An Early Birthday Gift For Me: At Last, the Lakers are Champions Again!

Thanks, God.
The Los Angeles Lakers are back on top.
NBA Champions 2009!

At last…
After all those disappointments of the past…
Their championship run cut by the San Antonio Spurs in 2003.
The 2004 Finals upset defeat at the hands of the Detroit Pistons.
Missing the playoffs in 2005.
Wasting their 3-1 lead on the Phoenix Suns in 2006.
Another first round loss to the Suns in 2007.
And that painful Finals loss to the Boston Celtics last year, 2008.
It was a tough tough journey, but it was worth it.
2009 is the Lakers’ year.
This championship is just sweet.  So sweet.

After years of waiting and cheering for my favorite team,
The Los Angeles Lakers are NBA champions once again.
For the 15th time.
Kobe got his 4th ring that he desired so much.
Coach Phil Jackson surpassed Red Auerbach with his 10th championship as coach.
It had been a long, hard, but, nonetheless, satisfying journey.
The 2009 playoffs was never easy for the Lakers…
The Jazz was not your regular team to have in an eight seed; the Lakers took them out in 5.
The Rockets gave the Lakers a hard time, even without Yao, and pushed them to a Game 7.
And then the Nuggets were playing well, and the Conference Finals was hard, but Kobe was just brilliant in that series and the Lakers won in 6.

Back again to the Finals, after that heartbreaking loss against the Celtics last year.
I was rooting for the Celtics to win at the East, so that the Lakers can avenge their loss.
When the Celtics were beaten, I was rooting for the Cavaliers so there would a Kobe-LeBron showdown in the Finals.
Plus, a one-man-dominated team is destined to fail and I had no doubt that the Lakers will beat the Cavs.
But the Magic was the one who won out in the East.
It got me worried because Magic was a real team… a monster in the paint with Dwight Howard, surrounded with three-pointers, and some perimeter defenders to throw at Kobe.
Plus, they swept the meetings with the Lakers in the regular season.

But I had still believed that the Lakers would win the championship this year.
It would be hard, but with no doubt in my mind, they would win.
And, I was right, the Lakers delivered…
The “soft” Pau Gasol effectively defended Superman Howard.
Trevor Ariza was deadly and showed the Magic that trading him was a mistake.
Derek Fisher found his shot in Game 4 and those two three-pointers will always be remembered.
Andrew Bynum was willing to sacrifice those minutes to give out fouls to stop Howard.
Lamar Odom, an All-Star level player (though he still yet to be one) who was willing to be a sixth man this season, came out from the bench and gave the necessary boost.
The rest of the Lakers bench held their own when they were on the floor.
And Kobe Bryant – the best basketball player in the NBA – set the tone for this Finals when he scored 40 to a 25-point rout of the Magic in Game 1, and though he was playing below his standards in the Laker wins of Game 2 (7 turnovers) and Game 4 (missed 20 shots) proved that his worst is still better than most players’ best as he got the Finals MVP award.

Again, the Lakers are back on top…
Indeed, one of my best quotes would apply in this emotional event…
“Life is a war. It does not matter if you lose some battles as long as you win the war. The defeats you get will only make the overall victory sweeter.”
And it is sweeter…
Los Angeles Lakers.
NBA Champions… again.
I want a repeat next year…

BY THE WAY...

Sure, LeBron James was the regular-season MVP.
But Kobe Bryant got the Finals MVP, proving he is the best.

Many would say that a regular-season MVP is a bigger thing than a Finals MVP.
I don’t think so.
A Finals MVP comes with a ring.

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Watching the Wanders

On Independence Day, the Wanders had a show in Legazpi. Wanders is the famous world-class show that boasts as the “Best Musical Acrobat Show in Asia.” The Wanders show was presented by the City of Government of Legazpi for Legazpi’s 50th anniversary as a city.

The venue for the show was the Albay Astrodome, which was the venue for the city’s major conventions, meetings, sports events, concerts, and the like. I am not the kind of person who watches the concerts done in the Astrodome. But I did so with this Wanders show. The reason is I know Wanders is a world-class show, and, maybe, it may be the last time I’ll have the chance of watching something of that caliber. But the main reason was the tickets were free.

So, there, I found myself with the mass of people going inside to watch the free, world-class show. The entrance into the Astrodome was filled with people. There was no organized line, so it was close to chaos. There was too much heat because of the thick atmosphere of all that people, so I was easily sweating. And it was hard to breathe, so I had to breathe through both my nose and mouth.

Not only where there too much heat, but such unorganized impatient crowd cramped together like sardines has the potential to erupt to a stampede. I was not a fool. So, I did well in doing precautionary things-to-do prior a potential stampede. I kept my cool, ignored the claustrophobic tendency, and stuck near the walls. I pitied those kids in the crowd since they were shorter and smaller – and at that level, I think it was even much harder to breathe and hotter and they can easily be crushed if there’s going to be a stampede.

But, at last, I do not know what they did, but the flow of people coming in hasten. Shortly, I was inside the air-conditioned Astrodome (another pre-stampede tip I did was sit on places near the exit).

The show was supposed to start on 6:00 pm (and another show on 8:00 pm) and I was inside about ten minutes to six. But the program actually started at 7:45 pm. Imagine the time wasted at waiting. People continued to pour in and the coolness from the air-conditioner faded.

Then, a music video of the city mayor on the job was played at the projector. It was repeated over and over for four times. At the first run, it was okay. At the second run, it was starting to be annoying. At the third, it had the potential for mental torture to make anybody insane. At the fourth, it was starting to get fun again as the place started to rain with curses from the crowd.

So, at 7:45 pm, the emcee announced the start. Our city mayor gave a speech. Though the people were restless, Legazpenos love their mayor and gave him a warm applause. There was a problem with the sound system; it was so weak to hear the mayor’s voice. But, at last, it was fixed just in time to hear the mayor’s “Mabuhay” last word. It was so funny that the sound system was fixed in time only to hear the end that I can’t help laughing.

Then, the PAGCOR Chairman, the guest, made his speech. He talked about a anti-drug campaign, complete with superhero dancers. Then, he talked of the PAGCOR major international commercial area project. Then, another music video where there was a part that goes “ikaw ang pag-asa… (you are the hope)” and the picture of the chairman freezes in the screen, then it goes again, “ikaw ang pag-asa…” and PGMA’s picture freezes. That was annoying.

One of my seatmates barked to his wife, “I thought you dragged me here so you can watch a circus act.” Someone below him commented, “Yeah. But first, there is this circus of these (bleep) politicians.”

After these stupid “front-acts”, the real show rolled. And indeed, it was a world-class caliber show. Dancers, singers, acrobats, contortionists, and acrobats filled the show, doing entertaining numbers, acts, and stunts. There was about five or six parts, and they rocked the house. A lot of breath-taking, adrenaline-pumping scenes, and occasional bursts of awe, clapping, and startled screams from the crowd. It was as entertaining as Broadway.

The show – minus the blasted political crap – was only about or less than an hour. I think the city can only afford up to that extent.

The show was the best I had watched this year. The performers of Wanders can inspire. There is something inspiring when performers work hard and have fun when they do their craft – it reflects in the stage.

Yeah. Yeah. I had written more about the events prior the show than the show itself. But Wanders is that great enough for me not to give out any more details about it so that you can watch for yourselves what Wanders is all about… if you get the chance.

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I Wish The Cavaliers Won

I was rooting for the Cavaliers. I wanted them to fight the Lakers in the finals. Kobe vs. LeBron is certainly going to be very entertaining.

But my main reason was… there was no way the Cavaliers can beat the Lakers. The Lakers had already beaten them in the regular season, 2-0. Moreover, the Cavs is a one-man team. Sure, LeBron James is MVP enough to carry his team to the best record in the NBA. But there was no way he can carry his team in the Finals over, though inconsistent, a powerhouse and deep, Kobe-led, Lakers.

LeBron is a great player, and he is going to be the best someday. But Jerry West’s proclamation that LeBron is now the best is premature. Kobe Bryant is still the best. LeBron, for now, is a brilliant stat-getter but, nonetheless, second to Kobe as the best player. Stats does not define the best and versatility, it‘s about greatness in the court. The let-LeBron-do-it-all-and-get-his-stats system was destined to fail… it was only a pity that it was not the Lakers who capitalized from it, but the Magic.

Now, Magic is a team. And their system spells trouble for my favorite team. Just as the Cavs one-man-team system is flawed, the Lakers system of tending to be inconsistent may be capitalized upon by the Magic. The Magic have Dwight Howard, the Defensive-Player-of-the-Year, and is explosive in the inside. This could be tough for the softie frontcourt players of the Lakers. I hope the Lakers’ center, Andrew Bynum, would regain his toughness inside and would do well against Howard. It would also be hard to contain the Magic’s three-pointers, and the Lakers would have to settle with matching with their own three-pointers – and I hope they would be successful. But the favor of winning is still on the Lakers though. They have Kobe, and the Magic will never stop him. (But of course, the other Lakers should step-up also. A championship can never be won by a one-man team.)

I only hope that their tough playoff run would put the Lakers at their best. I still believe the Lakers would win the championship. But it’s going to be tougher.

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I.Q. is Overrated

We are easily impressed by I.Q.

Personally, I am a skeptic of I.Q. as a final measurement of a person’s intelligence. Here are some points why I doubt: 

a.) Most I.Q. tests are multiple choices. Thus, even if we don’t know the answer we can pick from the choices by random. Maybe, the odds are low that you’ll get the answer, but it’s still a chance! (Another thing that doesn’t impress me are odds… so what if it is 1% chance against 99%? The 1% is still a chance nonetheless. It could still come up, no matter how low the chance.) So, you may “luck” yourself to a high score. 

b.) Can I.Q. tests measure these aspects of intelligence: linguistics, musical, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and spatial? Based on the questions in I.Q. tests, it seems that the only thing that they might obtain is intelligence in logical-mathematical aspect. 

c.) Sometimes I.Q. tests have questions that require information/trivia knowledge. Example, there is a set of groups of letters and you should rearrange them first to form them to words, then find the odd-man out. Let us assume you get London, Paris, Tokyo, and Sydney after rearranging them. Of course, it’s easy. Sydney is out. The others are capitals. But assuming this is a hard question and would require special knowledge. Assume there are two who took the test, and the first have just read about it recently (again, we are assuming that the determining Sydney as a non-capital requires special knowledge and not general knowledge). The second have not. Thus, the first knows that Sydney is not a capital. Is it a point against the second’s intelligence because he does not have this information or trivia in his knowledge? If you look at it this way, this could be unfair to the second since it is not his fault that he had not have the chance or had the circumstance to encounter it. 

d.) Can intelligence be really measured?  I am (a bit of a) skeptic that something complicated and abstract as intelligence can be measured at all. 

e.) I don’t think I am a genius, but I always get a high score in these tests. (Now, why is that?) That is why I’m a skeptic, I doubt I am that smart.

Here is a result of one of those tests I took on the net:

127. Hmmm. Can it really be that high?  However, I think, it’s the best test I took (that almost convinced me that this I.Q. thing may really work). Here are the points why I think this is almost the closest thing to a perfect test to measure my I.Q.: 

a.) no information/trivia knowledge required (though, I would not mind if there were. I am king of irrelevant facts, but, if there were, that would be an “unfair” advantage on my part). 

b.) it’s under a time pressure of 20 minutes (I finished it in 18 minutes). 

c.) no multiple choices in the number problems. Choices were only on abstract problems.  Thus, picking answers randomly are minimal. 

d.) In all the tests that I had taken, it is the lowest score I had so far, thus, more believable (believe me, I’m saying it without arrogance at all).

The highest score I had was in high school (many items, and also under a time pressure. It was good in its own right) and I got a 144. Yah, I think I answered well, but I also made a lot of random choices in that test. So, maybe I got many of those random picks right because of luck. 144 was unbelievable for me. 

I am not showing off. I am just saying that I don’t trust the results. Yeah, maybe I can say that God gave me an intelligence above average. But I don't think I am that smart (I could stomach 127, but 140s are unbelievable) as I.Q. tests make it. Not a super genius.  If I am, I could have understood quantum theory and all that other difficult  concepts of Physics. 

I conclude that I.Q, tests are imperfect. And I.Q. is overrated. It can’t really measure one’s intelligence. Maybe only a small part, but not something definite. There are other things to consider. Talents, skills, E.Q., leadership, how you deal with people, experiences, and other factors. Intelligence is too complex to be measured by a mere I.Q. score.

Besides, I believe that the true measure is not at all about how intelligent you are. It’s how you use your intelligence. How you handle situations with what’s in your head, and to what end you’ll use it. As Doc Ock said in the movie Spider-Man 2: “Intelligence is not a privilege, it's a gift, to be used for the good of mankind.”

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Fear God

The following is my sharing in our church’s Wednesday night meeting, May 6.

* * *

Good evening.

In our Living Life text for today, Psalm 76:1-12 (entitled “Victory is the Lord’s”), let me use verses 7 and 10 as my key verses. Verse 7: “You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before when you are angry?” Verse 10: “Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.”

Just as we should appreciate that God is a God of Love, we should also be able to appreciate that God is a God of Wrath and worthy to be feared.

If we truly know and see the character of God, our response would be spontaneous: to love, to enjoy, to worship, and the fear Him.

We our sinners. We deserve to suffer God’s wrath. Hell is our destination because that is what is just, and God is a God of Justice.

Let us imagine that we are not Christians. Internalize. Imagine it as if is a truth. Now if this hypothetical imagination is reality, we are doomed. Ultimate despair. Why? Because we are objects of God’s wrath. God, with all his power and glory, would bring eternal damnation upon us, just like what He does to His enemies. Scary indeed.

But instead of His power and glory manifesting this way (by letting His wrath upon us by letting as burn in Hell forever), He instead showed His power and glory by choosing us and saving us. Instead of glorifying Himself by giving us damnation, as we deserve, He glorified Himself by giving us grace – grace that we do not deserve at all.

Because Jesus died on the cross, He shielded us from the Wrath of God. He absorbed the punishment for us. And now, we are no longer “the objects of God’s wrath” but the apples of His eyes!

Thus, as we see God’s glory, our response is not only of love and gratitude, but also of fear. Fear, because we know His power. What He can do. What destruction He can bring to His enemies.

We should indeed fear God. But not because we fear of His wrath coming upon us and of us being sent to Hell. No, because of His grace, we are assured of salvation.

Then, what does it mean to fear God as a Christian? Even the devil and his minions fear God – His enemies fear Him. But this is the kind of fear mentioned by Master Yoda in Star Wars Episode I, “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to the Dark Side.” The devil’s fear is a fear with hate. We, Christians fear God with love, joy, and awe.

The beauty and majesty of God goes hand-in-hand of Him being worth fearing.

Let me illustrate. When I was a young boy, we went for a trip to Mt. Isarog. There, I first saw my first waterfalls (three of them). Of course, I admire the waterfall’s beauty. But the largeness of it, the loud roar of the falls, and its manifestation of its “power” also inspired fear in me. My heart beat fast. But that fear was hand-in-hand with awe - seeing the beauty and majesty of Nature. And this fear of the waterfall also gave me a smile.

Just as Nature’s beauty – the Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, Mayon Volcano, Lightning Storms, etc. – inspire this fear with awe and admiration, a fear that also brings joy, in some way is the same with how God inspires fear to us Christians.

With the same power and glory God manifests to punish His enemies, this same power and glory is instead manifested by delivering us from our troubles and granting us undeserved favors and blessings. Thus, we don’t need to fear anybody or anything in this world because only God is worth fearing, and God is on our side. There is nothing bigger than God. And it is sure that He will show His glory – not by punishing us - He will show His glory by delivering us from our enemies and problems.

In response, we should continue to glorify Him, by praising Him, enjoying Him, and fearing Him. Indeed, victory is the Lord’s (just as the title of today’s reflection says), and we have the victory. Because having our Lord in our lives is our victory.

Amen.

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Christian Hedonism

I am a Hedonist. It means I value pleasure and joy above anything else. I desire for my own good. And that obtaining them is the most important thing above all priorities.

You may accuse me of being worldly or selfish. I admit, there are times I am. It’s one of my flaws. But if you had accused me because I said that I am a Hedonist and because I value pleasure and joy above anything else, then that is not a good reason to accuse me.

In fact, Hedonism and desiring pleasure for my own good above anything else is not bad at all. It’s strange that the world distorts principles like this and had branded seeking one’s happiness as selfish and sinful.

All humans are like me. All seeks happiness. Different means, same ends. Sure some deny it and things they are being moral martyrs by being so “selfless.” (here’s another flaw: Immanuel Kant and others were wrong for what they say, that for a good deed to be moral, we should do it by denying pleasure from ourselves. So for a good deed to be good, we should not feel good about it for the deed to be good? It’s False! Quite the contrary, we should do good because it gives us pleasure. More about that later.) But the closer we admit that we seek happiness above all, probably, the closer we’ll get it.

Again I say, seeking pleasure – our happiness – is not wrong at all. Moreover, it is not optional, it is essential. We ought to seek it.

Back to Hedonism. Probably, the term is just too worldly. But this philosophy is really right. We should seek pleasure. We should prioritize it above anything else. We should enjoy it. Those are truths. In fact, if I dare say, it is the true meaning of life – this is our purpose why we are here. (I could already hear shouts of disagreement from you, “No. No. No. You indeed are too worldly. You are wrong. Our true purpose in life is to give glory to God.” Yes, you are correct, too. Because giving glory to God is the same as what I was talking about, seeking and enjoying our own pleasure. But I’m getting ahead of myself.) In fact, finding joy and pleasure is commanded by God. The problem is, we tend to turn to the wrong things to find them.
There is always a void in man’s heart. A hunger. A thirst. So he turns to what the world can offer to try filling it. Sex. Drugs. Booze. Romance. Jobs. Careers. School. Fame. Money. Family. Friends. Etc. Yes, all can give pleasure and joy. But they are all temporary and unsatisfactory. Economics’ Law of Diminishing Utility always applies. What comes up most come down. After the climax comes the denouement. What pleasure he gets from this world is temporary. Thus, he craves for more. More and more. But it’s still not enough. All the happiness he feels are just illusions… but deep inside there is only a black hole of sadness. But still, even if it’s all an illusion, man convinces himself that what worldly happiness he gets is real. He can’t imagine that there is something better – a lot better – and more precious and beautiful. C.S. Lewis said it best: “We are content to go on making mud pies in the slums because we cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”

There is only one thing that can fill up that void. A joy and pleasure unspeakable and glorious. And permanent and can make us complete. What is it? No, not a what, a who… God. God is the only one that could grant real happiness, real pleasure.

Every good thing that comes to and happens in my life, everything that gives me pleasure and joy, I acknowledge all came from God. And my pleasure and joy increases because of this fact: that they came from God Himself! And by also acknowledging that they are all from Him, I give Him glory. God loves to show his children favors and showers of blessings. He is glorified by this. This is only part in what I mean, but not the core.

What I mean by real happiness and pleasure is not really because of all those blessings. Of course they bring happiness and pleasure, but it’s not all about these physical and spiritual blessings God has given. I enjoy them, but what really deserves to be enjoyed is God Himself. Not from God, but in God. Not the gifts, but the Giver.

Here’s a rough analogy. A girl receives a dozen roses from her lover. Of course, she is delighted in the flowers. She enjoys them. The flowers brought her happiness. But though she enjoys the flowers, what really brings her joy and pleasure in her life is her boyfriend. She loves her boyfriend more than the flowers. The giver than the gift. Just the same, we should enjoy God more than the flowers he gives. That even without the flowers – the blessings – our joy and pleasures are still complete because they are in Him.

Christian Hedonism is a term coined by Baptist pastor John Piper. But the philosophy was also written (and believed and lived by) C.S. Lewis, Jonathan Edwards, St. Augustine, and Blaise Pascal to name some. Yes, it is a philosophy. But more than that, it is a truth. The Westminster Shorter Catechism summarizes the "chief end of man" as "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Piper’s revision of it goes, “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.” Like Trinity, Christian Hedonism is not mentioned in the Bible. But (substance over form), like Trinity, evidences of its truth are found in the Book (Psalms 37:4, 42:1-2, 63:1, 119:103, 16:11; Job 22:25; Colossians 3:5; Matthew 25:21,23… to name some)

Why is God the only true source of happiness and real pleasure? Because he is Love. He lacks nothing, omnipotent, and self-sufficient. He has no flaws. Perfect. He is a Being to be enjoyed. He is the only one that can fill up (overflowingly) that void in man’s heart.

He also desires for us to enjoy Him. He gets pleasure when we take pleasure in Him. He gets glorified when He is the One we enjoy in our hearts.

Christian Hedonism also makes sense if we use an afterlife argument. I think Islam envisions heaven as place of reward of an eternity of banquets and orgies. If that’s their perspective and motivation, wouldn’t they be disappointed if they got there? Yes, it’s a place of rewards, peace and happiness. But what is your definition of “rewards, peace and happiness”? Orgies? Or even if it’s not what you picture, do you imagine heaven as a place to suit your own fantasies? Heaven is not like that. Heaven is about ultimately being with God forever and ever. If we don’t enjoy God, then what sense is Heaven at all? Heaven is a place of true pleasure, since finally Christians would finally see God’s face and enjoy and worship Him forever. There’s going to be a lot of celebrating, but no New Year’s Eve parties. If that sounds disappointing or boring or different from what you envision, then Heaven is not for you.

Oh, about taking pleasure in helping and loving others? “Love your neighbors as yourself”, “Love your enemies”… those are commands. And like all of His commands to us, we would obey happily. It is an offshoot of taking pleasure in God. It is spontaneous and natural thing to do when we have our joy and pleasure in God.

Back to the young lovers illustration, (with God this time as the girl, and we, Christians, the boy) it is only natural that the love-smitten boy would do everything she asks to please her. Like, if the girl asks the boy to accompany her to a dance party. The boy, so in love, will cheerfully do so. Even if that means he would have to sacrifice basketball practice. Then again, in his book, he would not even think of it as a sacrifice after all, since basketball is nothing compared for his delight on his girl. Same with us in God, we would easily do all what he commands with glad hearts to please Him if we love Him and delights in Him more than our delight in other things. So in the case of loving our fellow men and doing good, it would come natural as our love for God would motivate us (to please Him) and God’s love will overflow on us to enable us to do so (no matter how unlovable are they). Thus, doing good would always – should – give us pleasure, in contrast to what Kant and others said.

Same in worship. It is spontaneous if we have our joy and pleasure in Him. Praise is a natural impulse if we admire or enjoy something or someone. We praise our favorite actors. We praise an admirable deed. We give praises to awesome views. We praise movies and books we enjoyed. And in-love boys praise their sweethearts. Praise and worship is a natural reaction when we delight in God.

Also true in evangelization. We tend to boast or talk about these favorites of ours that we enjoy. The favorite books, favorite movies, and sweethearts… the delight we feel in our hearts makes our mouths to spontaneously speak about them. So, it is only natural we also talk about and boast of God if we delight in Him.

There are still a lot of things to talk about Christian Hedonism. But it would take an entire book to talk about it. John Piper himself wrote several to talk about having pleasure in God.

As conclusion: (1) Seeking pleasure and our own good above anything else is not bad or selfish, in fact, it is the greatest good and a must (of course, if it is in God.) (2) The world offers many pleasures but they are all illusions and are nothing compared to the pleasure we will get from God. (3) The physical and spiritual blessings we receive also brings enjoyment but acknowledging that all these things are from God brings us more enjoyment, gives glory to God, and shows that we love and enjoy God more than the blessings. (4) When we enjoy and love God, it is natural that we spontaneously worship Him and obey His commands. (5) Only Christians – His chosen – can enjoy real Hedonism. (6) If I have God in my life, I don’t need anything more. My life is complete.

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Simple Money Management

Taking up a business course in college, I was able to learn the truths and philosophies about money. Very interesting thoughts. Like in times of financial crisis, spending is actually good since it stimulates the economy. And that saving too much is actually bad. And that there is more than one way in multiplying your money, depending on the factors, your talents and skills, and circumstances. These are only a few things I learned because of school.

And thus, base from these things I learned in school, I read about, I analyze and ponder about, and (most importantly) from what I experience in real life, I made up a comprehensive idea on what to do with money. I still cannot fully exercise these ideas I have since I am still a year or two away from earning income. But here are some of those ideas:


Money, itself, is worthless
I believe that idle cash is worthless. When cash is just inside the wallet, or hidden inside the drawer, or waiting inside the piggy bank… when cash is not being used at all, it is worthless. In this philosophy, money only starts having value when it is used or spend. Of course, cash is the most liquid and readily accepted medium of exchange but when it is just being stacked and unused, isn’t it being inutile? No value at all. The design of money or cash is to be used, to be spent, and to be enjoyed. It loses its purpose when it’s idle. Scrooge McDuck might be the richest duck in the world but he is a fool for not spending all those money he has inside his money bin. Now, Scrooge is charming since he is not real, but real life people who delight in their money, wanting more and more, and then just loves to count the money they have are twisted in my book (of course, collectors of coins and bills are an exception since they amass money for the sake of collection and hobby). Being a miser and refusing to use money is very unhealthy philosophy. Having money in hand is to be kept minimal and for the sole purpose of immediate payments of current expenses or debt.


Savings
Then what should be done with idle money? It’s basic. Instead of stacking it at home, let the money earn by saving it at the bank. That way, you help in the circulation of money for healthy economy, and you get to earn from your unused cash. Plus, it can be readily withdrawn when there is immediate need for cash. But for the time being that it is still not needed, it earns interest. A savings deposit is always a good thing to have. But it is wise not to put all extra money in a savings account. If you do not need the money for the long term, put it in a time deposit instead, or an investment.


Insurance and pre-need plans
The scandalous affair about the Legacy Group may discourage investment in insurance and pre-need. But investing in them is wise indeed. A perfect “saving up for a rainy day” model. The principle of saving up is that so we will have ready money when an immediate need arises (health, death, accidents, fire) or a preparation for a future thing we want (education, house, pension for retirement). So why not invest in insurance and pre-need instead of saving all the extra money in the bank? The yield is better than interest in savings accounts. Of course, such companies we should choose to invest on should be trustworthy, stable, competent, and strong. I can think of three in the Philippines (based on what I read): Sun Life Financial, Insular Life, and PhilAm Plans (this is where my parents invested for my college education and I can say based from experience that this company’s good).


Stocks, bonds, securities, and mutual funds
If future good return on what you invest is the basis, securities and mutual funds, I think, top my list of preference. Acquiring stocks and bonds of corporations for dividends is the basic; to be a stockholder or a bondholder. But if you are not really into being this kind of businessman, then play the securities game (oh yes, it’s just like Las Vegas gambling). Yes, securities are risky, and you can lose big time if you don’t know what you are doing, but it is a truth that good instincts can easily make you rich in this game. But before playing the securities game it is necessary you have the time, the patience and diligence for research, and good instincts. If you do not have these qualities, then it is better to invest in mutual funds. In investing in mutual funds, it’s just like you have the “playing” done for you by professionals instead. What’s left to be done is to be able to choose wisely which mutual fund you should invest.


Entrepreneurship
Riskier but more rewarding than playing the securities and mutual funds game is using your money for capital for your own business. I think this would be harder. No question that entrepreneurs can make it big, but it would require a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, good communication and relating to people skills, good management, good marketing, and a very good vision. Personally, I don’t think it would work for me.


Real estate
Heaps of money is needed when venturing to real estate. But it’s always one of the best investments you can do. Land always appreciates (and the odds for those circumstances that depreciates land is low) and though a house or building depreciates you may derive rent income from it. Or make it your home instead. I believe that having your own place is one of the best investments you can do in life. Of course, it is unlikely one can afford real estate easily. The best scenario is to plan for it for the long term, and obtain the money to finance it from saving and investing (e.g. securities and mutual funds). If not, there’s always the mortgage.


Promptly settle debts
Though possible, having no debt is almost non-existent in real life. But then, pay debts promptly, like loans and mortgage. Borrowing is not at all bad, as long as the proper evaluation of cost-benefit analysis and opportunity cost is made. The interests would kill you if you don’t pay debts promptly. Or if you can’t pay for the principal installment because there is another thing you have to use your money for, at least be sure that the enjoyment or benefit from where you’ll utilize your money will outweigh the enjoyment or benefit you’ll get when you pay the principal (again, evaluation of cost-benefit analysis and opportunity cost). Credit cards are no-no, if possible (believe me, credit cards will kill you faster than mortgage and loan interests). If not possible that you can’t do without credit cards, pay the balance promptly and not only the minimum per month. As much as possible, purchases and payments should be done by cash.


Evaluation of cost-benefit analysis and opportunity cost
I think I was able to illustrate it well at the last paragraph. In this principle, we should always consider that the enjoyment, benefit or potential rewards we will derive from our choice on where to use our money should always be worth it and exceeds the enjoyment, benefit or potential rewards from the other options of its usage.


Use money wisely
Money management is always careful. We should not waste our use of money. On making purchases or investments, we have to evaluate always if it is worth it (again, the “evaluation of cost-benefit analysis and opportunity cost”). Enjoying the use of money is what matters most above all. Illustration, in purchasing new models of celphones as soon as they come out in the market… It is worth it when the enjoyment we feel from each unit we purchase does not diminish when another new unit comes out, and as we purchase that new unit, we still don’t think that the old units we have are worthless now, but the happiness is derive from all the celphones (principle that collections as hobby is almost always good). But buying the new unit for the sake of fad and being updated with new models, then we don’t derive enjoyment and happiness from our old celphones anymore, then the money was wasted on buying the old units in the first place. If we are not happy on what we’ve done with our money, it’s always a waste.


Collections and hobbies
Using our money for our collections and hobbies is always worth it. It is almost assured that we don’t regret parting with our money for the sake of our collections and hobbies; happiness and enjoyment are attained (it’s what matters). In fact, vintage items (example, cars), toys, cards, comicbooks, antiques, art, and other collectibles and memorabilia usually appreciate in value. Not only you derive enjoyment from your collection, but it’s also financially rewarding in the future if you choose to sell some of your collections. And what of travel, sports, leisure, and such other hobbies? The experiences and fun are more valuable than money, aren’t they?


Share your blessings
Believe me, it is good investment. Treat and buy gifts for those people close to you, particularly family and friends. Help those in need. Give to charities. As much as you can. And the returns? Oh, I assure you, it’s tremendous. More blessings will surely come when you give and give. It’s the natural law. And investing in relationships with your fellow men is worth it. The yield is priceless.


Giving to God
This is the most important and best way to use money. The best investment. Giving to God cheerfully. By giving tithes and other offerings to God and Christian work, we are storing up riches in heaven – riches that would never be gone (unlike the riches of this world). It is a way of showing love and thanksgiving to God who gives us the money and other blessings. By giving to God, we also show our faith that the foundation of our financial security, and all of our other securities, is not on anything of this world but in Him alone; we show that we derive more pleasure in Him than our money.

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In summary, money is not the root of all evil, but love of it is. There’s nothing wrong in getting financial success, as long as our lives does not revolve around it. Money and riches will pass. It’s temporary. Thus we should not hold on to it too much but let us enjoy the use of our money. Let us also share our enjoyment of our money with others. And, lastly, giving to God is paramount.

My financial strategy in life? Spend, save, invest, and give.

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