33 Santos, Francis Guiller B.

1A-PH

Self-initiative
Centuries ago, wars were prevalent and they came in all sizes. There were small wars
that started as disputes within a nation. There were also large scale wars that spanned
numerous countries like the World Wars. Regardless of their sizes, wars cause loss of
lives, poverty, and homelessness which cause detrimental effects to us.
While wars are no longer as common as it was in the last centuries, they still exist and,
as said, cause injurious effects to us.
We humans are amazing creations of God. We have consciousness that functions as a
control center for all our actions. This differentiates us from animals that are instinctdriven. However, this does not mean that we are all created similarly. We were all made
unique and have our own preferences. These preferences can contradict with the
preferences of others. This is where misunderstandings start.
Our unique perceptions also play a part in sparkling misunderstandings. In our
Psychology class, it is said that the "real" world cannot be perceived since when the
neutral messages from our sensory organs reach the brain, it will be already filtered to
for our perceptions which disables us from perceiving the "real" surroundings. Of
course, every perception is different. Likewise, difference in perceptions can also fuel
misunderstandings.
Well, these are, no doubt, serious problems that has seemingly no solutions. We can't
simply flip a switch that will make all our perceptions and preferences the same to
resolve disputes. However, there can be a way.
In an orientation about time management that I and my climates attended to, one of the
speakers said that there were two kinds of people: the can-do people and the no-can-do
people. The no-can-do people just blabber about things they see wrong. They always
blame others. Of course, these people do not solve anything. On the other hand, the
can-do people has self-initiative and take matters into their hands. In other words, they
act before they talk. These people are those that make things work.

This made me realize how effective and influential self-initiative is. I was like, "Why
didn't I think of that?" It reduces time lost, unnecessary disputes, and allows progress
and peace to prevail.
Well, how do these relate to wastes and misunderstandings? For me, wars and
misunderstandings start from the mouth. We throw all things were know, believe and
want to the other side like flying pieces of gravel. This provoke the other side to do the
same which this initiate the misunderstanding. By having self-initiative which is to act
first before talking, all these nonsense will be reduced and the rifts between our
preferences and perceptions can be bridged.
Will this be hard since we will be doing something against what we wish to do which is
to shout out all our selfish sides? Well, not really. Let is remember that our
consciousness are the control centers of our bodies. We can use these control centers
to make ourselves shut. This might be hard to do but it is possible. We are the author of
our own lives. We hold the change.
So do you have those no-can-do people that makes you decide whether to break a flask
on their heads or not? Don't do so. Remember, yelling out your selfish reasons just
makes things worse. Do what should be done and have a silent mouth. Not only things
will get done, you'll also save energy from useless arguments that you could use to
have a favorite drink or whatnot.