AIR POLLUTION: DEATH BY LETHAL INHALATION

A couple of years back, a 50-year-old bus dispatcher in Manila came to the Pasay Filipino-Chinese Charity Health Center. The only breadwinner of his family, the man has two teenage sons and a daughter. For the past two years, he noticed that whenever he sniffed the sooty bus exhausts, he would develop chest pains. At home, he observed that he was tired easily and there were some nights when he would wake up short of breath.

Dr. Willie T. Ong, a cardiologist and the man's attending physician, could not decipher the cause of the patient's many heart attacks. An echocardiogram bared that his heart has expanded like a rubber and is only pumping at 20 percent capacity. Medical studies showed that people with such a lame heart may live for three more years.

The man could not believe when told the situation. After all, he didn't smoke or drink and never taken prohibited drugs. History records showed that both his parents never suffered from any heart diseases. Taking a closer look at his case, Dr. Ong traced the culprit of the patient's heart problem: air pollution.

In 2000, the World Bank's annual review reported that in Manila alone more than 4,000 Filipinos die each year because of air pollution. The mortality figure is the third highest for a city in the East Asian region after Beijing and Jakarta. Bangkok and Seoul were ranked 4th and 5th.

Five years later, the problem got worse. Manila's skies are among the most polluted in the world, surpassed only by Mexico City, Shanghai and New Delhi, said the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO). In a press conference, Ramon Paje, then undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), admitted, "The air in Metro Manila is still dirty but significantly improving."

Today, with more people flocking to the metropolis and more vehicles plying the highways, significant improvement of air quality is no where in sight. "Growing human and vehicle populations and increasing industrial activities are the main causes of worsening air quality in the urban centers of the Philippines," said the World Bank report in 2002.

A perception survey done in 2001 showed that more than 72 percent of Manila's residents were alarmed by air pollution and 73 percent said they were not aware that the government was doing something to control it. Two years earlier, the government actually signed the Clean Air Act, which aimed to provide a comprehensive air pollution control policy for the country.

Sources of air pollution in the Philippines include emissions from three sources: mobile like vehicles, stationary such as power plants and factories, and area which comes from garbage burning, road dust and open cooking. Burning of agricultural waste in rural areas also causes air pollution.

In Metro Manila, the air quality crisis is due to growing vehicle population. Statistics showed that vehicle densities have increased from 675,310 in 1990, to 1.2 million in 1998, to over 2 million in 2001. Vehicle density in Metro Manila has gone from 1,600 per square kilometer in 1995 to 3,144 per square kilometer in 2000, and at an accelerating rate of growth. "There is a direct correlation between the number of cars on the road and the amount of pollution in the air," said Dr. Rafael R. Castillo, a medical doctor and a newspaper columnist. According to Paje, 70 to 80 percent of air pollution in the country is caused by vehicle emissions.

"Increased levels of air pollution are threatening the well being of city dwellers, and imposing not just a direct economic cost by impacting human health but also threatening long-term productivity (material and vegetation damage, quality of life, reduced tourism to the country, discourage foreign investment, etc.)," the 2002 World Bank report pointed out.

"Nowadays, breathing can be a dangerous business," commented Framelia V. Anonas, a media service staffer of the Department of Science and Technology. "The air that breathes you life is the same one that can snuff life out of you."

Air pollution affects health in both short and long term. Short-term effects include irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, and infection on the upper respiratory tract such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Other effects are headache, nausea, and allergic reaction. Air pollution can also worsen asthma and emphysema conditions.

An epidemiological study conducted by the University of the Philippines College of Public Health, showed that the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is 32.5 percent among jeepney drivers, 16.4 percent among air-conditioned bus drivers, and 13.8 percent among commuters.

In March 1999, the British Medical Journal quoted Dr. Miguel Celdran, a pediatrician at the Makati Medical Center, saying: "About 90 percent of my patients have respiratory illness, and we're seeing babies as young as two months suffering from asthma. Twenty years ago, this was unheard of."

The Philippine Pediatric Society surveyed doctors and asked them to describe the most common illnesses that they treat. The doctor's response was unanimous: diseases of the upper respiratory tract. One study found out the urine samples from children living and begging on the polluted streets showed that at least 7 percent had high lead concentrations.

Many air pollutants – a mix of gases, droplets, and particles – are able to pass through the lungs into the bloodstream and are eventually transported to the heart and the entire body through blood vessels.

"Because the cardiovascular system is dependent on the functioning of the respiratory system, it is also indirectly affected by the deleterious effects of the pollution on the lungs," the UN health agency explained. "These impacts combined, damage and inflame blood vessels and affect heart function."

This has been supported by a study published in Lancet. Dr. Gerard Hoek from the Netherlands, found that those living near a major road have a higher risk of dying than the rest of the population. He concludes that long-term exposure to traffic-released air pollution may shorten life expectancy.

Other studies also revealed that heart attacks, life-threatening heart rhythms, and thickening of the blood can also be traced to exposure to air pollution. "To make it clear: all these bodily changes spell doom for the Filipinos living in Metro Manila (and other highly-urbanized centers)," warns Dr. Ong, who said they treat about 400 indigent patients annually in the health center where he sometimes work.

According to a World Bank study, poor air quality does not only threaten the people's well-being but also their productivity. The study revealed that filthy air costs the country 2,000 lives lost prematurely plus US$1.5 billion in lost wages and medical treatment. At the then exchange rate of P53 to US$1 when the study was made, a whopping P79.5 billion was lost due to air pollution.

World Bank valued the 2,000 lives lost due to particulate matter at $140 million (or P7.42 billion); 9,000 people suffering from chronic bronchitis at $120 million (or P6.36 billion); and 51 million cases of respiratory diseases at $170 million (or P9.01 billion). "About 65 percent of drugs purchased by the health department every year were for treatment for respiratory diseases," Paje reported.

THERE IS ALWAYS TIME FOR COURTESY

If virtues can speak, can you guess who might this be? "I am a little thing with a big meaning. I help everyone. I unlock doors, open hearts, and banish prejudices. I create friendship and good will. I inspire respect and admiration. I violate no law. I cost nothing. Many have praised me; none have condemned me. I am pleasing to those of high and low degree. I am useful every moment."



Yes, you're right! It's courtesy. "Courtesy is a science of the highest importance," says Michel de Montaigne. "It is opening a door that we may derive instruction from the example of others, and at the same time enabling us to benefit them by our example, if there be anything in our character worthy of imitation."



Erastus Wiman notes, "Nothing is ever lost by courtesy. It is the cheapest of the pleasures costs nothing and conveys much. It pleases him who gives and him who receives, and thus, like mercy, it is twice blessed."



"If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world," wrote English lawyer and philosopher Francis Bacon. "Life is not so short but that there is always time for courtesy," said American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.



Practice courtesy in all your endeavors. Never speak loudly to one another unless the house is on fire. And don't be selective in giving courtesy – whether rich and poor, treat them equally. As Benjamin Franklin puts it, "To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness."



One time, at a dinner given in honor of Marshall Foch, one of the guests remarked that there was nothing but wind in French politeness. Marshall Foch retorted, "Neither is there anything but wind in a tire, yet it certainly eases the jolts in a highway, as politeness eases them along life's highway."



Being polite is being courteous nonetheless. "True politeness consists in being easy one's self, and in making every one about one as easy as one can," reminded essayist Alexander Pope.



Courtesy, like charity, begins at home. It was supper time and the family was sitting around the table. "Give me the rice," the youngest member said. Her mother did not react. "I said I want some rice," half shouted the little girl.



And what did the mother do? She told her an anecdote that went like this: "There was once a magic garden. It was full of springing fountains and beautiful flowers. But no one could get inside because of the big garden gate. People tried to climb over the walls, but when they reached the top, the walls would grow higher. So then the people took a big crowbar and tried to break down the garden gate. But the crowbar broke."



The mother went on: "So the people tried to set fire to the gate and the garden wall. But they would not burn. Then along came a little child, walked up the big gate and said, 'Please!' And immediately the gate opened and the child and other people went inside."

After hearing her mother's story, the little girl blushed and said, "Mom, may I have some rice, please!"

Be kind and courteous to strangers. After all, "All doors open to courtesy," to quote the words of British clergyman Thomas Fuller. Now, here's a true story from Sydney Harris: "After a flat tire on my car, I stopped at the nearest gas station and had the attendant patch my spare. When I said, 'How much?' he waved me off. 'It's on the house,' he said. 'That's very kind of you,' I said, 'but why are you doing this for a stranger?'

"'Well, yesterday I woke up with a toothache and I took it out on everyone in sight,' he replied. 'This morning I feel fine. So today, I'm making up for yesterday: favors for the customers, kind words for the help. That's how I pay off for the bad days.'"

As Harris drove off, he thought, "Now, there's a man who makes sense: he settles his personal accounts day by day."

If we don't die young, we grow old. These days, people are growing older – thanks to medical science. As such, we have to be courteous to these old folks. Esther Mary Walker has written beatitudes for friends of the aged:

"Blessed are they that understand my faltering step and palsied hand. Blessed are they that know my ears today must strain to catch the things they say. Blessed are they who seem to know that my eyes are dim and my wits are slow. Blessed are they that look away when the coffee spilled at the table today.

"Blessed are they with a cheery smile who stop to chat for a little while. Blessed are they who never say, 'You've told that story twice today.' Blessed are they who find the way to bring back memories of yesterday. Blessed are they who make it known that I'm loved and not alone. Blessed are they who ease the days on my journey home in loving ways."

"Courtesy while you're thinking what to say," wrote Lewis Carroll, well-remembered for 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.' "It saves time." And Christian Nestell Bovee said, "The small courtesies sweeten life; the greater ennoble it."

LESSONS FROM THE WORLD'S RICHEST MAN

"(The perfect amount of money to leave children is) enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing."



Do you know who is the richest person in the world today? It's Warren Edward Buffett, the man who said the statement above. An American businessman, and philanthropist, he is regarded as one of the world's greatest stock market investors and is the largest shareholder and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway. The Forbes reported that as of March 5, 2008, he has an estimated net worth of around US$62 billion.



Often called the "Oracle of Omaha," Buffett is noted for his adherence to the value investing philosophy. In his Chairman's Letter in 2005, he wrote: "Long ago, Sir Isaac Newton gave us three laws of motion, which were the work of genius. But Sir Isaac's talents didn't extend to investing: He lost a bundle in the South Sea Bubble, explaining later, 'I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men.' If he had not been traumatized by this loss, Sir Isaac might well have gone on to discover the Fourth Law of Motion: For investor as a whole, returns decrease as motion increases."



Actually, his philosophy on business investing is a modification of an approach by his mentor, Benjamin Graham, who bought companies because they were cheap compared with their intrinsic value. He was of the belief that as long as the market undervalued them relative to their intrinsic value he was making a solid investment. He reasoned that the market will eventually realize it has undervalued the company and will correct its course regardless of what type of business the company was in. In addition, he believed that the business has to have solid economics behind it.



Here's one story shared to him by his mentor: "Let me tell you the story of the oil prospector who met St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. When told his occupation, St. Peter said, "Oh, I'm really sorry. You seem to meet all the tests to get into heaven. But we've got a terrible problem. See that pen over there? That's where we keep the oil prospectors waiting to get into heaven. And it's filled—we haven't got room for even one more." The oil prospector thought for a minute and said, "Would you mind if I just said four words to those folks?" "I can't see any harm in that," said St. Pete. So the old-timer cupped his hands and yelled out, "Oil discovered in hell!" Immediately, the oil prospectors wrenched the lock off the door of the pen and out they flew, flapping their wings as hard as they could for the lower regions. "You know, that's a pretty good trick," St. Pete said. "Move in. The place is yours. You've got plenty of room." The old fellow scratched his head and said, "No. If you don't mind, I think I'll go along with the rest of them. There may be some truth to that rumor after all."



According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Buffett also concentrates on when to buy. He does not want to invest in businesses with indiscernible value. He will wait for market corrections or downturns to buy solid businesses at reasonable prices, since stock market downturns present buying opportunities.



"I call investing the greatest business in the world because you never have to swing," he once said. "You stand at the plate, the pitcher throws you General Motors at 47! U.S. Steel at 39! and nobody calls a strike on you. There's no penalty except opportunity lost. All day you wait for the pitch you like; then when the fielders are asleep, you step up and hit it."



What makes Buffett so successful and very wealthy? Perhaps a closer look at his earlier life will give us some glimpse and ideas. For instance, in his senior year of high school, 15-year-old Buffett and a friend spent $25 to purchase a used pinball machine, which they placed in a barber shop. Within months, they owned three machines in different locations.



"Most people get interested in stocks when everyone else is. The time to get interested is when no one else is. You can't buy what is popular and do well," he would say later.



He was determined to do what he wants to do in life. When he graduated from Columbia University, he wanted to work on Wall Street. He offered to work for his would-be mentor Graham for free but the latter refused. He purchased a Sinclair gas station as a side investment, but that venture did not work out as well as he had hoped. Meanwhile, he worked as a stockbroker. During that time, Buffett also took a Dale Carnegie public speaking course. Using what he learned, he felt confident enough to teach a night class at the University of Nebraska.



In 1960, when he was already 30 years old, he asked one of his partners, a doctor, to find ten other doctors who will be willing to invest $10,000 each into his partnership. Eventually, eleven doctors agreed to invest. Two years later, he discovered a textile manufacturing firm, Berkshire Hathaway. His partnerships began purchasing shares at $7.60 per share.



As chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, began writing his now-famous annual letters to shareholders. One of the most famous letters was penned in 2000. He wrote: "The line separating investment and speculation, which is never bright and clear, becomes blurred still further when most market participants have recently enjoyed triumphs. Nothing sedates rationality like large doses of effortless money.



Buffett continued: "After a heady experience of that kind, normally sensible people drift into behavior akin to that of Cinderella at the ball. They know that overstaying the festivities -- that is, continuing to speculate in companies that have gigantic valuations relative to the cash they are likely to generate in the future -- will eventually bring on pumpkins and mice. But they nevertheless hate to miss a single minute of what is one helluva party. Therefore, the giddy participants all plan to leave just seconds before midnight. There's a problem, though: They are dancing in a room in which the clocks have no hands."



In 1973, Berkshire began to acquire stock in the Washington Post Company. In 1977, Berkshire indirectly purchased the 'Buffalo Evening News' for $32.5 million. In 1988, Buffett began buying stock in Coca-Cola Company, eventually purchasing up to 7 percent of the company for $1.02 billion. It would turn out to be one of Berkshire's most lucrative investments.



The rest is now history.



Buffett is also a noted philanthropist. In 2006, he announced a plan to give away his fortune to charity, with 83% of it going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2007, Buffett was listed among Time's 100 Most Influential People in The World.



"I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute," he once disclosed.

HUMILITY: THE BEST DEFENSE AGAINIST HUMILIATION

"Life is a long lesson in humility." I was reminded of this statement by James M. Barrie after reading the anecdote below:



A long flight of stairs is the last stage of a climb up a mountain in China. For more than a thousand years, a steady of pilgrims has come and gone until the steps are worn and dangerous. Numbers of pilgrims have fallen and hurt themselves.



The people of the neighborhood have asked the monks to rebuild the steps, fearing that they might lose their profitable business of housing the pilgrims. But the abbot of the monastery refused.



"It is regrettable," he said, "that some pilgrims have suffered injury or death. But this could be because they were holding their heads too high. But they are only a few of the millions who have learned that in life, one must walk carefully, holding the head high, but not so high that pitfalls cannot be seen, and so low as to lose sight of the sky."



The beginning of greatness is to be little, the increase of greatness is to be less, and the perfection of greatness is to be nothing. As William Temple puts it, "Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all."



But more often than not, people put themselves before others. "I am no more humble than my talents require," Oscar Levant once said. And Ted Turner commented, "If I only had a little humility, I'd be perfect."



In an article which appeared in 'The Observer,' Edith Sitwell was quoted as saying, "I have often wished I had time to cultivate modesty. But I am too busy thinking about myself." And oftentimes, that's what most people do.



A millionaire held a big banquet to which he had invited many important people in the city. Most of the guests arrived in their expensive cars. Then, the rain began to pour down and collected into a large puddle of water right in front of the main entrance to the millionaire's house.



Along came a car and stopped right in front of the water. An elegantly dressed old man tried to get out, but slipped and fell headlong into the sea of mud. As he lifted himself up, he saw that he was a mess – and was in no condition to go into the banquet hall.



Several of the guests made fun of the unfortunate man. But a servant who saw what had happened ran off to tell the millionaire about it. He came running out just in time to keep the muddied guest from going back home. He tried to coax the man to stay despite his appearance. But the guest was afraid of the stares and remarks of the other visitors, and wanted to disappear quickly.



So, the well-dressed millionaire then let himself fall face-first into the very same puddle of water. He, too, was muddied from head to foot. Then he took his guest by the arm and the two of them together, muddy as they were, marched into the banquet hall – and no one dared to say a word.



Humble thyself, the Bible states. Abraham Lincoln was a case in point. "Nobody has ever expected me to be president," he once said. "In my poor, lean lank face nobody has ever seen that any cabbages were sprouting." Albert Einstein was another. "No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong," he admitted.



There was a man who wanted to get rid of his shadow. But no matter what he did or tried, the shadow just would not go away. He rolled on the floor, he dived into the water. But to no avail; his shadow stayed alongside him.



A wise man who heard of the problem, remarked, "That's no worry. It's the simple thing in the world." The man asked, "How so?"



"Well," the wise man replied, "all you have to do is to stand in the shadow of a tree and your shadow will disappear."



"It is always the secure who are humble," said Gilbert Keith Chesterton.



Are you rich and famous? Do you belong to those who consider themselves high and might? Don't boast yourself. "Do you wish people to think well of you?" Blaise Pascal asked. "Don't speak well of yourself." And American president Abraham Lincoln reminded, "What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself."



A stooped old man and a lively young man happened to meet one day. The young man bragged to the old timer, "Why don't you walk straight, like me? That's no way to grow old. It's all a matter of habit – at least, that's what I'm told."



The old man gave him a look of pity and said, "My dear young friend, have you ever examined a grain field and noticed which heads are bent and which ones stand up straight? If you take a good look as harvest time draws near, you will notice that the heads which are empty are standing tall and high. But the heads that make a good harvest are the ones that are filled and bending low."



The young man heard those words and passed by, slowly bowing his head. No doubt, he pondered many a day on what the old man had said.



"I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker," Helen Keller reiterated.

WITHOUT HOPE, YOU ONLY LIVE ONE SECOND!

RECENTLY, a close friend sent me a letter (my very first in 10 years since no one writes letter these days due to electronic mails and text messages). But then, he was broken-hearted. After reading the two-page letter, I felt that he must have written it because he wanted to unload the pain he must have been suffering from. When I asked him if I can excerpt some passages of his letter, he told me to go ahead:



"I don't know what I am feeling right now. But because I have not greeted you last February 29, your birthday, you questioned my sincerity. Yes, I called you that day and you were waiting for me to say those two words: Happy Birthday. But then I never greeted you. The fact is, I really didn't know that it was your birthday. Had I known that, I would have greeted you. You said you were not particulars about birthdays but yours happen only once ever five years. Yes, I agree with you on that.



"In the past, I have asked you of your birthday but you didn't want to reveal it. So, at one time, you have told me about February 29 as the day you were born but I never paid attention to it since I thought you were just joking. My brother, who was born on February 28, always joked about being on February 29. So I assumed too, that you were indeed joking. I have forgotten that incident until you brought it again. When I called you a day after your birthday, I can sensed that you felt depressed. And you told me the reason.



"I have tried to call you several times. I have send text messages I can't count anymore. I also wrote several e-mail letters. But you completely ignored me. Since then, I have blamed myself for not greeting you on your birthday. Then, I received a text message from you that it was over between the two of us.



"In your long message to me, you told me that your heart is already numbed. You don't feel anything. Your heart is fragile, you said, and you don't want to be hurt again. The last time was when you broke up with your former love. Now, you are experiencing it again. I am very much sorry if I have done that. It was never my intention to hurt you. You are the love of my life. I have never loved anyone as I have loved you. You mean so much to me."



Now, can you feel also what he is going through? Well, the final words struck me the most: "But I am hoping that one of these days you will realize that we were both wrong in our assumption. I hope that one day you will be back in my arms again ready for a new chapter of our love."



Hope. That's the word that caught my attention. As one unknown author said, "Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope."



C. Neil Strait has the same opinion: "Take from a man his wealth, and you hinder him; take from him his purpose, and you slow him down. But take from man his hope, and you stop him. He can go on without wealth, and even without purpose, for a while. But he will not go on without hope."



Pelagius said, "There is no worse death than the end of hope." An Arabic proverb reiterates, "One who has health has hope, and one who has hope has everything." And Erich Fromm advised, "To hope means to be ready at every moment for that which is not yet born, and yet not become desperate if there is no birth in our lifetime."



François Duc de La Rochefoucauld admitted, "Hope, deceitful as it is, serves at least to lead us to the end of our lives by an agreeable route." To which an unknown write penned: "When the world says, 'Give up,' hope whispers, 'Try it one more time.'"



I was reminded by the words of William Shakespeare. In 'Measure for Measure,' he wrote: "The miserable have no other medicine but only hope." Film actor Christopher Reeve, when he was still alive, declared, "Once you choose hope, anything's possible."



In one corner of the world, a sullen, sulking, chilly friendless darkness squatted. Suddenly, there appeared in forsaken corner a tiny light. It was small, but it was a light. Someone had put it there. It just stood there and radiated.



A passerby remarked, "Don't you think you would be more useful somewhere else and not in this Godforsaken corner?"



"Why?" asked the little light. "I shine because I am light. And because I shine, I am a light. I don't shine in order to be seen. No, I shine because it gives me joy to shine, and to be a light."



But when the gloomy darkness heard this, it gritted its teeth and with full of fury tried to put the light out. But the gigantic darkness was powerless against the tiny light. "Hope is a light we keep inside that no one can touch.," Jermaine J. Evans once said. Anne Lamott also remarked, "Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come."



Helen Keller pointed out, "When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." That is what Mikhail Bulgakov also use to explain hope in 'The White Guard.' He wrote: "Everything passes away - suffering, pain, blood, hunger, pestilence. The sword will pass away too, but the stars will still remain when the shadows of our presence and our deeds have vanished from the earth. There is no man who does not know that. Why, then, will we not turn our eyes towards the stars? Why?"



Are you broken hearted? Did you fail from the examination you were taking? Though it seems the world is turning against you? Do you feel no one cared for you? Don't fret. American president John F. Kennedy advised, "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."



And Aragorn, in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,' told us: "There is always hope."

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SURVIVAL BOOK

BELIEVE it or not, fever is your friend. And like any close friend, fever tells you a couple of things that you may not like but that you need to know. First, fever is an early warning sign that a viral or bacterial infection has invaded your body. Second, it lets you know your body's defenses are vigorously resisting that invasion.



But more important, fever itself is part of that defensive struggle. When a virus or bacterial infection snakes into your body, your white blood cells release substances called endogenous pyrogens. These pyrogens stimulate a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which raises your body's internal temperature, causing a fever. That fever may speed your recovery.



However, if fever is accompanied by other symptoms (like difficulty of breathing or having air hunger; presence of gum bleeding, nose bleeding, black stools; having low blood pressure and weak pulse; feeling very sick), doctors are advised to refer that patient immediately to an emergency room or an outpatient clinic.



"The most common causes of fever are the common cold and the flu," explains Dr. Willie T. Ong, a physician, columnist and author of several books. "These conditions occur normally about three times a year and are usually benign. However, a fever of more than seven days in duration should be carefully investigated."



Fever is just one of the common health complaints that Dr. Ong discussed in his 240-page book, "Survival Guide for Doctors (And Non-Doctors, Too).' The book also offers guide what to do with patients having abdominal pain, chest pain or discomfort, cough, diarrhea, difficulty of breathing, dizziness, headache, leg swelling, loss of consciousness, and yellowing of eyes.



These can all be read in Survival Tools II of the book. The said "tool" likewise shares how to help patients save hospital bills (both for hospital-confined and out-patients) and how to handle difficult out-patient cases and hospitalized patients. It also reveals some short-cuts to the history and physical examination.



"Around 20 percent of the book is purely for doctors," Dr. Ong said. "But 80 percent of the contents can be understood by everybody." Whether you are a journalist searching for some ideas to write, a person looking for a life partner, a student who wants to boost his or memory, a chief executive officer trying to find ways to handle criticisms and intrigues, or having a problem whether you want to stay in the Philippines or live in a foreign land, this book has something for you.



Dr. Ong calls it "five books in one." The first one discusses how you can become successful in your career (whether you are a doctor or non-doctor). The second "book," as you may know it already, deals on diagnosis of common health problems. The third "tool," as he terms it in his book, gives ideas on how to understand Philippine health issues. The fourth one discloses secrets on how to lobby and network for a cause while the final "tool" emphasis on how to seek help from Someone Up There.





The book is easy to read. No frails and direct to the point. In some instances, anecdotes were included to fully explain a case or two. Personal experiences were written to drive a point. Quotable quotes abound. In 'The Art and Science of Medicine,' Dr. Ong quoted Dr. Albert Schweitzer: "It is our duty to remember at all times and anew that medicine is not only a science, but also the art of letting our own individuality interacts with the individuality of the patient."



Dr. Ong co-authored the book with his wife, Dr. Anna Liza R. Ong and Dr. Enrico Paolo Banzuela. Television host Boy Abunda wrote the foreword of this book published by Co Tec Tai Medical Museum.



Since the book was written with doctors in mind, Dr. Ong � who works as cardiologist at Manila Doctors Hospital � gives 10 reasons why a person should chooses to become a doctor. Among these are: prestige and respect, power and influence, service to fellowmen, lots of friends (and admirers), and money.



According to Dr. Ong, there are four stages in a doctor's life. The studying age is usually from age 20 to 30 years old ("At this stage, books are your life"). The next is called the earning age, usually from 31 to 49 years old ("Don't get obsessed with earning" or "you might jeopardize your chances of moving into the next stage"). Then, comes the prestige age when the doctor is 50 to 64 years old ("Focus more on real helping than on fame"). And finally, the legacy stage or when the doctor reaches the age of 65 and above ("Write a book, bind your memoir, put your collection in a library, or entrust your valuable to some foundation that will ensure your legacy").



But the book is not only for medical practitioners. Even for those who want to get hitch. For ladies who are in love, the book suggests that they should not show their IQ to their prospects. "Guys admire smart girls but they don't marry them," it says. "If your boyfriend's car broke down and you repaired it, then that's a bow to his ego. Guys are also secretly afraid that they can't get away with their vices with a very smart girl."



Another tip: smile. Studies have shown that the most effective way of attracting the opposite sex is by smiling. In a study of 750 encounters between men and women, 56%of conversations were initiated by smiling.



There are even survival notes for those who want to be successful public speakers. "Public speaking is an essential component for success in whatever field you choose." The book gives nine timely tips: (1) know your audience and setting; (2) what's in it for the audience; (3) what's in it for you; (4) emotions keep the audience glued; (5) personal storylines to hook your audience; (6) techniques to overcome nervous jitters; (7) tips for advanced speakers; (8) end your speech with a call to action; and (9) forget yourself.



However, the real purpose why Dr. Ong wrote the book was to help those engaged in medical profession. "We wanted to help our struggling health workers who are wavering from leaving or staying in the country," he pointed out. In other words, surviving in the Philippines with what it can offer, financially, morally, and socially.



Every year, about 2,000 doctors leave the country for good. "The figures came as a shock to me," said Dr. Ong, who was featured in Everyday Heroes column of 'Reader's Digest.' He was concerned that the brain drain would leave the country's millions of poor with no one to turn to for medical treatment.



His concern made him to do something: ask new medical graduates to sign a Doctor's Covenant pledging to practice in the country for at least three years and dedicate some time to treating the nation's poor. "We should focus on the poor who have no-one to turn to," he told them. "The rich can see any doctor � they can even travel abroad � but the poor have nowhere to go."



If Dr. Ong sounds like a preacher, it's because he follows what the Holy Book teaches. "The Bible says that we should help the lowly and the poor," he pointed out. "For in giving we shall receive. Jesus says that those who want to be the first will be last, and that those who agree to be last will become the first. These are spiritual truths I have found to be effective and practical."



A special bonus of the book is the complete guide to the Philippines' Physician Licensure Examination (more popularly known as the "Boards"), which is given twice a year (February and August) usually during four consecutive weekends (Saturday and Sunday) in six sites (three in Manila and three in Cebu).



"Every medical graduate who as finished his internship in the Philippines needs to pass it in order to obtain his medical license and practice medicine in the country," said Dr. Banzuela, who wrote the special appendix.



The survival book is available at any National Bookstores nationwide for only P150 a copy. -- ###
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THOU SHALT NOT BE GREEDY!

Jonathan is the only child. So, when his father died, he became the heir of the land. But he wasn't happy; he wanted more land. Once, a stranger came by, apparently a man of means and power, and offered to give him all the land he could walk around in one day, on condition that he would be back at the spot from which he started by sundown.

Early the next morning, the boy set out, without eating any breakfast or greeting anyone. His first plan was to cover six square kilometers. When he finished the first six, he decided to make it nine, then twelve, then fifteen. That meant he would have to walk 60 kilometers before sundown. By noon, he had covered 30 kilometers. He did not stop for food or drink. His legs grew heavier and heavier.

About 200 yards from the finish line, Jonathan saw the sun dropping toward the horizon. Only a few minutes left. He gathered all his energies for that one last effort. He staggered across the line, just in time. Then, he reached for his heart and fell down in a heap � dead. All the land he got was a piece six feet by two.

Meanwhile, one summer afternoon on the Mississippi River, a steamer crowded with passengers suddenly struck a submerged rock. In a moment, the deck was a wild confusion. The lifeboats were able to take off only one-fourth of all the passengers. The rest tore off their clothes, and swam ashore.

After everyone had deserted the overturned ship, a man suddenly appeared on the leaning deck. He grabbed a loose piece of wood and then jumped into the river. But he sank like a stone.

When his body was recovered, it was found that while the other passengers were busy escaping, he was also busy breaking open and robbing their trunks and baggage. Many of them were miners returning home with their treasure. This thief gathered their gold, tied little bags of it around his waist and within 30 minutes he had more gold than most men would have in a lifetime. But those gold dragged him to the bottom of the river in an instant.

Both stories have one thing in common � they all die of greed. Millions of people would rather die to get more wealth. "We're all born brave, trusting and greedy," Mignon McLaughlin once commented, "and most of us remain greedy."

"Greed has three facets: love of things, love of fame, and love of pleasure; and these can be attacked directly with frugality, anonymity, and moderation," says Paul Martin.

Don't be greedy to own everything what you want � or you end up with nothing at all. There was a poor man who complained loudly that life had been unfair. "Most of those who are rich did nothing to gain their wealth," he wailed to anyone who would listen. "They inherit their money from their parents."

One day, as the man was walking home after having expressed his bitter feelings to some of his friends, Fortune appeared before him and said, "I have decided to provide you with wealth. Hold out your purse, and I will fill it with gold coins. But there is one condition: if any of the gold fails out of the purse onto the ground everything I gave you will become dust. Be careful. I see that your purse is old; do not overload it."

The poor man was overjoyed. He loosened the strings of his purse and watched as Fortune started to pour a stream of golden coins into it. The wallet soon became heavy. "Is that enough?" Fortune asked.

"Not yet," the man replied. Fortune poured in several more coins, so that the purse was filled, and then asked again, "Shall I stop now?" The man answered, "Not yet, just a few more."

But at that moment, the purse split apart, the gold coins fell to the ground, and the treasure turned to dust. Fortune disappeared, and the greedy man was left with an empty wallet. Happiness, someone once remarked, can't be measured by one's wealth. A person with two million pesos may not be one bit happier than a person with one million pesos!

Greed, in fact, robs us from being happy. A teacher and the school principal were standing near the playground where the children were frolicking to their heart's content. The teacher asked the latter, "Why is it that everyone wants to be happy, but so few ever are?"

The principal looked at the playground and replied, "Those children seem to be really happy." The teacher answered back, "Why shouldn't they be? All they do is play. But what keeps the adults from being happy like that?"

"The same thing that can keep children from being happy," the principal said. Then, without saying any word, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of coins, and threw them among the playing children.

Suddenly, all laughter stopped. The children tumbled over one another, fought and argued. The principal told the teacher, "Well, what do you think ended their happiness?"

"The fighting," the teacher answered. "And what started their fighting?" the principal inquired. "Greed," the teacher said.

Yes, everybody wants to find happiness. But our greed to possess the things that will make us happy keeps happiness itself away. "One of the weaknesses of our age is our apparent inability to distinguish our needs from our greeds," points out Don Robinson.
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ATTITUDE CHANGES EVERYTHING

I am sure you have encountered these people before. There is this woman who buys almost anything just to make her look beautiful. Another woman thinks she's beautiful and believes that beauty is skin deep.



I know of a chief executive officer who is not contented because he wants more money. On the opposite side is a regular worker who is happy because he knows he could not bring any wealth when he dies.



When I was still in college, I came to know a student who cheated because he badly wanted to pass the examination. A classmate, who studied hard, failed but still managed to say, "There is always next time."



"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference," commented American best-selling author W. Clement Stone. "The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative."



"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult undertaking which, more than anything else, will determine its successful outcome," reminds psychologist William James. "Attitude is everything," points out actress and model Sasha Azebedo.



"We cannot change our past," declares Charles R. Swindoll. "We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude."



Whether you're happy or lonely, it all boils down to attitude. "Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill," says W.C. Fields.



We are convinced that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% of how we react to it. "Happiness is an attitude," Francesca Reigler states. "We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same."



There was a poor widow who had two sons. This widow's livelihood depended entirely upon her two sons' meager little businesses because she was so weak and frail. Every day, she worried about their businesses. She fretted and hoped that they would do well.



One son sold umbrellas. So the mother would waken in the morning and the first thing she would look to see if the sun was shining or if it looked like rain. If it was dark and cloudy, she would gleefully say, "Oh, he will surely sell umbrellas today!" But if the sun was shining, she would be miserable all day, because she feared that nobody would buy her son's umbrellas.



The widow's other son sold fans. Every morning, the poor old widow would arise and look to the skies. If the sun was hidden and it looked like a rainy day, she would get very depressed and moan, "Nobody's going to buy my son's fans today."



No matter what the weather was, this poor old widow had something to fret about. If the sun was shining, she felt terrible because nobody would buy her son's umbrellas. If the sun was not shining and it was cloudy, she also felt terrible, because nobody would buy her other son's fans. With such an attitude, she was bound to lose.



One day, she ran into a friend and told her, "Why, you've got it all wrong, my dear. There's no way you can lose. If the sun is shining, people will buy fans; if it rains, they'll buy umbrellas. You live off both of your sons. You cannot lose!"



The Dalai Lama shares this thought: "The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy."



There are always two sides of a coin. And it is up to you how look at it. Frederick L. Collins has the same view when he said, "There are two types of people - those who come into a room and say, 'Well, here I am!' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are.'"

Positive attitude is better than negative attitude. In fact, it is every bit as important to success as talent. Never say negative words or you may eat them later on. "The phonograph is not of any commercial value," a great inventor once said. "The radio craze will die out in time," he stated on another occasion. The speaker was Thomas Alva Edison.



Describing the telephone, American president Rutherford B. Hayes said, "That's an amazing invention. But who would ever want to use one of them?" Wilbur Wright, to his brother Orville after a disappointing flying experiment in 1901, deplored, "Man won't fly for a thousand years."



Pierre Pachet, physiology professor at France's Toulouse University, said in 1872: "Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction." But what may be the best of all is this one: "Everything that can be invented has been invented." That genius was Charles H. Duell, commissioner of the United States Patent Office, speaking in1899.



So, take a closer look at your attitude now. Count your blessings. See the brighter side. As an ancient Persian saying goes, "I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet."



Laugh and the world will laugh with you. Cry and you cry alone. Take heed from the words of the Bible: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).



Now, "great effort," says Pat Riley, "springs naturally from great attitude."

YES, CHILDREN NEED EYE EXAMINATIONS!

PARENTS usually bring their infants for vaccinations. As the kids are growing, parents also accompany them for dental check-ups. But what about eye examinations – are parents aware of the importance of these tests?



Since she was four, Marianne has been wearing glasses, which was prescribed by an optometrist aunt who works in a mall. Her parents do not have vision problems so they were surprised when they were told by their daughter's teacher that Marianne's left eye was inwardly turned when drawing on her notebook. So, they mother decided to bring her daughter to a pediatric ophthalmologist.



On her first visit, Marianne's visual acuity was 20/50 on the right and only 20/100 on the left, even while wearing the glasses. (Visual acuity, of the measure of vision, is expressed as a fraction. The top number refers to the distance you stand away from the Snellen eye chart, usually 20 feet. The bottom number indicates the distance at which a person with normal eyesight could read the same line you correctly read. The lesser the bottom number in the visual acuity ratio, the better the acuity; and the greater the bottom number, the worse the acuity.)



When Marianne's ability to focus was relaxed and her refraction was measured, the mother was shocked to find out that her daughter's glasses was just half the amount of correction that she should be wearing for hyperopia (farsightedness).



Most Filipino parents don't know that their children need eye examinations because parents themselves are not educated on this. "They didn't go through such examinations and didn't have a significant eye problem, so what's the use of bringing their kids to the experts?" asked Dr. Alvina Pauline Santiago, a consultant in pediatric ophthalmology at the Philippine General Hospital.



There is also that misconception that an eye examination cannot be performed until a child will cooperate for Snellen chart testing, and refinement of refraction. Another is the lack of support from pediatricians "for whatever reason," to quote the words of Dr. Santiago. In some instances, ophthalmologists themselves are less than willing to perform pediatric eye examinations and recommendation of bringing back the child when he starts to read.



But the eyes of children must be examined before it's too late. A national survey conducted found that nearly seven out of ten children under age six have never had an eye examination. And, of those children who had been checked, only 30 percent had been seen by an eye expert. This survey was conducted in the United States. What about in the Philippines?



"Unfortunately, there are no national statistics on the prevalence of vision problems in children in our country," admits Dr. Maria Imelda Yap-Veloso, an ophthalmologist at the Asian Eye Institute in Makati City.



However, Dr. Barbara Roque estimates that about 20 percent of grade school children have vision problems, including refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism), amblyopia (lazy eye), and strabismus (squint or eye deviation). "Some children actually have all three," the pediatric ophthalmologist with the Eye Republic Ophthalmology Clinic in Manila claims.



Without a comprehensive eye exam by eye experts, many children have vision problems that can go undiagnosed, and may even be misdiagnosed as a learning disorder like dyslexia or attention deficit hyperactive disorder.



The Philippine Society of Pediatric Ophthalmologists and Strabismus identifies kids with parents with eye problems in the high risk group of developing or having visual problems. Children with siblings diagnosed with an eye problem should also belong this high risk group and should be screened early in life.



"Children with vision problems should be treated early in life," says Dr. Yap-Veloso. "This is because the future visual potential of a person develops during childhood. Any problem interfering with the patient's vision should be aided or corrected early so full visual potential in the future may be realized."



Take the case of amblyopia, a condition where one eye cannot see well, and the other takes over for the both. "It is very difficult to treat amblyopia when the condition is discovered after the age of 8," says Dr. Roque. "Clinical studies show that amblyopia therapy after this age results to minimal improvement in visual acuity, compared to when the treatment started earlier. Most of the neurons connecting to the eyes to the brain are already fully developed or matured around this age."



Ideally, when should parents bring their children for eye examinations? "The first phase of vision screening should happen at birth," says Dr. Roque. Pediatricians could play a big role by including the following tests before discharging a baby from the hospital: checking for symmetry of both eyes and eyelids, measurement of corneal diameters, checking of papillary reflexes, and checking for clarity of the visual axes (that is, look for opacities involving the cornea, lens and vitreous) while the pupils are dilated.



The second phase of visual screening is around the age of 2-3 years. "A child's visual acuity can be tested at this age using picture charts or Snellen charts if the child is familiar with the alphabet already," informs Dr. Roque. "The last phase should be just before entering primary school."



"I would definitely recommend an eye examination on the third and fourth year of life before pre-schooling starts," says Dr. Yap-Veloso. "If the exam is normal, every two to three years will suffice. Any eye symptoms and strong family history for eye problems should however warrant an earlier check-up with an ophthalmologist or eye specialist. Follow-up visits would depend on the nature of the problem."



Parents don't need a referral from their pediatrician or family doctor for their child's eye check-ups. "Similar rates are charge for both children and adults," says Dr. Yap-Veloso. Usually, it ranges from P500 to P800 per consultation. "However, if extra tests/measurements or adjunctive diagnostic procedures are needed, there may be additional charges."



Some insurance companies cover for consultations and eye examinations when the child is two years and older. "Different health insurances have different clauses," says Dr. Santiago. "As a general rule, the eye exam is usually covered."

What if the examination is already too late – when the child is already nine years old or so? "Once the developing years are over, for many eye problems late correction may no longer be beneficial," says Dr. Santiago.



"The developing visual system requires equal stimulation from both eyes and that the image obtained by the eye is clear and steady," Dr. Santiago explains. "The period when the visual system is most responsive to stimulation is the first two years of life, but the visual system remains plastic and moldable up to about seven years. When the visual system is not stimulated, the visual system does not develop, and fails to achieve its full potential if intervention is late."



Whatever happened to Marianne? The doctor gave her a new prescription for the glasses and after six weeks of wearing them full time, her visual acuity improved to 20/20 on the right and 20/50 on the left eye. Her eyes were also well-aligned. The doctor then started amblyopia therapy on the left eye by patching the good (right) eye when doing her homework.



Six month later, Marianne's visual acuity on the left improved to 20/25. Her mother now boasts that her daughter gets A's in her art class and in math. "I would never have thought to get my daughter's eye tested, but I'm so glad I did," she says. -- ###



Box 1 . Vision screening in children



There are several critical periods in the development of children's vision. As such, eye examinations for your kids should be done during:



· Preterm (born less than 32 weeks from conception) – Infants are at risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity so they must be screened at regular intervals until retinal vascular maturity is complete. Screening is done when the baby is medically stable, or at around 32 weeks post conception whichever comes first.



· Perinatal or Neonatal period (up to age 1 month from birth) - – Among the conditions that eye experts will look for when screening healthy infants are eye problems such as congenital infections, congenital cataract, and congenital glaucoma.



· Infantile period (more than 1 month to age 6 months) – These are the eye problems that that experts will look for when screening healthy infants: errors of refraction, developmental cataract, squint (strabismus), and juvenile glaucoma.



· Preschool years (3 years and 5 years) – It is during this stage that some forms of strabismus, high errors of refraction, unequal errors of refraction (anisometropia), and lazy eyes (amblyopia) start to manifest. Diseases screened for during the infantile period may also be seen at this age.



· School age years (6 years and above) – Children are screened for refractive errors such as farsightedness (hyperopia), nearsightedness (myopia), irregular corneal shape (astigmatism), or any combination of these. Diseases screened for during the infantile and preschool years may also be seen at this age. -- ###

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO?

Who doesn't know Albert Einstein? But there are some anecdotes about this great physicist who was recently honored by 'Time' magazine as the Man of the Century, which most people don't know. Here's one: He was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger.



When he came to Einstein, the famous scientist reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn't there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn't find it.



"Dr. Einstein, I know who you are," the conductor told him. "We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it."



Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.



The conductor rushed back and said, "Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know who you are. No problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one."



Einstein looked at him and said, "Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going."



I came to know the story above while reading an e-mail forwarded to me by a friend. It was shared by Dr. William Franklin Graham, Jr. – more popularly known as Billy Graham – when he was invited by leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina (where he was born) to a luncheon in his honor.



It was in January 2000 and Dr. Graham was 86 years old at that time. Initially, the well-known Christian evangelist hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson's disease, a disorder that affects nerve cells, or neurons, in a part of the brain that controls muscle movement. "We don't expect a major address," the leaders assured him. "Just come and let us honor you." So he agreed.



Dr. Graham came and after those wonderful things were said about him, he stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and shared the story of Albert Einstein. Then, he continued, "See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My wife, my children, and my grand children are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion.



"You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this: I not only know who I am, I also know where I'm going."



What about you? Do you know where you're going? I was reminded of the 1975 movie entitled, 'Mahogany." It tells the story of a poor African-American girl (played by Diana Ross, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance) who becomes a successful Paris fashion designer. Remembering the happiness she had in the past, she faces the reality of a loveless future and decisions that brought her to this point in her career.



In a song written by Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin, Ross sang these famous lines: "Do you know where you're going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to? Do you know? Do you get what you're hoping for? When you look behind you there's no open door. What are you hoping for? Do you know?"



Do you know what the purpose of your life here is on earth? If you don't know, then you're lost. You will never get there if you know you're going there. "To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity," Friedrich Nietzsche once said. Seneca also said, "When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind."



If you know where you're going, then you have sense of direction. British playwright George Bernard Shaw reiterated, "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."



You have your own purpose. God created you for a purpose. Find it. Eckhart Tolle, author of 'A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, explains: "Your life has an inner purpose and an outer purpose. Inner purpose concerns being and is primary. Outer purpose concerns doing and it is secondary. Your inner purpose is to awaken. It is as simple as that. You share that purpose with every other person on the planet - because it is the purpose of humanity. Your inner purpose is an essential part of the purpose of the whole, the universe and its emerging intelligence. Your outer purpose can change over time. It varies greatly from person to person. Finding and living in alignment with the inner purpose is the foundation for fulfilling your outer purpose. It is the basis for true success. Without that alignment, you can still achieve certain things through effort, struggle, determination, and sheer hard work or cunning. But there is no joy in such endeavor, and it invariably ends in some form of suffering."



Indeed, our life here on earth is precious and so little. Be yourself. Don't what you want in life. Let your dreams be your source of inspiration and power. Don't be intimidated. Don't wait for tomorrow to do what you can do now. "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life," Steve Jobs advised. "Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And the most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."



Now, in this stage of your life, do you know where you're going to?

TRUE LOVE IS FOREVER

I was in college when the movie, 'Endless Love,' came out. The melodrama moved some people to cry. But what made this film memorable was the theme song, sung by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.



Some memorable lines include: "My love there only you in my life, the only thing that's bright. You're every breath that I take. You're every step I make. And I want to share all my love with you, no else will do. And your eyes they tell me how much you care. Oh yes, you will always be my endless love."



The song came into my mind as I read the story send to me by a friend via e-mail. I don't know who wrote it (a lady physician most probably) but after reading it you would wish you have such of love and devotion. The end of the story has this message: "True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be."



Now read the story for yourself:


It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well-healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The old answered negatively but he added that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, a disorder which destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?" The old man smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."



Love can never be out of season. No one runs out of ideas about it. Poets can go on and on with the subject. A lot of songs have also been written about love. Eric Carmen croons: "Love is all that matters." Perry Como believes, "Love makes the world go round." Kenny Rogers agrees, "Love will turn you round." However, the Eagles band thinks that "love will keep us alive." Peabo Bryson knows that "love always find a way."



If love someone now, tell that person how much you love him or her. Do it everyday if possible. Never wait for the day when that person is gone. He or she is no longer to hear your words. Perhaps the words of Troy David Bowden is enough to remind you what love is and how important it is to let your beloved to know your feelings:



"The miss of a lost love can darken the soul. Wishing to see her in the moonlight or day can cause pain and it does in my heart. Her walk was of a God and her eyes were of the dove. Lost am I in this world without her. Her touch her sound the kiss of forever and the words that came to be.



"She died in my arms, and the pain will never go away. Some nights I cry praying for her to be here, but only alone I come to be. If only someone knew how the pain burns like fire slowly burning the heart. Tears are the only memory of her and her smile.



"No cure could be found and it was only up to God's time. So many things I still wanted to say to her and so much to do with so little time. Like to take a walk through a park and hold hands as the birds fly free with the wind or to make love on a beach as the waves crash to the shore. She was my true love and to see her go away kills my soul.



"I did all I could to make her time happy, we talk about memories and stories, went to the tree outside our house were I asked her to marry me, but most of the time I just watched her get sicker and sicker and on the day of her death I blew out the candle of our dreams never to light it again."



Bowden's final words to his beloved: "Wherever you are I'll always be here waiting for the day we can once meet again. For when the day comes tears of the past will be gone and tears of the future will lead the way."



Just what is true love? I Corinthians 13:1-8 states: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love I gain nothing Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away..."



The 13th verse says it all: "And now these things remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

PARENTING 101

REGARDING HENRY

By Henrylito D. Tacio



PARENTING 101



American president Harry S Truman once said: "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it." If you do that, you can never go wrong.



The great English writer and painter, John Ruskin, has observed that some of the greatest successes of the human race have been caused by love of praise. This is especially true in childhood. But all too often, parents turn children away by pointing out only their faults and mistakes. A wise parent makes it a point to praise a child when he or she deserves it. It can work wonders.



Jack Denton Scott, in an article which appeared in Reader's Digest, told of a story of a woman who completely transformed her son's dislike of drying dishes by a word of praise to him. One night, the two of them were doing the dishes together, much to his dislike, when suddenly he dropped a large meat platter. There was silence after the crash.



Then, the mother looked at him and said, "You know, son, of all the times you have dried dishes for me, this is the first time you have ever dropped one. I think you have set some kind of record."



Fear left the boy's face and he broke out into a smile. Forever, after that, drying dishes was fun. "Praise virtue," a psychologist once advises, "and you will find few vices to condemn."



Have you ever noticed why some children of famous families turn out to be so much more successful than others? For instance, why did Joseph Kennedy's son excel while Franklin Roosevelt's did not? Certainly, Roosevelt had as good an understanding of power and how to use it as did Kennedy.



Part of the answer to that puzzle may be found in Franklin Roosevelt Jr.'s remark that an appointment was always needed if he wanted to see his famous father. One day, the younger Roosevelt had a pressing problem. The two talked. Although the elder Roosevelt was listening he kept on working at his desk. When the boy stopped talking, the father remarked, "Glad you could drop by," and that was the end of conversation.



In contrast, Joe Kennedy had ferocious interest in his children's lives. For all his shortcomings, his loyalty to his children was absolute. "My business is my family and my family is my business," he said. In an interview, he revealed, "You know, when I was just trying out for the freshman team for some of those swimming meets, my dad was always there. He was always there. He did the same for all the kids."



So, when was the last time you were there for your son or daughter? When was the last time you have talked with your child just the two of you alone? Do they need to pay an hour just so they can have your time?



Of course, parents before they became such were children themselves. Nina Fischer shared her own story about her father. "My dad was a carpenter and he never liked to get dressed up into nice clothes. But when my mother died, he bought a handsome suit and was dressed to the teeth as he went heartbroken to her funeral.



"A year or so later, I was in a clothing store and saw a suit similar to the one my father had worn at my mother's funeral. I got into a conversation about my father and his dislike for dressing up. Then the elderly salesman said to me, 'My dear child, I knew your father. He often came in here to admire the fine clothes we have, but he never bought any. He always said that you kids needed things more than he needed clothes."



Hearing those words, Nina's eyes were filled with tears. And the old man continued his explanation: "Your father told me that he always felt dress up inside himself. And I believed him. He smiled so much, he just had to be wearing a really nice suit around his heart."



If that is what fathers can do, what about mothers? The famous French author Victor Hugo tells this story about a mother: It was during the French Revolution in 1700. A mother and her two children were driven from their home. They wandered through the woods and fields for several days, living on roots and leaves. On the third morning, they hid in some bushes but two soldiers flushed them out.



The officer saw that they were starving, so he gave them a long loaf of French bread. The mother grabbed it like a famished animal, broke it into two pieces, and gave one to each child. One officer saw that and asked the other, "Isn't that woman hungry?"



"No," the other office said, "it's because she's a mother."



Now, do you want your son or daughter to be a scalawag when they are grown-up? Here's what the pamphlet from the police department of Houston, Texas tells us: From infancy on, give the child everything he wants. This will make him believe the world owes him a living. When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he's cute.



Never give him any spiritual training. Let him decide for himself when he's eighteen or older. Avoid using the word "wrong." It might develop a guilt complex. When arrested later on, he will think he is being persecuted.



Pick up anything he leaves lying around. This will teach him to throw all responsibility to others. Let him read any printed matter he can get his hands on. Sterilize his cups and saucers but let his mind feast on garbage.



Give a child all the spending money he wants. Why should he have things as tough as you had them? Satisfy his every craving for food, drink, drugs, etc. Denial may lead him to harmful frustration and nervous breakdown.



Take his part against neighbors, teaches, and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child. When he gets into real trouble, apologize to yourself by saying, "I could never do anything with him." Prepare for a life of grief. You will be likely to have it.