Remembering gives life meaning

It is not the P20 billion, or half his fortune, that John Gokongwei Jr. gave to charity on his 80th birthday that made his act so outstanding. He could have given all of his money away and still not know a day of hunger for the remainder of his life.

What made his act of charity so outstanding was that it proved he did not forget. It is forgetfulness that hardens the heart. But for as long as the heart remembers, it will always be open to acts of charity, big or small.

If there is one lesson among the many that I have learned from Sir Dodong Gullas, the chairman of this paper and for whom I have worked for the last 24 years, it is the lesson about remembering.

Sir Dodong once told me that a person who borrows 10 pesos from someone at a time of great need will still not be able to repay his debt even if he gives back a million pesos. That is because God knows what would have happened if nobody lent that person the 10 pesos.

At first I thought the lesson was simply about repaying a debt of gratitude. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was really about remembering. For as long as a person remembers, no matter where the fates may take him, he will never forget his beginnings.

I know some people may scoff at this awkward attempt to draw parallels, and even I myself feel very uncomfortable having to make this, but to a much much lesser extent, I can equate my life to that of Gokongwei.

He reached the pinnacle of success in his life despite striking out first on the wheels of a bicycle. In the much smaller and more strictured life of journalism, I too have reached my own pinnacle, having risen to editor-in-chief despite starting out literally on foot.

Our paths diverge, though, when it comes to remembering. When Gokongwei remembers those individuals and institutions that have helped shape him to become what he is, his financial success allows him to dispense with large amounts of charity money. Giving back, he calls it.

Journalism is not a money profession, and it is not money that I give back when I remember my beginnings. What I give back are words of counsel to the younger generations, all culled from experience, and how they can, if fully appreciated, help them in this profession.

Like the younger generations of journalists, I too have had a lot of people who helped me along the way and I have never forgotten them. Just remembering them and never forgetting to thank them when occasions permit make up for their own just rewards.

The beauty of remembering is that when you do, those whom you touched and whose lives have touched you get to remember in return. The bonding that ensues touches very deeply and makes one feel like a very whole person.

And that is why it must have been a very great feeling for Gokongwei to give away the P20 billion. He has come full circle. He remembered and he has repaid his debts. He has become a very whole person.

Maybe the hugeness of the Gokongwei charity tempts us to focus on the amount that we fail to realize that P20 billion or plain P20, it is the remembering that counts. Money, no matter how valuable to those who do not have it, is actually dead duck if you do not know what it means.

Gokongwei has billions, so he gives in billions. If he had not had any, a handshake would have sufficed and he would still feel whole as a person. To remember gives life meaning. Those who forget are like bus passengers, for whom life is like the scenery flashing by.