by Nelson Lim

The day started wonderfully. Here I was, happily working from home and enjoying my hot steaming mug of coffee. The sky was overcast – perfect for me and my darkly optimistic soul. Feeling happy, I settled in my chair and began my day.

My day started perfectly but would end differently.

It was evening when she came. We expected her to come by around ten in the evening, but she arrived two hours earlier. We were a bit nonplussed. After all, we’ve had visitors like her before.

We were wrong.

She came in with a little noise, announcing her arrival. In less than an hour, she had made her presence felt. She became insane, howling and screaming like a madwoman. She banged on our doors and slammed the windows so hard that they shook with her venomous anger. She continued to rant until the wee hours of the morning.

Everyone was caught unprepared.

That December 16 evening, typhoon Odette ravaged Cebu with one fell swoop.

The aftermath was chaos. Odette didn’t discriminate; she tore apart every house she could get her hands on, from shanties to mansions. People outside the island didn’t know what was going on – electricity was out, water lines were broken, and network signals were down.

If you lived outside of Cebu then, we couldn’t fault you for thinking Odette was just the typical run-of-the-mill typhoon. Within Cebu, however, everything had changed. Drinking water became more precious than gasoline. Crowds, ignoring health protocols, thronged any groceries that tried to reopen. The city was shrouded in darkness yet brimming with hope and tenacity.

As with any disaster, compassionate hearts lent their help, whereas unscrupulous people exploited the tragedy.

Watching everything unfold from where I sat, I contemplated humanity’s humanity. I saw a lot of helping hands, but I also saw a lot of clenched fists. From the richest to the poorest, the calamity brought out all that was good in us, and all that needed improvement.

A month later, we began to get back to being normal again. That’s when I realized that life isn’t always about getting what you want. It’s also about giving back, and giving when you know you can’t be repaid.

Our only true legacies are the deeds we leave behind. How were we able to affect the lives of others? How did we respond to negativity? Did we seek to respond with empathy and love, or did we choose to return the hate and anger?  How have we truly lived our lives?

It was a period of introspection for me. The typhoon changed lives on different levels for different people. Some people shrugged it off, going on about their lives as if it was just a bad dream. Some treated the event as a life-opening experience. And most fall in between.

Sometimes, I wonder what needed to happen to wake humanity, but then again, I may be also mocked for being “woke.” Then, I realized something else: Enlightenment is different for each of us.

After this realization, I became less judgmental. I realized that everyone has to evolve at their own pace and time. It was not up to me to help them. It was up to them to help themselves.

Things really happen for a reason.

I began to look at people with new eyes. I realized that all our journeys lead toward one end, but each path is different. I finally understood that it is not my place to force people to be happy if they are perfectly content to be miserable.

I resolved to be kinder and more tolerant. At the same time, I made a pact with myself to hone whatever skills and talents that I may possess and use them for the greater good.

I probably sound very altruistic and perhaps a little condescending if you made it to this point. And I totally understand. What I want you to take away from this is to ask yourself, “What have I done today to make myself better?”

It doesn’t matter if you learned how to cook eggs better. It’s an improvement to who you were before. Congratulate yourself for that, and push for more.

Did you learn something new? Celebrate that.

Were you able to pull yourself out of that funky mood? That’s a great accomplishment by itself.

Focus on enhancing yourself.

Whatever achievement you have, be happy. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that every day, you get to improve as a person physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

And isn’t that what life is all about?