Skip to main content

on RULES and SHORTCUTS

I was riding on the bus on my way to Tiaong, Quezon to visit my sister.
Times like this is a moment of enlightenment.
In the bus, cold, nothing to do, rain pouring outside.
What could this situation make you do?
Sleep? Talk to the old woman next to you (maybe that's a good idea)? Eat?
But I just don't want to do that in this particular moment.
I suddenly remembered, I haven't touched my Rubik's cube for a couple of days now.
So, ginkuha nakon ina sa bag nakon.
For some reason, I just packed it up this morning,
Right before having lunch with a bunch of policeman who left me for a while to respond to something...and then came back.

So I was holding it.
I unsolved it and then solved it.
And this idea came to my mind.
What will happen if I did not follow all rules in solving the first layer?
So I did.
After creating a cross (with a shortcut that I've learned from observing my tropa E.Sanchez), I turned it upside down and started to solve the edges.
It produced a same result, but was solved in a shorter period of time.
I was like, "wow?!" (yes with a question mark)
And then I solved the 2nd and the 3rd layer using the rules and shortcuts that I've learned from my Rubik's cube mates.
While doing that, I came up with something.
That is;
"For every rule, sometimes there's still a shortcut." 2:40PM
Then after writing down all my thoughts I re-wrote that, which became my status on facebook.
1
"

For every rule followed, produces a desired result. But sometimes, there's still a SHORTCUT that produces the SAME desired result. :)"


While I was doing my 2nd layer with that shortcut created by one of my co-katropas, something happened.
This thing happens like 4 times in every 10 attempts of solving a Rubik's cube.
And every time this happens, there is only one cure.
2
"But if there is trouble, the RULE is still the one that you can lean on to." 2:45PM
You can apply that to our everyday lives.
Not only in Mathematics or Physics.
Not only as Full-time missionaries.
Just think about the Plan of Salvation.
Is there any other BEST way?

Are you going to be the RULE person? or the SHORTCUT person?
Maybe consider both? (smirk)

For one thing, I agree with my tropa who said that President Tobias', my mission president, decision about Teaching Assistants is not in the Preach My Gospel (which has all the rules).
But maybe, just maybe, that is a revelation given to him in order to have a faster progression for the sake of the missionaries.
See? A shortcut!
Though it is not included in the whole Rule, it will still produce the same result.
That is, PROGRESS.
That has been attained for a SHORTER PERIOD OF TIME.
Shortcut. 3:00PM
That is maybe the reason why we have this saying "we should always have a ROOM for improvement".
These shortcuts sometimes, lead us to improve!

Rule - process - result
shortcut - shorter process - result

the same "result".

We must know the rules, but still be open to use the shortcuts.
But still we must know the rules because that is the only answer if trouble/disaster comes.
Why?
We can't all be perfect.
That is the reason why we DIE.
If we are all PERFECT, if all the RULES are followed then we will NEVER DIE.
(Take for example, the choice made by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden).

Heavenly Father knows that though His plan is perfect, and His rules are set to be followed, He also understands that we are still not perfect.
That is why we still needed our Savior, our superhero.

We are all subject to imperfections because of the special gift given to us by our powerful Father in Heaven Himself.
Because we have our Agency.
A freedom to choose what we wanted.
A freedom to choose good or evil.
A freedom to choose something out of everything.
And because of that agency, we produce shortcuts, imaginations.
And then we would realize while playing the Rubik's cube that these shortcuts and imaginations and a knowledge about the rule is the best way to produce the same result, even a BETTER result (because of a shorter period of time used).
That these shortcuts, imaginations and knowledge about the rules could lead us to progression.

The most permanent thing in this world is change.
Everything in this world (in this universe) is/has a process.
There is always a process in achieving goals, in attaining the desired effect, or the desired result.
But not all process is the same to be able to achieve that result.
Because we have our Agency.
That is why change is always present.
And change is one of the reason why we are now living in a better world, or otherwise.

But there is one thing that is totally true.
There is no shortcut for EXALTATION.
So I'm just gonna end this thought by giving you a formula to be able to attain the desired result on your Rubik's cube, I mean...your life.

That is;

Our Best + the Savior + the process = EXALTATION
(though not that really perfect)

What process?

RULE + ACCEPT IMPERFECTIONS + IMAGINATIONS = DESIRED RESULT
(Termination of Trouble)



Well, Be O P E N. 3:13PM

I'm now in Tiaong.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Strongest Storm

This is the strongest storm that will hit the Philippines tomorrow. Click the image to see the affected ares.

The Floating Red Balloon: Why are you stuck in love? (By Wam Rellora)

I admit. I fell in love once. I fell in love with him. It doesn’t matter if it took me 3 years to finally say this to myself, and out loud. What matters is I’m finally at this stage. Acceptance. If your major is medical related, or a person who read a lot online, you probably know who Elisabeth Kubler-Ross is. If you don’t, perhaps you’ve heard the 5 Stages of Loss and Grief? Most people I know call it the grieving process. Thanks to Ms. Kubler-Ross we now have a name for this process. The acronym is DABDA, a.k.a. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Why am I telling you this? You know I don’t really know. I just feel like I should write about it. I’m not sure if I have the same experience as other people out there, but I know that there’s somebody out there who can somehow relate. Am I happy? I can’t really tell…but I’m also not very sad. Well, if you think one of the outlet of sadness is crying, then perhaps I’m sad. If you think some happiness involves cryi...

On Comparing and Listening

Your story is different from mine. Her story is different from mine. If we really care, we would listen intently. Most people just need someone to make them feel that they are loved and cared for. We prefer to be with someone who truly understands or someone who's doing her best to understand. We prefer that, sometimes unknowingly, than those who acts like they're listening so they can speak their mind and compare. It's good to have an intention to help someone gain faith, if he really needs it. But we can never induce faith. We can never force someone to have faith. Sometimes we may only need to listen to ourselves if we are truly acting through the guidance of the spirit or if we are only being self righteous. Posted via Blogaway Posted via Blogaway