“What is essential is invisible to the eye.” — the Fox in the The Little Prince
ONE vital attribute that God endowed to man is his innate dissatisfaction. Ask anybody you know what he or she would want out of life, chances are, you wouldn’t get a definite and precise answer. It seems that there is an insatiable hunger for people to derive more out of their lives.
Who could blame them? In the society we all live in, media successfully convinced society that it is normal, even necessary, to want more.
With the various product innovations and rapid developments in technology, the current trend is to “upgrade” to the next level. Whether its automobiles, computers, cellular phones, insurance policies, or even theater seats, virtually everything in the modern world has room for upgrade.
Let me share a humble story about the unique “upgrade” that one boy had.
Milo had been meaning to replace his one-year old Nokia 3210, which he bought from a shopping mall in Greenhills. A new generation of cellphones was already out in the market and he didn’t want to be left far behind his peers who already availed of special promos on the new phones. He was determined to upgrade to a higher model of phone soon. So, everyday he would allocate what money would be left of his baon to buy his desired phone. Finally, after two months, he was set to reap the fruit of his sacrifices.
Milo was about to enter the shopping mall when he chanced upon a woman and her baby sitting on one of the plant boxes near the commercial establishment. The woman, clothed in decades-old rags, was trying to calm down her crying child. The woman herself was in tears since, judging from the condition of the infant, her son was in dire need of medical attention.
Milo gently reached into his pocket and felt the money he had saved up for weeks to buy his new cell phone.
Maybe he could do with his trusty Nokia 3210 for a few more months, Milo said to himself. Then, he approached the mother and her child and escorted them to the nearest pediatric clinic in the area.
On that day, Milo did not get an upgraded cellphone, instead, he got an upgraded soul.
My high school teacher once told our class about a rule she had always followed throughout her life, “live simply, so that others could simply live.”
Those words were etched forever in my mind.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me understand the plight of some of my less fortunate brothers and sisters. Help me convert this “understanding” into actions dedicated to uplifting their way of life. Guide me so that I may not get lost in the maze of commercialism of our society and that I may fulfill Your Divine Will. Amen.
