Living by the 3M Teaching

Vol. 1, No. 1  *  23 October 2008

By JCI Mem. EMI ROSE R. PARCON

I am a frustrated writer.

There's always a part of me that wants to put my thoughts in print. Though, I blog from time to time, I am never compelled to come up with a regular article as what I will be doing starting now.  It will be self-imposed, mind you.

As a springboard from the belief that each person has a story to tell, an insight to share and has messages to espouse,I believe that I, too, no matter how limited my writing prowess is, have my moments and messages to also put in paper.

And because I will sit as president come January 1 and because today is a celebration of the tenet "Government should be Laws rather than of Men"¹, I deem it apt and relevant to soft-launch my column "MM's Messages and Moments", a 3M endeavour.

The column title is inspired by Bruce Rector's² 3M strategy, the Monday Morning Messages.  This is my way of sharing with the general  membership (and to those who will deem my writing interesting enough) the learnings I get from my involvement with the movement; and my attempts to Be Better and to become an Active Citizen in the aim of creating Positive Changes.

This is be my way of sharing my "Caleb"³ dream to my fellow members and to help them see the limited wisdom that I might have.

Last Saturday's JCI Achieve Course⁴ reminded me again of what my involvement with JCI should be about and how we should go about achieving the movement's vision.  The vision seems farfetched, thus easy to ignore.  Most of us are jaded enough to stop believing that the vision will eventually come true.

That's why I supplement it.  I add a vision of my own.  Because I must admit, I have become jaded too.  And though a part of me wants to hold on to the idealism of it all, I am in the middle of a world beset with conflict.  Heck, I'm often a conflicted person, myself.

But I found a vision that would supplement the federation's vision.  Running the risk of putting my heart on paper, I will share it with you...my vision.

Apart from imbibing Henry "Hy" Giessenbier, Jr.'s⁵ preferred view of the future, it is also my dream that I would leave something for Dindin, my one and only son (so far!) and my number one guy (Gelo doesn't mind).

It is my dream for him to see that his parents will always have something to aim for, something way greater than personal comfort and success.

It is my dream for him to also believe that just because something is highly improbable, it is not impossible.

It is my dream for him to embrace idealism too and to hold on to it despite the practicalities of life.

It is my dream for him to have roots, to have an identity aside from the family names he inherited from us; an identity that will make him feel at home wherever he will go much like how a Jollibee store in the middle of strange land will make a Filipino feel like he's still within his own backyard.

I want him to feel that even if he will later on go places, he can always say "I am part of a "JCI family" and that "family" transcends boundaries and sovereignty.

It is then, my mission, to help create a JCI brand strong enough, sustainably relevant enough to last centuries enough for Dindin and his sons and daughters to still benefit from that identity.

And I hope, fellow JCI members, you will share this vision too.  Though it is still a bit idealistic for most people's taste, it is more personal, more relevant, especially those who have children and those who plan to leave a legacy for their heirs.

Fellow members of a chapter with "conjugal members"⁶, help me to also espouse that vision.  Help me further strengthen our organization.

1 - fourth tenet of the JCI Creed which the chapter celebrates today, Oct. 22, as part of its 3rd Chapter Anniversary;

2 - Bruce Rector is the 2003 JCI World President

3 - Caleb is one of Moses' generals, as written in the Book of Numbers in the Bible.  He is considered as the "boldest dreamer" of the Bible by author Mark Atteberry in his book "The Caleb Quest"

4 - JCI Achieve is a chapter development course certified by JCI University.  It teaches the vision and mission of the organization, the JCI brand and who the membership of the organization should comprise.

5 - Henry "Hy" Giessenbier, Jr., is author of the JCI Vision and one of the founders of JCI.

6 - JCI Cebu-Mactan Channel members are mostly composed of couples, either spouses or girlfriend/boyfriend

Comments

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Poks  - I am proud of you classmate MM   |2008-10-23 03:41:35 Inspiring manuscript! I will surely be waiting for the next edition of your column.. Just dont forget to add humor in it, like the "Gelo doesnt mind" anecdote.lol Reply | Quote 0   0

eMMi  - Thanks!!!!!   |2008-10-23 05:17:17 Thanks, Poks! And yes, there will be humor na jud! Reply | Quote 0   0

gleendo   |2008-10-23 10:07:55 thanks for the leadership gold book! Reply | Quote 0   0

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