The Hard Dreamer

June 28, 20263 min readThe BoholTimes

A “dreamer personality” describes someone highly imaginative, idealistic, and deeply connected to their inner world. They are big-picture thinkers who frequently envision possibilities beyond everyday realities, often prioritizing core values, empathy, and creativity over strictly pragmatic or purely logical concerns.

Series of images or thoughts in the mind of a person asleep – the idle fancy, the vision, the aspiration, the yearnings… they are dreams that have interested, puzzled and frightened people for thousands of years. All kinds of strange explanations have been written about dreams.

Interpreters of dreams have published innumerable books. I bought some of those books. I caught myself reading them and trying to analyse my dreams, resulting in my becoming unsure and sometimes really undecided about the many different explanations regarding the same dream’s meaning.

At one time, people thought that the figures appearing in dreams were messengers from the Gods. It was generally believed that dreams came from something outside a person’s special skills. Do you believe this?

Today it is believed that the dreamer himself creates dreams; and, because dreams are something a person creates, they may have special meaning for the dreamer. Just why should one have a dream when one may depend on many things. Your health may have an effect on your dreams. A person who is ill or feeling uncomfortable will have different kinds of dreams than that of a person, who is doing good and who is happy.

If a person is hungry, or feels cold, or very tired – his dreams may include those feelings. Also the events of the day before may have a lot to do with what people dream about. Often, the persons or situations in a dream are those in our life. Or your emotions may make you have the kind of dream you have. Needing or wanting something may be expressing a dream, and being frightened may become part of a dream.

I dream a lot. I am always wondering about myself. I am still dreaming of a better world, yes, it’s blue eyed, but these are my dreams. No ignorance and no arrogance, a world with real friends, who don’t turn back if we need them; a world with people who will stop killing each other because of stupid and incomprehensible reasons; a world with people who will stop hurting and insulting each other because of envy.

I also dream, Filipinos will not always talk about an unfinished revolution and an inchoate nation still in the process of becoming.

Dreams are foams? Maybe. Maybe not. Confucius said a long time ago: “The one who steals our dreams brings us to death!” PWEDE! Let’s dream hard, and let’s work harder!

 

Happiness in Today’s World

June 21, 20264 min readThe BoholTimes

FEELING that the conditions of your life are good. Enjoying positive, healthy relationships with other people. Feeling that you have accomplished (or will accomplish) what you want in life. Feeling satisfied with your life. Feeling positive more than negative.

Global happiness and life satisfaction are characterized by shifting regional trends, with Northern European nations dominating the top rankings. While positive emotions generally remain frequent, industrialized nations—particularly among youth and English-speaking countries—have seen notable declines in well-being linked to social media use and dropping social trust.

Happiness is a complex and multifaceted mental state that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, or engaging in enjoyable activities.

Happiness is a state of mind. Specifically, it is a state of “well-being and contentment.”

But the definition can be tricky and assumptions about the word can cause confusion. Many don’t even realize learning how to be happy is something that can be intentionally practiced. Some people, when they hear the word ‘happiness,’ assume it is speaking of an emotion such as pleasure or joy. For them, it is what people feel in the immediate here and now.

This is the reason some people say, “Don’t pursue happiness, seek joy. Happiness is fickle and fading, joy remains forever.”

But this short-term definition of happiness is not how everyone understands the word. Some define it to mean long-term satisfaction.

In fact, when I speak of experiencing happiness in life, I am not thinking of short-term emotions at all. I think of a quality of living—a much longer-term view of the word.

Both definitions are understood to be correct and speak of different realities.

But are they really that different? I don’t think so.

After all, a long-term experience of life satisfaction is almost certainly made up of many short-term feelings of joy and pleasure. Does that mean every day is a great day with no trials, temptations, or downturns? Certainly not. But it does mean when we look back at the many seasons of life, we can look back satisfied at how we navigated them.

The long-term feeling of life satisfaction is most experienced when we embrace the emotion of joy in the here and now.

And we accomplish that by taking steps each day to be happy.

What makes you feel happy now? Doing something you’re good at, such as cooking or dancing, is a good way to enjoy yourself and have a sense of achievement. Try to avoid things that seem enjoyable at the time but make you feel worse afterwards, such as drinking too much alcohol or eating junk food.

Why is being happy important? Experiencing happiness is important for our emotional and physical health. A stronger sense of happiness and wellbeing has been shown to lead to better relationships, increase social connection and contribution to the lives of others, as well as contributing to healthier physical wellbeing.

Is being happy the most important thing in life? Happy people are healthier all around and more likely to be healthy in the future. Happy people live longer than those who are not as happy. Happy people are more productive and more creative, and this effect extends to all those experiencing positive emotions.

Am I happy? Yes. Living in the Philippines for almost 28 years for good, I learned to be happy. Even during hard times. Filipinos are generally a happy people. They can smile whatever the situation. Their happy-go-lucky nature and positive mindset allow them to bounce back from the direst of circumstances, from disasters, from wars, and surely from today’s global situation.

Every Man For Himself

 

May 24, 20263 min readThe BoholTimes

AND of course: every woman for herself. It’s used for saying that everyone needs to look after themselves and not worry about anyone else. Everyone looks out for his or her best interest. Originally this phrase expressed approval. It appeared in Chaucer’s The Knight’s Tale (“Ech man for him-self, ther is non other”), implying that if one did not look out for oneself no one else would.

It’s always been this way in reality and should be for good reason. “Every man for himself” is an individualistic ideal. It teaches self-reliance, self-sufficiency and independence.

Each individual puts his or her own interests foremost. For example, In this company no one helps anyone—it’s every man for himself . In Chaucer’s day this dictum was stated approvingly, meaning “if you don’t look out for yourself, no one else will,” but today such selfishness is usually censured.

Yes, each person does what is best for himself or herself. Yes, times are getting tougher. I think you, my dear readers, know what I am talking about. No reason to list everything again. Sometimes, there is no team spirit in this office; it’s definitely every man for himself. Neighbors would tell each other: mind your own business. The tone between us humans is becoming more and more harsher.

Some people live alone because friends and families have abandoned them. Important helpline is Psalm 27:10 for them. “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me.”

And solitary survivors like Robinson Crusoe, or the hero in the movie Castaway, fascinate. But the loner is someone who purposely holds himself aloof, like the Unabomber, Mathematician Ted Kaczynski. People doggedly moving ever farther away from one another constitute hell in C.S. Lewis’ book, The Great Divorce.

Fact is  –  Proverbs 18:1 says:  A man who isolates himself seeks his own desires; he rages against all wise judgment.

Living in community and helping one another is foundational for all who wish to follow Christ. We know from Acts 2 that the early church took this seriously, seeing many examples of believers helping one another, including materially, so that there would be no one in need within their group.

Much has been written about the benefits of strong relationships. I wrote about it at this corner several years ago. People are healthier, live longer, and are generally happier if they have strong friendships beneficial for helping and encouraging each other. And let me repeat it – especially during these tough times.

Jim Mathis, a writer, photographer and small business owner in Overland Park, Kansas, got it to the point last year, when the pandemic started: “Personally, one big change that took place when I decided to follow Christ was shifting from a self-centered existence to community-centered living. My life changed dramatically for the better when I stopped looking out only for myself and started finding ways to help others with a sense of community. Life went from an individual sport like a race to a team sport, working toward our mutual benefit”.

My Psalm(s) of Life

May 17, 20264 min readThe BoholTimes

A PSALM OF LIFE: This poem is known for its optimism and the theme-right attitude of life. The poet gives out the message that pleasure or sorrow is not the goal of life. The purpose of life is to carry out all duties and responsibilities for the progress and good of all.

“A psalm of life” is an inspirational poem written by H. W. Longfellow as it gives the message to the coming generation. It gives the encouragement to find the purpose of life and achieve our goal. It describes all the difficulties that we’ll find while achieving our goal.

Longfellow was thirty-one when he wrote “A Psalm of Life,” likely writing it to fight back the inertia of depression overtaking him after the death of his wife from the complications of a miscarriage in the latter part of 1835.

This poem is known for its optimism and the theme-right attitude of life. The poet gives out the message that pleasure or sorrow is not the goal of life. The purpose of life is to carry out all duties and responsibilities for the progress and good of all. We should realize life is shorter and quicker.

We are always in God’s limelight.

Through the ages, people have experienced challenges that show God’s hands – mothers and fathers, the young and the old, simple shepherds and popular scholars, soldiers and actors.

God watches over me – no matter how I feel right now: safe and secure in a wholly and warm hearted community or alone and feeling abandoned. God knows my doubts, worries, troubles and challenges in my daily life.

The Psalms became a very important part in my life. It happened purely by accident. Long time ago, I stayed in a hotel in a foreign country in Europe. I felt really uncomfortable. I’ll not be boring you with details. I remember asking myself what the psalm writers also frequently did: “Where are you God? Why don’t you help me?”

Yes, the presence of real enemies is also part of our daily life here and everywhere. Anyway, suddenly I found a bible in the bottom drawer of my hotel’s night table. I started reading the Psalms.

At the very center of the bible are these songs, the Psalms, rising up like a tune from the heart. They capture the innermost thoughts and prayers, and they still speak directly to our needs. For every emotion and mood, you can find a Psalm to match. The Psalms wrestle with the deepest sorrow and ask God the hardest questions about suffering and injustice. They do not tip flowery compliments to God: they cry out to Him, or shout for joy before Him.

In almost every Psalm you find the presence of God, not as a philosophical principle, but as someone, who can change your life, if you allow Him to do so.

Already during 1980’s, I learned from my Philippine mentor, the late Monsignore Professor Dr. Dr. Hermogenes E. Bacareza, chaplain of the Philippine community in Berlin, who said that the best way to read the Psalms is simple: to make these ancient prayers your own and speak directly to God. So many of the poems catch deep human feelings that you can’t help but be moved by them.

It will take time to understand all Psalms; some might be boring or even self-congratulatory. Read them again and again. Psalms cries from the heart and songs of sorrow as well as joy – reflections for moods and experiences.

Since reading the Psalms, I learned and understood that for God, we’re always in the limelight.

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Email me: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, X-Twitter or LinkedIn or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com .

IT is never too late

 

“IT IS never too late to be what you might have been” is a famous, encouraging quote often attributed to novelist George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), emphasizing that personal growth, reinvention, and achieving dreams are possible at any age, regardless of past setbacks. It acts as a reminder that the future is yours to shape, urging you to overcome fears, challenge self-imposed limits, and start pursuing your aspirations now.

t suggests that no matter what stage of life one is at, there is always the opportunity to evolve, change direction, and pursue one’s true potential. Often, societal expectations or personal setbacks may cause individuals to feel as if their dreams or aspirations are unattainable, particularly as they age.

“Never Too Late” is a song by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. It was released on May 7, 2007, as the third single from the band’s second album One-X. “Never Too Late” is about not giving up. Adam Gontier stated, “I guess it’s like feeling like you’re at the end of your rope and deciding whether or not to completely give up or whether or not to try and sort of keep making it through another day.”

I know a lot of pensioner expatriates living in the Philippines for good. Many of them have a big problem – after staying here for only a couple of months, they get bored.

I believe it’s important, as we grow older, to stay active instead of just lying around. I realize that some older individuals have health issues and cannot do what they would like to do, but many are in decent shape, but just choose to do nothing. It seems the more a person gives in to their excuses of how they are tired from paying their dues, the worse they feel. Inactivity is alright when we are resting, but the more we get up and get going, the better we feel. I encourage everyone to find something really important to you and see how you can get involved.

We’ve heard it said that we must not live to work but work to live. Your goals are achieved the moment you commit yourself to them, so no matter how old you feel, or how many times you’ve officially retired, it’s never too late to give the world a little more of what God has given to you. We should pray and ask for God’s inspiration, strength, and wisdom, but hopefully, a person will eventually discover that he or she is the master-gardener of their soul and the decision-maker of their destiny.