Youth representatives coming from the different sectors of the Archdiocese of Our Lady of Lourdes gathered at DBYC Gym last Sept. 29, 2012 for a very simple meet-up with the Father provincial himself, Fr. George Militante, SDB.
The set-up was not way too formal to discuss all youth related concerns but on a minimal time we were able to catch a glimpse of who the Father Provincial is, seeing how proud he was when he said “I am a Salesian, I am a Bosconian”.
After that productive conversation with Fr. George, great realizations rushed in. I remember in one of Bo Sanchez’s book entitled “WHY MANY PEOPLE ARE UNHAPPY TODAY” where he quoted Dan Baker’s, What Happy People Know, he explains how our body circuitry is wired by fear. He also pointed out that the enemy of happiness is not sadness, not problems, not even loneliness. But the enemy of happiness is FEAR, and we run our lives by it.
Using scientific explanations, he explains with the man’s brain. Our brains have three parts: The brain stem, the amygdale and the neocortex. The more primitive parts of our brains, the brain stem (also called the reptilian brain, because reptiles have these for brains) and the amygdale are programmed for fear.
Why? Our ancestors needed fear for their physical survival. Imagine yourself living in the wilderness with lions, wolves and cobras around you. Danger lurks behind every tree and shadow. Once their brains register fear, the endocrine glands produce fear hormones called adrenalin and cortisol. It gave them super strength for fight or flight. And in fighting or fleeing, they exhaust the adrenaline and cortisol in their bodies. Well and good. But what about us who usually sit behind desks and works on computers? We still have the same fear mechanism.
But it’s different now.
We’re afraid of our rising credit card bills, nagging bosses, losing jobs, social rejection, diseases, run out of money, social shame and losing face or disgrace.
And these fears are so real, our endocrine glands produce adrenaline and cortisol as well. But because we’re seated behind our desks, pounding our computers, we really don’t use up any of it. Adrenaline and cortisol become poison in our bodies, destroying our health bit by bit.
Thus, very few people are happy. If we want to be happy, we need to overcome our fears. HOW?
Our lives are run by many fears. Many of the things we are doing we did because of fear.
Fear what other people will say.
Fear failure.
Fear angry people.
Fear about not having enough.
Fear not being enough.
There is only one thing that is more powerful than fear. The only antidote to fear is LOVE.
When you fill your life with love, your fears naturally disappear. What we are talking about is a love for God, a love for others, a love for yourself, and a love for life itself. The Bible says, “Perfect love casts out all fear”.
The Pope, the Religious, Saint John Bosco and even Fr. George points out how love can eventually brings happiness in everyone. Jesus himself is a great manifestation of love, sacrificing his life for the salvation of everyone.
Wear love when you come around but not too much, for wearing it to the sleeve might be seen to be easily abuse.
As what Fr. George exclaimed “Brand is an exterior design of an interior disposition”.
Wear love; show the world how love can actually cultivate a dead tree to a beautiful one. A kind of love that no adjectives can actually describe but by great actions. Feed your life with LOVE and your fears will starve to death.
Lastly, happy people didn’t become happy because they searched for happiness. They never took on a life project entitled, “My goal in life is to be happy!” Instead, happiness was a by-product of their search for something else. And what is that something else? At the end of the day, its love – in whatever manifestation you seek it. Happiness comes looking for you! You don’t find happiness, happiness finds you.
The set-up was not way too formal to discuss all youth related concerns but on a minimal time we were able to catch a glimpse of who the Father Provincial is, seeing how proud he was when he said “I am a Salesian, I am a Bosconian”.
After that productive conversation with Fr. George, great realizations rushed in. I remember in one of Bo Sanchez’s book entitled “WHY MANY PEOPLE ARE UNHAPPY TODAY” where he quoted Dan Baker’s, What Happy People Know, he explains how our body circuitry is wired by fear. He also pointed out that the enemy of happiness is not sadness, not problems, not even loneliness. But the enemy of happiness is FEAR, and we run our lives by it.
Using scientific explanations, he explains with the man’s brain. Our brains have three parts: The brain stem, the amygdale and the neocortex. The more primitive parts of our brains, the brain stem (also called the reptilian brain, because reptiles have these for brains) and the amygdale are programmed for fear.
Why? Our ancestors needed fear for their physical survival. Imagine yourself living in the wilderness with lions, wolves and cobras around you. Danger lurks behind every tree and shadow. Once their brains register fear, the endocrine glands produce fear hormones called adrenalin and cortisol. It gave them super strength for fight or flight. And in fighting or fleeing, they exhaust the adrenaline and cortisol in their bodies. Well and good. But what about us who usually sit behind desks and works on computers? We still have the same fear mechanism.
But it’s different now.
We’re afraid of our rising credit card bills, nagging bosses, losing jobs, social rejection, diseases, run out of money, social shame and losing face or disgrace.
And these fears are so real, our endocrine glands produce adrenaline and cortisol as well. But because we’re seated behind our desks, pounding our computers, we really don’t use up any of it. Adrenaline and cortisol become poison in our bodies, destroying our health bit by bit.
Thus, very few people are happy. If we want to be happy, we need to overcome our fears. HOW?
Our lives are run by many fears. Many of the things we are doing we did because of fear.
Fear what other people will say.
Fear failure.
Fear angry people.
Fear about not having enough.
Fear not being enough.
There is only one thing that is more powerful than fear. The only antidote to fear is LOVE.
When you fill your life with love, your fears naturally disappear. What we are talking about is a love for God, a love for others, a love for yourself, and a love for life itself. The Bible says, “Perfect love casts out all fear”.
The Pope, the Religious, Saint John Bosco and even Fr. George points out how love can eventually brings happiness in everyone. Jesus himself is a great manifestation of love, sacrificing his life for the salvation of everyone.
Wear love when you come around but not too much, for wearing it to the sleeve might be seen to be easily abuse.
As what Fr. George exclaimed “Brand is an exterior design of an interior disposition”.
Wear love; show the world how love can actually cultivate a dead tree to a beautiful one. A kind of love that no adjectives can actually describe but by great actions. Feed your life with LOVE and your fears will starve to death.
Lastly, happy people didn’t become happy because they searched for happiness. They never took on a life project entitled, “My goal in life is to be happy!” Instead, happiness was a by-product of their search for something else. And what is that something else? At the end of the day, its love – in whatever manifestation you seek it. Happiness comes looking for you! You don’t find happiness, happiness finds you.