Aaron, son of a billionaire, and Anthony, son of an alcoholic, were the best of friends since childhood. They stuck together like super-glue. They were the top in their college class and were academic arch-rivals. But that did not get in the way of their friendship. Friendship overcame rivalry. They were arch-enemies and arch-friends forever.
eastwind journals
‘True Tales’ Series – Volume 48
March 23, 2024 – Archives tr468
By Bernie V. Lopez, eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com
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Aaron, whose dad was a celebrated tycoon, finished his doctorate in business at Harvard, ready to take over his dad’s empire. He worked for his dad, learning the ropes quickly. In no time, he became the Executive Vice President. And when his dad suddenly died of heart attack due to too many conference-room meetings, he took over. Unlike his frantic dad, he was gentle to himself and and cool as a cucumber. In no time, the empire doubled, heading for the stratosphere.
Anthony, who was traumatized by his alcoholic dad who often mauled when drunk, did not know what to do with himself. He yearned for something lofty. Reluctantly, he entered the priesthood, but his rebel spirit could not stand the hypocrisy and authoritarian air. So, he left as quickly as he entered. He joined a cloistered Benedictine abbey, but, realizing that insulation from mainstream society was a quick step towards total madness, he left again.
He decided to take his time, stopping to “join and leave and join and leave”. He took the 200-kilometer pilgrimage hike in Compostela Valley, Spain, in search of himself. There, while walking endlessly, he was struck by lightning, similar to what changed St. Paul, the Apostle, who changed from persecutor to protector of Christians. He had a new dream, to build a small exclusive school., whose sole goal was to train brilliant kids to become apostles for the Lord. He went to Aaron to ask for a modest fund. They sat in an exclusive beach resort somewhere in the Philippines frequented by Hollywood stars, watching the pink sunset darken into deep purple.
Anthony – Aaron, my dream is to train a small band of brilliant young men to become modern-day apostles, men for others for the Lord. I need some starter funds for a small exclusive school.
Aaron – What for? What benefit will you get?
Anthony – No benefit for me, only for others.
Aaron – We can setup a university to rival Harvard, which is aging and dying. We need new business ideas, fresh, radical. You run the school. It will be for our legacy.
Anthony – What for? Legacy is an ego trip. I want something not self-serving.
Aaron – In my world, everything is self-serving.
Anthony – In my world, everything is service to others.
They argued endlessly until the dark of night over porterhouse steak and three bottles of Shiraz red wine. But it was hard to bridge the chasms between their hearts.
Aaron – (standing up to gaze at the star-studded heaven) Let’s shoot for the stars, Anthony, you and I, just like old times.
Anthony – Okay, but we do it my way. Let’s build an exclusive ‘Universe University’ or UU and seek out the souls of men.
Aaron – (embracing Anthony) Okay, I give in. Let’s do it your way, even if there is no benefit for us.
Anthony – Wrong, Aaron, the benefit we give to others is a benefit for us five-fold. Don’t you see it?
Aaron – If you say so. Okay, build your school right there (pointing to lights at a distance). That nearby empty island has the same talcum powder snow-white sand as this one. I wanted to buy it but the prize is so steep.
Anthony – Nothing is steep for you, jackass. Perhaps you hesitate because it is too far from your empire in New York. But now that I will build a school there, you have the excuse to come more often and drink Shiraz with me. I will even ask you to teach Business Ethics, the only business subject I will offer. And in this paradise, you can relax and forget your empire for a while.
Aaron – I like your way of reading my mind so precisely. (They shake hands and embrace. Aaron sees a shooting star, pointing.) Hey, look, an omen of good tidings.
And so, Aaron and Anthony embraced to strike the deal of their lives – a school, a ‘Universe University’ (UU), young men of the Universe molded into modern-day disciples of the Lord. The concept was so radical, it invited ridicule from conservatives.
Students did not pay tuition. Instead, the school paid them. Aaron argued that it was not a profit-making venture. The screening was so strict that only 22 applicants qualified out of 6,555. This group was the crème ala crème, the best of the best. The focus was skills not of the mind but of the heart, not the teaching or platform skills (that was an assumed requirement), but the ability to give one’s self, to sacrifice comfort levels, the ability to love.
The first step was to immerse them in humility and poverty. Anthony adopted the style of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order. Everyone was told to beg for food in front of a church of their choosing in the daytime, and do fasting (bread and water), and have a vigil of prayer and meditation inside the church in the evening. They slept at the doorstep of the church. Anthony and Aaron joined the group. It was a spiritual cleansing process that took a whole month.
When they met after the immersion, Anthony and Aaron noticed how all of them have lost a lot of weight, but were very happy and excited. Somehow, physical fasting drew out their spiritual energy. They were to become the Navy Seals for the Lord.
The second step was ‘school immersion’. They went as teachers to various universities worldwide, Karachi, Singapore, Manila, etc. They taught for one school year a new elective subject entitled Introduction to Missionary Work. They did not screen applicants. They taught anyone who was interested.
The effect was mind-boggling. When they assembled after teaching for a year, it took the 22 participants three months to share each other’s experiences to the last detail. One by one, they shared their lessons learned. This became their primer for teaching. All the lessons learned were documented and compiled into the textbook for future classes – all the experiences of the magic 22 compiled. This in turn was converted into a set of video segments for easy learning for the participants.
Three UU graduates taught Steve Job’s ‘love marketing’ in Harvard, Yale and Oxford. They imbued their students with spiritual awakening, not taught before in business schools. This angered many business professors who wanted them out. But they prevailed because Harvard, Yale, and Oxford believed in their cause. They started revolutions in the heart of many ivy league universities.
Four UU grads taught nurses and nursing care groups in big hospitals in India, the Philippines, Germany, and Ukraine, expertise in dealing with patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. They adopted the caring style of Filipino nurses based on loving patients, dispelling the old notion that nurses should not get emotionally involved with patients. Involvement was an essential part of caring.
And so, Aaron and Anthony became pioneers in a radical form of caring that began to change business schools, hospitals, medical schools, and nursing care centers across the globe. UU grads became disciples of the Lord in all fields and aspects of education and health.
Light and Darkness.
You are standing at the edge of a cliff, viewing the panorama of a purple sunset that holds you in awe. You are breathless, hypnotized by the light. But as you look down below the cliff, you see a dark mysterious chasm, an abyss that scares you. In the dark haze, you see ghostly figures. You move a step backward in fear of falling into the darkness.
How do you reach the light and avoid the darkness? How do you bridge the chasm to get to the horizon? This question haunts everyone in search of one’s self. Your entire destiny, your entire being, is at stake before the big jump to nowhere and everywhere.
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More Inspirational Articles – eastwindjournals.com.
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1) Father Fernando Suarez – www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UP3LHBgtIc.
2) Sr. Raquel Reodica, RVM – www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAZcwNimBSg
Download free e-book ‘Healing Stories of Sr. Raquel’ at eastwindjournals.com/2021/08/13/healing-stories-of-sr-raquel-e-book-free-download/).
Author’s book. At age 26, the author (eastwind) drifted through Europe, hitchhiking 25,000 kilometers for three straight years. He wrote a book on his adventures, Wings and Wanderlust. He learned deep insights that radically changed his view of life, which he wants to share with readers looking for themselves or wanting to catch the wind. More about the book (get a copy) = https://eastwindjournals.com/2023/02/25/more-about-the-book-wings-and-wanderlust/
Author’s Credentials. Blogger – ex-Columnist (Inquirer) – Healing Ministry – ex-Professor (Ateneo University) – Documentary Producer-Director (freelance, ex-ABS-CBN, ex-TVS Tokyo) – ex-Broadcaster (Radio Veritas) – Facebook “Bernie V. Lopez Eastwind” / Pages “Eastwind Journeys and Journals” and “Mary Queen of Peace”.
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