Prepare for a life.

Life is a continuing struggle, a constant war.  It is contrary to what I had always believed when I was very young.  I thought then of the world we lived in as one big playground, and life was one continuing carnival full of rides, fun, games, stage plays, and movies.  Despite the modest surroundings wherein I was born, I was seemingly content and happy with what I had—the games I played with town mates as young boys, the chores we did with carefree spirit, always rushing to complete the task, and being free to roam the fields in great abandon, scale mountains for firewood, swim in the rivers to escape the summer heat, scour the bushes for spiders, and climb trees for bountiful fruits.  It was a life of leisure, of innocence, of never-ending spin in the world of no cares, no problems, and no working for a living.

Growing up and going to school has a way of stirring the youth into a rude awakening of what truly life is: a never-ending struggle, numerous battles to fight and win, a constant war that lasts almost always for a lifetime.  Literally, throughout the millennia and to this day, the world and man have always been at war.  Figuratively, man is always at war with his environment and fighting wars within his own restless soul.

Know the law of the jungle

Part of the rude awakening to the realities of life is the recognition of the world we live in as a vast jungle where the immutable law of nature is the “survival of the fittest and the elimination of the unfit”.  It is a place full of predators and prey—big fish eating small fish.  It takes many intuitive maneuvers to determine who is a friend and who is an enemy.  Human deception and compassion thrive alongside the fact that it is not easy to discern treachery from camaraderie.

Those who are filled with humanity often play the role of prey.  It is difficult for them to be predators of weaker species.  They have an aversion to picking a fight.  I was like that during my carefree days of youth, when all I knew was the expansive freedom of rice fields, the docile carabaos and their kural (carabao pens), the lofty mountains, and the life-giving trees.

I began to recognize the law of the jungle the first time I went to school in 1950.  My mother did not realize I was past school age, and when she did, she could not find a place for me in any of the private homes in whose silong (ground floor) primary schooling was being held.  She found a slot for me in another barrio at Bangiad Elementary School, which was quite distant and where I did not know the kids my age.  In such an environment, I was like a puppy thrown in the middle of a pack of wolves.  I happened to be susceptible to colds at that time, and in the local parlance, I was teased as uhugin (one with a running nose most of the time).  I was also galisin (one with a skin disorder), very common with young children at that time.

Almost immediately, I was at the mercy of the bullies.  Very quickly, I picked a fight and settled differences in a brawl at the mountain of rice husks behind the rice mill adjacent to the school.  I bled from my nose and galis while fighting a much bigger boy, but I gained his respect and friendship.  I survived my first taste of the law of the jungle and turned off the predators.  They soon found out I was rather good in school, and my classmates turned out to be my closest fans.

Fight each battle to win

If, at all, anything is worth doing, it is best to do it well.  If a fight has to be fought, best for it to be won. 

Haply, there is seldom a room under the sun for losers.  Each fight, each battle, is but a prelude to another.  An empire is built by one conquest after the other, most, if not all, won.  As often said, to the victors go the spoils.  In life, there is ever present a multitude of conflicts and each one must be settled—fought or skillfully negotiated, leading towards a goal, often elusive, of winning and marching to the very top.  Many successful individuals have the distinction of being driven, and single-mindedly focused on the goal.  For indeed there is no substitute for supremacy, for victory, for power and greatness.

Make room for humility and magnanimity

The drive for power is often grueling and frenzied, with much direct and collateral damage in its wake.  It could be emotionally draining, particularly if the cost of victory is immense.  But this is the moment that truly tests the character of a leader.  Most of the great conquerors on the world stage were brutal and devious, and for that, they are well remembered in awe. But the One most loved and venerated has outlasted them all in time, with conquest covering most continents in a vast and lasting kingdom that lives in the hearts and minds of his subjects, for He has reigned with supreme humility and magnanimity.

Even in today’s environment, and in the business arena, it is easy to misconstrue humility and magnanimity as a sign of weakness.  But, precisely because they are commonly perceived as such, humility and magnanimity become the leader’s invincible shield, consisting of his subjects rallying and forming defensive phalanxes against pretenders to the seat of power.  These qualities, wielded with firmness and decisiveness, make for a glorious reign.

Read Also:

• I Wrote a Book About Being a Work-From-Home Mom (And Yes, There’s a Chapter About Cereal for Dinner)
• How My Kids’ Christmas Lists Evolved From Crumpled Paper to Shopee Links (And Why I’m Never Going Back)
• Soundcore A20i Review: The ₱600 Earbuds My Kids Actually Like (and Don’t Break in a Week)
• How I Learned to Spot Fake Reviews on Shopee and Lazada
• Ergonomic Essentials for a Healthier Work-from-Home Setup