The foolishness of forced ranking Let’s suppose that heaven and the Divine Judgement are indeed true. Do the Scriptures say that we will undergo a “forced ranking” and that there is a limited quota of people to be accepted into heaven? What is most important is how well we tried to bloom despite the context […]
Devotion and flow “… Sells all that he has and buys it.” I find more meaning in interpreting this from a figurative sense, when a person devotes oneself totally to anything. I also find inspiration in the concept of flow or being “in the zone” and sports. What really amazes me about Steph Curry’s sustained […]
Sensemaking Maybe, to flourish means to make more meaning. To leave a legacy means to leave more meaning than there was before. Maybe the primary purpose of our senses is not to speak nor move first; it is to absorb what we are seeing and hearing and feeling and “make sense”, or “make meaning”. —Matthew […]
Hierarchies are for roles, not for persons Sometimes, we let hierarchical positions, especially those that bestow powers, get into our heads. We have learned in organizations that certain hierarchical configurations are important for proper leadership and engagement of other members. However, we should not let the roles we play or the positions we are in […]
Do we really go beyond our prayers and intentions? I have coached research groups who have been studying not only intentions, but how (or if) specific intentions can indeed translate to actual behavior. The scholarly literature calls this the “intention-behavior gap”. So far, the trend is that intentions of purchasing low-priced items are statistically reliable […]
The test of time and growing where we are planted The challenge and invitation is to seed good deeds, despite whatever context, and continue choosing good deeds. Suffering and “weeds” will constantly distract us from our attempts to flourish. Social media made it easier for us to envy others, and if we deeply reflect about […]
Cling on to the spirit We cling on to and place faith on the wholeness of a person, which transcends time (faith on the person’s future) and the material (going beyond appearances and emphasizing the spiritual). We should watch out that our “clingyness” does not prevent the other from flourishing (parang sa Filipino, clingy na […]
Infinitely draw meaning from the arts The beauty of parables, figures of speech, and the arts is that we can infinitely draw meaning from them. The arts can convey insights that may be original, relatable, usable for daily lives, and inspire vision. But it also demands that the one extracting meaning should be ready and […]
Do we make our soils fertile? From a management and entrepreneurship perspective, opportunities can be everywhere. There are various institutional or market voids that we may opt to fill. But the question is: do we have the capabilities? Are we willing to take the risk? The same can be said about the blessings we can […]
Collective will and mission Indeed, there are things that are not meant for a single person to do nor accomplish. There are challenges that are meant to be overcome by a collective bound by wills and fortified by the Spirit. However, a safe space for dialogue and dissent is essential, for without these, the collective […]