Goodbye,Brother Louie,Louie,Louie!!!

This song reminds me of a grown-up lad named Louie. Brother Louie, a very popular disco song of the 80's keeps on repeating Brother Louie, Louie,Louie in the chorus of the song. Yes, i had known someone named Louie and he might not even been born on the 80's...

He is a very energetic, idealistic laddie with an infectious smile. First grandson of award winner local government official, the only son of his family, the first male local youth chairperson (Sangguniang Kabataan) of our local government. 15 years younger than me, this youth leader has a clear future of being another leader one day, contributing good developmental projects to the youth of Barangay Labangal and General Santos City as well and even the Philippines in little way. He continued the projects and programs i had started before --- scholarship program to the poor but deserving students, sports development, anti-drug abuse campaign, adolescent development program, etc... etc...Ah, i miss those times when i was a very active youth leader and seeing the dynamism on the next set of leaders after you gives you an inner connection.

So, last december of 2007 (i know it seems like yesterday), i bonded with the local youth. The photo here represents three youth leaders in different generation. We had bowling tournament and we had a fun time. The beauty of youth is that energy and vigor is just beaming and giggling and laughter is always around. I could not forget that time and i could not forget this photo.

Over a week ago, i was shocked with a news : Louie died in a vehicular accident. Up to now i still cannot believe it. Just a split of a second, his life was taking away from him. So sad...so terrible... The youthful Louie, his smile and his face just like that will be what we will remember of him. Such a tragic loss of life to his family and friends and to the community. My condolence to his family. I know it is a really terrible time.

Rest well, Brother Louie,Louie, Louie! We'll treasure the memories we had with you. You'll be forever youthful in our hearts.

The Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth is the search for a long life and many, many sailors/ explorers/ discoverers are searching for this fountain. The question is: does it exist?

Hundreds of years ago, Juan Ponce de Leon, a Spanish explorer who sailed with Christopher Columbus to the New World, heard from the Indians of Puerto Rico of magical water source called the "Fountain of Youth". It was said that whoever drank of its waters kept that person perpetually young.

Ponce de Leon decided to find this secret spring. For many years, he searched for its exact location. When he was finally sure of where it could be found, the ambitious sailor asked permission from King Charles V to search for it. The king agreed, and in 1513 Ponce de Leon and his fleet sailed north of Puerto Rico. They eventually discovered the coastline of Florida - but they never found the secret gusher that would keep humans alive forever.

Does the fountain of youth really exist? For thousands of years, men and women have sought to find the source of longevity. The Greeks believed in the power of ambrosia, the food of the gods that sustained eternal life. The Hindu gods sought for a mystical nectar called amrita, which was said to be a magical elixir of eternal youth. During medieval times, many Europeans wondered about a life-giving spring said to be found in the unexplored territories of Africa and Asia.

Up to now, people are still obssessed with the idea of eternal youth. James Hilton wrote the popular novel Lost Horizon, which was eventually made in to an equally popular Hollywood movie, about a magical valley called Shangri-La where the inhabitants live for hundreds of years. More recent depictions of the theme of eternal youth include the comedy Death Becomes Her, where the aging characters portrayed by Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Bruce Willis discover a seductive enchantress who possesses a secret potion that makes them forever young.

Here is the fact: Longevity is just around the corner. There are lot of things that can help add life to years and not years to life! And we don't need to search for them ... because they are actually found not around us but within us.