Asking The Value of X

Question: Ano ba ang mahirap: ang Algebra na ugali na ang hanapin si "X" ... o ang History na mahilig maghalungkat ng kahapon at nakaraan?

Answer:  If we are going to place these two High School subjects side by side and answer which of the two is hard in terms of how one treats somebody ... or a relationship ... I have to say both.

In Algebra ... we always try to find the VALUE of "X" and in the same token ... we are always taught to ask the question "Y". Why do we always try to find the VALUE of a person ... or anything for that matter ... and then halfway ... we surrendered and we retreated? And then we start asking why?

Well ... people always take everything for granted. We realize the VALUE of money ... until we are broke. We realized the VALUE of food ... when we are hungry. In Tawag Ng Tanghalan ... we realized the VALUE of .1 point when our favorite candidate lost the championship by a hairline .1 point. And in basketball ... in a do-or-die game, we realized the VALUE of that 1 second when a 3-point shot was fired ... and was not counted because the ball was released 1 second late.

We always take things with a cavalier attitude ... and we have a disdainful habit of ignoring important matters ... and the worst ... how come we always fail to appreciate the VALUE of someone ... when there is no more time to tell the person how much you thank him and how much you love him.

As you see ... we don't realize the VALUE of a gasul and the money that was used to buy it until it runs out. We don't value the VALUE of the money we borrowed until the aggrieved guy resorts to legal means to get back his money.  We don't realize the VALUE of work ... until we got fired or we are jobless.  We almost became suicidal or run amok when problems are so unbearable ... but how come we don't VALUE our health and our life ... look at what we we're doing ... we were hooked on drugs and we almost die because of tokhang?

And lastly ... why does it have to take the last minute before we realize the VALUE of our parents ... and when they are gone ... how we wished we can bargain a one-month extension just to be with them? 

And why does it have to have repentance come too late (just like the much-overused police' late arrival at the crime scene in teleseryes) ... when too much damage was created and the devastation was huge and there is no turning back. You see as we said a while ago ... too many Y's (why's) are being fired ... just so typical and common ... as life imitates high school's algebraic equations without us noticing it.)

When History Is Likened To Opening A Can of Worms

 Question: Ano ba ang mahirap: ang Algebra na ugali na ang hanapin si "X" ... o ang History na mahilig maghalungkat ng kahapon at nakaraan?

Answer:  If we are going to place these two High School subjects side by side and answer which of the two is hard in terms of how one treats somebody ... or a relationship ... I have to say both.

History on a positive note is saying hello to yesterday. It is an act of recalling the relationship ... especially with pleasure and nostalgia. And reminisce is a dreamy way of remembering the past when your swapping old memories and recollect the silly things you used to do.

History becomes negative when the relationship went pfffhhht and one of the parties has not moved on.  He dug up dirty linens in the past, their petty quarrels, their minor and insignificant arguments that often run berserk.  All he thinks is what went wrong when they have a good start. 

He was drowned in bitterness and all he can think is to resort to the blame game.  When things didn't go as planned it is difficult for him to resist the urge to blame especially when his emotions are running high.

In life, things often don’t go the way we expect. And when that happens, it is easier to play the blame game, that is, by blaming someone else for what happened, rather than taking responsibility for it. It takes less energy to point fingers at someone instead of admitting the truth to ourselves.

That blame game is addictive. No matter what level you are at in the game, you can never win. You need to just stop playing it and get back control of your life, your relationships, and your happiness.