DR. Dencio S. Acop, (RET. COL.)
Humbug! Does it still ring a bell? If there is a classic story that perfectly captures life resolutions, it is undoubtedly “The Christmas Carol”! I especially like the version of Scrooge played by the great George C. Scott. If you haven’t yet, you should watch it. The story is actually a familiar one benefiting us all in this brief life and the longer one to come. So, what is your New Year’s resolution? It is so fitting that after celebrating Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are given the opportunity to contemplate our life in the receding year and discern how to improve it in the coming one. Such process of renewal is actually experienced by us whenever we decide to make a change to better our lives. After all, this earthly life, imperfect as it is, presents constant opportunities for us to learn from past mistakes and to improve our lives to become better versions of ourselves. We should never tire of being knocked down by life only to get up and try again. Our aim, imperfect as we are, is perfection. The world is a classroom and life is a teacher. Graduation day is the day we die and enter heaven. We get some help along the way to accomplish this. Good parents and school teachers guide their children and students to be good and always do the right thing. Good spiritual teachers guide their flocks aiming to bring as many souls as possible into heaven. Moral leaders do not prioritize one soul over another but treat each soul the same. Agents of conversion always try to do the greatest good for the greatest number. There are also institutional processes for conversion. There are the sacraments of baptism and reconciliation. There is catholic education. There is Ignatian Spirituality whose habitual process of discernment and resolve is a pragmatic exercise for determined laymen. There is much even in the world to help us resolve to become better human beings. We only need to open our hearts and minds to the underpinnings of our conscience deep inside us.
It may be that you resolve to improve your relationship in the coming year and every year thereafter. How do you intend to do that? It is easy to say that we can start doing this and that and things will change. But where is it all coming from? If the resolve comes from a shallow source, it may not even last the entire year! Remember Scrooge? It took three ghosts from his past, present, and future to drive the point home until it scared him out of his wits! Scrooge was a hard man so full of himself and so it took a long time and a miracle to convert him and redeem his soul. His story is actually familiar with many among us. The path to meaningful conversion cannot be merely laden with good intentions. It can only be proven by good, concrete actions of genuine charity that comes from the heart. This is a bit problematical in our materialistic world, isn’t it? Our materialistic existence has made us cynical and hypocritical. The cut-throat competitiveness of the rat race has turned us humans into unfeeling robots whose god has become the idolatrous self. Me first! I am right. You are wrong. I am perfect! The secular ideology has taken over everything. How can a couple improve their marriage or relationship if each one thinks he or she is always right and so there is no longer any room for a win-win based on truth? A relationship or marriage is not a zero-sum game. If it is, then it is doomed from the start. Human relationships are win-win. They are a unity in diversity. But all issues must be based on truth, which really makes them moral to begin with, even if the materialistic world has been trying to redefine it to suit the Machiavellian ways it pursues its transactions. Resolve to redeem your relationships by the only means possible: selfless humility and truth.
Perhaps it is your career that needs resolving. How do you intend to do that? If you are thinking the ways of the world, that is ultimately a lion’s den and a dead end. The basic principle behind it is the same secular ideology discussed earlier. It caters to the same win-lose end state that promotes self by eliminating the competition. Call it by any name but the conclusion remains the same: the last rat standing. Predictably, the suggested resolution to adopt is similar to the one already discussed but applied to one’s career. There is nothing more fulfilling than being honest and true to one’s self and values. The only accomplishment that deserves a promotion is honest meritocracy. Anything more has a rope tied to it that either advances the interest of the patron or bodes ill for the rest of the organization. Whenever such a dysfunction occurs within an organization, that organization will begin to unravel until it disintegrates. Dysfunctions that violate the basic principles of leadership and management always result in morale and welfare issues among employees and disruptions to the unity and teamwork of strategic and tactical management. There has to be honor in what you do for a living. Once that honor is lost, so goes your peace of mind and self-esteem. Honor cannot be bought not even by a hefty salary or lofty title, both undeserved. There are generally two types of workers. One goes to work with a clear conscience and peace of mind. The other does the same but with a guilty conscience and no peace of mind. One never gets the promotion he long deserved but he feels promoted whenever he sees the eyes of his wife and children, proud of their honest breadwinner. Another descends into worldliness that money can buy, but cannot look straight into the teary eyes of his wife and children at home. Which would you rather be?
