Do You Know One of the Keys to Happiness?

I could not get a job after more than 300 job applications.

You really got nothing left to do after those rejections.

One of the flaws in the school system is that they did not teach us how to handle rejections. Being the nerd that I am, I think I was able to handle it quite well though.

How do I say I handled it well? I listened to audio books. And I stumbled upon this gem.

Apart from him being a stout Trumpian, I did not know that Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, was a best-selling author as well. Guess I have overrated my nerdiness.

In his book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life, he said given the choice between high income and job flexibility, choose job flexibility.

Scott says the latter is one of the keys to happiness. The former, is very overrated.

A few months after I found myself up at 2 in the morning, writing this. Because I followed that advice.

For some reason my creative juices pop between 11 pm to 4 am. If I hold a regular job, there is no way I could have taken advantage of that.

From where I live, 4 am is when you wake up. You need to be up early to avoid the more than 2-hour travel in rush hour traffic. Then sit in a prison cubicle for 8 or more hours, before heading home to endure another 2-hour travel.

The 4 hours wasted on the road could not be taken back. The writing made at 2 in the morning will last forever through clicks and reads.

If you opt to go through your Dilbert career experience do not join me in this event.

But if you wanted out, I can show you one of the keys to happiness.

So what have you got to lose? You are losing 4-hours daily in rush hour traffic anyway.

Join me in this event at the Ortigas Business District on Feb 11, Saturday.

Or you can just watch a movie. Your future. Your choice.

As Morpheus from the movie Matrix will tell you – You may either take the blue pill or the red pill.

 

Dr. Frankenstein’s Igor

Daniel Radcliffe, is best known for his work as Harry Potter, the boy wizard.

I most remember him though, in his role as Igor, in the 2015 movie Victor Frankenstein.

This happened 10 minutes into the film, when Igor was talking to Dr. Frankenstein. The former was telling the latter about his life at the circus.

Igor experienced so much cruelty in the circus – kicked, spitted upon, and locked like an animal. Victor was horrified as Igor relates the cruelty he endured in his life at the circus.

Igor replied – It is hard to judge cruelty, when you have never known kindness.

He has experienced so much cruelty in his life, that he has never experienced kindness. The only types of human interaction he knows off is grossly inhumane.

It is hard to judge cruelty, when you have never known kindness.

My friend Rebecca has a kind heart. I have known of her kind heart for more than 20 years.

But when smelly, filthy, street children approaches her asking for alms, her personality changes.

The kind heart suddenly becomes cold. She turns into one of the villainous witches in your favorite Disney movie.

Rebecca is one of the disciples of Louis Pasteur’s germ theory. She hates germs. She really hates germs. She really, really hates germs.

That is why I completely understand her personality shift when a 10-year old smelly, filthy, beggar approaches her.

So she shuns the 10-year old girl away. But the girl is persistent. “Ano ba? (What is wrong with you?)” as she angrily tells the girl.

For the 10-year old, in her reality, this is the only way for her to live. She needs every small change that she can get to be able to eat.

Rebecca, on the other hand, does not see the 10-year old girl. What she sees are the germs. What she sees is the filth, she does not see the humanity behind the filth.

Two realities, one event in time.

It is hard to judge cruelty, when you have never known kindness.

Would you like to help the 10-year old girl? You may help her and others like her through the Tahanan ng Pagmamahal Children’s Home.