A Rare Type of Peace and Contentment

Anna Lorraine Galura

I always thought that technology always makes our lives easier. But no, it may also make life less convenient.

In my one-week stay at Barangay (village) Look, Cardona, Rizal, it brings me back to where I think all of us should be once in a while: in a simple world of not having an attachment with technology. Because of the modern era, we already forgot how to appreciate simple things. We forgot how to appreciate joys that can be brought to us by living a simple life.

On my travel to the place, I admit it, it made me worried. Ka (brother) Jaime told me that the place is hard to reach because of its far location. I am not that confident and afraid of what I will be going to see.

But as I saw Laguna Lake, it gave me the feeling of belongingness to the place. It made me become calm instantly, giving me innate peace that I didn’t know existed within me. It is indeed a place of serenity.

Within the week, I did not just see how the people there live, I lived with them, too. The not-so-safe and not-so-consistent water supply, the “asin-asukal ulam (salt-sugar viand) moments” and the difficulty of having your own source of livelihood.

The only source of income nearest is the lake, but still, it fails them. Water lilies are blocking the way, making it hard for the fishermen to create money enough to help them survive for a day. They end up eating whatever they have. Or not eating if there’s none.

But I still can see smiling faces. I still can see genuine happiness within the family despite the hard times life brings them. I still can see how they love each other. I still can see how they look forward to tomorrow, believing that they still can survive even if they still haven’t got a plan.

I never heard them complain. I never heard them question God. I just heard laughter and happy conversations from contented people. 

They never made me feel that they are inferior. They never made me feel that they feel bad about themselves even if they do not have impressive educational background. They just made me feel that they are hopeful even if the coming days are unpredictable.

I realized the difference of being lucky and being blessed. People living in Manila are lucky while people living in rural areas are blessed. They can still survive even without the help of technology. They live in peace and contentment, making the most out of everything they have.

Anna graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Mass Communication from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. She is fond of research and writing.