QUE SERA, SERA...

“Ay! Bahala na!” a common phrase we hear from some Filipinos.
BAHALA NA is an unproductive perspective of life. It is rendered loosely as “COME WHAT MAY” or QUE SERA, SERA (WHAT WILL BE, WLL BE). It conjures up utter helplessness in face of difficult situations. Notwithstanding its sense of fatalism, this common idiom is also a Filipino expression of faith in a higher Being. “BAHALA NA” comes from “Bahala na,” where Bathala is a tagalog name of God. Its literal meaning, therefore, would be “LET GOD TAKE CHARGE!”
Jessie was my classmate in fourth-year high school. He had always been the laughingstock in our class. Every morning he came to class late. If he wasn’t late, he was cutting classes and playing cards with his friends near the campus. He had never been in class for the whole day and had never devoted himself to studying lessons. His mother always came to school to check whether Jessie was attending his classes. Sad to say, she seldom found her child in class, or if he was there, she hardly saw him joining down notes or listening to class discussions.
One day the teacher asked, “Who of you are feeling happy today? Many students raised their hands. She was amazed at her students’ response. But she was even more delighted to see Jessie raising his hand. The teacher said, “Ok, Jessie, tell me why you’re happy today.”
Jessie replied, “Because, I have again another day to play and . . . .bahala na!” The teacher sort of anticipated that answer from him.
Every day there seemed to be no end to his playful self. Jessie was very happy all the time, never thinking of his future and never dreaming of having a d life.
The teacher was worried about him, so after class she asked Jessie to stay behind. “Why do yu remain happy even if you don’t pass any test? Aren’t you worried that you may fail all your subjects this year?”
Jessie politely answered. “I have always wanted to be happy-go-lucky guy since I lost my father. I always try to pretend I’m happy, but actually I’m aching deep inside when I’m alone. Because of my father’s loss, I have always wanted to live in the past, with my father, and forget about the future.”
The teacher hugged Jessie and said, “Please don’t waste time by playing and fooling around. I believe your father would not be happy seeing you this way, if he we here today.”
The next day, Jessie came to class early, much earlier than any of his classmates. He came to realize that living in the past and not planning for the future was not the best thing for him. From the day on he came to class early and studied much harder.
It was no surprise then for everybody to see Jessie receive a number of honors on our graduation day. He made it to the top because of a simple hug, because of the words of encouragement from our teacher.
There are lot meanings for this phrase. Saying this is such a bad habit. We must do everything to what we do. “Kung ginawa man lang natin, lubos-lubosin na!”