HAPPY MOMENTS

 

From time to time I love silence. I love quietness. – Do you observe that we live in a real frightening, loud world? At every corner of our daily life are innumerable chances of being covered up with sometimes unbearable din and noise. The loud outcry gives me the needle. We don’t have nerves of steel forever.

I am not really a fan of going out at night. If you ask me how to spend a lovely evening after a hectic and stressful and, especially, noisy day – plain and simple.

The nicest occurrence is the silence, the intimate taciturnity, which can even “weld” people or partners together. It might sound just like an idiomatic expression, but believe me; not being forced to talk is great! No, I don’t mean that we have nothing to say to each other any more – or, he or she won’t listen to a special reason… . I am talking about a deep understanding between people, who are together and are able to share time in quiet and silent happiness.

After a long and strenuous day, it is a real big comfort to sit and lean back, read all the (old!) newspapers and magazines from the last days and weeks while enjoying a glass of wine and a handful of peanuts. A crossword puzzle is easier to solve while having a “silent” radio program in the background, instead of a “roars to hell” television show.

Try it. It’s indeed relaxing after traffic woes, the heat and dust of the day, telephones’ ringing, machine rattling, meetings and never ending discussions. Why should we talk right now?

Feeling safe and secure, inseparable, indestructible with peace in our minds and our surroundings, this is what we really mean to each other, understanding without words. At home, somewhere in the garden, at a beach – there are many wonderful places. And, suddenly out of the blue from the bottom of our heart and from the depth of comfort and ease, we might be able to speak about things, which couldn’t be discussed earlier. A good talk grows – but without compulsion or constraint or obligation, desperate or being forced.

Try it, and it might feel like walking hand-in-hand on a lonely sand beach, such as “once upon a time” with our first partner. And, unexpectedly: we become silent again AND thankful for it.

We really seldom take a break. We spend too much time in this terrible and frightful loud world… 

Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness said already William Robertson Davies (28 August 1913 – 2 December 1995) who was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor

Never forget: A smile never goes out of style. All it takes for anyone to live a happier life is to live it one smile at a time. Be your own reason for your happiness. Believe you can, and you’re halfway there. Bringing the sun wherever I go. Chin up, buttercup!

I LOVE MY MINDANAO

My Mindanao. Sounds very egoistic, doesn’t it?

Daybreak. Dawn. Early morning. I do try to keep my eyes open, so that I must not miss this great spectacle again: an unforgettable sunrise paints the environs with all the color nature puts at its disposal. I’ve put in a large portion of my life just trying to make things easier for my loved ones and myself. I feel having all the time of my life I want in my hands. I prayed to God that this might be the place to settle down, where I can relax, take things easy and where I can spend the second half of my life.

Once upon a time… . Meanwhile, that’s reality. I have been here for more than 29 years.

I strongly agree with Rod Fernandez in saying: “I have made it my personal mission to explore different places on the island and show the world its vast natural beauty. The political and security situation has significantly improved over the years, and it is now mostly safe to explore different parts of the region”. Born and raised in Mindanao, the Philippines, Rod moved back in 2021 after an overseas stint. He hopes to use his photography to show the vast beauty of Mindanao to the world.

Why do I love Mindanao? This natural beauty makes me cheerful as well as the relationship with the warm and friendly people living here. I can learn from them about diverse ethnic cultures and its very special way to live life even with the struggles and trials or in painful poverty. DownloadInteractive Maps

I experienced the sea gypsies from Zamboanga, the Badjoas and their boats, their vintas, which are the caravans of the oceans. Mindanao, this part of the Southern Philippines is the melting pot of Christians and Muslims, of foreigners (let’s call them expatriates and count me in!), or such tribes such as Badjaos, Subanon, Tansug, and Yakan.

Mindanao music is unique because it’s music is imbued with mindanao’s history and culture itself. It reflects those of the various beautiful cultures that are filled with their pride and nature of living.

Mindanaoans are passionate and emotional, to express themselves, they prefer to use body language rather than words, making eye contact is a signal of recognition and crucial when you are interacting with others, they will appreciate and feel your genuine interest in them.

Yes, my dear fellows, I am a foreigner who lost his heart to Mindanao. I am staying for good after visiting the second largest island of the Philippines with mosques, towers and women, dressed in MALONGS, blessed paradises for nature loving people, who admire exotic plants, boiling volcano springs, plunging waterfalls, torrential rivers and much more. I love “my Mindanao”.

I clasped Mindanao to my bosom. I would like to recommend Mindanao warmly to everybody. Mindanao, the land of hope and promise… .

DON’T WORRY – BE HAPPY!

 

By Mindanao Daily News -July 23, 2026

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” was written and recorded by jazz vocalist and musician Bobby McFerrin. Released in 1988, the track was the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it won three Grammy Awards in 1989, including Song of the Year.

Almost on the way to the airport ,  I get this in mind: we hardly count our blessings. We enjoy counting our crosses. Instead of gains, we count our losses. We don’t have to do all that counting – computers do it for us. Information is easily had.

Just remember this: Opportunity doesn’t just knock – it jiggles the doorknob, and “your friend” – the worrier, is with you day and night, at every corner, following your every step. Complaining and grumbling are good excuses, aren’t they? We have time and opportunities to do almost anything. So why haven’t we done it? We have the freedom of bondage or restraint, every one of us in his or her very special way – but, we’re still our old inferior selves.

The whole world is an awful place filled with dreadful and terrible negativism. No wonder, if you check the daily news.Yes, I confess, I am also surrounded by many worriers who put their fears into me! Politicians, i.e., many times love to search for some grave alarm that will cause individuals to abandon their separate concerns and act in concert, so that politicians can wield the baton. Calls to fatal struggles and fights are forever being surrounded.

But at this moment, I am counting my blessings and thank our Almighty God for everything.

Well, when will we start counting our courage and not our fears, or enjoy instead our woes? Worrying itself is pointless. Of course,  no society has achieved perfect rules of law, never-ending education or unique responsible governments. Let’s seek out the worries but avoid the warriors, because they try to avoid liberty.

Stop worrying and boost your happiness by anchoring yourself in the present and reframing your mindset. Try allocating a 15-minute “scheduled worry” window daily to contain anxiety, practicing present-moment mindfulness, and listing three things you are grateful for.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:25-34.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT?!

The phrase “believe it” is primarily used as an emphatic command to accept that something is true or real. Depending on the context, it means to stop doubting a fact, or serves as a confident confirmation of a statement.

In a world as vast as ours, anything that can happen will likely happen. The only thing that can limit these possibilities is your own imagination. Experience the oddest, the fantastic, the downright impossible parts of history that the textbooks left out. Be prepared — it will expand the limits of your wildest imagination!

It is almost a ridiculous fact that man wants to know certain truths about mundane things. But really he seems least interested in even mundane truths as can be read many times in newspapers for example. There seem to be too many rash judgments, and the readers absorb these and make these their own. A fatal attraction!

This is sometimes referred to as journalistic mentality and social media comments wherein accusations are generously made without proof. Evolution started this trend, when scientists stated for example that man evolved from the apes, without proof. The only proof they had was the missing link, and if I am not mistaken, it’s still a missing proof until now.

To look for proofs is a mental activity, which is no longer a common thing nowadays, because it takes really time, effort and is too serious to think about. Yet, in Christian education, thinking right is very important.That’s why Philosophy is important in Christian life. To avoid error in thinking, the rules of right reasoning must be studied and mastered. Is it really totally neglected in today’s modern education?

Thinking is actually an enjoyable activity but when one is pressured to get a good job for one’s sustenance, then the other more mundane becomes attractive. After all, great thinkers often do not get (good?) jobs… .

Spiritual writers like the British Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) noticed that mankind had stopped thinking even two centuries ago. That was during his age. Man probably stopped thinking even earlier. He has ceased many times to search for the truth. It’s easier to listen to gossip and believe in it. What a sign of weak minds!

Too often are we blind to the truth and as a consequence we easily believe in lies we only have to like it. Too bad, if people always like to close their eyes and ears especially while experiencing the delusion of error.

THE WAY TO HEAVEN

 

 Mindanao Daily News

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The path to heaven is a profoundly personal question, with the answer depending on your spiritual framework. Throughout history, different traditions have provided distinct frameworks for achieving ultimate peace, spiritual enlightenment, or eternal life.Explore the paths outlined by major belief systems to understand how different traditions guide followers toward the afterlife:Christianity: The path to eternal salvation is rooted in faith and grace. 

Christians believe that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the way to heaven is made available as a free gift. It is typically accepted by repenting of sins and trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior, rather than relying solely on one’s own good works

Driving in big cities is not a joke for beginners. It’s an ordeal, especially driving during heavy traffic hours. One must know where to go and which way to take. Otherwise, one’ll end up bumping somewhere somehow… .

But, driving a car in a small village, where roads are simple, is for neophytes an enjoyable one. No traffic, or less traffic, no traffic lights, no complicated ways… .

In the same way, railroads can make train drivers ill at ease when they are also in big cities. I remember Munich in my home country Germany, where railways appear like spider’s cobwebs. They go in several directions. No wonder, accidents on the roads happen many times.

In life we, too, have roads which lead us in several directions. To go to heaven, man’s eternal destiny, one can either choose the shortest road, or one can make detours. Not so many perhaps fall by the way and end up in eternal damnation.

There are some of us, Christians, who take the shourt-cut road to heaven. This is the road of suffering, of the actual practice of Christian virtues, of serving God and our neighbour. Others take the circuitos road of easy life, thinking that at the end they still have time to amend themselves and lead a good life. This is risky, since no one can guarantee that an opportunity will be given at the eleventh hour. Unfortunately, there are still others, who prefer to take that

An opposite road, which leads to eternal damnation. So they live, so they die! In John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress”, we read, “Then I saw that there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven!”

Homo sapiens, quo vadis?