As creatures with Free Will, no subject ought to be taboo.
We learn that the biblical sense of sin is this: Missing the mark. Thus, we sin because we miss the mark.
Now, bearing false witness against another man is missing the mark.
What about bearing false witness against another man because we believe the source(s) that allowed us to make such a witness? Or because we are informed by such sources? And we believe without giving due diligence that sources are divulging the facts rather than their opinions.
That would still be missing the mark in my best judgment.
Because before making judgments against another man, or worse bearing false witness against another, one is compelled to first learn of the truth. One cannot be satisfied with accepting things at face value. Unless, we harbor entrenched loathing for another making it easy to make rash judgment at the slightest hint or provocation.
I am finding as I continue my virtual travels, that this is the one thing that muddies or complicates discussions on issues that are delicate but vital to our continued health and peace. Issues about politics. About religion.
And as some sort of cop-out, we then dismiss the whole thing and declare these subjects as taboo for good and cordial social interaction.
Yet deep down we know that we would become the better if we allowed ourselves unfettered and unhindered access and discussion to issues on religion and politics.
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My Own Prayer for Serenity
From the clutter and frenzy of our everyday lives deliver us, O Lord.
And bring us to the mount of simplicity and serenity
where we can find you with the destiny wrought for us all.
Let not the many allures of the world beset and confuse us.
For when all is said and done, they all matter but little.
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A conscious stream of thought rides along my Sunday jog
Your earthly life is so very short. Do not waste any of it.
An admonition constantly hammered in our minds, especially for those of us in the twilight of our years.
And from the river of ideas propounded, many of us may be getting the wrong notions about this saintly beatitude written above.
Why seekest thou rest (and pleasure), since thou art born to labor? - chimed in a’ Kempis.
So, ask yourself this question: How is life then wasted or not wasted?
A life of ease and pleasure, or one of constant vigilance and pursuit of thoughts and acts that purify the soul?
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In Prayerful Supplication
Lord, what have we become? For this is what I see before me.
So much loathing, hatred, and deceit toward other people, like we were unspoiled angels untainted by the very impaired nature bestowed on us.
The few who do humbly scrutinize their own lives find themselves just as debauched, or even worse as the persons they are criticizing.
We hate, yet our own lives are hateful or we tend toward odious things. Projection? We forget our beloved Christian exhortation, hate the sin, not the sinner.
Our children wallowing largely in a life of ease and comfort in these advanced stages of civilization and technology, so capable of knowing so much and thus ought to be inclined toward wisdom and prudence.
Yet good enough numbers are so haughty, disrespectful, and unlettered to the ways of what is rightful for them to do or be as children, like being deferential and dutiful to their parents or elders. Or how about be subject to authority?
They publicly disparage others taunting them to educate themselves, yet they are so oblivious about their own unawareness.
Christ did warn that in pursuit of our own salvation, humanity will find itself in great turmoil, with families against families, parents against each other, and children against their parents, friends against friends, etc.
We are told in that alternate existence we are expected to stand alone in our beliefs and resolve, solitary before our own judgment, and accountable only for our very own actions. And not even for those of our own loved ones.
Is this what has become? And there are telltale signs pointing to something.
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A Sunday Thought
In these times when we as a species are forever trying to exhibit and pay obeisance to our social and gregarious nature, we are reminded of a simple but hard saying by a’ Kempis in his Imitation of Christ book.
We humans are constantly seeking discourses because we seek comfort from one another. In explanation, he lays out one possible reason why humans are constantly on the move seeking new sights and new people to interact with.
And we find it could be for a self-centered reason, which at times could be clothed in altruism or other self-less reason.
Thus, we have to constantly be on the alert to examine whether our actions or protestations have the single eye of intention, or whether we do things for our own satisfaction and contentment.
Christ himself has cautioned us about the difficulty of showing the single eye of intention in the things we do here on earth. So that when we say that we are doing things for the greater glory of God, are there no other more self-serving intentions thrown into the mix?
This we have to constantly remind ourselves lest we be misled.
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The strong contravening forces of both nature and nurture will conspire to almost guarantee that the next generations will be different from the previous. The mothers and fathers different from their children; children and grandchildren from their ancestors.
Though it is still an obvious reality when certain individuals will surprise people when they start looking and acting like their previous generations.
And the similarities and differences will tread beyond just physical attributes, but all the way down to values and priorities.
I do believe that God’s stupendous and inscrutable creation assures the utter uniqueness of each human individual brought into this world.
We just hope the moral absolutes learned through the ages will find their way down to the last generation of humanity. After all, we also believe these are encoded in our very nature.
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A timely rule to live by for we are wont to criticize our fellow humans in our daily discourse in social media or conversations.
Caution on Public Criticism
While clearly human actions are visible to us,
And thus subject to our discriminating eyes,
Remember it is God alone that can discern
Hidden intentions and desires of the actor,
Unless unequivocally declared in public.
Good faith on the motives are to be assumed
To be fair and equitable in our judgments.
To rashly ascribe unkind and shallow motives
Would no doubt clearly be unfair and unjust.
Thus best to exercise circumspection in such
For truly we do not possess the complete truth.
In another vein, the better part of discretion
Dutifully dictates to those hurt or concerned
To stay quiet about the misunderstandings
Unless keeping in quiet solitude it leads to
Much graver scandal or unnecessary offense.
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In Pursuit of Youthful Stuff
As a young pimply kid growing up in the 50’s in the sleepy town of Cagayan de Or0, we made do with whatever was available and affordable in pursuing our idle dreams of fame and fortune. Dreams gathered and collated from what we saw on the silver screen, which for most of us was our only window to the rest of the fantasized world.
We naturally wanted to look like our idols, act and sing like them, and imitated as best we could their mannerisms, using means as crude and coarse as they got during those simpler times.
We did not have smartphones, not even decent cameras, much less photo editing apps we could play around with in pursuit of our escapist fantasies.
As a matter of fact, if we wanted pictures of ourselves, during off-times, meaning when there were no class pictures scheduled or school events to be memorialized in pictures, we had to go to one of a few studios around the city and sit for a portrait. And this would set us back a few pesos, which meant we had to save for it.
And a number of us did just that, recording for posterity the silliness and pettiness that characterized our youth.
And in hindsight, we have cause for snickering. Or maybe smirking?
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Approaching the 2nd Term of Obama
In a latest show of disregard for 1st Amendment rights where the American Christian filmmaker of the controversial YouTube trailer that supposedly sparked all the flames stoking the Middle East and South Asia and specifically directed at US offices, had been taken by LA county deputies at midnight “for voluntary questioning”, I now find no reason why any US voter ought to vote for the incumbent. We do not have to name who the replacement ought to be. It is just “anybody but” as far as I am concerned.
And let us count the random ways why he should not be re-elected.
Since he took office the general well-being of Americans has declined. In our local economy we find very anemic growth, very high chronic unemployment, even poverty has dramatically increased, and millions of people have even stopped looking for work. Household incomes have fallen to lowest levels since the 90’s.
His foreign policy initiatives from dealing with Iran’s nuclear weapon development activities to fostering better relations with Russia, and dealing with the Middle East and Israel in general, have not brought any results that we can celebrate about.
He has not even properly addressed the looming debt crisis the country is bound to experience, much less planning any serious attempt at welfare and entitlement reforms. His actions have simply exacerbated the problems which continue to get worse as more and more people join in on the Federal dole.
His policies to spur growth in the economy have been dismal failures. Including the promised pipe dream of creating more green jobs. What about any attempt to mitigate the housing problems which continue to bedevil the country?
Not only are we registering record numbers in food stamps, and astronomical gas prices, we are now also experiencing increases in insurance premiums. I suppose no thanks to the landmark Obamacare.
Even his campaign for re-election has gone into the deep end churning out less than honest ad campaigns targeting opposition candidates, rather than focusing on the problems of the state.
It would be nice to see amidst all these a harried head of state moving heaven and hell to try and address all these problems that cry out for attention, instead we see one too concerned only with fundraisers and recreational activities in the golf courses and expensive vacation spots of the country and abroad.
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Thoughts on this the holy day of the Lord:
Rather than a holy man or a prophet, it was instead a classical historian who reminded me that nothing in the world today that happens to man is new.
If one is confused or in quandary as to how to respond to current events, one simply has to turn to history, the old books, to realize the repetitive nature of things and events, and thus for modern man to derive the pertinent lessons from them.
All the lessons we need to lead good lives can be derived from those sources, whether in religious settings like Holy Scriptures, or in secular settings like ancient history books.
All of humanity, of whatever religious orientation or inclination, simply needs to turn to them for examples or illustration.
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"Three coins in the fountain. Which one will the fountain bless. . . . . ."
A reported tri-cornered auction for the 2016 mayoral election in our city is in the offing. Here are some off-the-cuff observations from a budding numismatist, though for the sake of circumspection and tongue-in-cheek humor, no candidates’ names are mentioned. Please appraise it for whatever currency it may have.
The most-seasoned “fractional denomination” and his misshapen looks are still glossy and eye-catching. He has deadly intent to jingle back into the coffers of the city and he will mint any and all proof sets to attain that goal. His protestations to the contrary and his eroded edges notwithstanding. His intent is singular and his actions are all focused toward a fortuitous end. To rule the city’s purse-strings anew.
In the case of the other “loose change” it may be a little different. One recalls that at the onset of his decision to run for mayor, he interposed certain obstacles against his running. A heart-tugging one remembered was that his family was not too happy about it, that they would rather he spends more time with them after so many years in politics. And many early supporters got the shiny impression that he was in this one joust only to unseat what was perceived as a very undesirable and corrupt counterfeit legal tender. And no mention was made about what would transpire after this. Meaning no thoughts or plans were made beyond a first term. After all, here was a candidate many thought who was possessed with a singularly-engraved noble intention of serving the common welfare. And nothing more. With no plans to perpetuate himself in power. Also, what might the family think since after all they were already ambivalent about his initial round at auction?
With regard to the third “coin of the realm”, before casting their lot with the eventual incumbent many had him as the prized gold-cladded choice, and being one of its own, many pursued him relentlessly to no avail. Excuses were given, like that he wanted to finish his work in Congress, etc. And many held breaths and bids till the last minute. Hedging for him to run for at least just one term. Because he was viewed as a mint-condition shoo-in, even against a well-entrenched machinery. What ended however was that he eventually threw his support and ante pot with the challenger. And many attribute this for the eventual record-price victory of the challenger.
But recall that all this transpired before learning of this legislator’s BBL stance and his own PDAP/DAP mess. Have we “loosely changed” our minds about him?
"Three coins in the fountain. Make it mine! Make it mine!"