Please Don’t Say That

By Alex P. Vidal 

“Spend some time this weekend on home improvement; improve your attitude toward your family.” —Bo Bennett

IF you lost in the recent elections, please refrain from justifying the defeat by parroting the oft-repeated declaration, “Now, I have more time for my family” or “it’s a blessing in disguise because I can now spend more time for my children.”

Or “it’s God’s will so I can be with my family when they need me anytime.”

Let’s leave God alone. He has nothing to do whatsoever with our ambition and frustrations. How many of us remember Him when we are on top of the world?

If we lost, that’s it; call spade a spade. No excuses. No eerie justification. It’s part of the game.

It will boomerang if we complain and grumble. It will not sound favorably. It’s not nice in the ears.

That means we never prioritized our family? Or we are now telling all and sundry we placed politics above our family during the halcyon years of our political life?

And now that we have been vanquished, our children suddenly have become our priority, nay aces in the hole?

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Denis Baker said even in defeat, we must remain humble. It’s a character trait that every leader should posses.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “there is perhaps not one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive. Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.”

Children, or family for that matter, can’t and shouldn’t be second fiddle.

No political success and failure and even prestige can match the value of children and family.

They are the priority, not politics; not money and fame; not title and victories. They are so important because of all the love and support they provide whether we win or lose in any competition.

Being with family, not with fellow politicians or “people who need our assistance in public service,” helps construct our principles and improves our overall mental health.

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Spending time with our family is key to our development as it promotes adaptability and resilience.

Such key lessons can only be taught by family members coaching each other regarding life’s ups and downs.

Family is what makes us who we are. Not politics. Not “my commitment to public service and to serve the poor or those who are in need.”

According to Highland Springs, a Plos One study showed that participants’ stress, happiness, and well-being levels were better predicted by their social circle strength than by the physical health data collected on a fitness tracker.

This shows just how important time with family (or close friends we call family) is to our physical and mental health and why family is important.

The benefits of spending time with family is such a critical component of a full, meaningful life.

Let us remember, family doesn’t necessarily have to be considered blood relatives. Close friends, a guardian, or step siblings are well within the realm of who we consider family.

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MILLIONS OF SPERM. Although it only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg, a man whose ejaculate yields less than 35 million sperm is considered infertile.

PREGNANCY. If a woman experiences an orgasm during sex, she’s more likely to become pregnant, since orgasmic spasms in pelvic muscles can help move sperm up the vaginal canal to the uterus.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)