Here We Go Again

And so we started another new year. Hooray!


And again, a lot of us were excited — as usual.


And a lot of us, again, wore a poker face as we consumed the celebratory meal. As usual.


And then there's a lot of us who just faced it again with worries. Worries about end of the world stuff, worries about impending economic crises and job instabilities, and worries about possible calamities that can strike anywhere, anytime.


Like that's unusual.


And then, there's me.

I noticed that for the past few years (wew, feeling ang tagal na ng blog haha!) I always had this annual blog reflection about why am I blogging. And seriously, I always need to ask myself those kind of questions.


Why am I doing these things?


Last Friday, I shared about "The Deadlines" at the Single Adults Ministry. I know I sucked, but along the way as I was preparing, God was dealing with a lot of things in my own life. Like — "why did I ever accepted the responsibility of sharing the Word that night?!" or "Why bother losing weight?" or "Should I still really pursue finishing a college degree?" or "Why stay in my current church or care group?" or "Why bother being a kuya to the church youth or kids?" or "Why stay in Facebook?" or "Why keep in touch with my parents and siblings?"


Why?


I had this crazy idea last year about giving a Christmas gift that really matters. And being a graphic designer, the most creatively practical stuff I came up with was a 2 inch by 5 inch desktop mini-calendar. But wait, there's one more thing (Gaah you gotta miss Steve Jobs for that line): it wasn't enough to just make it, I had to make it purposeful — more than just a calendar, but a statement. A life campaign.


Hence, the Year of the Radical. (Move over, Water Dragon. Rawrr!)


One of the most striking quotes that wacked me (again) this year was an old high school favorite of mine:

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."
~ Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, Les Guêpes (“The Wasps”), 1849

The more it changes, the more it stays the same.


Just like life and its worries. Or this world and its strifes and trivialities. Or you and me – and whatever that may mean.


But most especially, amidst all these changes – one fundamental truth remains unchanged: God.


As I was making the mini-calendar, I discovered that being a radical isn't just about "being different" or "going against the norms". There was something more powerful than these. I learned that being a radical is more importantly someone who asks the "why" and brings people back to the basics, the fundamental truths, in order to point them towards a hopeful future, a brighter possibility.


I never know if the world would truly end this year. But if it will, I want to spend my last year as a radical.


Would you join me in living in the year of the radical?


P.S.


NO MORE FREE CALENDARS!!! Hahahha! (Come on, give my wallet a break!)


And photo credits to Ate Ida Torres of OMFLit :p Thanks for the snazzy shot!


You can follow her in Twitter or her blog.