Follow Instructions and Directions

The homily states that in life we have to follow instructions and directions.  It is a must because if we don't follow them by heart ... something bad may happen.  

If you are taking a multiple choice exam and the instructions say please tick the right answer in the circle provided.  If you put an X in the circle instead of a check ... you are not following the directions.  Same thing if you shade the circle ... chances are the person correcting your paper may not consider your answer (even if the answers are right) for the simple reason that you were not following directions.

The same thing can be said about doctors' prescriptions. If the instruction says to take Vibramycin 500 mg three times a day for 1 week.  If you were taking 25o mg because you want to save money, you are not following doctor's orders and chances are you may lengthen your hospital stay. If you are taking it twice a day instead of thrice a day ... you are self-medicating which is a big no-no. If you take the antibiotics only for three days instead of 1-week because you started to feel better ... chances are you may develop antibiotic resistance ..or worse bacterial resistance.

You have seen on YouTube the harrowing experience of people using cocaine, marijuana, and shabu.  You also have seen firsthand drug addiction, and how it affects people's lives - be it physical, mental, emotional, psychological, financial, and relationships. But you insist and defied what you saw ... ignored what you knew and continued to use it ... because you want to have a good time. And then blame others for making that decision? How about owning the responsibility of your actions.

Your father died recently because of lung cancer. You saw TV warnings about cigarette and alcohol use ... how dangerous it is to indulge in those activities. And you have a set of friends who make it a habit of having a night tryst with both alcohol and smoking ... and you can't resist their invitations because these friends are the only ones you have. Then one day ... you were gasping for breath and were brought to the hospital ... only to find you have cancer of the lungs too.  And those friends you only have ... started to avoid you.

Why are instructions and directions important? 

Instructions are important because they provide a roadmap to complete the goal. What you learn on social media and on YouTube are like instructions ... they serve as reminders to guide us on what to decide next. They also help us avoid mistakes and achieve our goals. Without instructions, it would be difficult to complete even the simple tasks.

Chinkee Tan Utang Rules

 

"Who the heck is Chinkee Tan?" asked my friend.  

Chinkee Tan is a famous motivational speaker and a financial guru in the Philippines (not unlike Rendon Labador who prides himself as a motivational speaker ... but is getting more enemies than friends ... more bashing and pummeling instead of followers .., and who is giving motivational rice ... rather than motivation or inspiration. 

I hate comparing the two ... but when Rendon's Tiktok account was deleted days ago ... and his Facebook account was deactivated next ... he was proud of it ... and he made it feel like he was a victim ... rather than he victimizing others. Now the walls are closing in on him as his Gmail account was deleted and his Instagram account allows only about half he can post. Then he started blaming the fans of Coco Martin and It's Showtime host for what happened to his accounts. He is gasping in straws ... can it be that his YouTube is soon to follow? Enough of him though.

Chinkee Tan is a rara avis.  At a young age his determination and perseverance brought him to where he is now ... and as a best-selling author ... he is teaching everybody and motivating them on the ins and outs of business and financing.

He is also known for his one-liners about SAVING ... and BORROWING money ... and it is just a mortal sin to ignore what he preaches. He has his way of reminding you of your sins of omission and commission ... and you take note of his advice without resentment.

Today he has posted the Ten Commandments to follow when you borrow money.  He called it Utang Rules ... What he wrote was short of brilliant ... how I wish I wrote them myself. After reading them ... I agree with him 100%. I just hope he will not fault me for sharing what he wrote ... it takes somebody with balls to word them the way he did ... and all the "utangeros" of the world can't help but nod their heads.

Common guys it's 2023 ... how about changing the stereotypes ...the standard hackneyed image or idea... the cliche-ridden stigma ... mostly all of them negative that are attached to those borrowing money. It is not too late ... and we are even inviting Rendon Labador to join and make this his first and foremost advocacy this second half of this year ... who knows the turn of the tide will roll in his favor.

How about an ideal "utangero" ... where you are the toast of the town and the people lending you money will even go their way to encourage you: "Hey you ... I have money here ... do you want to borrow some more?" A novel idea indeed.

So without further ado ... here are the 10 commandments I was blubbering about ... starting at number 10 ...

1 Utang Rules

 

2 Utang Rules

 

3 Utang Rules

 

4 Utang Rules

 

5 Utang Rules