INNER QUIET
I went back to the Gandhi museum on a Monday … when I knew it would be closed.
I was the only visitor on the grounds that afternoon.
And so the gardener let me walk this path normally cordoned off from guests — the path tracing Gandhi’s footsteps to the exact spot where he was shot in 1948.
I stood there, in awe, a long time.
There is an inner quiet that has finally returned to me. The part that always found it easy to be still and pray … or whatever it is you call the act of reconnecting with the universe and thanking it over and over again for what you’ve been given.
In this inner quiet, things are simple and I know exactly who I am.
I like to walk. I like being alone. And I do not, in fact, like being drunk.
I have everything I need.
I don’t want a big house. Or a car. I don’t want to increase my carbon footprint or contribute to the commission of more crimes against humanity.
I also don’t want to watch my people kill themselves for ratings in order to entertain the lowest common denominator of viewer.
What I really want to tell them is to please, please use the phenomenal power in their hands to open minds and touch hearts and make a difference among those who can care, even if they may be few.
In this inner quiet, I know this chapter of my work life is ending.
The goals of big business, important as they are, are at odds with what’s inside me.
I am looking for something greater to devote my life to.
There will be other paths that God will open up for you now that you’ve realized this. And they will be just as satisfying as this one was at the start, I am sure. I’m happy for you, enlightened one.
wow. inner peace. kainggit. enlightened. kainggit.
“I also don’t want to watch my people kill themselves for ratings…” Inggit lalo ako sa mga maaapektuhan ng mga salitang iyan.
Makapunta nga sa museum ni Gandhi. Mukhang malalim at maganda ang epekto sa tao, eh.
dyimeno, sabay tayo. hehe.
and my heart quietly and joyfully smiles as i read this blog.
mga bro at sis, if you ever find yourselves in delhi, seriously, do drop by the gandhi smiriti. it’s an interactive museum with art installations, animation, music and graphic elements, dioramas, tons of photos. pinag-isipan nang husto. an inspiring place commemorating an inspiring life. you come out of it wanting to lead a protest march or change the world in some way or at the very least, become vegetarian for a while. then again, maybe that’s just me.
waaaaaaaaaaaaaah…
kakainggiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit ito!!!
wow…
iba ang epekto…
gusto ko rin mag-INDIA…
now na!!!
tara thoklets and tops. para bumait man lang tayo kahit tatlong araw lang.
haha. parang ‘di ako babait kahit magpunta ako diyan. innate masungit daw ako. hehehehe.
well kuro… nadiskubre naming super bait ka pag nagau-audition ng mga magagandang dilag. nanginginig mga kamay mo tapos nakakalimutan mo bigla ang mga dapat itanong sa kanila. nyar!
Hi! Just my 2 cents worth.
I found inner peace as I stayed longer in your dad’s company. Through our work with cooperatives/NGOs/MFIs, I felt I was making a contribution, no matter how small. The company was never about big business, and the work has a cause worth devoting a life to.
Kanya-kanya lang chong. Good luck on your journey.
hey, my chinese brother has discovered my blog!
hi gobananatoo! thank you for these insights. i admire the work you guys do. and am so glad you found inner peace working in my dad’s company. you are probably the only person in the world who could say something like that, knowing my dad! you are truly the second son he leans on … and a blessing in all our lives.
I always thought that this big business was just a means to an end. But in the end, it may prove to be just that, an end in itself…
profit is its main reason for being and rightfully so. in the process, the business supports so many talents and employees and the families who depend on them — and as we create more successful locally-produced programs we keep providing more people with jobs and in turn more families with a source of income. when i think of how few programs we produced when i first got here, how few people we had, i can’t help but be amazed that my work has had such practical impact. add to that how we got to create shows like philippine agenda and wish ko lang and reporter’s notebook (and the list is getting endless), shows that do and have done so much public good.
bottomline is, this is a phenomenal place to work. like the ex boyfriend i took forever breaking up with, it’s hard to leave — even when i know i no longer belong here — because the place is so close to my heart.
Yeah! I discovered your blog because of your dad! Yes, your dad (marunong mag internet yan, aside from internet chess)!!! Wala kasi magawa, bored, and he started searching for your names (Zivan, you, and Naya) on yahoo (or google). When he left the computer, he didn’t close the windows. So, I read the blogs.
This may come sort of late. You might want to try http://www.jesuits.ph for their Online Pentecost Retreat. It started today (May 10).