Simple Living

This term has become associated with President Ferdinand Marcos since his assumption of the highest position in the land. He has not only preached but he and his family have been practicing it. In what does simple living consist?

In the way of life of the present family, it consists in having daily simple meals consisting of two inexpensive courses and serving tasteful but in-extravagant dinners on special occasions. It is also manifested in the clothing habits of the President. Except on very rare occasions he wears simple short-sleeved shirts or "barongs."

The First Lady has cut down on the maintenance of the Malacañang Palace by dismissing unnecessary household help. She has cut down on entertainment activities in the Palace and initiated entertainments at minimum cost. Her wardrobe as compared with other prominent ladies in Philippine society is simple and inexpensive but chosen with an eye for beauty and dignity.

By practicing simple living our First Family is proving the beauty and joy of that trait for which our forefathers were well known: modesty and simplicity. Unfortunately, many of our youth today look upon simple living beyond their means in order to impress other people with their pretended affluence. For it cannot be denied that riches and comfort have become the goal of living of many in this materialistic age. This is the reason for much of the graft and corruption in our society. This is the reason why dishonest persons are held in high esteem just because they live in imposing mansions, ride in flashy cars, display jewelry, hold extravagant parties and make regular trips to foreign countries.

If Rizal were alive today he would call this love for show among our people as a social cancer. He would call upon the youth to fight it because they are still the "the hope of the Motherland."

How can youth help eradicate this cancer? Simple living, cutting down unnecessary expenses to the minimum, believing in modesty and simplicity as a virtue to be denied, developing simple habits in food, clothing and recreation, - all these are ways by which youth can contribute towards the development of a strong and contented citizenry.

Pleasant Personalities

Here are qualities that make up a pleasant personality. Check your qualities against those given here. Which have you developed? Which have you not? How can you improve your own personality?

One of the most important factors upon which family happiness depends is the pleasant personality of its members. To maintain desirable social relations, each member of the family should cultivate desirable characteristics. affection, appreciation, cheerfulness, consideration for others, cooperation, courage, courtesy, generosity, gratitude, honesty, industry, initiative, loyalty, self-control, sociability, reverence, tact, and readiness to serve society are indispensable requirements of a pleasant personality.

Affection is the pillar of family life. Without it, the family cannot stand together, share family happiness or help one another in moments of grief.

Appreciation is the kind and pleasant way by which we manifest through oral expression or by action the approval of the deeds of others. Thoughtful and sincere appreciation inspires others to work for the good of himself and that of the group to which he belongs.

Cheerfulness in the family is the prevalence in it of joyful spirit and lightheartedness. When cheerfulness prevails, sunshine penetrates the walls of the home, and poverty and suffering become bearable.

Cooperation is the contribution of common efforts to carry on any activity. With it, the most difficult task becomes lighter and the most sorrowful feeling becomes bearable because a grateful person simply shows goodness for a favor received.

Honesty is a combination of truthfulness and sincerity. Honesty may be shown by word and action. Many dangers can be avoided and misfortunes prevented if boys and girls are honest in dealing with their parents.

A big number of young people do things which they conceal from their parents. For example, they may go outing or swimming but tell their parents that they will do research work in public libraries. When they go places without proper advice, misfortune might follow.

Loyalty refers to the constant love, fidelity, and faithfulness of a person to his friends or family. No home can endure long unless faithfulness and love characterize its atmosphere. A boy or girl owes it to his or her family to stand by it always. He or she should defend it and not do anything that might bring it dishonor.

Self-control means ability to remain calm in the face of unusual occurrences. Many troubles and difficulties can be prevented if we exercise sufficient self-restraint and think several times before we act or speak, especially when we are provoked.

Thrift is the secret of family security, happiness, and prosperity. What we save for a rainy day counts more than our actual income. In case of death or sickness, suffering is aggravated if there is no money to meet unusual expenses. All members of the family have the duty to cooperate in making some provision for possible future needs.

Enhancing Your Personality

YOU ARE IMPORTANT

“What can one small person like me do? I don’t count for much.”

This is the attitude of one who is still young and inexperienced.

But don’t underrate yourself. There’s something you can do, however small. You are a creature gifted with thought and imagination. You tell yourself: “What little I can do, I ought to do. What I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do.”

You challenge yourself this way and you cannot go on thinking of yourself as “small.”

Your daily labor will have meaning when you realize that as an individual you are meant for something important. Here are some questions that should ask yourself:

Why am I living?

What is expected of me?

What direction am I taking?

What do I want in life?

Take the first question, “Why am I living?” The answer is, because you are meant to accomplish a definite task in life. This task you alone can do.

“What is expected of me?” Right now your sacred duty is to prepare yourself for your assigned task. You start right now being a good member of your family, your school, and your community – obedient, cooperative, loyal, dutiful and diligent, kind and considerate to others.

Right now you are being trained for citizenship in the home, in the school, and in the community. If you are a good citizen in the home, you turn out a good citizen in the school, and then a good citizen in the community. In like manner, if you are an undisciplined member of the home, you become an undesirable member of the school, and later turn out a menace to the community. All the training that your home, your school and your community give are your preparation for a useful life ahead.

Knowing the answer to the second question, it is for you to reflect whether or not you are taking the right direction. Your answer to the third question is your own honest estimate of yourself. Are you heading for the right direction? Are you using your time in diligent study, or wasting it in useless or harmful pastime as gambling, drinking, and loafing?

The fourth question requires a deeper reflection to be able to answer. A young student cannot fully ascertain what his purpose in life is. He knows very little of the things that make life rich and beautiful and these are the things that he must strive to attain. But if you are making the right start you are headed for the realization of your dream.

“What do I want in life?” Is it to acquire wealth? Is it to get learning? Or be a leader in the affairs of man? A statesman perhaps? To attain physical perfection? As you study and gain experience you gradually form a definite image of what you want to be.

Working towards a definite goal is a noble aim. It gives your life meaning. You aim to rise from your present state. This is the meaning of enhancing your personality. You certainly want to be a respectable man or woman, honored for your achievements, loved for the contributions that you make to your country and people.

14. Personal Magnetism

Personal magnetism is a happy combination of personality traits and qualities that is well right irresistable. It is a quality of spirit that ties up all your good qualities with a dynamic current that sparks like electricity.


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13. Spiritual Values

A man endowed with high spiritual understanding naturally practices good ethics in his dealings with mankind. He has a good sense of the Golden Rule, and has his mind filled with religious, intellectual and cultural values. He does not necessarily carry the air of a tall encyclopedia, and yet he shines in conversation because of his wide knowledge of current human events and interesting topics under discussion. He is well stocked with gray matter. He is often referred to as spiritual, not because he is entirely religious but because his spiritual qualities are prominently in evidence.

In the words of Maltbie Babcock: Spirituality is best manifested on the ground, not in the air. To have bread excite thankfulness and a drink of water send the heart of God is better than sighs for unattainable. To plow a straight furrow on Monday or dust a room well on Tuesday or kiss a bumped head on Wednesday, is worth more than most ecstatic thrill under sunday eloquence. Spirituality is seeing God in common things, and showing God in common tasks.”

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12. Human Relations

Human relations in business involves getting along with people. The good human relations practitioner is the man with a sociable personality; he is not only a real human being himself, but he realizes that the average man appreciates being treated like a human being rather than a number. Humanity is about the same the world over; it is the peculiar disposition of a great mind to practice the Golden Rule and to develop a warm, friendly personality that attracts and bring people around to your way of thinking. The man aspiring to leadership should keep in mind the seven basic needs of the people around him:

1. Recognition
2. Satisfaction
3. Earning opportunities
4. Self-expression
5. Opportunity to grow
6. Income recognition
7. Contribution to community service and the economy.

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11. Thinking Ability

Dare to think for yourself and you will become known as a constructive thinker. Think long enough constructively an you will advance to the status of creative thinker. The highest paid executives in business are the creative thinkers. Naturally, everyone thinks; but what he thinks, or how creatively and constructively he thinks, is something else again. The man with a thinking personality can digest a thought in his mind, running it round and round, until it turns mental some results and develops the ideas that lead to success. Learn to play a game with your thoughts; stretch your imaginations until your mind coild, and then you will take off in the direction you want to go.

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10. Initiative

Initiative is the ability to develop original conception and independent action. It is one of the most dynamic words in the English language. The man with plenty of initiative becomes known as a self-starter. His entire personality becomes permeated with the ability to do things under his own steam, rather than wait for someone else to tell him when, where, how and what to do. As a result such a man develops a spirit within him that can accomplish miracles, and he develops a reputation for being able to charge his own personal storage battery. Man of this caliber are always at a premium in the business world-we can never have too many of them. Try it out yourself. When you are faced with a problem to be solved, don’t ask anyone else how to go about it; face the issues out of your own head and develop your own methods and techniques. You’ll find that you will become respected and admired, and you will develop a reputation for being a man with an enterprising personality.

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9. Imagination

An individual must have creative imagination to become successful in any endeavor. As Henry Ward Beecher said: The soul without imagination is what an observatory would be without a telescope. The world of reality has its limits, but the world of imagination is boundless and continuous. So why not encourage our imagination to soar to distant horizons, and then bring what we can down to earth and make the most of it?

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8. Aggressiveness

By an aggressive man, I don't mean one who is always inclined to aggressive argument, who is disputatious and constantly claiming his rights or who is ever ready to take the bull by the horns. An aggressive personality is an excellent asset in business, so as long as you can keep it on a leash. But aggressiveness is not always an inherent part of an individual's personality, any more than a good personality is always "born" in one. Strive for diplomatic, tactful, constructive aggressiveness - the kind that keeps a man's eyes open and alert and continually looking for an opportunity to make the breaks himself. To be acceptable, aggressiveness must be pleasant rather than argumentative, constructive rather than militant. How often, unfortunately, you meet people who are so aggressive that they are ready to fight at the drop of a hat! They keep you continually disturbed and unhappy, and as a result you are always trying to keep clear of them. There is an agreeable aggressiveness that injects a spark of magnetic force into a man's activities. Aggressiveness of this character is welcomed by executives and associates.