“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are, and you know what you want.”- Lau Tzu

This quotation from Lau Tzu is the one that I found interesting to discuss. All of us humans have desires. These desires are either good or evil. As what I have learned in Economics, humans have “unlimited” wants and needs. These “wants and needs” refer to our “personal desires.” As humans, it is our very nature to desire. Our desire is brought to us by our freedom and will. We desire for anything that can please and satisfy us, for anything that can make us happy and fulfilled. Desires are part of our being human. In my own experience in talking with different people and also in reflecting on my own self, we have the common desire of having a good life, wealth, fame in our chosen field, stable job, and desire for love. We desire these things because our body and soul would ask us to. The body would ask us for whatever that can satisfy it and the soul does the same thing. As our common desires, we desire for wealth for us to buy the things we need and want, and for us to provide the needs of our family. We desire for fame in our chosen field because we want to be known and become popular and to be idolized by people. We desire for a stable job for us not to have problems where to get our income. We desire for possessions for it will tell others about our state in life. These desires are present deep w/ in our hearts, w/in our soul, deep w/in our person.

The quotation above from Lau Tzu teaches us that we can know our desires by focusing in our inner self. In going deep w/ in, we can know what we really want in life and what is really important for us. We can even know who we are as person. In my own analysis, Lau Tzu refers to what we call “meditation.” Through meditation, we can know our self w/in and our burning desires. That is why we seminarians are encouraged to meditate during the vacant period after the prayers for us to really know who we are and what we really want in our life. Meditation is a big help especially in finding what can make us happy as we live.

As what I have said earlier, our desires are either good or bad. Not all the time, these desires of ours are good. We desire for good things and we also desire for evil things. Often times, these desires of ours are selfish and self-centered which leads us to commit sin. Sometimes, the desire itself is a sin (like for example- Lust).  Aside from meditation, which is going inside our self, going deep w/in our person, another thing that we should practice is discernment. Discernment is the process of evaluating our self to what decisions we will make in our life. This is not only an ordinary decision-making but it is a critical decision-making. In our life, we must discern also with the things that we desire. As we discern, we ask our self if these desires of ours are for the good or evil. Through meditation, we know our self and we also know our personal desires (as what I have understand in Lau Tzu’s words) but with the help of discernment, we can know what among these desires of ours are good and according to the will of God and what among these are evil. Remember, not everything we desire are good. We must learn to distinguish the good from evil and eliminate whatever is evil. That is why discernment is very important. In relation to our discernment (seminarians), we seminarians are also humans. As human beings, our natural tendency is to find a partner in life, to find someone to be with for the rest of our life. That is why, seminarians also desire of getting married. I believe that this desire is strong for we are but humans. If we will just follow our natural desire of getting married, for sure no one among us seminarians will go on for priesthood because all of us desire for getting married. With the help of discernment on the other hand, no matter we have a desire for getting married, if according to our discernment we are for the priesthood, we will choose the priesthood.

Desires have been part of our being human. We desire for our needs, for what we want until we desire for more of it. If we will just follow our desires, we will never be satisfied. Not everything we desire is good. Often times, we desire for pleasurable but evil things. That is why we need to discern our decisions and actions in life. One wrong move could change our life. Discernment is important in one’s life because through it, we will know what among our desires could make us happier, what among our desires are the greater good.

 “Act without expectation.” In my own understanding, act here refers to all good doings and deeds you do like an act of sharing, giving, helping, loving, performing, caring, serving, listening, comforting and advising. These are acts of goodness that are appreciative, overwhelming, pleasing, grateful, heartwarming and gratifying. And it is our attitude and tendency as human beings that in every good action that we did, we are in great expectation of receiving a reward or return and good results. We are expecting for something in return, appreciation, affirmation, positive response, gratitude, thankfulness, honor, merits, acknowledgement, and recognition. And if we are not being affirmed and appreciated, we may be upset, depressed, saddened, dismayed, discourage and disheartened.

Most of us are unconsciously self-centered to the outcome of what we do. We have our expectations in every action we did. When we perform every action with an eye on its outcome, we get lost in the end and we do not enjoy and cherish the means of getting to the end. However, when we perform some actions for an expression of joy or delight and do not bother or worry about the result, the action itself will surely bring fulfillment, contentment and happiness to us. When we are expecting in advance positive results and outcome to the action we do or perform, the action becomes inferior and meaningless. We will never feel happy or contented. Because of this, we tend to stop anymore of doing goodness to others. We lack self-confidence and trust to ourselves. We are afraid anymore of showing and sharing what we have to others. We may feel hatred to others. We may feel unhappiness and discontentment in life. We may feel self-pity and depression. We may always seek for attraction and recognition. We may have difficulty in accepting failures or negative results of our action. Expectations create fear because we think that what we desire may or may not happen. Having expectations about how our desires should manifest will produce negative feelings when our expectations are not met. We may surely experience and encounter all these negative consequences and behaviors in life if we keep focusing more on our expectations to the outcome of our actions. Anxiety about the outcome of our action is what pulls us down. At the beginning of our action, if we start worrying, then our whole enthusiasm for the beginning gets lessen. What I am trying to point out here is that, when we are aware of our potential, we just jump into action without bothering about the result. That is why it is better to act on our intention without expectations. When we give without expecting something in return, we actually open ourselves to a completely difference experience. We will surely feel true happiness, contentment and fulfillment. We are happy and contented of giving and sharing what we have and who we are to others. We are happy and contented of seeing others happy too of what we have done and shared to them. We are happy, satisfied and proud to ourselves of what we have done although others did not appreciate it. When we give without wanting anything in return, it opens up our heart to an enhanced sense of peace, love and joy. When we give without expectation will lift up our personal awareness to others. As a result, we will become more compassionate to others. We have to bear in our mind and heart that when we give freely without much expectation, it can come back to us in some very unpredictable way. Truly, it is a most meaningful experience when we are able to live a life with an attitude of no expectations. Free of expectations, we can just go with the flow and enjoy every action we do and we are not affected by the outcomes that we may encounter. Thus, we have to give what we have without expecting to receive anything in return. We have to give lovingly and joyously. Living a life without much expectation is worth living.

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu

As human beings, it is by our nature that we are different from one another, both physically and mentally. We are different from the way we think, talk, relate, behave, fashion, etc. All of these, somehow, make us unique or distinct from one another. Even the identical tweens, though they are true identical in their physical appearance but they will be difference in their behavior. In life, we have also what we call “biases” which usually we put ourselves as a center of it. Our tendency always is to serve ourselves before serving others. It is really our very nature that we secure ourselves first before the others. But if we are aiming to make our life to its fullness, we should jump out from this kind of perspective, being subjective. We should enter ourselves into the wider perspective of the world view. Why? If we only base the world and its vastness according only in our own knowledge or perspective about it, it will only be limited, because given the fact that there are so many things out there that we haven’t know yet. It also the reason why there is a teacher among the students, because as a person having already so many experiences and learnings he will serve as a guide to the students and bring them and show to them the reality of life. It is in this way that makes a teacher a teacher and a student a student. A teacher can only be a good teacher if he is going to take away from him his biases and walk the way towards his being as a good teacher. A student can only be a good student if he is going to let go his own biases and walk the path that will lead him to become a good student. Letting go of something doesn’t always mean creating a great lose on our part, but sometimes we need to give up something in order to gain greater things.

The idea of letting go of oneself in order for him to become what he might be is very particular in the seminary formation. We all know that seminary formation is given to those who want to become good priests someday. It is a training that needs self-abandonment so that it can be truly lived out by the individuals who are undergoing it. The self-abandonment that I mean is that the individuals should give up their own designs in life a d follow the discipline that is given to them. Let me use my own experiences as my concrete example. As a seminarian and a student I need to rely myself to my formators and teachers so that I can have my seminary formation. I can’t have my seminary formation if I’m going to do it alone myself. It will be very difficult for me to learn Philosophy if I’m not going to seek the aid of my teachers in Philosophy. It will be very difficult for me to understand Theology if I’m not going to ask something about it from my teachers in Theology. It will be very difficult for me to understand Peer Formation if won’t allow my brother seminarians to correct me. As a whole, I can’t have a seminary formation if I will be doing it alone, or even tell myself that I’m the seminary formation, because seminary formation is not only made by a single individual but it is composed of a group (community) of people who are joining hands together in order to create a good kind of training that will make young men good priests someday. I need to submit myself to my seminary formation so that I can be what it want me to be- an integrated human person, Christ-centered, apostolic proclaimer, and a contemplative pastor.

It is very true that we find it so hard to give up our own designs in our lives. But it is a fact also that we have to give these things in us in order to gain more, because there are things in us that are, somehow, not really useful and preventing us to grow in our wisdom. That is why sometimes we need also to empty ourselves and to eliminate the unuseful ideas within us so that we can put another knowledge which is very helpful and will lead us to what we might be- to our success in life!

“Friends are siblings God never gave us”- Mencius

All of us humans have friends. We have friends because we want to have companions in our journey towards life. Friends are God’s gift to us. Their presence shows the great goodness of God. If our family is our closest group of people, our friends are the second group of people closest to us. In life, it is really good to have friends. Aside from our family, it is through our friends that we can savor the great importance of others’ existence, that we need others for us to survive in life.

We humans are relational beings. It is the nature of man to relate with others. One needs others and others also need others. We have friends because we don’t want to be alone in life. Living w/out any established relationship with others is really a sad and lonely life. Because we humans are relational in nature, we find someone to relate with. I choose the quote of Mencius on friends because I want to emphasize in my paper the importance of others’ existence and I want to relate this to Heidegger’s “Mitsein.”

“Mitsein” in Heidegger’s philosophy means “being-with.” “To be with” needs an other. In “being-with-the-other”, relationship starts. Friendship starts in “being-with-the-other.” The more the “being-with-the-other”, the more the relationship grows and the more it becomes deeper. It is only possible if there is an effort exerted both from the ego and the other to deepen their relationship.

Here in the seminary, “being-with” is highly emphasized especially the “being-with-the-community.” Community act and community living is highlighted here in the seminary. Everything is communal act. Because here in the seminary, we have more time in “being-with-the-other” (the same persons-everyday), the more our relationship with our friends and brothers seminarians, priest formators, faculty and staff grow deeper. That is why, as what I have observed, when seminarians go out of the portals of the seminary, they are still close with each other because of their many experiences of “being-with.” The brotherhood and friendship in the seminary is really intense compared to the brotherhood and friendship of other people outside. Same also happens with the priest-formators, and the faculty and staff of the seminary.

Like our family, our friends are important to each and every one of us. They play a big role in our life. If we can share exclusive matters with our family, there are also matters that we can only open up with our friends. If we have problems, we can also ask the help of our friends. They can also give us advice and their views in our problems. If they cannot, at least they are with us listening.

Friendship is the best example of Heidegger’s “Mitsein.” Friendship starts w/ “being-with.” Through the “being-with-the-other”, relationship starts. With each other’s efforts, it continues to grow. The “being-with” shows that we cannot live w/out others. What I mean is that we cannot last long in this world if other human beings like us do not exist. That is why in the book of Genesis, when Adam told God that he cannot see anyone like him, God immediately gave Eve to Adam for him to have a partner, to have an alter ego (another ego). It is also similar in friendship. W/out any friends, we will live a sad and lonely life. That is why it is really important for us humans to find friends while we are living. The more we have friends, the more we relate, the more we affirm our being human (for we humans are relational in nature).

According to Mencius, “friends are siblings God never gave us.” For me, no matter we and our friends are not siblings biologically, still we are siblings with our Father God who created us all. Let us always remember that being relational is our very nature as human beings. Relating with other beings such as our family and friends affirm more our being human. The more we relate, the more we are human, the more we become persons. Remember, our friends have important role in our lives. Aside from our family, they are the “other” that we need which can affirm our being human by relating with them. 

“Commiseration is the principle of benevolence.” Commiseration defined as a feeling or expression of pity or sorrow, while benevolence is the disposition of one’s self to do good, a disposition made up of choice and desire for the happiness of others. With the given definitions of related two terms, we could clearly see and reflect that indeed they have a closer connection.  Commiseration and benevolence are both positive attitudes that a good man possess. Indeed, Mencius is true to his statement, that commiseration is the principle of benevolence. Commiseration is one of the best ingredients for a person to become benevolent and charitable to others. Commiseration as an expression of giving sympathy to others means that a person feels the emotions and expression that others also feel. There is a similar feeling in another person, a shared feeling. There is a sharing of unhappiness and suffering. There is an awareness to what others feelings and emotions. This good attitude or value leads a person to become sensitive to the feelings and needs of others, to become selfless in serving, in helping and in loving, to become a good listener and adviser, to become a man for others, to become a light to those who are in great despair and sufferings, to become a good companion and friend to others, to become a good person as a whole. With this simple act of goodness to others which is the sharing of expression of sadness or commiserating, a person’s whole being is being molded into a good, more mature and well- pleased behavior. A person expresses his pity and sympathy to others because it simply shows that he cares, understands, worries, and loves them. He has able to realize and see that as a brother to others he has to show his concern to them, to give also himself in listening and in comforting them, and to make grateful and good things to others that could bring happiness to their faces and comfort or relief to their unbearable loneliness and burdens. With your act of goodness to others, they are not the only one benefiting, but you are the one benefiting more. You may feel happier and more fulfilled in life.

People are very busy these days to care about their studies, personal needs and wants, careers, concerns and hobbies. There is no time left to be aware and conscious of other’s troubles, to be sensitive to other’s unhappy feelings, and to actually help others to solve their problems. They become more focus and concerned of their selves. They already forgot that others also need their presence. By this, they tend to become selfish, self-centered, insensitive, egocentric and solipsistic individuals. These days people seem to have a lot of things to care about. Kids care about computer games they are going to play, and which programs on TV they are going to see. College students care about how they are going to pass in their course, and who are they going to date. Other people care about how to earn money and to become successful in life. Have we ever care about the feelings of others when they are in great loneliness? Have we ever taken time to commiserate or to feel sympathy to those disables and poor people? Oftentimes, we neglect to develop the value of commiseration or being sympathetic. The commiseration which is the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to other’s feelings, thoughts and experiences, is very important not only to ourselves, but also to our whole community. I do believe that chaos, conflicts, misunderstandings, discrimination, crimes, murders, injustices, selfishness, greed and lust still exist and will continue to exist that can ruin and destroy the society is because people forgot to become aware and sensitive to the feelings, emotions, thoughts and experiences of others. They do not the time for others.  This is great call and responsibility to all of us that we must also develop the value of being sympathetic and sensitivity. We do not act as really busy persons. We have to slow and stop for sometime and reflect or meditate. There we will be enlightened and awakened to the reality of life that we have still brothers and sisters that need our very presence, our comfort, good advises, help and support.

“Being wise and good, they have pleasure in these things. If they are not wise and good, though they have these things, they do not find pleasure.” – Mencius

      Being wise and good is a wonderful gift from above. It is a great opportunity for the individual to be a good leader in the community. In fact, it is the ideal characteristic of a true leader. To be good and wise makes the individual to do so many things not only for his own sake, but of others as well. To be good and wise can make the individual different from the others. A wise and good man views life in a different manner on the way other people perceive it. When others see darkness, he saw light. When others consider failure as the end of everything, he considers it as the beginning of a new thing. When others consider life as misery, he finds it something to enjoy and cherish. A wise and good man look at life and its happenings differently than the way others will think about it. That’s the reason why a wise and a good person can truly attain the gift of happiness in life.

To be happy is not an option, but rather it is a choice. For a wise and good person, happiness doesn’t lie alone in material things. In fact, material things can’t give us everlasting joy. Material things are just finite, it has its own limitation. Material things can give us joy at the first hand, but as time goes by it will also fade and can be snatched away from us. A child who needs a tender love and care from his parents can never be happy even if he will be given 10 billion pesos. A widow can never be happy even she receives millions of money form the insurance of his husband. A millionaire can never be happy if he didn’t win the true love of her wife. To have so many properties or money can’t assure as to have a complete or a happy kind of life. To have a higher kind of position in the society will not merit us to have a good and happy kind of life. To be a president of our country can never assure us that we can attain everlasting happiness in life, but instead will even give us burden because of the mediocrity of the stupid people in our country. So it is not happiness but a problem! Material things can never promise us heaven or happiness but most of the time it gives us so many problems and worries that makes us to suffer. I’m not saying here that having enough money or properties will make you unhappy, but what I mean is: we can never be happy if we don’t know how to spend our money or properties for what is good and just.

Happiness can’t be only found in great things or in our higher positions. Happiness can even be found in just small and simple things. A simple dinner and conversation with our love ones will already make us happy. A simple “hello” from our crush will already burst our heart from the happiness it felt. A simple affirmation from our teachers will make us already happy and inspired to learn more about the facts of life. Even a simple answered prayer could already make our day complete. Forgiveness from the person we have sinned could already lighten the burden that we bear inside us.

A true wise and good man knows that there is no need for him to seek things beyond his capacity just to find happiness for himself. A true wise and good man knows how to make himself happy even just in his very simple ways. A true wise and good man knows that his happiness lies on the good things that he is doing, because he knows that material things will be nothing (can make you happy) if he doesn’t know how to use them properly. A true wise and good man knows that true happiness can be also found in doing good things which makes you also feel happy. We can never be happy if we don’t find happiness in whatever we are doing.

What Mencius is trying to say is that, happiness is not an option, but rather it is a choice. We can never be happy with the material things that we have in life. We can only be happy if we try to do good things out of these material things that we have in us – to share the gifts that we have in our less fortunate brothers and sisters, because material things will be useless if we don’t know how to use them wisely. We can only be happy if what we are doing is good and if we become also concerned about the welfare of the others.

“When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine your own self.”- Analects of Confucius
Comparison is about finding similarities and differences between one’s own self and others or between other people and another person. God created all of us unique. Yes we have similarities with other people but we are unique in the sense that no one in this world is as precise and the same as our self. There will only be one Kristoffer Lorenz Basbaño in this world. In comparing one’s self to another, there will always be differences be it slight or great. We have similarities with other people and we also have differences with them. Our personality, character, skills and talents make us who we are. We cannot deny the fact that there are areas that we are good and expert at while there areas that we are not that good. All of us have our own forte. It is where we are good at.

We humans have the tendency to compare our self to others. The effect of comparing our self to others can either be positive and negative. In comparing our self to those who are better than us (in any field or personhood in general), the effect of comparison is positive if we dream to reach what the other person reached (successful people in any field) or dream of being better than  them and put these dreams of ours into actions. The good side of comparison is that it makes us courageous towards our dreams. It can even push us to our limits for us to reach our dreams. Look at the successful people. For sure, they started from comparing their self to those successful people and dreamt of becoming like them. They did not remain in dreaming. They actualized their dream by striving hard to achieve them, passing all the hardships they experienced and standing again every time they fall. On the other hand, the effects of comparing our self to others can also be negative. Given the situation that there are times that we idolized someone for being expert in their field and that expertise of them made us stop from achieving what they want that is to be expert in the same field. It is maybe because of the big difference we can see in comparing our self to those who are expert than us. Of course there will be a lot of difference in comparing our self to those who are experts in a particular field. They are already experts and they have more experiences. In order not to encounter this, we must not compare our self to others especially those who are better. As a suggestion, we must compare our self to our previous self. In this way, we will just strive to be better and better (self or in our fields of interest), or to be a progressive person.

To compare our self to others is our natural tendency as humans. Its effects can either be positive or negative depending if we take the effects of comparison as an inspiration and courage for us or opposite. There are also times that we compare our self to those not good as our self.  Confucius suggested to look within and examine our self. If we follow him, maybe we will realize that we came from not being good to so great and we can also realize that we are better than others but there are also others who are better than us. In my analysis, whatever we reach in life, we must remain humble however great we are. We must always consider the fact that if we are better than others in our field, there are those who are better than us. Others whom not as good as our self (in our own field) can be great compared to us in their own field/s of interest. Relating this to our totality as a person, we have character/attitudes that are better than the others while others have character/attitudes better than us. The point is that we must remain humble wherever we are in our field and however great we are.

The effect of comparison can either be positive and negative. Its effect is positive if it encourages us to improve and become better while its effect is negative if it stops as to persevere and become better. As my suggestion, we must not compare our self to other persons instead we must compare our self to our previous self. In that way, we will be encouraged to strive and become better and better far from our old self. If we become better than our old self and become expert in our own fields of interest, we must always remain humble. Humility is important for us in order for us to go down to the level of other people not as good as our self. We must also remember that we came from “not so good” to becoming “great.”

A task of being a leader is never easy. It is indeed a very serious thing. It really needs hardwork, dedication, and most of all, patience. Part of being a leader is to become a great example to your group. That’s why you must be a beautiful portrait of a hardworking person. Hardwork could do a lot of things in terms of leadership. If a leader is considered to be as a hardworking person, he/she could do a lot of things that can be a great help to improve his community or group, because hardwork serves as a tool for a leader to make all of his plans possible. It is no possible for a man to fulfill his dreams if he is really going to work on it. Of course, hardwork must be partnered with dedication. The dedication of the leader pushes him/her to achieve his/her goals in life. Eventhough how hard the ways may be. The most challenging part of being a leader is how long you can control your temper when there is bad thing happened along the way or when your plans were not fulfilled according to what you want them to happen supposedly. To be a leader is a task that takes a great challenge for everyone

            As a simple guy and a student, who is not so intelligent, not so creative, and don’t have the guts to become a leader, I was so shocked and was so hyper in disagreeing, doing all the possibilities in making many alibis just to oppose the decision of the council, when they elected me to become the new “Lex” of the college department. I said to them that they were wrong in choosing the right person to become the leader. I also told them that I’m not fitting on the position that they are giving and want me to have. I really tried my best in arguing their decision, but unfortunately I ended up unsuccessful. So by the virtue of no choice and my belief that everything has a purpose, because it is God’s plan, I humbly accepted the responsibilityenventhough I don’t really have the confidence about it.

Now, being the Lex of our department, it draws me so many realization and reflections. It is good to be a leader, because all of your orders are being followed, you are respected, and you are almost privilege in all things- you can do whatever you want, because you are not criticize by the others because they believe that all that you are doing is good. But my realization is: “it is not something that I should abuse.” It doesn’t mean that since I’m already the leader, all I have to do is just to command my members. No, my being a leader is not an exemption for me not to do the tasks of my brothers in the community. It doesn’t mean that since I’m already the leader, I’m free to say whatever I want to say against my brother-being insensitive. No, my being a leader is not an exemption for me not to pay respect to my brothers as what Confucius said, “To respect my elder brother as I would like my younger brother respect me.” “Do not do to others what you would not like others to do to you”is one of the aspects that every leader should always bear in their minds in order for them to become truly good leaders. The other important thing that I learned was: being a leader, you must not be afflicted when your members are not acknowledging your works; be afflicted if you know what’s good for your group but you didn’t take any actions to pursue that good. To be a leader is not the way of making one’s self famous. It is the way of giving our service to our brothers and sisters. Fame will just simply follow. It is only a product of the good services that you make to the community. I also realized that: to be a leader you don’t have to be self-righteous most of the time, because often times your members also need a leader who has the heart and very willing to listen to them, whenever they have problems. To be a leader is not just commanding your members, but it is also an opportunity to help others in their difficult moments. To be a leader it doesn’t mean “paalam-alamgid ah” but it is more about rectification of your being a leader- “To do what right because it is right.”

Reading the analects of Confucius, somehow, helped me a lot to have these kinds of realizations and reflections that I have made for myself. It reminded me of the things that I should bear in mind in order for me to become a good person, especially as a leader my community. 

Respect yourself and others will respect you.-Confucius” This is a very good statement. It emphasizes the importance of the so called respect to an individual’s life. Respect starts with respect for self. A person who respects themselves is confident and has a positive attitude. When you feel good about yourself, it will in turn affect the way you treat other people. The above statement of Confucius means that when we learn to respect ourselves truly we will not do anything that shall embarrass and put us to shame. This ensures us that we will do good to ourselves and to others. We have to carry ourselves with respect so that others will respect us. Speaking of respect, it is simply about valuing or loving ourselves of who really we are. And having respect means, we treat ourselves, others, and even our environment with kindness and consideration. This means, we take good care of ourselves, and being aware of how our actions affect others. If we do not respect ourselves and others, no one will respect us. If we do not treat others like what we want to be treated, they will not treat us well. When we refuse to let others disrespect us that is a positive proof that we respect ourselves. We are only treated how we allow others to treat us.

Respect yourself. Respect for yourself. Respect for others. Respect is really a powerful tool. It is very important first that we must show respect to ourselves. We have to love and give value to ourselves. In the very first place, we cannot respect others if we cannot respect ourselves. Self-respect is not about what we do, but who we are. It is about feeling valued. It is about loving ourselves for ourselves. Respect for ourselves shows in how we walk, act, talk and react. Everybody knows respect when they see it because someone always is watching us. If we expect to be respected, we must give respect, and of course giving respect demands respect. When we have self-respect, we actually fully love ourselves. We love ourselves for who we are in the inside and not just because of what we do, what we look like, or what we are capable of. We are very proud of ourselves, if we respect ourselves our own selves. Self-respect is the foundation on which many other good values are developed such as honesty, confidence, sensitivity, and integrity. It begins with learning what we really want, need, feel and think. It is all self-mindfulness. There will be no hatred, anger, greed, jealousy, and many more bad attitudes that may ruin human relationships. Without self-respect, it is really difficult to have honesty, confidence and integrity. And if we don not have self-respect, there will be an emotions of anger, guilt, blame, shame or regret and of course we may feel that we are unworthy. Thus, it is very important for us to have self-respect, because the feeling of being respected is so great. And in order for us to develop and build self-respect, we have to evaluate, analyze and reflect upon these some of the important questions; do I respect my values?, my opinions?, my self-care?, my actions?, my intentions?, or my motivations?. These are some of the questions that we have to think of.

In connection to our seminary formation, it is really very necessary that we have to build and develop a community with respect. This is a very good weapon and tool in order for us to stop the chaos, conflicts, hatreds, anger, insensitivity, bullying that badly exist in the community. I do believe, one of the reasons why there is no development and imbalance in the community because of our lack of self-respect. We are not appreciative of our own capacities and uniqueness. We lack of self-esteem and self-confidence. We hurt each other’s feeling. We are becoming insensitive. There is no sense of propriety. We are becoming disobedient and ill-disciplined to our priest formators. We do not value and love one another. We do not respect each other. We tend to forget even to give respect or reverence to the Blessed Sacrament in the altar. All of these problems are caused by lack of self-respect. Beyond that, if we cannot respect ourselves, how can we respect others and how can others respect us? Thus, it is a great call and invitation to all of us that we have to live a life with respect in this community. We have to respect ourselves, our brother seminarians, our personnel, our teachers and priest formatores as well. We have to build and maintain an atmosphere of valuing, caring and loving with one another. We have to show and feel to one another that we are valued, respected and worthy in the community. It is really a great feeling of being respected.