On election anxiety, unsurprising initial results, and heartbreak rants Election anxiety was and is real. Haluan mo pa ng quarter/third-life crisis, minsan mapapaisip ka, “Ano na, Pilipinas? Ano ba ibig sabihin maging Pilipino at ipaglaban ang Pilipinas?” Gets naman kung bakit ang mga kakampinks, umaasa sa Google Trends. But as a researcher myself, I cannot […]
Are we called to be ‘sheeple’? John 10:27-30. The Good Shepherd The analogy of Jesus as the Good Shepherd may make us think that in this representation, we are powerless sheep incapable of living without a leader. In a sense this may be true, because we recognize the Higher Power, and in our humility, we […]
Loyalty + Trust + Time = Faith John 6:60-69. To whom shall we go? Mr. Morj, a One Piece YouTuber in his analysis of the Wano arc, contended that a key theme of the manga series is faith, which is based on loyalty, mutual trust, and the passage of time. In a way, human loyalty […]
We vote for the candidate we commune with John 6:52-59. The one who feeds on me will have life From a more secular perspective, the dictionary defines communion as “the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings”. Ideally, we vote for candidates that represent our values, thoughts, and feelings. We do not vote because […]
What does it mean to teach? John 6:44-51. They shall all be taught by God If insights are based more on one’s internal conditions and cognitive processes (and less about external stimuli, for the same set of clues can be apprehended by one and not by another), what does it mean to teach? What is […]
Spiritually hangry John 6:35-40. I am the bread of life The feeling of hunger plus anger (feeling “hangry”) is very powerful. These emotions seem to indicate that a person is in “survival mode”; the body and hormones signal to the mind the need to prioritize oneself first, to eat and to find a safe space. […]
The romance of journeys John 14:6-14. I am the way and the truth and the life Stories about the hero’s journey or typical shounen anime heroes are somewhat formulaic: the hero discovers his talent, he is called by the unknown and is reluctant, the hero takes a leap of faith, he fails and rises up […]
What does it mean to be nourished? John 6:22-29. Food that endures for eternal life The accessibility of restaurant deliveries, GrabFood, and FoodPanda may make it easy to take for granted how precious food can be. We have developed various rituals when it comes to consuming food — snacking during recess, desserts and treats as […]
Insight reveals itself to those who have paid attention and paid their dues John 21:1-19. Jesus appears to seven disciples post-resurrection The suddenness of an insight experience may make it seem that it happens by chance. If God is omniscient, then we can consider Jesus as Insight Incarnate. There is something mysterious yet still insightful […]
We are afraid of things we do not understand John 6:16-21. It is I. Do not be afraid We are afraid of things we do not understand. We fear the unknown and the uncontrollable. “It is I. Do not be afraid.” Perhaps this is an invitation to gain insight into the Primary Insight, and this […]