The most powerful energy in the Universe is two-fold — survival, which is self-centered or inward, and love, which is reaching out to others, or outward. Both are important aspects of human existence.

The Flower Maiden Aling Lucy lives alone. She is blind from advanced cataracts because she cannot afford surgery. All she sees is a blur of moving colors. But like most blind people, her other senses have been extremely sharpened. Her sixth sense are many and super sensitive.

She is forced to sell flowers as a livelihood. It is amazing how flower buyers flock to her instead of the other sellers who are not blind.

Journalist — Madam, how come you are blind but you have the most attractive flowers? Buyers flock to you. What is your secret?

Aling Lucy — I don’t know if it is a secret. I simply touch the petals of the flowers before I buy them.

Journalist — How come your flowers are the brightest and most resilient? Are you a psychic?

Aling Lucy — (laughing) Me a psychic? Oh, no. I am a simple woman.

Journalist — (thinking hard before speaking) I know. You have an amazing sixth sense for colors. You do not have to see the colors of the flowers you buy. You simply “feel” their colors by touch, right?

Aling Lucy — I don’t know. I suppose so.

Journalist — Amazing.

The most powerful energy in the Universe is Survival and Love, together as one and at the same time. You protect yourself and survive (by selling flowers), but your survival depends on what you give to others (flowers that make them happy) — your love for others.

The journalist writes a very short story about Aling Lucy. Instantly, it goes viral. Aling Lucy becomes famous overnight. In the blink of a blind eye, she is visited and overwhelmed by buyers until she can no longer cope.

Another flower seller, Aling Nene, helps her, guiding the buyers and making them form a line, which goes for half a kilometer at times. There are so many customers, so Aling Nene buys more flowers for her until the deliveries come in vans. Aling Lucy gives half of her income to Aling Nene, who, instead of selling flowers, simply controls the long line of buyers. Together, they co-exist and grow. They are business partners.

Both of them are interviewed on television. The line lengthens seven-fold. An investor offers to put up a flower shop for them right in the heart of the city. They agree instantly, of course. The investor is so pleased, he does not mind getting a measly 10 percent share. They call the shop Aling Lucy’s Psychic Flowers.

Survival and Love are inseparable and complement each other. One cannot exist without the other, just like light and darkness, or Yin and Yang, the basis of the Universe. The Self is interwined hopelessly with the Other. Galaxies and stars survive by interacting with each other. No star is an island, just like Man. We all, humans and stars and galaxies, depend on each other. Survival and Love are together the essence of the Universe.

The blind child pianist

This is based on a true story that happened when the author’s college glee club had a concert in Davao City. Names and places have been changed for privacy.

Clarisse started playing the piano by instinct — no teacher — at the age of five. Her mother wisely did not get her a teacher, who would have perhaps destroyed rather than built up the musical instincts of the blind child.

Clarisse would listen to songs on the radio, then play them by ear instantaneously. The famous Willie Cruz, our glee club pianist then, wanted to see if she was a psychic musician. He played an extremely complex Italian song with many chord transitions. When Clarisse took over the piano, Willie was amazed at how she could play the song, a bit crude but the chords were accurate.

The survival instincts of the blind are amazingly sharp. Their psychic powers are cosmic.

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