Five questions

During one of those periods where the buzz of everyday living somehow led to a deterioration of my introspection abilities, I sought the last griffin's assistance to "interview" me using a guide with five qeustions. Just to jumpstart my brain. Here's the list he came up with and the responses which I managed to muster.

And no, Carl, them questions are not as amateur-ish as you thought them to be. Boy Abunda ought to be proud of his protege [wicked evil grin].


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Have you ever capitalized or will you ever capitalize on sympathy?

Admittedly, in doing our NGO work, to get ourselves in the boardrooms of companies or have the CEO give us thirty minutes of their/his undivided attention, there is some play with sympathy, ie unleashing torrents of grievous photos of poverty to rattling off inordinately alarming statistics that prove the latter. The same goes with students as a strategy of getting them on board with lectures. I believe that people are basically feeling entities before they get cerebral, so appealing to their emotions, which I believe is the route sympathy takes, may facilitate the prompt reception and welcome of new ideas. But after the initial photo-of-poor-kid-in-the-slums-plus-the-perfunctory-AWWWWWW moment, we then tease their brains and move their bodies into acting BEYOND sympathy and understanding why, for example, such poverty exists and how can we help remedy the inequity.

Which part of Charity do you hate the most?

Oh man. You opened a Pandora’s box here with this question…

a. When we do it for ourselves, to make us feel good about ourselves, with the proverbial pat on the back for a job well done. Charity should not emanate from our generosity but rather spring from the needs of the marginalized.

b. When we give from our excess, when we do it when it is convenient or easy. Charity should be giving until it hurts… especially when it hurts.

c. When we merely give them fish. Charity should ultimately lead them whom we’ve taught to teach others how to fish.

If you were to take a photograph of something that reflected your devotion to your vocation, what would it be?

I will answer this in conjunction with question number 5.

If saving a man's life would entail the loss of both your hands, would you save that man's life?

Yes. The Father gave His Son to save me; with that juxtaposition in mind, my hands are not indispensable.

What do you see at the end of your rainbow?

Despite every imperfection that we are speckled and spattered with, I’d be with my loved ones in heaven welcomed by the Lord with the following greeting-

Well done, faithful servants. Enter and claim your reward.

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Thank you for the questions, Carl! If anyone of you would allow me (and the blogosphere!) to get to know you better using my own list of five questions, do let me know via email =]

The magic mirror I snatched awaits =]