“‘Lost’ is a temporary state.
Be found.”—Mark Lawrence Cruz

Children are always an interesting and insightful bunch.

Cartoon Network recently released a survey on what Filipino kids valued and aspired to. The New Generations 2012 study found that Filipino kids desired high-paying jobs by age 30, but showed less enthusiasm for marriage.

Of the 1,000 kids surveyed by the leading kids’ entertainment channel, 63 percent indicated they desired a lucrative career. They were asked to choose their Top 3 from a list of 10 priorities. They would also like to be physically fit (45 percent); rich (42 percent); happy (40 percent); and have lots of friends (26 percent).

Lesser priorities include: to be well-traveled (22 percent); be married (12 percent); have a fast car (11 percent); and have babies (10 percent).

Duncan Morris, vice president for research and market development of Turner International Asia Pacific Ltd., said: “Today’s kids are tomorrow’s leaders in the Philippines, and the survey provides insights into what makes them tick. This is our fifth study. Based on the findings, it shows Pinoy kids are ambitious yet still place value on maintaining healthy lifestyles.”

Other areas of the study delved into the kids’ current concerns and attitudes. The results said Filipino kids displayed high levels of contentment with most aspects of their lives: appearance (87 percent); quality time spent with parents (87 percent); making friends (85 percent); health (85 percent); hobbies and interests (79 percent); having people they can trust and talk to (77 percent).

Most of the kids (82 percent) also indicated they were happy about meeting their parents’ expectations.

On the day I read this report, my daughter (who grew up on a sufficient diet of Cartoon Network where Scooby Doo and the Powerpuff girls were her favorites) and I had an interesting conversation over dinner about a discussion she had during her Philosophy class.

Her professor Mark Lawrence Cruz had told them: “Your aspirations for yourselves are often reflections of what you really value the most, or what would make you happiest in the long run.”

The discussion inspired her so much that she wrote an entire treatise on it on her blog. Here are her thoughts:

“Our professor began the class by asking us why we had woken up at six that morning to listen to him lecture. Some said they wanted to learn. Others admitted they didn’t want to fail and just wanted to graduate. Graduation, they said, would ensure them of a degree which could land them a good job. These jobs would give them money to sustain lifestyles for their families, enough to indulge their pleasures, and, if blessed enough, still have a sufficient amount to give back.

“We were then asked: But why do we do all these things? Why do we work hard? Why do we give back? Why do we require the security of possessions, experiences and the affirmation from others?

“We were taught that it was most often for the end goal of being happy. It was a linear, step-by-step process where one studied, worked, made money and used that money to be happy.

“However, our professor posed another situation to us: What if we could skip all that studying and hard work and immediately get the finances we need for the rest of our lives? What if we were given say, P750 million?

“A lot of us started listing down what we wanted, and many of them were things we only saw in our wildest dreams. Someone said they’d build a house at Forbes Park (P90 million). Another said they’d put up a beach-house in Amanpulo (P80 million) and buy an accompanying jet to take them there on weekends (P30 million).

“Someone said they’d place a good amount of it (P50 million) in stock-market investments. Another said he’d give 75 percent (P560 million) to Gawad Kalinga. One guy said he’d buy a girlfriend, to which I heard someone sarcastically mutter under his breath: ‘Pare, ’di kasi nabibili ang pag-ibig.’

“It got me thinking, How would I spend P750 million if I had it? After some careful consideration, I realized my dreams weren’t as ridiculous as I would have assumed they would be.

“Someday I hope to live in a comfortable home in Manila, or in a place with cleaner air like Cebu, or Davao, where my family is from. I hope it has big picture windows with sweeping views; enough space for my kids to run around; a huge kitchen I can cook in; and lots of dogs to keep us happy. I also hope (hope only, although the idea of independence is really starting to grow on me) this home has someone with a good heart I can wake up next to in the morning and fall asleep beside at night.

“I hope to be able to send my brother to the film school of his dreams. I hope to be able to support my parents in their old age, providing for whatever assistance they may need. I hope to grow old with my friends and see them for annual Christmas dinners and barkada vacations. I hope to continue to explore the world and go on mission trips to help those who need it most. I hope to be able to support myself and my family but still give sufficiently back to those who need it.

“But I will not lie: I hope to live comfortably—and by ‘comfortably’ I mean being able to eat organically and well; travel every now and then; and have the financial stability to buffer any medical or educational expenses—and I don’t think I can be faulted for that.

“When I computed the total cost of my dream life, though, I saw it would probably cost much less than a third of the theoretical P750 million given to me. I’d still have so much after. But even if I gave the remaining amount to causes or charities, would I ever be truly happy? My answer would probably be no.

“I know this sounds a little unbelievably saintly and idealistic, but I think I’d only be truly happy knowing that I (and not some whimsical twist of fate) worked to provide for the people I love. I think even if I had all the money in the world, I couldn’t just sit still and enjoy it. I would honestly get bored.

“Our professor also taught us that happiness and the state of being found was directly proportional to how passionately I would fight for it. But how can I passionately fight for something, though, if I don’t know what I want?

“I guess I am now starting to see the value of clearly defining what I want. That the more specific I am about my dreams, the clearer the path to get there becomes defined. The sense of knowing what I’m fighting for and the feeling I’d get when I’ve finally reached it—I’m pretty sure that’s worth more than P750 million. I just hope to get there soon.”

Follow the author on Twitter @cathybabao. E-mail her at [email protected]