Hexagonal Areas of Life (part I)

What does being contented means?

This is what I've been asking myself lately. I dunno, maybe because of the lack of things to do in the midst of a hot summer. Maybe out of boredom. Or maybe because I would like to think that I’m not being a total slacker so I’m asking philosophical question such as this.

And in trying to answer this question, I found myself looking at the things I value the most. Every time I feel that the world seems acting a bit unfair, I just check on my self-made list of the six important areas of my life. Finding myself doing alright in every area makes me understand that life, though a bit naughty sometimes, has never really been unfair. It may never gave me everything, but it never gave me nothing. Then I feel contented.

To tell you more, here’s where I realize my contentment – from my hexagonal areas of life:

God

Putting God first in your life is the key to having a happy and contented life, that’s what I decided. But I confess it’s not easy. And me saying it’s not easy may sound a bit ridiculous, I know. But it’s because what I’m saying is more than believing that there’s God, more than hoping that someone will make your prayer happen. Rather, it is knowing God and what His purpose in your life is. It is you trusting everything, including your life itself unto Him. It is letting Him own you. All these take time and effort. But once you let Him into your heart, He will never leave you. You will feel His presence even more, every day. And when this happens, whatever it is that you will encounter in your life, you will always feel contented in His bracing arms.

How: I can’t give a step-by-step procedure on how this all works. It’s your faith after all. But you can start by saying a small prayer, right now. Make it simple but make sure it comes from the heart. Tell Him to own you. Let Him come to your heart. Trust everything unto Him. Say Thank you. That’s just about it. And every day, give yourself an hour or two of silence. Talk to Him. It would be better if you can find a church or a group that can help you build a strong relationship with God. Do Bible studies with friends. Just let your faith take you to His warm embrace. God is within you. God loves you. He is the ultimate source of contentment.

Faith vs. Religion

Since we’re on the topic, I would like to add on some points. As you can see, what I wrote above is ‘God’ and not ‘religion’. Simply because, they are two different things. Though I am not ignoring the importance of religion, I still believe that faith in God is more than being a member of a certain religion. For clarification’s sake, I am a Catholic. However, I am afraid that I am not a devout one in the strictest sense of the word. Being a devout Catholic means (as a common example) being able to go to church every Sunday of the week, which I apologetically sometimes failed to do so. I sometimes, though most of the time unaware of it, mess up with some of the teachings. And truthfully, I don’t easily go and agree with the opinions of the Catholic Church on certain things. RH bill, for example.  

For 2 years, I’ve been attending Christian bible studies. I’ve also attended some Christian prayer meetings and gatherings, one of which is with the Korean Christian community. If you’ll look at it, Catholic is within the realm of Christian faith. Hence, Catholic Christian. But most people would consider the two as different kinds of religion. For even a conservative Catholic like me, however, they are one and the same. The different religions may vary in their beliefs, but they only have the same faith.

They say that going to church and attending mass does not necessarily make you a real Catholic. Just the same, being in a certain religion does not suggest that you have an automatically good relationship with God. It does not remove you from the task of making efforts to constantly communicate and build a strong relationship with Him.

While I’m doing my responsibility as a member of the Catholic Church, I believe, as I have said, that faith in God is more than being a member of a certain religion. For as long as I know my faith, I would not have to be afraid.

Family

Before anything else, I would like to say that this does not include any notion or statement regarding the ideal kind and quality of household one is in. I believe that whatever kind and quality of family one has, big or small, with parents living together or are separated, rich or poor, etc. one can still achieve contentment in this area of one’s life.

Some people may be wishing if only they could have a different family from what they have now. For what reasons? Wealth most of the time. But as I have said, I’m not here to talk about the standard of life, but the essence of the family itself. What could be better than seeing every members of your family living a happy and healthy life? Nothing. For me, it is the safety and happiness of my family that I pray for the most every day. I know that many of us consider our own families to be the most important people in our lives, after God, before ourselves. Simply because, they are our family.

How: Tell them you love them every moment that you can. But for some of you who are not that comfortable with verbal showcase of affection or are just plain timid like me, why not use some real time actions? They speak louder than words after all. Show your family how much you love them in your own, even, little ways. Study hard and get good grades. Show respect to your parents. Avoid your habitual petty quarrels with your siblings. There are just so many things you could do. Enjoy every moment with your family. Treasure them. Love them.

You

Ever heard of the saying, “No one will love you unless you love yourself”? Or is it, “You can’t learn to love others unless you love yourself first”? Ah! Whichever. The point is you have to love yourself. Contentment is a state of mind, a kind of feeling, a state of being. Contentment springs from within. A genuine contentment starts with being contented with yourself.

Loving one’s self is not easy. Many people find this hard. The key is to know, understand and accept the kind of person you are. Ah yes, insecurities! They are the top 1 hindrance to loving yourself. But remember, every people have one, or two, or three…buckets of insecurities. I too have a fair share of them, more than fair actually. But I’m not the kind of an insecure person who will shout to the world that I DON’T HAVE ANKLES!!! Yes that’s true. The point is: don’t let your insecurities drown you over. Focus on what’s good about you. You have to understand that you are special… just the way you are.

How: You might want to discuss your insecurities with yourself. What about them? You might want to consider to find the good points of your “insecurities” and realize that you don’t really need to be insecured after all. Make yourself better. Just remember to make and do it for yourself and not for other people. Be beautiful. Feel beautiful. Act and think beautiful. Do what you need to do. Do what you want to do. Always choose to be happy. Yes! That’s the other important thing you must remember: be happy. Happiness is a choice. Do the things that would make you happy.

(to be continued...)