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?
