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By Fr. Roy Cimagala
Chaplain
Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)
Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!
Sunday, November 1, 2026
Books for spooks:
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Books for spooks: 5 literary works that make for a haunting read | |
These five haunting novels explore the thin line between the supernatural, the psychological, and the horrors of being human. Read more |
Life is short—why not do good?
Today, Nov. 1, is All Saints’ Day, which this year falls on a Sunday, a day traditionally devoted to worship, family, and reflection. Tomorrow, All Souls’ Day, Filipinos will continue the tradition of remembering departed loved ones, visiting cemeteries, offering prayers, and passing on traditions that have endured through generations.
Beyond these traditions, however, these two days carry a message that deserves greater reflection: Life is fragile, and our time on earth is limited.
No one knows when that time will end. What seems like an ordinary day could be someone’s last. Not everyone has the privilege of knowing when the final chapter of life will be written.
Even popular culture has reminded us of this reality. More than two decades ago, a band composed of brothers released a song titled “If Life Is So Short,” which asked a simple question about love before time runs out. As sappy as its message may sound, it reveals a truth that is often forgotten in the rush of everyday living.
If life is indeed so short, why not make the most of it? Why not love more, forgive more, and above all, do good?
These questions become more relevant in a world where the headlines are increasingly dominated by crime, violence, corruption, and suffering. There seems to be an endless supply of reasons to become cynical, angry, and hopeless.
Economic uncertainties have added to this prevailing gloom. Inflation, the peso’s exchange rate, and the rising cost of living weigh heavily on Filipino families. With the holiday season approaching, many households are wondering how they can celebrate Christmas meaningfully without spending beyond their means.
Yet amid these difficulties, kindness remains something that does not require wealth. A helping hand, an honest gesture, a comforting word, or a simple act of generosity can make a difference in another person’s life.
Doing good need not involve grand gestures. Sometimes, it begins with choosing honesty when dishonesty offers greater rewards, compassion when indifference seems easier, and humility when power encourages arrogance.
Consider the continuing allegations of corruption, kickbacks, and suitcases supposedly filled with money. Those implicated may possess financial advantages that ordinary Filipinos can only imagine. But these controversies raise a fundamental question about greed: How much is enough?
How many millions—or billions—must one accumulate to satisfy an appetite for wealth? Financial security is certainly important, and providing for one’s family is a legitimate aspiration. But at what expense? At whose expense? And ultimately, to what end?
No amount of money can purchase another lifetime. Wealth and influence cannot guarantee immunity from mortality. In death, the powerful and the powerless face the same inevitable destination.
This is not an argument against ambition or prosperity. Rather, it is a reminder that success should never be measured solely by what we accumulate, but also by what we contribute and by the lives we touch.
As families gather around the graves of their loved ones today, they will remember not merely the possessions left behind, but the love, generosity, sacrifices, and kindness that made those lives meaningful.
Perhaps that is the greatest lesson of these solemn observances. We honor the departed by remembering how they lived, but we honor life itself by choosing how we live today.
We are merely temporary custodians of our time on earth. We cannot determine how long we will remain here, but we can decide what to do with the time given to us.
Life is short. Why not do good?
How do you tell if the relationship is heading somewhere?
This is a good question…
Aside from relationships which never should have formed, I don't think couples need to overthink long-term compatibility during a first year. Beyond this point is dependent upon circumstances.
Twenty years olds with plenty of life ahead verses couples in their forties starting out with remaining hopes of becoming parents face completely different relationship timeframes. Career focuses affect young adults while extra commitments like parenting for older individuals factor into how they progress within relationships.
I've lived the in-between scenario (27-35, eight year relationship, married and one daughter) while now in a relationship with a nearly forty year old girlfriend that wants children. Being forty-three with a daughter, my intentions weren't to have more children and now I'm open to such possibility.
The journey has been perhaps a little unorthodox. We haven't met each other's people and sporadically told individuals we're in a relationship, meaning our lives have remained somewhat compartmentalised.
My general feeling regarding long-term relationships is that when you reach a second Christmas together while continuing to remain seperate (not spending it together, yet to introduce each other to family) - it may be a sign of relationship stagnation. This appears likely for us in a few months, even without my daughter's presence at Christmas...
How do I feel regarding our progress?
Beginning from three years after divorce, I've felt like years left from then until I'm about fifty-five will be most precious to experience happiness within my lifespan. Furthermore, I'm not confident about potentially having mortality longevity. This has resulted in a mindset nearing existential nihilism which values now more than unpromised future.
Being motivated for causing my girlfriend's happiness and not heavily factoring in potential eventual risks that come with any long-term relationships involving procreation and/or living together (perhaps involving marriage) - I have become willing to endeavour. Initially my suggestions were doing proper steps, like renting together, seeing how we'd go living together while combining our lifestyles. She originally wanted to instead jump in head first which I gradually became on board with doing and now most recently, her perspective has fallen somewhere between my original position and her wanting to jump in making how exactly we'll proceed currently unclear 🫠
My only real certainty is loving her, providing the happiness she deserves and potentially wishing for us to see each other more frequently (including additional sleepovers). There's no confusion in our mutual feelings, just working out how to progress within the relationship.
Her level of independence, commitment to helping parents, busy work lifestyle and dogs for company makes our routine living seperately with a few weekly visits quite manageable. But from my perspective, I'm somewhat co-dependent, live alone, not passionate regarding employment, mostly experience fulfilment through company and writing is the closest example of a passion. We have very different life experiences for our relationship. I'm somewhat lonely while she's distracted.
Needing to deeply think regarding our relationship trajectory is mostly associated with her desire to have children and secondly for my wishes to see each other more frequently (both suited for potentially living together). Otherwise we'd have no motivation for rushing anything, like in most younger people's circumstances.
Now what?…
Hopefully without ever sinking! 💞
What are some unique Filipino traditions or customs that are often misunderstood by foreigners?
In the Philippines, a loud "psst" and pursed lips aren't rude catcalls. They are perfectly polite ways to get someone's attention across a room or point out directions.
These daily habits belong to a set of uniquely Filipino customs that are deeply communal at home, but often translate poorly to outsiders.
Because pointing with an index finger is considered aggressive, locals instead point out objects by pursing their lips and tilting their head toward the target. To a foreigner, this sudden gesture can look like an unexpected attempt to blow a kiss or a sarcastic smirk.
A similar disconnect happens vocally. While making a "psst" sound in the West is usually a patronizing demand for silence, in the Philippines, it is the standard, non-confrontational way to catch someone's eye. It allows people to get a waiter's or a friend's attention without shouting, even though visitors often feel they are being rudely shushed.
Food traditions also clash with Western norms. Filipino dining is deeply communal, best exemplified by kamayan—the practice of eating with bare hands. During a communal feast known as a "boodle fight," a mountain of rice, grilled meats, and seafood is laid out symmetrically on long banana leaves.
During a boodle fight, diners stand shoulder-to-shoulder and eat with their bare hands from a shared spread of rice, seafood, and grilled meats arranged on banana leaves. Photo by Ej Afable is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Foreigners sometimes view eating without utensils as unhygienic or primitive. In reality, it is a highly structured tradition that symbolizes equality and closeness. Diners wash their hands thoroughly before eating and use only one hand to neatly compress the food into bite-sized mounds.
Physical greetings carry their own cultural weight. When younger Filipinos greet their elders, they perform pagmamano. They take the elder’s offered hand and gently press the back of it against their own forehead to receive a blessing. Visitors often mistake this for an old-world attempt to kiss their hand or a display of extreme subservience, but it is simply the standard gesture of familial warmth and respect.
Rezept mit Tradition: Martinsgans, Blaukraut und Knödel im Herbst
Stand:
Der St.-Martinstag wäre nur halb so schön ohne den Laternenumzug und ohne das klassische Festtagsessen: die Martinsgans. Mit diesem Rezept bereiten Sie Gans, Blaukraut und Knödel einfach selbst zu.
Die Martinsgans gehört für viele Familien zum St.‑Martinstag am 11. November, zwischen Laternenumzug und den ersten frostigen Nächten. Für die Festtagsgans brauchen Sie keine Profiküche oder einen Michelinstern, sondern einfach nur Vorbereitung und Geduld. Mit einer Schritt-für-Schritt-Anleitung und allen Mengenangaben auf einen Blick, gelingt auch Ihnen ein Festschmaus, der Familie und Gäste in Feiertagsstimmung versetzt.
Warum gehört die Gans zum St. Martinstag?
Eine Gans zum St.-Martinstag ist eine alte Tradition, die Brauchtum und Jahreszeit zusammenbringt. Die Überlieferung führt ins Jahr 371 zum heiliggesprochenen Martin von Tours. Der bescheidene Mann sollte zum Bischof geweiht werden, wollte diese Ehre aber nicht und versteckte sich in einem Gänsestall. Die Gänse schnatterten jedoch so laut, dass sein Versteck aufflog und er doch zum Bischof ernannt wurde. Der Volkssage nach landen die Gänse seither am Gedenktag des Heiligen im Bräter, als „Strafe“ für ihren Verrat.
Ein klassisches Gericht ist die Gans mit Blaukraut und Knödeln. Wie Sie die Gans würzen, füllen und im Ofen zubereiten, ist im Rezept ausführlich beschrieben.
Gans mit Blaukraut & Knödeln
Laden Sie sich das Rezept für die Martinsgans mit Blaukraut HIER gratis herunter
Warum Sie die Planung schon Anfang November starten sollten
Da die Gans in diesem Gericht im Mittelpunkt steht, sollten Sie am besten eine frische Gans vom Metzger bestellen. Da es für frische Ware oft Warte- und Lieferzeiten gibt, sollten Sie schon mit Vorlauf vor dem Martinstag planen. Für die Gans sollten Sie mindestens vier Kilo einrechnen, wenn sechs Leute mitessen.
Das vollständige Rezept mit allen Mengenangaben, Garzeit und Tipps finden Sie kostenlos in unserer Mediathek. Registrieren Sie sich dafür einfach mit dem Login-Service USER.ID. Dort warten außerdem zahlreiche weitere inspirierende Inhalte auf Sie, die Sie ebenfalls kostenlos herunterladen können.
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