Jayeel Serrano Cornelio

Your Best Life Now ang pamagat ng bestseller ni Joel Osteen, isang megachurch pastor. Napaka-influential ng librong ito, na milyon-milyong kopya na ang naibenta around the world. There’s a good chance na nabasa mo na rin at, kagaya namin, marami ring natutuhan. Para kay Osteen, ang susi para maisakatuparan ang iyong “best life now” ay God’s favor. “Favor” ang ginagamit ni Osteen para ipaliwanag ang everyday miracles sa buhay.

If there’s any consolation, now we know that not all statistical data are boring. Filipinos have the capacity to take stats seriously, especially if they’re tied to issues that matter to them. Like food poverty. Now we know that no one agrees that P 64 is all it takes to be not food-poor. Just to be clear, food poverty refers to the inability to afford healthy and nutritious food.

Compassion is noble, but hostility is quicker. It’s much, much easier to be hostile toward people whose life stories we don’t know. We see it all the time. Whether in our everyday conversations or online interactions, it’s not uncommon to encounter offensive remarks. Many of them are unsolicited. Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of kindness out there, and the ones who embody them tend to be the most inspiring in our lives. But we also need to recognize that prejudice does exist.