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| ORNAP Officers with Fr. Joel Eslabra at WVSUMC Chapel |
Last
March 18, 2013, the Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines
(ORNAP) Iloilo Chapter held their annual recollection at West Visayas State
University Medical Center Chapel. The speaker was the chaplain of the
institution, Father Joel Eslabra. The theme of the event was power. This was in
relation to the responsibilities as an ORNAP officer.
The concept of power revolves around
three main faces, the powerful, the powerless and the empowered as Father
Eslabra discussed. He quoted that, “power changes people,”, and “the sole
advantage of power is that you can do more good.” He described how power can be
addictive and more precious than anything else in the world and how it can negatively
affect a person’s attitude. He also emphasized that someone who holds great
power should have the authority, strength, influence and courage to do good to
those who are under their control.
With regards to being powerful, it
is vital that one holds true to his moral principles, character and
responsibility. He stated that the rank we hold in society does not give us the
privilege but instead the responsibility to do good to others.
On the concept of the powerless, he
related this to human failure and the experiences in life of the famous Harry
Potter book series author, J.K. Rowling- that one must go through failure in
order to discover what his or her capabilities are. Failure was sort of a
reflection of one’s self in order to get rid of what was inessential and focus
on things that really mattered.
Lastly, Father Eslabra discussed
about empowerment. Being empowered meant that despite your struggles in life,
you have the choice to do whatever you want with your situation-whether it is
for better or worse. Whatever one goes through at the present does not shape
who he is. Everybody has the capacity to be empowered. It is just a choice we
have to make.
After almost two hours of
discussion, the recollection ended with the story of, “Life is like a Cup of
Coffee.” He compared the coffee to life, and the cups to the jobs, money and
position in society. He stressed that the type of job, money and position in
society that we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. He
laid emphasis on savoring life and not the labels that society gives us. The
story and the discussions during the recollection left the attendees
contemplating on their responsibilities as ORNAP officers and have truly
empowered them to do their best in the ORNAP Iloilo Chapter’s future
undertakings.
Article by: Katherine Rose Monroy, RN (WVSUMC)
