Miguel Reynaldo F.

Miranda A54

LCFAITH

2​ND​ REFLECTION PAPER

1. What do you believe in? Narrate a true story about the time when belief was
demonstrated or manifested.

I believe in the people of the Philippines. The Philippines is a beautiful country, rich in
natural resources, full of amazing people. The people are what I truly believe in because despite
all we endured as a country from our colonization, world wars, the Marcos dictatorship, and
natural calamities. In these times, we become united as a nation, we show our humanity,
hospitality and selflessness. I am truly inspired by how we handle bad situations. We were
colonized by the Spanish and Americans, and we fought for our independence. Our country
saved Jews during the holocaust. We were a part of many wars, my great grandfather fought for
our freedom against the Japanese during World War II. He walked the Bataan Death March and
lived. We were the first asian country to send troops to support Korea during the Korean war.
During the Marcos dictatorship, we as a nation of Filipino people seeking independence united
together in a nonviolent revolution which ended his long reign in our country.. My grandfather
and my father were there during the People Power Revolution. During natural calamities such
as Typhoon Ondoy or Typhoon Yolanda, we unite as one to support each other especially those
strongly affected by these typhoons. Also more recently the eruption of Taal Volcano, when the
people of taal needed refuge to escape the typhoon, neighboring towns and cities opened their
doors to bring them in and provide for them.

A true story when my belief was demonstrated or manifested was when recently, the
Taal Volcano erupted. Last summer, I hiked the volcano with my close friends. It was beautiful,
and we had a great time with the beautiful scenery and the kind people of taal. I believed in the
good things Filipinos do during bad situations. When the volcano erupted, I was playing golf with
my father. The large ashcloud could be seen from where we were in Binan Laguna.
Immediately, my father called my grandfather who lives in Alfonso Tagaytay. He saw the large
ash cloud as well and when he sent a picture of his view from his home. I was terrified, I thought
of the many people, animals, flora at the place. I watched closely the updates and it made me
sad seeing the many people who were displaced by the volcano’s eruption. But what made me
really believe in the Filipino people was when many opened their homes for those who didn’t
have a place to go. Gave free food to those who needed food. Washed the windows of the cars
passing by. I also saw a video of a man trying to get some animals off the island. In a time
where things seemed hopeless there was hope. It made me happy and high in spirit. I really
wanted to help, so when my mother told me that there was an evacuation center in Gen. Trias
Cavite, a city where my uncle was the Mayor, had some refugees from taal that were in need of
help. I decided to come along and help distribute canned goods, blankets, and face masks for
them. I felt the bayanihan spirit of helping our fellow Filipinos who were in need. We stand
together through everything that we endure. The Filipino people are truly something amazing
and for the future, it is something that I truly believe in. Improving the lives of all Filipinos is
possible, but we need to be united in order to do so.

2. What do you think will happen to you after you die?;

I believe that there is an afterlife. Many things that I believe in are things taught to me
when I was a kid. My parents taught me that when a relative of mine died, we would pray that
they would go to heaven and live happily with God. I also believe that would happen to me after
I die. My body would stay on earth, but my soul would go to heaven or hell. Someone once told
me that life on earth is nothing compared to living eternity in heaven. That is why I try to do the
will of God. Helping others and also sharing the word of God. I believe that God will put me in
the right place when I die. The life that I deserve based on my actions on earth.

3. Reflect on the WordCloud image based on your responses in a recent class activity.

It appears that God, love, kindness, and good are the most prevalent words from the
WordCloud which many of us believe in the most. I believe that people are different and set
some beliefs higher than others. This could be because they were influenced by their
experiences in their upbringing. Most of these words are words of positivity and its good to see
that my class believes in positive words that are important to them. These worlds affect me
because I carry these words in the way I live my life. God is my biggest influence, we must be
good to others and treat each other with love and kindness.
 4. What insights about Filipino youth’s beliefs can you derive from the WordCloud? Give
two (2) insights and briefly explain your answer.

One insight about Filipino youth’s beliefs I could derive from the WordCloud would be
God. With Catholicism being the dominant religion in our country, I could see that the youth
being very active in expressing their faith whether it be through prayer, through worship, or
through service of others. Since high school, I have been active in faith orgs such as Youth for
Christ - Zobel and Lasallian Youth Corps. It taught me more about God and made me truly have
faith in him and all his wonders. It also made me love service for others. God is a huge influence
to not just me, but many other Filipino youth. It is seen through the many faith based orgs seen
around the country. All doing their part in praising God and serving him.

Another insight about the Filipino youth’s beliefs that I could derive from the WordCloud
would be the words responsible, importance, and purpose. The three words were bunched up
together and it made me realize that we as the future generation are important, and have a
purpose to improve the world. It is our responsibility to become the future leaders of the world.
The world is now connected unlike any time before, this done with the use of social media. We
must use our opportunities to improve the lives of others and care for the earth. The earth is
God’s gift to us and he told us to work and care for the earth. We only have one earth and we
must make it count. We should end wars, end poverty and care for the environment, and only
the youth have the potential to do it. We are all important. It is our purpose and our responsibility
as global citizens.