tips next time.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Shot of Love.. is What I Need


I read The Bible today. It helped changed my negative line of thinking. When I do some reflections, my list of good and beautiful things that are happening in my life exceeds my list about bad and unpleasant ones. It's good news. It means that I am living a meaningful life. Why should I feel less fortunate? Why should I not count all my blessings? I need not be defeated by anything, not even negative thoughts.

Life in this world is not without challenges. But it must go on even if sometimes my pocket is empty, my finances go down the drain because of forces beyond control. The world around me sometimes lie in shambles. The whole universe conspires against me, threatening my very own existence. Times like these, I need a lot of shot of LOVE. What else can I do to make me feel alive? Should I still believe that faith, hope and love are the three things that last forever? But the greatest of all is love? How could I make the most impact on the other people?

We always think about global financial crisis, mass- layoffs and sky rocketing prices. Can we think some positive things for now like global abundance, global prosperity, global peace or global love?

I will encourage love in others. I will teach others especially myself, to be openly affectionate and loving. I can also give people permission to love me as some may be intimidated or fearful of rejection. I am convinced that we cannot change this world by the logic of knowledge, power and money, but we can change this world by the logic of true love.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Bakas ng Lumipas

Muli akong nagbaliktanaw sa isang kahapon…ang tamis at ang pait nito ay nagpapaalala sa akin na ang lahat ng bagay sa daigdig ay may sariling panahon.

Bakas ng Lumipas

Biyernes na at uwian na naman. Bakit ba kay dali ng araw? Pakiwari ko’y mabilis lang yata ang takbo ng panahon. Ramdam kong nagmamadali ang oras at tila ba may hinahabol. Talagang nakakahilo ang bawat pag-inog ng mundo. Naimpake ko na ang lahat ng aking mga dadalhin at ako’y papaalis na. Hinagod ko muna ng tingin ang kahubaran ng paligid. Tahimik. Walang sigla. Parang isang patay na pook. Walang kabuhay-buhay. Ang ingay na kanina pa lang nag-uugungan ay biglang naglaho na parang usok. Napansin kong nagsiuwian na ang lahat. Walang nagpaiwan.
Kalong ko na ang traveling bag. Natigilan ako sandali. Minsang paglingon ko’y natanawan ko ang isang libo’t-isang laksang kalungkutan na bumabalot sa isang napakalumang cottage. Ang sabi-sabi ay tira pa raw ito ng giyera noon at matagal din bago binalikan at tinirhang muli. Habang nag-aaral sa kolehiyo, sa lumang bahay na ito ako nakatira, nakibaka at natoto ng maraming bagay sa buhay. Ayaw kong damhin at daluyungin ang ibayong pangungulila sa aking pag-alis. Gusto ko nang iwaglit ang mga alaala ng mga nakalipas at ligaw na inahinasyong harot na sumasayaw sa isip ko.
Para akong naglalakad na nagbibilang. Marahan kong pinagmamasdan ang likas na kagandahang taglay ng SNAS pati na ang kabuuang sulok nito. Ngayon ko lang napansin na kahit saan mang direksyon ka titingin iisang kulay lang talaga ang iyong makikita, ang namamayaning kulay berde.
Dumidilim na ang paligid. Bumubuwag na ang maiitim na ulap sa himpapawid at tila uulan. Ang malamig na simoy ng hangin ay marahang dumadampi sa aking maselang katawan.
Pumapatak na ang ulan. Malakas! Bago ko naisipang tumakbo patungong Bangkal waiting shed ay nabasa na ng walang habag na ulan ang aking kabuuan.
Naglalangitngit ang panahon sabay ang nakabibinging ingay na likha ng kulog at kidlat. Nagpapalala ng aking panlalamig ang pambihirang ginaw sa paligid. Habang ginagala ang paningin, ang isip ko naman ay naglalakbay na parang tuksong idinuduyan ng imahinasyon at tuluyan nang nakasulyap sa nakaraan.
Malamig ang buwan. Isang gabi na walang kasing panglaw ang sumasalubong sa akin. Pilit kong inaliw ang sarili at pinaagmamasdang maigi ang makakapal na ulap na nakatabon sa bilog na buwan habang ang konting liwanag nito’y patuloy na tumatanglaw. Hanggang sa ngayon ay ginugulo at nililitis ang utak ko ng maraming mga katanungan na paulit-ulit sa aking balintataw. Bakit ba kay hirap abutin ang isang kapirasong pangarap? Sa tagal ng panahong inaalagaan ko ang isang munting hiyas ng karunungan, kailan ma’y hindi ko nalasap ang tamis ng kaligayahang taglay nito. Hindi pa siguro napapanahon, hndi pa siguro.
Sa katunayan ako ay binago ng panahon at tuluyan nang nakipagsabayan sa pagsulong. Ang larawang iyon ay di maiwawaglit sa dalampasigan ng aking kasaysayan. Habang ako’y nabubuhay kailangan kong maging marahas at matapang upang sa gayon ay malasap ko ang lamukot na tamis.
“Brod!” isang tinig.
“Sukli mo,” aniya ulit.
Parang namalik-mata ako, halatang nabigla at nagulat. Inabot sa akin ng maamong conductor ng jeep ang limang baryang peso. Hindi ako makapaniwalang nasa Aras-asan terminal na pala ako. Naramdaman ko na lamang na may luhang humihilom sa aking mga mata. Nang makababa na ay nababanaag at namumutawi sa aking mukha ang isang sigla- ako’y kiming napatawa.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Sa Aking Pagbabalik

Minsan nakagawa ako ng mga maling desisyon sa buhay. Totoong mahirap takasan ang bangungot ng nakaraan. Ano pa man ang mangyari sa akin, kailangan marunong akong bumangon muli. At ang mahalaga naniniwala akong may puwang sa puso ko ang pagbabago. Darating ang panahon na magtatagumpay ako at masasabi kong "sa wakas nalampasan ko rin at handa na sa aking muling pagbabalik."




















Sa Aking Pagbabalik

Gabi iyon noong una kitang makilala. Kadalasan sa gabing kapares noon ay punung-puno ng nagkikislapang mga bituin ang kalawakan. Ang ningning ng mga ito’y tila pumupukaw sa damdaming matagal ding nauhaw sa pag-ibig. Ang sarap damhin ang simoy ng hanging sumasabay sa pagpintig ng aking puso. Pakiwari ko’y iyon na ang pinakasayang tagpo sa buhay ko lalo pa’t sinabi mong may malaki akong pag-asa sa puso mo.
Hanggang talampakan ang kaba ng dibdib ko noong una kitang pinagtapatan ng aking wagas na pagsuyo. Napansin mo siguro kung paano ako nautal at pinamulahan sa mukha. Ah, oo, ang mahalaga naman sa akin ay ang masabi ko sa iyo ang mga salitang gusto kong marinig mo.
Mula noon lagi ko nang pinanabikan ang muli nating pagkikita, hanggang sa tinungo mo rin ang aking hangaring maangkin ka. Halos naglulundag ako sa tuwa dahil sa wakas magnoyo na tayo!
Parang merong nagdidikta sa akin na ikaw na talaga ang lifetime partner ko. Nagsimulang naging makulay at punung-puno ng pag-ibig ang dati-rati’y malungkot kong mundo. Alam mo ba kung gaano ako kasaya sa tuwing kasama ka? Ikaw lang ang naging lahat-lahat sa akin.
Tuwing namamasyal tayo nag-uusap tayo ng kung anu-anong bagay. Pagkatapos nagtatawanan at naghahabulan. Minsan din nangangarap. Langit ang aking pakiramdam sa mga ganoong sandali dahil napatunayan kong mahal na mahal mo ako at gayundin naman ako sa iyo. Tayo na siguro ang may pinaka-sweetest love story in history.
Sa totoo lang, sa iyo umiikot ang aking mundo. At saka alam mo ba kung paano mo ako pinahanga? Matalino ka ngang talaga at napakaraming alam sa buhay. Nasa sa iyo ng lahat ang mga katangiang hinahanap ko. Ikaw ay tunay na mapagmahal, matiisin at mapagbigay. Magagawa mong magpakasakit at magpakahirap sa isang minamahal. Isa pang natutunan ko sa iyo ay ang mabuhay na hindi lamang para sa sarili kundi maging sa ibang tao lalo na sa mga nangangailangan. Natapos ko ang isang awit at ito’y inihahandog ko para sa iyo.Kapuri-puri ka namang talaga. Kaya, higit sa lahat, nagpapasalamat ako dahil ikaw ang mahal ko.
Noong una, inakala kong hindi magbabago ang lahat sa ating dalawa. Nakalimutan kong tao lang pala ako, maraming kahinaan at kapintasan sa buhay. Bigla na lang akong namangha nang paggising ko isang araw nawala na ang dati kong maamong katauhan. Pinaghihinaan ako ng loob. Agad akong nahumaling sa kinasasalamuhaang daigdig.
Pero hindi naman ako basta-basta sumusunod sa kung anu-anong kapanipaniwalang pinaiiral ng tao para mabuhay ng normal. Tumatagis sa utak ko ang katagang “hindi ako makapangyarihan na tulad mo!” Maaaring sabihin na bigla na lang akong nabubuhy sa ngalan ng aking sarili. Sariling malaya. Pero malaya nga ba talaga ako?
Hindi ko namalayan, tuluyan nang nagkalabuan tayo sa isa’t-isa Naging mapusok ako. Hindi ko magawang makinig sa kahit na anong paliwanag. Binulag ako ng aking takot at pangamba. Madalas kong itanong sa aking sarili kung bakit ako nagkakaganito. Ewan ko at lalong hindi ko alam.
Minsan lumuluha ako sa hinagpis, sa poot. Gusto kong ibulalas ang sakit ng dibdib na namamayani sa mga sandaling ako’y nag-iisa.
Palibhasa kasi magulo akong tao. Mahirap unawain kung minsan. Masyado akong ambisyoso at maraming bagay ang naglalaro sa aking isipan na gusto kong gawin at matupad kaya’t nawawalan ng konsentrasyon sa iisang larangan at kaya nabibigo. Hindi ko matukoy ng malinaw kung ano ang nais kong gawin o direksyon ng buhay ang dapat kong pagsikapang makamit.
Hindi ko makatkat sa aking isipan ang iyong mukhang punug-puno ng pag-asang magbabago ako at muling magbabalik sa piling mo.
Batid ko ngayon ang dahilan ng kasuklam-suklam na damdamin na aking pinagsisikapang malampasan. Naging sakim ko. Binulag ng sariling kahibangan. Naligaw habang nangangarap ng pansariling kaligayahan. Akala ko habam-buhay akong magiging tapat sa iyo. Dahil sa iyo, ngayon nabatid ko ang tunay na adhikain ko sa buhay. Natagpuan ko sa iyo ang kasagutan ng mga tanong na gumugulo sa akin. Nauunawaan ko na rin ang katuturan ng aking pagiging iyong “nilikha at kasuyo.” Marahil sa paglipas ng maraming unos at bagyo ay naintindihan ko na kung bakit ka nagpapakahirap at ipinagkaloob mo ang iyong sarili ng walang pagdadalawang isip.
Sadya ngang nagagamot ng panahon ang anumang sakit. Nahihilom nito ang anumang sugat. Pero ang piklat nito’y mananatiling palatandaan magdaan man ang maraming taon.
Inaamin ko ng buong puso, habang hinahanap ko ang aking sarili noon ay ni minsan hindi ka naiwaglit dito sa kasulok-sulukan ng aking puso. Kung kailangan muli kitang ligawan ay gagawin ko upang maibalik natin ang kahapon. Sana’y nariyan pa rin ako sa puso mo.
Ngayong gabi maglilitawan pa kaya ang mga bituin sa kalawakan? Sasabay pa kaya ang simoy ng hangin sa pagpintig ng aking puso? Magiging kakaiba siguro ito, taliwas sa mga nagdaang gabi sa aking buhay. Ewan ko, di ko masabi.
Nasa mga kataga na ang kahinugan ng aking isip na matagal ding pinanday ng maraming pagsubok. Bukas ay araw ng Linggo. Siguro naman ay handang-handa na ako makipagkita uli sa iyo, ang aking muling pagbabalik.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

What is a Hero?

We've been asked the question many times, "What is a hero?" And our answer is always the same - "A hero can be anyone. Heroes come in different shapes and sizes. A hero can be a relative, teacher, coach, or friend. It is up to each person to choose their own heroes. Please post in this entry your own definition of a hero.

The Hidden Truth About Valentine's Day: Origins of Valentines Day



When we think of Valentine's Day, we call to mind hearts, chocolates, flowers and expressions of love. Yet before joining in the fun, wouldn't it be wise to know where this tradition came from?

First, we should understand that Valentine's Day began when the early Roman Catholic Church tried to Christianize an ancient pagan Roman holiday called Lupercalia. That celebration was a licentious festival that honored Lupercus, the hero-hunter of wolves. This festival was so immensely popular among the Roman people that church leaders included it in their calendar, hoping to retain their new parishioners and turn them from sexual licentiousness to morality by linking it to a saint.

The saint they chose for this mid-February Roman festival was St. Valentine. One source explains: "St. Valentine is believed to have been a Roman priest who was martyred on this day [February 14] around [A.D.] 270. How he became the patron saint of lovers remains a mystery, but one theory is that the Church used the day of St. Valentine's martyrdom in an attempt to Christianize the old Roman Lupercalia, a pagan festival held around the middle of February.

"Part of the ancient ceremony entailed putting girls' names in a box and letting the boys draw them out. Couples would thus be paired off until the following year. The Church substituted saints' names for girls' names, in the hope that the participant would model his life after the saint whose name he drew.

"But by the 16th century, it was once again girls' names that ended up in the box. Eventually the custom of sending anonymous cards or messages to those one admired became the accepted way of celebrating St. Valentine's Day" (Helene Henderson and Sue Ellen Thompson, editors, Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary, "Valentine's Day," 2005, p. 576).

Although all historical sources contain some of the same notions about how Valentine's Day developed, each one highlights another facet of the story. Another states: "Some people have tried to connect the historical Saint Valentine with the later practices of Valentine's Day by saying that the saint married couples despite the emperor's prohibition, or that he sent a note signed 'from your Valentine' to the daughter of his jailer.

"However, the early Christian saint Valentine probably had nothing to do with the traditions later celebrated on his feast day; it is simply by his placement in the Christian calendar that his name became associated with it. Later, the word valentine may have been confused with the Norman French word galantine, meaning lover of women, as the g and v were often interchangeable in common pronunciation.

"In any case, February 14 gradually became a traditional date for exchanging love messages, and Saint Valentine became the patron saint of lovers" (Macmillan Profiles: Festivals and Holidays, 1999, p. 363).

Theories differ as to how a holiday for lovers developed in February. Some think the mating of birds at that time of year is connected with the tradition:

"One is based on the belief throughout rural Europe during the Middle Ages that the birds began to mate on February 14. Chaucer, in his 'Parliament of Foules,' refers to the belief in this way: For this was Seynt Valentyne's day. When every foul cometh ther to choose his mate" (Stephen Christianson, The American Book of Days, 2000, p. 139).

Regardless of the varied sources and ambiguous history of Valentine's Day, a few identifiable points continue to surface: Valentine's Day originated with an ancient pagan Roman feast called Lupercalia. That festival was based on fertility and sexual licentiousness. In the third century, the Roman Catholic Church attempted to Christianize the ancient festival practice by naming it after a martyr.

The hope was that the festival adherents would thereafter follow the examples of church saints, no longer engaging in the ancient practice of free sex while honoring an ancient god. Despite some success, the holiday still contributes to immorality among many and promotes a wrong view of love.

A counterfeit holiday

Something that is counterfeit always indicates there is something real that it stands in place of, the genuine article. Could the same be true of a holiday? The roots of Valentine's Day lie in a pagan festival, not the Bible. In the Catholic Church's efforts to "Christianize" a pagan festival to gain adherents, did it overlook the real thing—holidays that reflect God's perspective on love and giving?

In fact, what was overlooked in the adoption of pagan holidays was God's true Holy Days and what they mean. We can find all of God's Holy Days or festivals listed in Leviticus 23. And you can also find in the New Testament that Jesus Christ, the apostles and the entire early Church all kept those exact same festivals. Jude is apparently referring to these when he writes of "your love feasts" in Jude 12.

In contrast, the holidays that are widely celebrated in modern Christendom, including Valentine's Day, are not found in the pages of the Bible. Instead, they are largely rooted in ancient pagan holidays that have been given a veneer of Christianity.

-- From The Good News article Before You Ask Someone to Be Your Valentine...