The annual term two in-service of the teachers of DBSTC was described by many as “One of the best in-service ever conducted for the past decade.” The teachers were abundantly blessed to have an inspiring three days in-service from the 25th to 27th June under an exquisitely well versed Psychologist, Fr. Joe Kokkandathil, SDB, Ph.D. Fr. Joe who flew all the way across the Indian to the Pacific Ocean to deliver such an inspiring in-service on the theme, “ Mind and Emotional Hygiene.”The sessions commenced on a marvelous Monday morning right here in beautiful Kumgi, right in the heart of PNG.
Mind and Emotional hygiene is a foreign concept being introduced to most of the teachers. We only heard of physical hygiene. Inevitably everyone asked, “What is Mind and Emotional Hygiene?” secretly in their minds. This ignites a tiny spark of curiosity that fans into the flames of a burning desire in every teacher to know what will be unfolded as we flipped through every delightful pages of the theme.
Fr. Joe spoke with the mark of a polished orator in the domain of psychology. The sessions have helped us significantly to comprehend the correlation of the mind and the emotion. Every session dawned in the morning with silent meditation that truly rejuvenates our body and soul. The talk on the power of the mind and how it affects the reality sounds credibly fascinating. Health shouts to the body, “You are what you eat.” However, psychology whispers quietly to the mind that is still, “You are what you think.” This is more eloquently expressed in the words of the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “Watch your thoughts, it become words. Watch your words, it become actions. Watch your actions, it become habit. Watch your habits, it become character. Watch your character, it becomes determines your destiny.” In other words, our life is fashioned by the way we think. This dictates the importance of cultivating and nurturing a positive and healthy mindset. The French Mathematician Rene Descartes expressed the importance of his thoughts in the famous axiom, “I think, therefore I am.” That’s a complete logical statement that is congruent to Fr. Joe’s explanations. We were all kept in suspension without realizing how fast time slips through our fingers like grains of sand. Apparently, everyone was alive and very active throughout the sessions. We wished breaks were still distant so that we could hear more of such powerful stuff.
We were urged to develop an optimistic mindset in life to always focus on the positive side of every circumstance we encounter. It was the greatest discovery made in most of our personal lives when Fr. Joe thought us that most of the negative emotions we wear currently are trapped within us for ages. They were forged in us during our childhood. However, the good news is when we come to realize and identify them; we can erase them once and for all in our memories using some powerful ancient techniques. Some practical emotional therapies that proved to be effective for ages were taught to us on how we can heal and liberate ourselves from the negative thoughts and emotions. In addition to that, some diagnostic tests were conducted during the program to help us establish a better understanding of ourselves.
Our inner eyes were opened to the realities. We were really enlightened and empowered. We are really grateful to have Fr. Joe who facilitated an inspiring and powerful in-service. Our deepest gratitude cannot be calculated in words. It is truly a blessing to us all. From the bottom of our hearts, “THANK YOU.”
The teaching staffs of DBSTC were sincerely thankful to the administration under the leadership of Fr. Robinson who made this program possible. It is an investment in their growth and development as professionals. This shows how the administration values its teaching staffs. Expressed by Fr. Robinson in his closing remarks, “To organize such programs, it shows how we value our teachers, they are our gold.”
They say hearing is one thing, doing is another. The ball is now in our court to apply what we have acquired in our personal lives. Furthermore, most of the positive things we learned could be taught to our students as well. The prospect of how it will affect their lives in a positive way will bring more joy and satisfaction in our lives when we share. If we are excited, empowered and inspired, they will definitely do so. In the words of Buddha,” The life of a candle will not be shortened by lighting other candles; happiness cannot be decreased by being shared.”
The program ended with the presentation of the Certificate of Participation to the teachers. On behalf of the institution, a Certificate of Appreciation was presented to Psychologist Fr. Joe Kokkandathil. After the short closing ceremony, everyone proceeded out to take a group photo with Fr. Joe and that brought us to the end of such a memorable three-day’ journey. What an in-service that will beyond reasonable doubts engrave lasting memories in our hearts and minds as the nature takes its course and life goes on from here.