The Living Legend
By Angelica Bautista Viloria
October 30, 2000

Nope, this isn't about some obscure but supposedly great person you learned about in college but forgot about subsequently. It isn't about some celebrity or movie star your parents rave about. This is about you.

"Who, me?" I can almost hear you saying, with a surprised, if not shell-shocked expression on your face. "But I haven't done anything great or heroic, except perhaps not go bonkers when stuck in Edsa traffic or just thinking about the Philippines' state of affairs?" Yes, I know, heroes and legends are usually dead, but we digress.

Are you afraid to die? I'm not. Then again, I have not had death stare me in the face so maybe you shouldn't believe that statement of mine too much. Anyway, I remember when I was in college and taking up Psychology, we were asked to introduce ourselves in class and were told to say something different which would reveal more about ourselves, rather than the usual course that you were taking and which high school you came from. I then went on to state that I had two greatest fears: getting fat and dying suddenly.

I am much older now. I still dread getting fat but the attitude regarding the dying part has changed quite significantly. Rather than dying (whether suddenly or quite expectedly), what's scarier now is to die without realizing your personal legend or what your being alive, on this earth, is all about.

What is your personal legend? Jessica Zafra aspires for world domination. What is it that will give your life meaning? That will perk you up enough so that you greet each day with a feeling of gratitude and bliss?

There are a few questions that one might ask one's self to find out your ultimate reason for being. What would you do if you knew you would die in a few days? What would you spend on if you had all the money in the world? What would you attempt to do if you knew you couldn't fail?

In your answers to these questions lie your priorities. They will reveal to you what you see as important, what makes life meaningful. Life, with all its irritations and frustrations, is still one exciting book. There are stories waiting to unfold, poetry in even the most mundane things. Life is meant to be lived to the max.

My own personal legend is to be a writer and to be published (the traditional way, not on the internet). I have not met with success yet but I know that every rejection brings me closer to my goal. That's the law of probabilities. The universe always conspires to make you succeed.

Life is fleeting. Make the most of each new day. Whatever it is, for as long as it's not illegal nor immoral, just do it. Attempt it at the least. Face your own insecurities and fears. Write your own legend. Live.

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