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[av_heading heading=’ VIEWPOINTS | Thinking about life ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY OSCAR CRUZ
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Saturday, July 1, 2017
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IT IS TAKEN for granted. It is looked upon as a matter of course. But it remains very, very precious. It is here and there. But no two of them are exactly alike.
It is seen as something common. But each of them is unique and singular. It is found in the lowlands and in the highlands. But it is not really everywhere.
It is ordinary. But it has extraordinary features. It is a standard feature of the world. But the world would be markedly different without it.
It is no big deal. It is found in brown, black, yellow, white carriers. It comes and goes. When it comes, there is neither joy nor remorse. When it stays about, it is alright. But it is expensive to keep it going.
When it is going, there is some anxiety. But it is expected. But when it is in fact gone, there is sorrow and tears – somehow.
But it does not really last long. And when it lasts for so very long in actual existence, wonderment comes about and a good number of questions are asked.
It is plain and simple – but not when it is closely studied, analyzed. It is alike and similar one with another – but not one is a real duplicate of another. It is seen as a composite whole – but none of it is but a part thereof.
It is in but one repository – but it does not belong thereto. It is a resident of something unique – but it is much greater than the latter. It is a distinct favor to have – but it comes with many accompanying preoccupations. Such is life.
There are three more salient ways of looking at life that is a rather common reality – but with wonderful and even mysterious features. The first way of looking at life is that the moment it begins to exist, it also in effect begins to end.
No mortal and nothing on earth can make it stay as it was when it began. It can be said that the moment life starts, it is already on its way to the finish – so to speak. It has always been this way from the very day life became a reality in the world.
The second way of looking at life is once it is given, it starts to be taken away as well. At first sight, this phenomenon appears incongruous if not downright cruel. The truth, however, is that no one gives life to himself and no one strictly owns the life thus given him/her – lent, assigned and entrusted thereto – by Someone else.
Strictly speaking wherefore, life is in no time absolutely owned by the living but in fact simply lent and entrusted thereto.
The third way of looking at life is that once it is granted, it continues being with the grantee – either as a blessing or curse. The truth is that in due time, life leaves its here and now in order to go to the hereafter and beyond. This is when the united and intimate relationship between the content (life) itself and its temporary container (body), is in effect separated one from the other due to one connatural or incidental reason/cause or another.
It is the soul that is the life-giving reality in a person through the body of the latter. And it is the body that is the depository of the soul.
The soul can be considered the motor of the body in the sense that it is the former that vivifies the latter. Together they compose a unique and propound partnership that is strong or weak, depending on the prior strength or weakness of the body. Eventually, the partnership is dissolved./PN
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