TIME TO DECIDE

What is the right time to decide what to do in the future?

I think there is no right time to decide, because in your childhood you want to become something, as you grow your field of interest changes. Most importantly your wish doesn't remain the same life time, at every stage of life it will differ. When you explore many fields your interest will keep on changing. Whenever you decide what you want to become at that point only start preparing for that and that is the right time you can say. Off course, there is a limitation for this. If you are a hard worker it will take a long time, but if you are a smart worker you can finish the same task in optimal time.

Anytime actually, you can decide now, right now what you want to do in future, but the wish to follow up that decision is up to you.

Life changing decisions come from the most humbling moments in life, like when you are taking a dip or having a bath. 

If you mean matters such as education or decisions that may or may not shape your future, then I should say anytime that is well beforehand and can be easily planned.

You can go through much of life deliberately avoiding hard decisions. But sometimes you have no choice: the situation forces you to make a decision. Consider an example from the sport of mountain climbing.

Sooner or later, every mountain climber faces a dreaded section of slick granite that offers no ledges or cracks to grasp. When you climb such a wall, you can abandon the climb. Or, you can risk a move like "the pendulum". The pendulum works the way it sounds: as high above you as you can reach, you fasten a loop with a metal nut and slide the rope through the loop. Then you climb down a few feet, dangle on the rope's end, and try to swing across the sheer section. It takes nerve!

The author of Hebrews wrote to people who faced just a climactic, can't-turn-back decision. It involved not a mountain climb, but their entire future.

My motto is always: Whatever makes you feel bad, leave it. Whatever makes you smile, keep it. Have fun living it too. Follow your passion.

DTI launches first OTOP Hub in Davao de Oro

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Davao de Oro launched its first One-Town One Product (OTOP) Hub at Jorge Town, Montevista during the celebration of the 2021 Online Bulawan Festival on October 28, 2021.

DTI Provincial Director Atty. Lucky Siegfred M. Balleque in his opening statement explained the importance of OTOP Hub as a reliable mechanism in assisting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) in promoting their products with global standards.

 

"Mao kini ang atoang solution sa mga MSME nga mahatagan sila ug lugar diin ilang mabaligya

ang ilahang produkto at the same time ma showcase usab natu kung unsa ka quality ug competitive ang mga produkto sa taga Davao de Oro", Balleque said.

 

The hub serves as a one-stop retail store where market-ready OTOP products such as arts, crafts, wearables, home styles, food, and beauty and wellness products are made available to both local buyers and tourists.

All of the items displayed were attributed to the richness of the province's natural resources as the direct source of raw materials of the products.

 

The agency also provides intervention programs to MSMEs through various training sessions and seminars that would enhance the design, quality, production, and marketability of each product.

 

The highlight of the event was the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between DTI Davao de Oro and Jorge Town on the establishment and operations of OTOP Hub.

 

Present during the event were DTI Regional Smed Division Chief Marie Anne J. How, Jorge Town CEO Maria Teresa D. Zamora, DTI-DdO Division Chief Patrick Kim B. Evangelio, Provincial Women Development Council Chairperson Sholai Lim, and officials from the provincial and municipal office.

 (Rheafe Hortizano - Provincial Information Office, Photos by DTI DdO)

Detachment in the life of a disciple

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          TO be sure, a certain detachment from the things of this

world and even from people is required of us if we want to be a true

and effective disciple of Christ. He himself said it quite clearly:

“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and

children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my

disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me

cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14,26-17)

          We obviously have to understand these words properly. We are

men and women with material and emotional needs. We cannot let go of

our loved ones if we want to retain our humanity, and of course, of

our Christianity. But we have to realize that meeting these human

needs should be animated by the proper spirit of love that Christ is

showing and giving us. It should not displace such spirit.

          Again, let’s be reassured of what Christ promised us if we

observe the proper priorities in our life. “But seek ye first the

kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be

added unto you." (Mt 6,33) And, “Everyone who has left houses or

brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields

for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit

eternal life.” (Mt 19,29)

          We need to have a certain detachment from persons and things

to be able to give our heart entirely to God, and with him, we

actually have everything else we need. As St. Teresa of Avila put it

graphically, with God we have enough—“solo Dios basta.”

          So the detachment our Lord is asking of us actually does not

mean that we hate our life, our parents and others, and the things of

this world. Rather it is a detachment that asks of us to have

rectitude of intention, that everything that we do be for the glory of

God.

          To be a disciple of Christ, we have to give everything of

ourselves to him and to the tasks such discipleship entails. This will

allow the very power of Christ to work on us. So instead of hindering

our apostolic work, that detachment that Christ requires of his

disciples would only enhance that work.

          Detachment does not remove our involvement and engagement in

our human, earthly and temporal affairs. It simply puts them in the

right context and the right direction. It frees us from unnecessary

baggage. It improves our vision and understanding of things, and

predisposes our heart to the real love which can only be a sharing in

God’s love.

          We should not be afraid to go through the required

sacrifices and self-denial that this proper sense of detachment would

involve, since these can only lead us to the joy and peace meant for

us. We need to do better than have a shallow and narrow view of our

earthly life, giving knee-jerk reactions to things.

          We need to give due attention to this duty of rectifying and

purifying our intention, filling it with love, and expressing it with

generosity and heroism even. We should do away with any ulterior

motive we would be tempted to have. Our problem is precisely our

tendency to take this duty for granted, and so we open ourselves to

the subtle forces of pride, greed, lust, envy, anger, gluttony, sloth,

etc. Christian detachment protects and liberates us from these

dangers.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com