The Art of Living Well

The Philippines is not exactly known as a great well-spring of books. The number of books written by Filipino authors pales in comparison to the production of other countries. This fact becomes even more glaring when ranged against the light of our vast pool of literary talent.

The number of Filipinos, both living and dead, who could have immortalized their thoughts in book form but did not must be simply staggering. Of course this will have to remain conjecture in the absence of a system to determine the unspoken desire of many to write if only they could.

I would also not presume to know why this is so. All I am relying on is a gut-feeling developed over years of reading and writing in a different format that, somehow, the voracious appetite of the Filipino to read is not match by a similar commitment to write.

The most plausible explanation, however unsupported by fact, is that economics may have something to do with it. Maybe the system of having to publish your own book is a tall order for Filipino writers who, at the outset, must presumably be struggling.

Given this unfortunate landscape of book generation in the Philippines, extra effort and diligence must be made to preserve, protect and propagate those books that did get lucky enough to be published by Filipino authors.

Scarce though they may be by global standards, I am pretty sure those that survived contain gems of thought that, given proper exposure and sharing, can expand the pragmatic and literary genius of their authors to the fortunate readers who may happen to be stumble on them.

One such book is called " The Art Of Living Well " by Vicente Gullas. The book is a compendium of lessons that, once learned, can lead to a successful life, a goal that is as appropriate today as it was on the day it was written.

But as the title of the book suggests, the success that makes up the central theme of the book does not mean the kind that is equated by possession of wealth, power and fame, but rather the comfort of knowing that one has served his fellowmen well.

Living well in the book means inner peace, clean conscience and genuine happiness, three immeasurable dividends from such inexpensive investments as love and service to humanity, things that once gained cannot be taken away by force or tragedy.

The Gullas family, which is rooted in education ( Vicente Gullas founded the University of the Visayas, the first university in Cebu ), had decided to relaunch the book with the aim of reeducating today's youth in the core values of humanity that do not change with time.

With the modern world's priorities changing rapidly, and such changes bringing about vast sea changes in human orientation and character, a repair to core human values is needed if we are to recapture that which is important in being a human being.

Perhaps nothing is so lost today than that natural desire of human beings to serve others. Even in his time, Vicente Gullas must have already seen the first signs in the shifting sands, prompting him to write his book to serve as guideposts of life.

March 12 marks the date of the relaunch of " The Art of Living Well " by the Gullas family, with Education Secretary Jesli Lapus fittingly serving as the honored guest for the occasion. The day is the eve of the birth anniversary of Vicente Gullas's wife Josefina.

The book should be a great addition to anyone's library. It is a great book written by a great Filipino. It is rare in the sense of what has been said at the beginning of this article, and rarer still as a true gem of humanity masquerading as a printed word.