Vivencio C.

Salvatierra II October
21, 2009
BSA-3 2007-57330

A REFLECTION PAPER
“THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN”

LIFE. A four letter word but behind this term lies a broad definition that no one in
this world could perfectly define.

We choose how we live our life. Some says, life is a matter of perspective. If we
desire to be happy, we’ll try to be happy and live life happily. Of course the opposite is
still a choice. As we live the life we ought to have, simply, we are confronted with
different things: trials and challenges, achievements, failures; and all of that sort, making
us a different person at the end of the day.

The book, the “five people you meet in heaven” is a beautiful tale of learning
life’s lesson and appreciating one’s existence in a different perspective. It teaches us
some real lessons in life, simple lessons we fail to apply in our lives, which are very
essential to one’s journey to live his life happily.

There are numerous important insights I have learned from that story, one of
which is ‘to live life happily.’ Although this message is not directly stated among the five
lessons that the main character learned from the five people he met in heaven, I do
believe that this call is the summary of all important lessons one must learn while we are
still living.

Living life happily. Would that mean staying up late enjoying the company of
your friends partying, drinking, merrymaking and doing all fun activities as if there is no
more tomorrow? Or would that include deviating from the normal behavior and pursuing
a goal consistent only with one’s own self? Of course, I don’t mean to be misinterpreted.
Happiness deeply rooted in selfishness, materialism, and worldliness is the trivial
happiness that most people would solely equate this word.

How is it to be truly happy? The third lesson Eddy learned from the story: Learn
How to FORGIVE. Forgiveness, According to Roberto Assagioli, “Without forgiveness,
life is governed by an endless series of resentment and retaliation.”

For me, happiness is not only measured with the positive things one has achieved,
experienced or pursued. It also includes having a positive feeling about one self, learning
to accept realities of life and freeing one’s self from negative feelings and emotion. These
negative feelings, may be a result of a past experience, memory, or person who wronged
us, holds us back and imprisons us before we can experience genuine happiness.
 This lesson is very much striking for me. Some says they have forgiven another
but the truth is, forgiveness is not only shown in words, it is manifested through actions
and by the heart.

As individuals, more importantly, we must also learn how to forgive ourselves for
whatever we may have or may not have done. For not being able to achieve our personal
expectations, for not being the person you longed to be, and for not doing the RIGHT
things. I believe only through the help of God, we can truly forgive ourselves and others
and as a result, we may experience the happiness we are aiming for.

Happiness is everybody’s goal. Why live your life for a temporary happiness here
on earth if you can experience it eternally with our creator when it’s our time to be with
him. Simply stating it, the real happiness we must aim for is not found here on earth, it is
the one we can have when we unite our self to God.

Aside from knowing our goal in life— real happiness, we must value the lessons
we learn from our experience so that we may be able to use them as we combat life’s
challenges. Let us recall the simple example Eddy, the main character in the story, have
taught us. That no matter how hard life is, it doesn’t mean that it is already wasted.
Everything happens for a reason. We simply must learn to see the positive things even in
hard times.