Where does it all start?
It was a bright and sunny morning. After I got up from bed, I finished my daily devotional and said my morning prayers. “Make me a channel of your peace…where there is hatred, let me bring your love...” kept playing inside my head as I was about to get ready for the day.
As I went down to the kitchen, I sensed that our house was awfully and unusually quiet. I couldn’t figure out why. Oh well… I turned on the television to check if there’s anything interesting to watch.
I chanced upon Channel 5 where reporters have flocked to the area where a middle-aged man was lying dead, shot by an anonymous criminal.
“Live from the crime scene… the police just announced a nationwide search for this heartless murderer on the loose…”
“In politics… the President has just granted pardon to a plunderer, who was proven guilty of stealing the people’s money…”
"Meanwhile, in Manila, the untoward incident shocked thousands of Glorietta shoppers. Different angles have been looked into to determine the root cause of this tragedy…”
I couldn’t take anymore of these bad news so I switched off the TV and went upstairs to read. On my way up, I figured that the reason why our country is in turmoil is because a lot of injustice has been done to our people and there’s no end to it if we just let the abuse continue. But if we act upon these injustices as one people, then there might be a chance that we achieve the peace we long for.
Just as I was about to open the door to my room, I heard a loud scream. It came from my parents’ bedroom. Before I could run to check, my mother stormed out of their bedroom, a mess and crying.
“Catherine, let’s leave this house. I can’t stand living with your father anymore,” was what she told me in between sobs.
“Why, Mom? What happened? What is it this time?” I asked her. I was really worried why she was crying so hard.
“I said, go pack your bags! No questions asked.” She began to shout at me.
“No, Mom. I won’t go.” And then out came Dad with a bag of clothes. He was ready to throw it right at Mom’s face.
“Stop it, Dad! Dad, please! Mom, please stop it! Please stop fighting!” was my endless cry as I try to part them to make them stop from hurting each other. But the shouting never stopped.
I covered my ears to strain off their bitter exchange of words. Stop, please stop.. please… “You don’t have to say you love me, just be close at hand…” I closed my eyes so I couldn’t see them hitting each other. I prayed so hard for it to end. Why? Why can’t we have peace in this family?
“Catherine! Leave your mother and me alone!” Dad muttered, but it was already too late. My mother hurriedly went out the door, carrying all her stuff without even looking back.
Their fights were becoming a daily routine. Dad says one thing, Mom says another and then they argue and start shouting at each other. Now the house is so quiet. So quiet, I could almost hear the sad beatings of my heart.
Is this peace? Is it in silence that we find it? Is silence equal to being peaceful? I mean, who are we kidding, right? How can we achieve peace when even in our family we couldn’t stand a day without fighting? It’s simply impossible!
And then, the words of Confucius resonated to my ear… “A peaceful world is built by individuals at peace. It all starts from within us.”
Yes! Peace could then be defined not by the silence of the cemetery but by the spirit of unity that is alive in every individual. It is personified by a family bonded together in unity.
Mom, Dad, if you are not one in patching things up and in forgiving each other, then, it’s going to be a very long and difficult process before we could have peace in our family.
In our country, the call of the time is to have peace…without unity, justice and truth, peace will continue to be an elusive and fleeting dream for our nation. Where does it all start? Right in the very core of our being.
Peace and unity start with me!
CONTESTANT: Fritzie Claire Lopez SCHOOL: OcañaLearningCenter, Incorporated
It was a bright and sunny morning. After I got up from bed, I finished my daily devotional and said my morning prayers. “Make me a channel of your peace…where there is hatred, let me bring your love...” kept playing inside my head as I was about to get ready for the day.
As I went down to the kitchen, I sensed that our house was awfully and unusually quiet. I couldn’t figure out why. Oh well… I turned on the television to check if there’s anything interesting to watch.
I chanced upon Channel 5 where reporters have flocked to the area where a middle-aged man was lying dead, shot by an anonymous criminal.
“Live from the crime scene… the police just announced a nationwide search for this heartless murderer on the loose…”
“In politics… the President has just granted pardon to a plunderer, who was proven guilty of stealing the people’s money…”
"Meanwhile, in Manila, the untoward incident shocked thousands of Glorietta shoppers. Different angles have been looked into to determine the root cause of this tragedy…”
I couldn’t take anymore of these bad news so I switched off the TV and went upstairs to read. On my way up, I figured that the reason why our country is in turmoil is because a lot of injustice has been done to our people and there’s no end to it if we just let the abuse continue. But if we act upon these injustices as one people, then there might be a chance that we achieve the peace we long for.
Just as I was about to open the door to my room, I heard a loud scream. It came from my parents’ bedroom. Before I could run to check, my mother stormed out of their bedroom, a mess and crying.
“Catherine, let’s leave this house. I can’t stand living with your father anymore,” was what she told me in between sobs.
“Why, Mom? What happened? What is it this time?” I asked her. I was really worried why she was crying so hard.
“I said, go pack your bags! No questions asked.” She began to shout at me.
“No, Mom. I won’t go.” And then out came Dad with a bag of clothes. He was ready to throw it right at Mom’s face.
“Stop it, Dad! Dad, please! Mom, please stop it! Please stop fighting!” was my endless cry as I try to part them to make them stop from hurting each other. But the shouting never stopped.
I covered my ears to strain off their bitter exchange of words. Stop, please stop.. please… “You don’t have to say you love me, just be close at hand…” I closed my eyes so I couldn’t see them hitting each other. I prayed so hard for it to end. Why? Why can’t we have peace in this family?
“Catherine! Leave your mother and me alone!” Dad muttered, but it was already too late. My mother hurriedly went out the door, carrying all her stuff without even looking back.
Their fights were becoming a daily routine. Dad says one thing, Mom says another and then they argue and start shouting at each other. Now the house is so quiet. So quiet, I could almost hear the sad beatings of my heart.
Is this peace? Is it in silence that we find it? Is silence equal to being peaceful? I mean, who are we kidding, right? How can we achieve peace when even in our family we couldn’t stand a day without fighting? It’s simply impossible!
And then, the words of Confucius resonated to my ear… “A peaceful world is built by individuals at peace. It all starts from within us.”
Yes! Peace could then be defined not by the silence of the cemetery but by the spirit of unity that is alive in every individual. It is personified by a family bonded together in unity.
Mom, Dad, if you are not one in patching things up and in forgiving each other, then, it’s going to be a very long and difficult process before we could have peace in our family.
In our country, the call of the time is to have peace…without unity, justice and truth, peace will continue to be an elusive and fleeting dream for our nation. Where does it all start? Right in the very core of our being.
Peace and unity start with me!
CONTESTANT: Fritzie Claire Lopez SCHOOL: OcañaLearningCenter, Incorporated
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