Yesterday I was tired beyond measure from the activities of the day. I went to Libuton Caves in Manukan. There are two caves out of more than 30 caves that is part of the standard group tour here. These two caves are considered the easiest ones to explore for beginners. Incidentally, I was the only one brave enough and had the energy to go on to continue exploring the second cave. We did it in record time of about 19 minutes total. All in all, we explored and got back to the rally point in 30 minutes. Not bad at all, considering that it has been more than two years that I did any form of cave exploration.
According to the tour guide Renan, “the most beautiful caves are those that have the narrowest entrances and exits.” He says this with conviction and after exploring so many caves in his lifetime. In fact, during the tour I learned that caves have a natural ecosystem of their own. Caves also die if the ecosystem above it dies as well. This is interesting because I’ve never thought about caves being alive or having a life of its own. And yet the more the tour guide narrated how stalactites and stalagmites form, it made me realize that caves offer an analogy of the beauty and madness of the human soul and spirituality.
One, I relearned my lesson on how stalactites are the once that form above the caves. They form in different shapes and sizes and are influenced by the kind of minerals that seep through the caves coming from above. The stalgamites are the ones that form opposite that of each stalactite. Though I learned this before in a previous cave tour, it was only with this one that I learned that over time, the two would meet and will continue to form what geologists call a pillar. These pillars are the ones that make the foundation of the caves stand over time. Each stactite and stalagmite takes centuries to form and touching the tip of the stalactite [not the stalagmite] will disrupt the growth and natural order of things.
I found this illustration to be an amazing analogy of reaching out to an invisible God! Sometimes the grace of God falls like rain — it does so to all people and not just to those who follow God. And yet for those who follow God, one embraces and awaits for that drop of rain, that drop of grace and blessing that can help one reach a close relationship with the Creator of this universe. Over time, this relationship becomes closer and I liken it to the meeting of the stalactite and stalagmite. It is only when the two have truly met can a pillar form. And that pillar for me is the pillar of faith that can stand the test of time. For in life, caves also continue to battle other geological hazards. For natural ones, there are flashfloods that enter the caves [assuming the ecological balance is still there]. For manmand hazards, well, we all know what man can do to destroy anything!
For the past ten years of my life, I’ve noticed that my life has been bombarded by challenges in my faith that feel like flashflood that want to destroy the beautiful madness that can be seen within the crevices of my heart. But though the pressure has continued to build and ebb away; I still wait for the drops of rain like fall like grace undeserved in my life. Like a cave, I have to wait for the rain to slowly find its way deep within the roots of trees and slowly form drops within the stalactites in order to reach me. This process takes long, and it reminds me that patience is indeed an important virtue in becoming a more beautiful cave.
And in life, the patience is also something that makes anything or any person more beautiful.Any hurried project always has a downside. And I need to remind myself of this as I continue to work in the corporate world. For everybody in the corporate world aspire for more — more power, more money, more of anything and everything! This insatiable desire for more can be the cause of impatience and the cause of much grief. And though I profess to continue to have faith in God — I admit that there are times when I too fall into that maze that they call the rat race.
I thank God for being able to take this break away from work. I do feel tired — but the feeling I have about it is quite different. I am tired because of the physical activities, not because of office stress. Everybody needs a break once in a while. I think that for the longest time, I have never taken Sundays as a true day off from work. Hopefully when I get back to work, I will make Sundays sacred again. Till then, I will end this entry with the most beautiful scene I saw inside the second cave. In one of the chambers of the second cave, there are shards of light that shines from above illuminating the cave within. In a place of total darkness, the smallest light truly shines bright. It reminded me that even the darkest of places and perhaps even the most darkest of hearts have cracks were light can shine within. History has shown itself that it can turn the tables upside down like what happened to South Africa. For me, this imagery will stick for weeks to come and bring encouragement to a soul that is thirsty for hope, thirsty for change in a world that continues to grow darker.
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