Notifications. Meetings. Deadlines.

We currently live in a fast-paced world wherein we always try to reach the future as early as possible. We want everything done in an instant. We’ve made everything accessible within one touch from our hands.

If thoughts of the past are chips and anxieties of the future are soft drink, most of the world would probably be mentally obese. We crave to regret about the past, and are deeply hungered to know about the future – but how about the now?

Thinking about what was is inevitable, and what will be will surely give excitement. However, it is important to focus at the present as well. To recognize what is and to see the beauty in it; to be thankful and to appreciate. After all, we can never step on the same water twice.

Doing short mindfulness exercises of whatever variety from time to time will help. Close your eyes, breath in the present moment, then breath out the distractions of the past and present. This way we are reminded that life may have been motivated by our desired destination, but it is the journey that matters more.

It is nice to be happy; but it is perfectly fine as well to feel sad, angered, disgusted, or fearful. All emotions, not just joy, characterize our humanity.

Photo Credit: https://www.ecnmy.org/engage/feelings-are-more-important-than-gdp/

In a media saturated world that we have now, we are frequently told, albeit pressured, to be joyful all the time.

Sad? Eat this comfort food;
Angry? Enroll in this program;
Fearful or anxious? Buy this miraculous book.

These and many more – they tell us that life should be about being happy all the time. But what is wrong with not being happy sometimes? Should the other emotions be purged?

I believe that it is okay to not be happy all the time. There’s no need to cast away the other emotions from your life (unless you need professional help as it hinders you from living a healthy and peaceful life). We should learn how to recognize and deeply feel all emotions, and let them pass – to appreciate each of them, and to finally let them be after learning from them.

Life is not eating a piece of cake. Laugh, cry, shout, run – do whatever and entertain how you feel at the present moment, then let them be. It is those moments take make us human.

As human beings, it is innate for us to compare things and to infer which is better… but should that really be the case?

On a Saturday morning, my orgmates and I organized the Ateneo Biology Cup 2020 wherein several groups of biology students from universities all over the country participated and expressed their passion and interest in the life sciences through an encouraging and healthy quiz bee. As usual in any events, many unexpected events turned against our original plan but we had to do our best to solve them and find alternatives as the main organizers of the event.

After the taxing event, my friends and I decided to buy ice cream and eat it together on the field of Arete in the windy afternoon. After the stresses and challenge of the event, we decided to just let go and be ourselves as we share and laugh on the stories of one another.

At one moment, I realized how my thinking systems manifested themselves in that day. In the morning, I was dominantly using system 2 in order to address the novel event problems in the most logical, deliberate, and analytical way as possible. On the other hand, in the afternoon, I was dominantly using system 1 as I reacted to my friends’ familiar storied based on my intuition and emotions.

To optimize our thinking self, we should never polarize our thinking systems as we are complex thinking individuals: we need both and shall not be compared with one another. And to truly understand ourselves, we also have to consider who we are and how we think as we switch from system 1 to 2, and vice versa.

Amidst the rapidly globalizing world of music, a group of young Filipino talents is integrating South Korea’s much hyped ‘k-pop’ into the Philippine music industry.

Synchronized and sharp dance moves. Catchy rhythms and vocals. Stylistic clothes and elaborate accessories. These are some of the many reasons why one would never think that SB19 is a Pinoy-pop boy group. Consisting of five members: Justin, Sejun, Ken, Josh, and Stell; these young men developed their k-pop patterned style in performing pop music by undergoing a three-year rigorous training under the South Korean Entertainment Company ShowBT. In an interview, the group revealed that its three-year training consisted of nine-hour dance and singing exercises daily, with only one day of break per week (GMA Public Affairs, 2019).

Fair enough, it is not unlikely that many might label SB19 as a k-pop group, which Josh tried to clear in an interview: “Misconception kasi na nangyayari na parang minsan na-ta-tag kami as K-pop Pinoy group pero hindi po ganoon; We are actually a P-pop boy group. Hindi siya K-pop,” (CNN Philippines, 2019). Consistent with the group’s dream of becoming the first Pinoy boy band known internationally by introducing a new culture of Pinoy music that is comparable to currently known international boy bands, Sujun said that: “Ang dream ko is makilala ng buong [Pilipinas] na mayroon tayong ganitong talento sa iba’t ibang larangan at kaya din natin ang ginagawa ng ibang bansa,”(CNN Philippines, 2019).

But aside from their wonderful performances, there is something more that Filipinos can learn from SB19; that human development can be achieved through proximal process amidst the continuous tension between globalization and localization.

Proximal Process as Engines of Human Development. With the rigorous training SB19 underwent as an example for the proximal process using Bronfenbrenner’s PPTC Model as framework, it can be observed how the daily taxing training led the SB19 members to their development, as evident by their eye-catching moves, harmonic voices, and drastically augmenting fans at the end of their three-year consistent training and interactions with a new and complex environment in South Korea.

Glocalization: balancing localization and globalization. SB 19 is a good example of biculturality and what it actually looks like to be both a man of the Philippines and of the world. In every performance they do, they develop both their local and global identities by singing and dancing on the patterns of k-pop to their global audince, but with a Filipino heart that cannot veil its deep-rooted culture and pride.

Indeed, SB19 aims to reach an international audience with their pop-music of unique Filipino-touch — something that every Filipino will take pride in calling their own.

References:

GMA Public Affairs. (2019). I-Witness: Boy band na SB 19, saan kumukuha ng inspirasyon. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poESyEj9xy4

Lee, S. (2019). SB19 wants to take over the world. photograph, Manila. Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/Music/2019/9/25/sb19.html?fbclid=IwAR2

Life Staff. (2019). SB19 wants to take over the world. Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/Music/2019/9/25/sb19.html?fbclid=IwAR2

Lopez, J. A. (2019, September 5). What You Need To Know About SB19, The Pinoy Boy Group The Internet Can’t Stop Talking About. Retrieved from https://www.cosmo.ph/entertainment/filipino-boy-group-sb19-facts-members-a483-20190905

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

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The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

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You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

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