Salúd

An satuyang salúd saro nang isyung moral. Obligado kita gabos na magin maray an salúd. Kun nagkakahelang kita, dai buot silingon kinakastigo kita kan Diyos dahil sa satong kasa’lan o kara’tan na ginibo; ano man na pag-alaman bunga sana kan satong sadiring kakulangan. 

Ano man na helang puwede tang likayan; an siisay man na naghehelang tibaad sa saiyang kalag igwang kaulangan. Dawa ngani an kadaklan na helang bunga kan kapabayaan, an iba por dahil sa kapaladan—herensia o kapalibutan—daing pagkaaram, o sabihon ta na sanang kamalasan. Mismo an pagkabangkag na magkaigwa nin marhay an salud, an pagkamasiri o paglikay kan lawas sa gabos na pag-alaman saro man na helang. 

Kun kita nagkakahelang, napaparahay lugod kita. Napipiritan kitang horop-horopon kun anong klase an satong pagbuhay; nabibiyayaan an satong ispiritu. Kun kita nagsasakit, napapamati satuya an pag-antos kan iba. Berdugo kun magsugo an satong sadiring sakit, an sadiri tang kulog. Kadaklan na beses, dai ta maaraman kun igwang kamanungdanan an pagsakit—alagad kadaklan na beses, ining pag-antos an minatulod sato pasiring sa tama, pakadto sa husto, na tibaad nungka ta maaabot sa ibang paagi. 

Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon 

silingon, sabihon 

pag-antos, pagsakit, pagtios 

pakadto, paduman 

husto, tama 

Susog sa “Health” na yaon sa Worldy Virtues: A Catalogue of Virtues ni Johannes Gaertner. New York: Viking Press, 1990.

Saysay kan Paggirumdom

Sa nanok kan banggi mapapagimata ka, magios dangan tibaad dai na mapaturog pa. Sa kauntukan kan mga bagay, marurumduman mo an mga nakaagi. Sa daing girong na palibot, mapapanumdum mo an mga dai pa nangyayari. Tibaad dai ka winarasan kaidto nin grasya na masadiri an mga yaon sa palibot mo. Bisan ngonyan mayo ka nin kapas na sadirihon an mga bagay na dai pa naarabot. Ta nganing sa mga oras na arog kaini, magrumdum ka o panumdumon mo sinda dangan ihiras sa iba. An saimong pagrumdom, ining kanigoan na makapanumdom sarong balaog saimo na mayo nin kaagid. Nadudumanan mo an mga lugar na gustong kadtohan. Nabubuweltahan mo idtong mga tiempong inirokan. Nakakaulay mo an mga tawong marayo na, naiistorya mo an mga tinugang maarabot pa sana. Masasabat mo an gabat kan dai napapamugtak na kaisipan, dangan kun kun ini malampasan, kanigoan na gian sa daghan.

Nag-Fiesta sa Jaro si Mariano Perfecto

Pag-labay kan banda sa saindong iskinita, nagbugtaw ka na. Mas maayo kay aga ka nagsimba. Pasiring sa kapilya, tinangro ka nin esperma ni Santa Maria, nagsulo ka nin lima. Makipangudto ka ki Santa Marta. Kun daindata an saiyang afritada, luwaga sana. Nalalantaw mo sa Jaro an ginasiling na Reyna sa patio kan Cathedral ninda pinaparada, guyod-guyod an kapa ni Santa Catalina. Uy, maoogma an mga tindang kamunsil ni Santa Barbara sa bangketa. Mga tatlo ka kilo, dai na man pagtawada. Sa hapon, ma-derby si San Pedro sa plaza; rinibo daa an pwedeng magana; pumili ka na, sa puti, sa pula. Pag abot kan sinarom, magpasadpasad ka sa bisita. Si Magdalena dai naglaog sa panaderya, kiblita na bala. Bilog na aldaw nagbaligya si Dios Ama, mais na sinugba, sa plaza asta may talipapa, nagpidir ka kuta miski pira.

Panay News, September 25, 2011, D2.

In June of that year

In June of that year, you started tutoring Seth, a freshman and Zandro, a sophomore—both were newcomers in the school where you chose to teach.

Seth appeared cool and quiet, but there was much eagerness when he started talking about himself, his participation in class and school activities, and other things he does in school or at home. He was a growing young boy whose parents whom you chanced to meet desired much good for him. Composed, serene, you saw in him a promising young man who will make a name for himself.

Meanwhile, Zandro was the bubbly type, always wearing a smile, and always less serious and preferred to read ghost stories, not to mention that he was an avid online gamer himself. He wanted to be a nurse because he wanted much money—lots of it. He said he would have to work abroad so he could always provide for himself. Also, he always wanted to eat.

Every now and then you would excuse the two boys from their classes to chat with them. To you they always sounded hopeful—in anticipation of the chats with you. You would talk to them about how to help their parents do chores in the house, study harder so they would not flunk any class or be good sons to their parents. You also talked to them about how to gain friends in school. Seth said he had new friends—all of the freshmen were his friends. The playful Zandro confessed how he would participate in the sophomores’ horseplay in between class sessions or even during classes.

In your chats, you approached them like they were your younger brothers. At first you mentally prepared your questions for them. Later, you would just talk to them very casually. Through the days, they had become your friends, so to speak. The chats you had had with them had gone smooth and personal, like they were your younger brothers. Your words would usually end up as friendly pieces of advice for these young boys growing up. And how your words sounded real and convincing to them.

Every time you talked to them, you thought you saw yourself in them. You saw enthusiasm in the things they did or wanted to do. They were struggling to become themselves. Full of hope and anticipation, the boys had a lot to live and to learn. They always appeared as if they had to know a lot of things.

Continually you had told them how to be always good, and would always ask them about how they would fare up to virtues like charity and service, honesty and truthfulness, diligence and stuff. Talking about these virtues with these boys made you aware of your own shortcomings. It made you start to ask your own life question. It made you want to quantify your own sense of achievement.

Though you’d gone that far, you had not really gotten far enough to try to live sensibly—with a definite purpose. You thought you had to have a definite purpose. Just like them, then, you seemed to long to fling your arms wide open to the world and take on what life really had in store for you.