Maraming tao ang parang mali ang interpretation sa kasabihan: “love your neighbors as you love yourself.” That cliché comes from the Bible. Although it says loving others, but it does not mean for us to neglect ourselves. Kaya minsan ang maraming tao ay puro na lang pagmamahal sa iba pero nakakalimutan na nila ang kanilang mga sarili.
Tingnan mo ang buhay ng napakaraming OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers). Marami sa kanila ang sobrang sipag at sobrang tumulong sa kamag-anak. Of course, there are times when financial assistance is an obligation due to sickness and death. Pero marami ang nagiging tamad at nagiging palaasa na lang sa mga nasa abroad. But these OFWs forget themselves kaya tingnan mo sa Manila airport, hindi mo na alam kung sino ang galing sa abroad. Yung mga sumusundo, ang gaganda ng mga kutis at blond pa mga buhok, ang mga kamay ang gaganda puro naka manicure. Pero tingnan mo yong mga galing abroad, sila yung tumanda na ng sobra, puro kalyo ang kamay, at minsan hindi man lang nakasuklay.
Loving yourself is not because you are selfish. It is necessary for you to love others more. You can only give love, when you have love for yourself.
A person who keeps loving others but disregarding himself will soon find that he has nothing left. The moment na wala ka na maibigay sa kanila, unti-unti na ring nawawala ang mga taong kanina ay iyong natulungan. Tapos sa bandang huli, sila din ang kawawa because they loved too much to the point they’ve got nothing for themselves. Kaya tama ang message ng isang kanta: “too much love will kill you…”
I always advise people to also take care of themselves. Hindi masamang tumulong pero it is also necessary na magkaroon din tayo ng pagmamahal sa ating sarili. Kaya dapat nga tayo we dress good, we eat good, we act good because we love ourselves. Kelangan din natin damitan ang ating mga sarili ng mga magaganda at bagong damit, hindi dahil kelangan natin magmaganda sa iba but because we like ourselves. Hindi pagyayabang na paminsan-minsan, you are pampering yourself for things you like the most. Minsan masyado tayo palabigay pero madamot tayo sa ating mga sarili.
Do not abuse yourself. There was a saying in the Bible: “You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.” – 1 Corinthians 3:16
When you know that you are the temple or a place of worship, you will not do anything to destroy your body. There was this story my professor in graduate school told us about the goose and a golden egg. Every day this goose lays a golden egg. The farmer was so happy that he gets one golden egg every single day. He becomes so rich and well-known in all the town. But he became impatient. One day, he decided to take the goose to the kitchen, got a knife and cut the goose’s tummy to get the upcoming golden egg. But to his surprise, the goose died and there were no more golden eggs.
This is the same thing with our lives. If we do not take care of ourselves, just like the goose, we won’t be producing any ‘golden eggs’. We are the goose. If we kill ourselves, we won’t be able to be productive. Take care of yourself because it is your job, nobody else. If you love yourself, others will love you in return. If you love yourself, you can love others more because that love comes from you first. You cannot give what you don’t have.