I don’t drive a car, a jeep or an SUV. My mother enrolled me in driving school three times and I never finished the course each time. Why? That is a story I would rather not relate to you. So why write an article on driving?
What I would like to discuss with you now is driving your mind, your feelings, your dreams, your life. And unless you focus on your destination, you will never get there. Just like driving a vehicle, you must keep your eyes on the road, be alert to what is going on around you, follow the signs and know where you are going. That is about as much as I know of driving cars, which is really a lot, right?
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Focusing is getting harder and harder for people now, especially the youth. There is so much distraction around us – not just the giant billboards that collapsed during the Typhoon Milenyo, but the TV-cable sets as well, and the I-pods, the Internet chat rooms, the magazine stands, and department store displays.
Because a lot of people cannot be contented unless they have the five C’s, they lose sight of their destiny. What are the five C’s? Let us begin with the Cell phone. You cannot have a cell phone unless you have Cash to buy the load, even if the cell phone was a gift to you. The Computer, of course, is a necessity. How can you do your assignments without a computer – at home, in school or in a computer café. Making your assignments is a minor use of the computer. I know - its more important value for you is for chatting with your friends and for the games.
Credit cards come next. I can’t help wondering how the students, who don’t have jobs yet, are using (and abusing) credit cards. Through the bank account of their parents, many of them overseas workers, I guess. Credit cars have a way of making people enjoy things they have not earned - get it now, pay later. Instant joy. Worry about it later when your monthly bill arrives. Was it really worth the buy as compared to many other more basic needs?
Owning a Car is every teenager’s dream. Wow – that could get you anywhere, including into the heart of your latest crush.
And here is the last C – the Condominium. Maybe not for those in high school to dream about yet, but college students are now group renting and living very independent lives away from their folks. No supervision. It takes a loft of discipline to wake up on time, stick to your study periods, eat the right meals, and entertain your friends, male or female, outside your bedroom.
Not having the five C’s could throw you into vile envy – spending your thoughts and feelings in schemes that could make you acquire them the soonest time possible. As you go around the malls, you could be brooding over the latest cell phone you would like to have, the cute pair of Nike shoes, Fold and Hang shirt, super thin Guess jeans, and on and on.
Ok, ok - the five C’s are really not evil. We could look at them as tools and opportunities given by Almighty God Himself in order for us to accomplish His and our work on earth. So when do those five C’s begin to be sources of distraction? Remember, we are talking of driving.
Just a few guidelines and questions you can ask yourself. Do those things make me so self-focused that I forget God and neighbor, especially my family. Unless I de”central”ize me, I will have no room for others. And isn’t that what maturity means?
Youth is the formative years – forming self towards adulthood and its responsibilities as fathers, mothers, teachers, doctors, techs, service providers, etc.
Unless you detach, you cannot attach. Detach from your self-centered thoughts, self-pity, laziness, jealousies, addictions and irritating habits. Hard? Turn envy into challenges. Attach to Christ, to what is correct, to what is good and loving.
To help you focus, adopt a “mantra” – a few words of inspiration that you can keep repeating as you go through the day and at night, when you can’t fall asleep. Simple phrases like “Jesus, I place my trust in you” or “Guardian Angel, keep me safe.”
Praying the Rosary is not useless repetition of words. It helps you be more peaceful, hopeful and focused. There is that word again – think of athletes – unless they are fully concentrated on their goal; no amount of practice will make them win.
Finally, a reminder from the Holy Book, the Bible. Remember the story of Jesus walking on water? The apostles were amazed. They thought they were seeing a ghost. Peter cried out “Lord, if it is you, let me come to you!” so out of the boat he stepped, walked on water a few steps, then suddenly he began sinking. Why? He lost his sight on Jesus and instead worried about himself. Once we remove our eyes from Jesus, we will sink.
Again, I say – drive your mind. That is, monitor your thoughts and check out where it is going. Direct your feelings from negative to positive. You will be a happier person. And set your sight on why you are in this world, journeying towards the One who created you and loved you and has promised Eternal Life for you forever in Heaven.
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