Sobre Valores, Influencia, y Mision de Vida

Mientras espero sentado en un centro de salud mi turno para ser atendido, entre el alboroto de algun nene que ha sido victima de una malvada aguja, los retortijones estomacales y la constante queja general de la mala calidad de atencion, trato de concentrarme en mi lectura matutina del diario, y entre las notas de caracter nacional e internacional de mayor relevancia, llama mi atencion, un articulo de autor desconocido, que hace referencia a "la claridad y lucidez" de pensamiento y toma de decisiones de una popular y mal llamada celebre canta-autora colombiana.

Cuantos de nosotros no habremos coreado en algun momento sus muy famosas lineas, cuantos jovenes de ayer y de hoy no la consideran un icono y ejemplo digno a seguir?, despues de todo, es atractiva, tiene talento, es famosa y baila bien.

Es por ello que me llama la atencion y no deja de preocuparme que alguien con todo el "exito y fama" de este mundo, quien tiene muy bien definido lo que piensa, sea quien ejerza las pautas del juego, quien con su ejemplo ofrezca direccion a un ejercito de jovenes quienes son y seran nuestro relevo generacional y en cuyas manos esta el bienestar social de nuestras naciones. Despues de todo, ya sean funcionales o disfuncionales, seran los formadores de las familias de manana, y llevaran sus formas de vida a todas las esferas de la sociedad, abogados, medicos, politicos, economistas, cientificos, etc.

Creo que es por ello, que nuestra mision y vision de vida debe ser clara, precisa, concisa y puntual. El tenerlo, nos debe llevar a desarrollar valores cristo-centricos que nos lleven a vivir un estilo de vida digno de admirar y ser considerados como roles en toda esfera de nuestras sociedades.

Valores como la lealtad y castidad y la creencia y vivencia de una familia funcional tal como fue disenada por el Creador, se proyectan como escasos, cada vez mas valiosos y cotizados al alza en una sociedad global enganada por Satanas y empenada en vivir separada de Dios.

El llamado es urgente, el tiempo cada vez menos, somos llamados y escogidos a vivir de manera distinta. Fuimos llamados para anunciar las Virtudes de Aquel que nos saco de las tinieblas a Su luz Amirable.

Mientras termino de esperar lo interminable, quiero dejarles con el link de abajo.

Bendiciones
Josue P.

http://m.prensa.com/impreso/2413453.asp

This past week two weeks, my mind had been racing with the preparation of a class both written and oral for an exposition in my Labor Economy class. As usual we teamed up to make this one task possible and in the process of researching, collecting and analyzing the data I came across two interesting facts. Our task was to show the tendency of the Panamanian labor force against the the current and mid-term job demand market and its effects over the country's macro economy.

In our teamwork, my job was to analyse the statistics and data found on the internet and make sense of it. One particular fact I found was the unemployment rate and its tendency over the past 20 years since we re-gained our democracy. It showed an almost stable rate of 14% until 2005 when it dropped dramatically to 5.5% . Did not give too much thought to it, until I mentioned it to my uncle who happens to be an economist and whom political point of view is against the imperialism of the developed and rich countries of the world and is more aligned to the cuban revolution and H.Chavez's socialism perspective.

My uncle and I got into a super heated argument about how this 6.5% unemployment rate could or not be true at all. He stated this was a mishandled figure and could not be trusted and went to explain all his point of view which are aligned to the humanistic and socialism way of thinking and I went to dispute the fact that he could not just say this figure is untrue without showing facts and proof that would validate his point of view. My uncle argument ed that even if the rate was that low, all you had to do is open the eyes and look the day to day activities and people and one would just find out that there was no quality life.

Yesterday during our oral presentation, our professor, Dr. Alicia Jimenez just blew my mind in about 15 min. Right before I mentioned the unemployment rate, she interrupted our presentation and explained how this figure was not to be trusted and showed us the formula that was used to come up with that number. In just 10 min. all my uncle had argument ed yesterday, she provided proof, facts and examples that are just irrefutable.

I came home yesterday at night and had to offer and apology to my uncle because he was right and I was wrong...yet again. I explained to him that I am a man of numbers and would not believe something if it is not proven or if it does not offer warranty of been true.

This all led to a whole different conversation, one of those that I will cherish in years to come. He described to me part of his childhood, my dad's and other two uncles' childhood.

He put his mind to work and reminded how not only they were raised to be hard workers but were raised to be smart and self-learners. Turned out that my granddaddy, was a self learner who only got to finish 4th grade, but knew more about philosophy and human history than most of the learned men of his social status. He inherited that to his children who though all different one from another are all wise. Remembers my uncle, granddad would always say, the best inheritance he could provide was to form men and women of good for this society. Now I see where my dad would take that line. Dad would often repeat that while I was growing up as a teenager with a new and much improved focus, namely, Christianity.

On the other hand, my grandma was a hard worker enterpriser and lovely mother and I will add grandma. She carved into my uncles and dad's mind and heart the way of a hard worker who would NOT give up NEVER. My grandma was a very wise woman as well, not only would she raise her four children of hers with ironing, selling goods, cooking fry fish and "tamales"on the flea market and all sort of interesting things apart from her job as a volunteer for the red cross association, but she would plan for the future of her children. She taught all of them how been poor was only temporal and in their mind and hands they had what they needed to overcome it, she taught them how saving every single penny was the best way to invest in the future and she put that into practice. Almost half century ago, when 10K was a ridiculous amount of money for a poor person, she and her family managed to put together that money and buy a piece of land in the middle of nowhere, because she knew that in the future that would be worth much more. How does a woman who barely had any education and let alone any master degree in administration and strategy and all of that would be so clear? It turned out that that piece of land is NOW in the middle of one of the most expensive square feet land in the city and is worthed at least 40 times more than what it cost.

I got to see thru the past yesterday at my uncles's feet, maybe as a consequence of an argument that didn't ended well the previous day, but led to this amazing conversation and me thinking even further about it. What a blessing to see where one come and the reason why one is the way one is. I can find on the Scripture how generational curse goes generation after generation, and how Christ breaks the chain and makes us new beings. I am thankful for my grandparents, immigrants to this land who while not knowing Christ until very late in their lives, had values and taught that to their children, my dad and uncles who did just the same when my siblings and I were growing up. I hope to be up to the task when is my turn to raise a new generation of men and women of good, hard workers, self-learners and most importantly godly men and women who may continue pursuing the ongoing change some of us have embraced for this society and dear country.

Today at work, like almost every Sunday, for the past several months, I did hang out with my sundays' gal. Slow day at the information center, low volume of calls, longer periods of time between call and call. For most of the part I would just listen to her stories about her friends, last halloween party, her family and all sort of interesting stuffs. I would jump in here and there to ask a few questions and answer some others, but that's all.

Over the years, I have learned to keep quite during a conversation, first when I have nothing of real value to add and second to avoid confrontations at the wrong time that would end up wrong. For the past few months though, I have shared with my work-gal a few things about my life, about my faith and about the way I think on some particular issues.

What makes today's hang out stand above the other Sundays, is that I dared to ask her opinion of what she thought about me as a whole in every aspect, in other words, the way she would perceive me as a person... the good, the bad and the ugly. Very few times I have done this with anyone, for it is means, becoming vulnerable to be told what one does not want to be told and yet I felt it was something I wanted to do. Long story short, she tricked me into doing it first because since she does most of the talking in our conversations and though it was not my intention, I was given no other choice.

Finallly her turn was up and among the several things she said, two hit home. First, she said, I am the kind of person that thinks and plans a lot about things but very undecided about taking the step towards it, and second about my self-esteem she had to say that on a scale from 1 to 10, I was natural at 4 and on my best days I could be a solid 7. She would base her diagnosis on very vague knowledge of the real me, since we only have a superficial relationship and would base it on the fact that I speak almost none and on a story I told her once about my first girlfriend and how it affected me.

It got me thinking, and she was not too far away from the reality. As bad as it is, let alone the fact of been on the spotlight in front of a work college, I have to recognize that, on my FODA list, those would be top on my weakness list among others I am well aware of. I recently learned that knowing your weakness, specially those that are not well visible from within, but are obvious from the outside, is important in order to work on them in order to overcome it. Been accountable to others about those is sometime the only effective tool to check on them and keep working until it is overcame.

The other thing she said, I am not sure wether or not she said it in joke or what, but got me thinking even more. She said, she had a feeling that I did not believe in God as a christian and that she felt I was more of an agnostic. If that was a real and honest thought of her, which I have my doubt of, then it is quite a serious statement that reflects only one thing: I may not been portraying Christ's love and message loud and clear enough to others. Now, I am crystal clear about my love to Christ as a consequence to what He has done and what has promised to me, such a statement like that would not get me into doubting that, no way. However, it is kind of disturbing as a check point, to realize that I may not be doing what I am supposed to. Specially if it is true what I once heard about witnessing to others: For some, one will be the only Bible many will ever read.