Papa Jack learns from listeners
Papa Jack (real name: John S. Gemperle), the on-air love counselor is brutally frank , but sensible. He will call a spade a spade, and point out the listeners’ mistakes, whether he or she likes it or not. That’s how this former professor and call center agent (in that order) has earned more than a million Twitter followers, 3 Yahoo awards (Male DJ of the Year), and now, a TV show (‘Call Me Papa Jack’, Saturdays, 10 p.m. on TV5) of his own.
Don’t let his irreverent style fool you, though. The radio jock is humble enough to admit the leaning process is two way. His listeners taught him a lot in the same way they learned so much about relationships from him.
Below are some of the lessons Papa Jack’s listeners have taught him through the years.
1. All listener-callers have a problem.
“Lahat ng tumatawag sa show has a legitimate problem, whether sobrang laki, lalim, tragic or masaya. Gusto nilang pag-usapan at gusto kong makipagkuwentuhan sa kanila.
2. It pays to listen.
“When you listen, you learn so much! Doon ako nakakakuha ng mga ibang bagay na masasabi (on air).”
3. The value of ‘pakikipagkapwa tao.’
Papa Jack is not ashamed to admit he’s old school. He prefers face-to-face communication over social media (“Hanggang maari, ayaw ko mag-Facebook at Twitter”).
He prefers saying “I love you” directly and seeing the other person’s eyes light up. This, he rightly says, is the best way of connecting with others.
But since he can’t see his callers up close, Papa Jack uses his gift for telling whether a person is sincere or not, just by listening to his story over the phone.
“Nararamdaman ko kung tinetienes lang ako.”
4. Enjoy what you do.
It doesn’t matter if the pay is big or small. Papa Jack says what matters is you enjoy the results. He never tires telling people how thankful he is for getting paid, just to speak his mind.
“I am thankful for a job that provides food sa mga plato namin (his family), for giving me a comfortable life and wonderful career. I will never get a better job than this.”
5. How to be a better person.
Papa Jack admits listeners have taught him how to leave his ego behind because he has learned to accept that “sa mundo, bilang lalake, hindi ikaw ang pinakacute; may mas matalino sa ‘yo, and you will not always be the leader.”
