Reflection Paper 3
What is your passion?
(what is it that you love doing? How is it reflected in you work, daily life, and life's journey)
"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind." Bertrand Russel
This was a quote I stumbled upon on the internet a few years ago which I think is relevant to my current Passions and How it affects my life. Love, Knowledge and Compassion.
First is love, the longing of Love. And by love I don't just mean it in a romantic way, but in a General way. In the Maslows hierarchy of needs, after you have acquired your Physiological (food, water, air, sleep, etc.) and safety needs (security of resources, employment, health, property , etc.), next is the feeling of being loved, being surrounded by loved ones.
The longing for love makes me want to work harder. By working harder I am able to acquire more resources, which gives me the feeling of being able to protect my loved ones, especially my Parents and Siblings if in case there will be turbulences in our lives.
Aside from my current family, as a male, a future father, society often dictates that we should be the one to bring home the bacon. That is why I am currently in the stage of my life where I am building my life by upgrading my profession through trainings, getting my Master's degree, and studying our family business. By building my life, I am not just doing it to save money and have a big bank account, but I am preparing myself for future responsibilities of a future family. Giving them the necessities in life, such as Food, Water, Shelter, Clothes, Quality Education, etc. After all, what better way to live this world than building and having a family that loves you? Longing for love is therefore a driving force for me.
Next is Knowledge, the eagerness to learn. The term Magi can be related to this passion. When it comes to knowledge, we should have the restless desire for greater things. We have to be always curious, to keep asking questions, and finding answers. After I graduated, I undergone many trainings related to my field. I started with Low Vision rehabilitation, due to my compassion to our Low Vision/ Blind brothers and sisters, after that I started reading books about Hard contact lenses and enrolled on trainings locally. And a few months after, that's when I started my 2 year training with my Australian mentor for the Prosthetic Eye. I didn't felt like they were a waste of time. As soon as I started working full time in our family business, I was able to incorporate all of them in our clinic. I wanted to be one of the Optometrists in the country that will change the image of our profession, which has been limited to only selling Spectacle frames and Soft cosmetic contact lenses.
The first time all these training paid off was when the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital came to Clark airbase, where I was invited to attend and study patients, along with few Ophthalmologists and Optometrists in the country. I was able to get a lot of connection during that time. Many Ophthalmologists were surprised that they didn't have to send their Low vision patients who needs rehabilitation, patients with Keratoconus who needs keratoconus RGP Lens(a type of hard contact lens) and those who needs prosthetic eyes to Manila.
The second time that it all paid off was when I and my brother were able to publish a research. As part of my advocacy in helping the blind and Low vision patients, I wanted to produce researches that could be used by the government to aid people who are visually impaired. And we did a paper where most researches start at, we were able to gather data and know the prevalence of people who are Low Vision in the Region. I am hoping that one day I'll be able to start a paper about the effectiveness of the low vision devices to patients with Low Vision, and let the people in the government, as well as in the scientific community see their importance. And most importantly, let the general public see that such things exists and that our country is very much left back with this kind of things as compared to our neighboring countries. An example is Hong Kong. If you would walk the streets of Hong Kong, you will notice that the floor has elevated circles in them, just like a male port of a Lego toy. That is actually intended for the Blind / Low Vision, so that they can sense if they are going straight. Aside from that, their Traffic light produces sounds when the "walking light" is Green, and a different sound when the "Walking light" is Red. Simple, but amazing.
Aside from wanting to redefine Clinical Optometry, the reason why I do them is because I want to give the best to my patients. Being young, and looking young made my practice a little difficult for me, as there was a problem of trust. I would usually get the statement "Ang bata mo pa" to patients. Once I was told, "Please do it correctly because I'm leaving the country next week.", and I told her, "This is how I would check the vision of my mother, nothing but my best". As Mercedes-Benz would say it, "Das Beste oder nichts"
I will continuously sharpen the saw. I am still a young professional, but I don't see myself stopping from studying on my 70's, after all, science is a dynamic world. Every Friday, I do clinic in San Fernandino Hospital, with Dr. M. Agulto, the founding chairman of our regions' Ophthalmology Department, and the former Chancellor of UP Manila. There are times that he sees a patient, an I.M. in San Fernando, Dr. Balatbat. Both of them, even with their age, still have very sharp mind. They are a very good example.
Taking this M.B.A. is another story. I'm aware that I already know our business work. From the technical things of our profession up to the back office operations. However, I wanted to learn more than what we already know. And I was not disappointed with the students and the professors of the Ateneo when it comes to imparting their knowledge. I felt culture shocked during my first subject, but throughout the course I was able to adapt little by little, and now I know why the Ateneo stands as one of the best business school in the Country.
I believe that the thirst for knowledge should not stop. As the saying goes: "An idle mind is the devils' workshop. And the devils' name is Alzheimers."
My last Passion is the Compassion. Having the urge of helping people who are less fortunate. I must've got this trait from my parents. A few years ago, Resources for the Blind was looking for volunteer optometrists here in Region 3. Very few optometrists raised their hand, one of them my Mother. Fast forward to 2011, that was the first time I ever stepped inside Resources for the Blind. The moment I introduced myself, I was wondering why almost everyone know my surname, until the director approached me and told me of my mother's kindness.
I think what makes having a skill, a profession, a job, a business, money or resources great is having the ability to do something to other people. We have the power to change other people's lives. It's good for them, and also I feel great by doing it. It's one of the reasons why sometimes I just can't wait to go to bed every night, and wake up the next day.
As I said during my speech, it is important to devote yourself to something greater than your own dreams and ambitions. We should make our dreams meaningful to others as well.
To end this paper, the most important thing that pushes me forward, that makes me face this cruel dynamic world is the phrase "for the glory of God". It's a very important mantra for me. It makes me remember that in everything we do we should devote it to the glory of God, and if we were to offer our service to him, then it should be in line with excellence. It should be the best that we could do. It doesn't matter how small or big the work is, it could be as small as taking down notes, to as radical as running a nation, it should be dedicated to the Almighty.
I would sum up my reflection paper to this:
My passions consist of Longing for Love, the eagerness to learn, and Compassion for others, being fueled by dedicating all of my work to the glory of God.
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
1 Corinthians 10:31 3
Mark Paul S. Paroli
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