Life’s A-wastin’

 Life’s  A-wastin’

Your earthly life is so very short.  So do not waste any of it.

This conscious stream of thought strings along my morning jog.

Keeping company as I negotiate the twists and turns of my rote.

And invariably of the ups and downs of daily living, too.

A casual admonition constantly hammered in our minds.

Most expectedly for those of us in the twilight of our years.

Rivulets of counsel feed the besieging river on the subject.

Perchance we may be off-footed what this beatitude is.

Why seekest thou rest (and pleasure), since thou art born to labor?

We hear a’ Kempis chime in with such serious tone and sense.

.

So, we ask ourselves this itchy question.

How is life then wasted or not wasted?

A Bottled-Up Life

 A Bottled-Up Life

Time was from the constricting walls of adolescence,

when I felt that life was one heavy onus dropped on me.

In which society's demands on life reigned supreme.

That life was one of purpose, and of destiny.

That life stayed within certain acceptable boundaries, 

Bottled up and neatly labeled for good measure.

Acquire actionable knowledge and passable skills,

Sufficient enough to raise and support a healthy family,

to dutifully enlist in civilization's inexorable forward march.

 All artfully designed to fulfill destiny and sustain humanity.

So it came to be for me, to fit snugly as a compliant cog,

in an efficient and ever-whirring machine of grand design.

But routines started to leak out and  break apart.

I ceased working for a living and commenced living for life.

It was then I felt a crying need from a gaping hole within.

The urge to lend to words to life events and inspiring ideas,

 racing through my suddenly awakened mind,

 all loudly vying for time and space.

Taking reins were pesky things that wanted to rule my life.

Of some deterministic obsession about what I ought to do.

Driven to extremes by compulsion hard to shunt aside.

All this I found awaited me like a siren call.

With reluctant gusto, I did what had to be done.

Committed to the written word dimly-lit memories in mind.

Egged on by some  formidable duress within,

coupled with urgency of  life about to be extinguished.

And now having gone out the wringer, I feel completed.

A published book it shall be for posterity and heritage. 

One designed to transcend the limits of temporal life.

And hopefully, worthy enough for those near and dear.

A Perspective: How The Person of Jesus Christ Actually Looked.

To commence to conjure images of the person of Christ after he had ascended,  we first allowed our own individual fertile imagination to roam free, to  festoon and emblazon the resulting images every which way until they became accepted.  This we have done over the centuries, creating differing images to the point of confusion, and even to the point of contention among those who would not accept any other but their own.  Jesus of a hundred faces!  That is what the world of Christianity has created.

This is when stodgy science crept in an attempt to settle the score and to extricate the bones of contention.  So using scientific methods tested and honed through years of studies, it has come out with its own most likely image of Christ, taking into account written data and fossilized figures derived from the same milieu as Christ.

The resultant scientific image of Christ makes Him look just like any Tom, Dick, and Harry, of his own milieu.  Looking very ordinary, insignificant, and maybe mediocre in facial features.  Somebody one can lose easily in any crowd.

Can we accept this as our reverential representation of the Son of the Almighty God, whose very name the ancient Jews could not even assign and/or name, or worse, write down  for fear of displeasing and desecrating Him?

It is ironic but for most significant personages of the ancient world, man has been able to collate enough data, fossil, or representations, to enable him to create passably accurate images of them.  Persons like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, even further down the historical holes, like the Neanderthals or the Cro-Magnons. etc.

But for Jesus Christ who lived only over 2000 years ago, we have not been able to till now. One wonders what is behind this unsaid inhibition or reluctance to define the one "official" image of Christ.

Personally, I take ownership of this novel perspective that I will lay out below, just strictly my own.

Before proceeding I consider this caveat.

Over the years, we have read, though mostly heard, that in his sojourn on earth Christ was seen as visiting other faraway places like those in Asia.  Scanty though the accounts may be still many stand by their own truths about such events.  Though Christ was said to have lived amongst such foreign people one has yet to hear about any physical description of Christ coming from those sources.  Somehow, these people must have sensed Christ as nobody any different from them, allowing him to sit amongst them and expound his doctrines.

Many would counter that such incidents are physically improbable given all the circumstances.  But the staid practice  of Parapsychology, a field of study now  generally accepted by pertinent authorities,  has given us some insights.  It has defined and proved to us the unique concept of bilocation or multilocation, which is power an individual has to be present in more than one location at the same time.  In a real way suspending the constraints of time and physics as we humans have learned to believe.

Any Being possessing or predisposed of having such powers must definitely also have other more subtle powers beyond the purview of natural phenomenon.

Thus, Christ in his earthly life when he appeared not only to crowds but to each individual person must have projected himself in ways that the viewer would find as the incarnate manifestation of someone originating from such mystical sphere.  Christ after all was not only more than human but he was perceived as the Redeemer of the entire human race that had been seeking deliverance from its earthly vicissitudes.  Thus to those who beheld him, he/she saw the human perfection of the Being as materialized in each and every unique individual lens that we possess.  Christ as seen not only in the differing grades of vision we each individually are gifted with, but including and not even limited to the prism that we individually perceive our Redeemer to be.

The anonymity of Jesus to his companions who had known him prior, on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection, in a way prods us to think that Jesus dictated how people would view His Person when they saw him. Or to not recognize him at all which the companions on the road to Emmaus did declare.

Thus, a black person sees Christ as the manifestation of perfection in his blackness.  A Chinese or Japanese for their parts would be to manifest Christ in their unique visions of perfection.  Same with the Middle Eastern.  And we could truly say and declare that those are  the correct images of Christ, as the latter allowed himself to be seen by them.

To the white person then, Christ is how he is typically depicted in books, magazines, calendars, etc., which we now currently witness around us.  And that would be accurate, though as an Asian person with an Asian set of perspectives my representation of Christ is obviously different. 

In the final analysis we can only prognosticate about these things, because Christ still is the Final Arbiter.  And as the limited representation of paper, we cannot fully understand the existence of the pencil.

The Crucifix

 

No iconic pendant for a necklace is as universal and popular as the crucifix, which symbol definitely transcends beyond religious beliefs or revered dogmas of wearers.  We know that because many non-Christians are seen to wear them on their necks or persons as well.

For devout Christians they know and swear to the crucifix as righteous symbol of their Master's supreme act of altruism, unjustly executed in the then prevalent punishment edict of crucifixion under the Roman Empire. A punishment reserved for the most vile of criminals though limited to males, who were brutally nailed to the cross to die a slow excruciating death.

We witness the ubiquitous presence  of the crucifix in most places and as worn in persons, from the most profoundly appropriate to the utterly sacrilegious ones.  From pious members of the clergy of most Christian denominations and their equally religious devotees, to the least holy like members of nefarious organizations, or those considered engaged in unethical activities like adult stars.  What about crooked politicians? Regardless, many display them with obvious pride and aplomb.

We could actually hazard the guess that a prevalent reason for the crucifix' s popularity stems from the cluelessness,  or ignorance, or even utter disregard on the part of the wearers in their understanding the symbolic significance of the crucifix.  Many wear them simply as accepted accessory, rather than for their mystical ramifications as religious symbol. 

Nowadays such  pious regard could be farthest from the consciousness of the wearer. Beyond the fact that it is usually made of precious metal, some embedded with precious stones.  In this rare instance, the extrinsic value is the metal it is made of, with the intrinsic value being its mystical representation, plus the inferred promise of personal salvation from a man hanging on a man-made cross.

History gives us a good peek at this atrocious but well applied savage practice for torts committed by men.  And one doubts that what delineates the civil torts from the criminal deeds during those times was quite cloudy as to assume the facility of classifying one from the other, as dictated by exigencies or expediencies of the times.  In other words, regardless what one's crime was or how one pleaded, the kind of punishment meted out depended largely on the magistrate imposing it.

We  learn that it was the glory-imbued Persians who first used crucifixion as punishment for criminals.  And 300 years later the Romans thought it proper to enshrine it  in their unholy empire as proper punishment for grave crimes, perfecting the process for maximum pain and duration.  To mark the trending ascent to the peak of inhumanity which over the ages man has shown to possess as one distinctive trait in his march to history.

The Romans did so much perfecting it, that modern medicine has detailed in writing  in scholarly but antiseptic fashion  all the racking effects of the process on the human body.  To include  those little tweaks the executioners applied for maximum duration of suffering.  Like when the crucified is about to expire due to suffocation, the guards would insert a small stool under the nailed feet so he could painfully raise his agonized body to allow for some breathing.

The medical prognosis go into painful details about which parts of the anatomy were affected by the process.  The joints on shoulders and elbows became disjointed or dislocated as the dead weight of the body mercilessly imposed.  Muscles were stretched but starved with oxygen  because of the ensuing difficulties in breathing from the lungs.  The ribcage did its best to maintain normal functions but was not able to.  The various chemical and fluid reactions as pain and suffering continued to harass the tiring body.  And many more.

The short medical prognosis of the process of crucifixion and the subsequent death on all the affected parts of the human body is so gross and abominable, it is difficult to read to the end of the short treatise.  More unconscionable is the highlighted part on pain and suffering inflicted on the human body as it struggles to stay alive.  So savage and brutal we are told that a learned sage from that era had written that at times the tongues of those fo crucified were cut so as to prevent them from making those weird and indescribable shouts produced almost unconsciously  Shouts that onlookers found so unbearable and objectionable.  His name is known to many, it is Cicero.

Ironic to note that the adjective,  excruciating, is derived from the otherworldly cries emanating from one in harrowing pain during crucifixion.

At the very least, crucifix wearers ought to be educated about this, if only to generate sorrow and remorse for what the world is leading humanity into. And more importantly, as resolve to right humanity's path away from its collective disregard for the rest.

BTW as disclaimer, as I kid I did have a small crucifix pendant with gold chain that our mother had us wear.  Over time, it started to be well-worn until finally the chain broke.  The pendant was kept somewhere and passed on to our kids  

Unlike these days when gold pieces are made in 14k, during that time most came in 18k, and thus may account for quicker wearing away of the softer metal.  Now, I wear a gold pendant with Chinese characters and has weathered through many years of usage.

Recalling the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

One earlier FB post looked into the typical reaction to receiving the gold medal.  The recipient immediately bites into it, ostensibly to seek affirmation that the medal is indeed made of the precious metal.

No such luck, and but we cannot say that it has been so  over all those years.  Though we can surmise that the medals are most probably made of the same stuff as they were years ago.  Just realized there may be written standards set even on the metal composition and weight of Olympic medals.

Anyway as it stands, this is what we can expect from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics medals that are being handed out to exultant winners. From some rough estimates made by me.

The three medals, gold, silver, and bronze weigh from 450grams to maybe 556grams, or about half a kilo on average, with gold weighing the most.  The gold medal is essentially made of silver with maybe 6 grams of gold, good enough to be used for plating.  The silver medal true to its name is made up of pure silver.  And bronze of brass and zinc, so not much intrinsic value.  Based on this and the prevailing prices of precious metals, a gold medal might command a price of about 800 dollars, selling the gold and silver content in it, and silver maybe about a little above 400 dollars.  Never mind the bronze medal.

Getting any idea where this is going?

The revered and time-seasoned Olympic Games idolized by the world have always been about excellence in sport and symbolism.  Rank the best performers with their shown performances in competition and give them medals for their accomplishments, the ranking and composition of the medals clearly symbolism for us to revere and behold.  Nothing denoting the awarding of financial awards to winners.

How things have changed though the Games have steadfastly remained the same.  Immediately upon winning financial windfalls are factored in like these too could compete in another contest, this time in value and size. Winning athletes are expected to start following the money trails, in hot pursuit of their "just rewards".  The world would appear disappointed if the winners lose out in this other contest.

And we fear that the world is more concerned and interested in this other contest.

Morning Musings

 Thoughts on Waking Up

The concept on the living of life has been revolutionized since the time of Christ.

Yet we humans still cling to our hedonistic and temporal pursuits in life. We pray for an easy and comfortable life. 

We continue to race after fleeting and illusory experiences that appeal mostly to our senses. 

We try to blind ourselves into thinking that what we aim is for the greater glory of God, yet we cater only to the pleasurable sensations connected with our experiences.

Christ had a simple and clear message. If you want to follow me, take up your cross.

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Never Let Up On Life

Most folks one meets along the way will keep saying to you to keep doing it because the more one does it, the easier it becomes.

For me nothing could be more false when it comes to physical exercises after a certain age. It does not get any easier.

Somehow this too holds true like life actually is. Life never gets easier, regardless how hard and successful we try at making something out of it.

Each day and time is a constant challenge to be hurdled and overcome.

It never gets easy until your last breath.

And thus like the way I live life, I continue to plod along with the physical exercises I am convinced I need to proceed with what remains of life or in pursuit of the continuing expectations I have of it.

About Depression and Gay Marriage

 Depression

In the last 2 months, many of us have read about the medical condition called depression, because at least two very noted personalities we read are said to be suffering from it.  One is a very young world-renowned lady athlete and the other a former president of the Philippines in his 60's.  The latter died a week or so ago.

Over the years we have heard so much about this condition which used to not get much attention.  But now we are told it is a very serious condition and must be given much importance.  It is not only a very real, consumptive, and debilitating ailment but could also be career-ending and even life-threatening.  And for many necessitating the engagement of professionals specialized in such conditions.

Growing up we typically and nonchalantly associated depression with loneliness, sadness, or even melancholy. So we did not really give it the gravity that medical professionals now have invested in the condition.  After all, most if not all of us went through such forlorn periods of feeling very low, to a point that at times we did not even want to get out of our beds to face the world.

I remember my own episodes when I was still single and unemployed.  But somehow we out-grew it. Not that the condition has deserted us for life, but somehow we have been able to lessen not only its gravity but its frequency.  And somehow also we learned to tackle with it, each in our own ways.  For many, maybe the resolution is when we turned to a higher power and lodged the providence of our health and safety in that kind of faith.

Still as mere mortals with very limited knowledge and understanding of such an insidious and almost invisible enemy, we have to surrender our ignorance and rely trust on others who are better equipped. 

 Still, we should resolve to continue our own searches for truths about it. And thus they ought not be stifled, neglected, or even dismissed by others.  We can only be better persons if we are curious about its ramifications.

Gay Marriage

This issue is so loaded with heavy paradoxes, one wonders how it continues to float.

Many supporters of the ruling are beaming with almost unexplained bliss and pride, like heaven has been opened to them. 

No problem there.  Man is known to welcome temporal bounty like there Is no tomorrow, or like it is the be-all and end-all of existence.

Yet the cause of happiness can be explained in such a manner as to show the resultant over-celebration as undeserved because the decision was far from convincing, though still historic.  Far from being unanimous, a 9-man court of the US all appointed for life by the US president, religiously divided into 6 Catholics and 3 Jews, voted 5-4 to grant equal status to gay marriages with traditional marriages the latter strongly espoused and supported by all religions, like Catholicism and Judaism.  And if I may add, equal only with regard to enjoyment of benefits dispensed by the Federal bureaucracy.  They could not have ruled about its cultural and religious ramifications, because after all that would be obviously beyond the purview of this court.

Anyway, the hairline decision came because 2 Catholic court members decided to break away from traditional teaching of their religion.  Kennedy many say was simply being true to form, taking sides away from traditional or classical truths espoused by the citizenry.  The other, Sotomayor, most likely because she is most liberal having been appointed by the current administration, to represent two minorities, women and Hispanic.

The more impactful thing here is that because of the role of the US in the world, this will open the floodgates for the rest of the world with regard to this issue.  A paradox indeed, germinated by an unconvincing decision riddled with dissension not only from the court’s own members, but also the citizenry.  Mind you, amid the recent trends as reflected by survey polls which show people favoring gay marriages in the majority, not only in the US but in the rest of the world.

As a species we continue to be an enigma.

Man As Demigod?

   Man As Demigod?

The now hazy days of forgotten youth intrude uninvited

as we grudgingly recall the many astounding mysteries

      implanted in malleable and innocent minds,

      by the close partnership of home and school.

Of the existence of one incomprehensible Supreme Being, 

adorned with tremendous powers and Lord of all creation.

      The self-same Being being also all-knowing,

      and is everywhere his domain extends.

Mystifying paradoxes that clearly and unduly supplant

the arguably limitless freedoms  humanity was born with

      or destined to, designed as likened image

      and equipped with incomparable free will.

As fate dictates, our maturity would soften such stance.

Promoting instead by labeling us instead as partakers.

      Of His powers we still not easily see,

      but have deigned to believe in faith.

But these days, as we recall the times past revisited

with clearer eyes what innocent lives were fed with,

     beliefs nurtured  by traditions.

      And the demands of society.

Advances in information and technology permeate  lives,

integrally enmeshed  to the  minutiae of our very living.

        Ubiquitous as to be unnoticed

        and acutely taken for granted.

Detaching  ourselves as estranged from that kind of living, 

we experience a discernment of these stupefying realities.

        If we are earnest enough

        and equally honest.

The knowledge that more than just images of the Being,

we too are invested with some of his awesome powers.

         That of omniscience, omnipotence,

          and even of omnipresence.

 

Credit dazzling advances in  Web/ Internet and technology

and the manifold manifestations of Artificial Intelligence  

To witness man's power and influence in the world.

      Not since witnessed nor imagined by him.

A host of our physical limitations greatly deconstructed. 

Expanding universe-like, though largely in virtual context. 

  Knowledge of things  exponentially stretched, 

   almost beyond temporal boundaries or limits.  

Powers to influence as active participants or as causes.

Readily available to an entire world of sentient beings.

         Limited only by the dreams 

         and aspirations of humanity.

Sitting in house, or any place one may opt to locate himself, 

one invested with capabilities far beyond puny understanding.

           Limited only by what one could think, 

            or dream in the wildest ways.

Parkour. MMA. VanLife. Boxing, Tennis, Politics.  Religion. 

Economics, Global Events. Ukraine.  Russia. Globalism.  Oil. 

Climate Change. Sports,Entertainment. Sciences.  Philosophy. 

 Astrophysics. Deep Fake.  Men of Science, Arts,  Entertainment.  Etc.

Truly then current man could be enshrined to the level of god, or at least, a demi-god.  Possessed of seeming mystical powers.

     

When Leaders Are Exposed as Uncouth and Unrefined

It saddens me, as I am sure many others are, to listen to our Dear Leader so uncouth and unrefined, so careless and inarticulate, in public pronouncements about subjects that require deliberate circumspection and careful preparation.  Stray and confused words that many of us still believe are so diametrically alien to what he holds dear and valuable in his heart.  But why utter them?

After a while, one is hard-pressed to even listen to him speak in public, which most times have become excruciatingly painful and grating to one’s social sensibilities and perceived rectitude.

It seems like a curse has been injected in our midst, after having been blest with a very rare opportunity to choose a leader that for once could make the country move forward after countless years of wallowing in the ugly morass of its own making.  His unabashed and transparent records had enlightened enough of us to anoint him as our leader.

 It seems like we have been dealt with a two-faced coin, though fused as one but estranged by a dichotomy of extremes.  A flawed leader no doubt, but with a great harbinger of a promise to bring peace and prosperity to a troubled nation. 

 But added to boot and to bedevil, a speaking style that is so out of this world.  A worrisome style not only of enunciation but of a convoluted manner of weaving words and ideas that run counter to the reservoir of social niceties and moral rectitude which we assume as in possession of our high elected public officials.

The economic and political gains, both domestically and globally. have been noteworthy by the reckoning of many.   But the heated rhetoric from his detractors have gone off the rails.  One has not before been witness to such venom and ferocity from some sectors of our society.

From all this radioactivity, where can we find shelter?  Can we take refuge in the argument that we ought to judge based on results rather than the dizzyingly vacuous and unkind words of a president who in public speeches appears to sleepwalk?

Maybe we can by finding cause in an obtuse way, with another person who was also such a controversial and divisive personality.  His life and claims as  judged by a slew of temporal judges from Annas, Caiphas, Herod to Judas and the rest of the people themselves had been  condemned as blasphemous and worthy of execution. 

Christ justified and redeemed all that he did in life and more by a result that proved most everybody wrong, including those most close to him.  He rose from the dead.

What is in store for us?

In life, the belief is that nothing comes in neat bundles. Everything comes as a pesky menagerie of good and bad. Asking us to take the good with the bad, or vice-versa.

Apart from being just pure bluster, I cannot see how this particular wishful statement of his could stand on its own. To me, this is yet another haphazard attempt on his part to portray his good intentions, which I personally do not doubt.

But how could anybody wishing and consigning himself to hell, have any direct part or hand in helping other people gain paradise? Ill-will and ill intentions could not produce goodness. Barren land cannot grow anything good.

Thus, a statement that could never be or happen. Delivered simply for effect.

Unless, by hell he meant taking on the sufferings of his people, and thus could be a “living hell” as we are wont to hear said by people. Thus, simply as hyperbole.

Sad to note that the president is of our generation, though age-wise we are a bit older, but I am hard-pressed to understand where he is coming from with his ideas and the ways he represents them.

Even his manner of speaking is quite different from ours. And we grant that he too was educated similarly with us having gone to Jesuit schools.

Rummaging through his rambling statements on Theology, one concept stands out for me as reminiscent of our early years in school.

In our representation of a God, we no doubt invests that Being with human or earthly qualities, like having feelings (so, can be insulted or mocked), having a body and a face, etc. And we understand that doing that reduces and limits God.

That we ought to go back to the reverence and regard the old Jews had. That the Yahweh was so limitless and incomprehensible that even the act of giving Him a name was not only limiting, but also irreverent. So he was referred to as the one with no name or as the one that could not be named.

Sadly, even the Church hierarchy of today has temporalized many of the more mysterious and mystical doctrines and beliefs of the Church. The many grandiose church buildings and elaborate rituals would appear to make the Kingdom of Christ one that is temporal and of this world.

So he does in his own peculiar ways come up with profound ideas that truly challenge and make us think twice about certain concepts we hold regarding our religion. He just needs to articulate them better, more precisely, and more importantly, in such a way as not to be misunderstood.

PHILIPPINE ELECTIONS: STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND PEOPLE

Extensively reading through the babel of social media posts, news articles, commentaries, etc. one could collect a litany of the reasons why many continue to lend support to the candidacy of a family member of the disgraced Marcos family .

In fairness, it would serve us better to sift through them and to glimpse at the whys and wherefores of such support.

As premise, I doubt any sane person sufficiently aware of the lamented regime would deny the collective corruption, murder, malfeasance, etc.,  found endemic under that despotic rule.  And by no means was it, just one rotten apple in a basket, but facts  point to the entire family being complicit in most if not all of them.

One recurring theme for this support has been that voters ought not to attribute the sins of the father to the son or the rest of the family.  But clearly incontrovertible evidence would point to the fact that the entire family, each and all already full-grown adults then,  was complicit.  Clearly this issue is beyond debate or that it needs to be re-litigated at this point.

Many throw their support because of their unconscionable disgust and loathing for the other leading candidate and her team.  And are therefore hell-bent on making sure they are denied the victory.   And the only most likely sparring partner would be the Marcos team.  But talk about cutting your nose to spite your face. There are other choices.  Thus, this development is  more like jumping from the frying pan to the fire.

Many like inveterate gamblers find themselves easily pushed toward the side of early uncrowned winners.  After all it is only human to associate with the winners and hop into the bandwagon.  But rather a reckless way to treat one's very critical future.

Many identify themselves with the political elites of the country because that is where life-giving resources are always coming from.  Nothing much in the self-aggrandizing scheme of things could be expected in the other groups.

Many still do practice identity politics, making their ethnic background, narrow regionalist bents, even their geographical loci, etc.  huge factors to determine where their political loyalties lie.

Gone are the time-honored practices of comparing candidates' track records, their accomplishments rather than heavy doses of verbal calisthenics.  Now it could be as simple as name recognition, wealth, machinery, etc. as the primary criteria for choices to be made.

Gone are even the most basic standards of ethics and morality as measures to align candidates with.  So it amounts not even to a hill of beans if the Marcos family, to the man or woman, whether with the current or younger generations, does not even acknowledge the sins of the past, expresses remorse for the damages done, or even pleads with promises of restitution against whatever purloined wealth is still in its possession and still not spent to support a most lavish lifestyle.  All this, juxtaposed against a cruel backdrop of a people in great suffering and dire want.

 In a reconciliatory mode and gesture, many compatriots declare that when all is said and done, after the election, all of us will be back to our normal lives, and should thus move on to rise above the rancor and enmity engendered during the campaigns.  Re-building damaged relationships with friends, relatives, etc.

It does sound Christian and altruistic to maintain such decorum.

One wonders though if all of us have made enough plans on what to do if and when the palpable fears and apprehension now felt become reality.  And that the new administration will indeed be  a continuation or a redux of that dearly lamented tyrannical rule that lasted decades and wrought incalculable losses both present and future.

Or are we simply ever ready to bow our collective heads and accept our lot, until such time as the despots' avarice and capricious whims have petered out, or that a miracle of deliverance re-appears to a benighted country?

To Rage and Rant Sometimes

 Sliding in a comment edgewise

Do we love our own voices very much, that when we post on Facebook we expect an echo chamber to follow, one that is loud and unambiguous  as our sign of self-affirmation?

Let it be said  though that that may sound good for many people, many may also find that unfair to expect.

This corner lets it be known then that the posts found here are not for that purpose.  That it is not expected for those who happen to visit to affirm or agree on the statements made.

One can disagree.

A self-indictment

The Filipino gene pool appears to have become so contaminated and diluted so that now those so-called malefactors that we constantly see and read about have become the models and exemplars of our society and politics.

And we see and listen to them ensconced high in society and politics, spout motherhood statements about good and profound things for society and the polity, and many of us are easily taken in by the hypocrisy and absurdity which every right-thinking individual ought to readily recognize as falsity.

But these same people go about their maleficent ways, none the worse and instead enjoy dubious renown and respect, most everybody else quite oblivious of where reality stands.  Or maybe they do, but the lard is too deep a siren call to ignore. 

Who to blame?

We all are, not just them.  As a matter of observation, these same people probably sleep better than the ordinary harangued citizen trying to make both ends meet.   Maybe constantly ready to break into a smile, with nary a tinge of conscience remorse.

We are now beyond language to resolve this highly metastasized cancer. Drastic collective action appears the only remedy

Always For The Greater Good

We humans do make conscious choices about the lives of other humans, though we accept the unassailable truth that each human life is precious, priceless, and that only God can take it away.  

And it is thus the ingrained responsibility of each human to exhaust all means to preserve any one human life, at all times without exception. 

 We know we are even averse to “rationing out” limited medical care resources primarily because we value human life as sacrosanct and no one life can be sacrificed in the altar of expediency.  But in reality, we do ration out limited resources.

Even in the rationalization of capital punishment, we gingerly tiptoe around it and justify it in our limited logical ways.   While we legally sanction capital punishment, it is not because we are justified in taking human life, but only because doing so is for the greater good.  Preserving life by taking away another!

Thus there is sufficient historical data to rely on when making choices about whether we aim to sacrifice some people so the greater good can be achieved.  Continue with strict lock-down regimes and risk destruction or collapse of the entire economy?  Or take calculated chances and focus on trying to preserve economic integrity and health?

The greater good always takes precedence.

Ode To Life

 Free verses flowing from a mind in idle gear, on a Sunday morn:

Ode To Life: Playing Mindlessly With The Words Plaguing Our Life

Do we have enough living in our life?

That is a most basic life-long question.

If it is not lived on our idea of what life ought to be, 

Can we continue to say that we are still living life?

In other words, if we live against our concept of life,

Are we still okay to refer to that living as living a life?

If death is forever in our mind as we struggle to live,

Are we said to be living life, rather than living death?

In dotage, we are apt to say we are tired with living,

Could we say that we are still living, with a purpose?

Is life an empty vessel where we store daily our living of it, 

Or could it be simply a veritable storehouse of living stuff?

Why are we admonished that to live a most useful life, 

We ought to turn our backs and begin to die from life?

Isn’t it very funny that we are blessed with our precious life, 

But we are always reminded that our fate is not in this life?

A constant reminder is that Christ is the Way of Life in this world,

Yet His tenets are fraught with thoughts of death from this world.

Truly, there are many lessons to learn from the living of life, 

All mostly requiring our wrenching ourselves away from life.

Oh, the woes and perils of living a life!

Some Stray Thoughts About Election

Are we putting too much in the position of President and as a result, putting too much emphasis in our choice of one?

Theoretically, the president is the head of state tasked with implementing enacted laws, and is also the commander in chief tasked with protecting the country and its citizenry from interior and exterior forces, and bringing about peace, order, and prosperity.

As such he is one institution among many other institutions in the country, both in government and private sectors.  Thus, we also have our legislative institution, judicial, the different institutions in the public and private sectors such as financial, agriculture, manufacturing, etc., all forming part of the economy.

If all or most of these other institutions are viewed as so weak as to be undependable and not worthy of trust, then we have a duty to elect a very strong and uniquely-qualified president as head of the state to help bring about stability and strength in all these other institutions.

Is this what we are asking from the current crop of presidential aspirants?  To be that very strong and uniquely-qualified messiah to all our accumulated challenges?

Many of us may simply be looking for one to address and maybe ameliorate certain specific problems considered top priorities.  Such as endemic corruption, unacceptable criminality and social chaos, an ineffectual government laden with both bureaucracy and corruption.  Or maybe simply looking for one that could give the electorate the opportunity to “trust government”, given that very few people have faith in it.

Maybe for us here in Mindanao, one who can effectively address our challenges that have largely been neglected by what many of us view as imperial Manila.  And maybe also we seek earnest resolution to the many challenges with our ethnic minorities.

Thus, our choice of president will depend largely on what we expect him/her to do in office.

Hopefully, six years is not an eternity for any error of choice made.

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In theory and in principle, I do believe that human law has it right when it deals with separating church from state.  But it is the human agencies on both sides that wittingly or unwittingly blur the lines and thus make the divide confusing or untenable.   The devil is in the nuances needed to straddle the fine lines between the two.

Treading then in the at times difficult path of freedom, I say leave it to individual consciences to make that determination.  But nothing by way of criticism and comment ought to be taken out of the table.

 BTW, political ideology could be said to be a or part of a religion.  And many do practice it as some kind of strict moral guide.

By way of example.

When then US Pres. Trump insisted on building a border wall, his detractors did not anymore think it expensive, useless, exclusionary, etc.  It was regarded as immoral.   Politicians now cross whatever lines to promote ideological agenda.

In the Philippines?  What about members of the clergy taking political sides and promoting them as their moral equivalents?

PATIENT, HEAL THYSELF

Recalling an old and obscure adage learned many years ago, and which to this day has not really gained much traction or acceptance.  That still in any final analysis, your health or medical condition is best served and attended to by yourself.  And not by any other.

Especially in these uncommon times when medical services are being pushed toward the path of dreaded rationing, resulting in shortened and less frequent visits and care.  We are beginning to witness situations where  harried medical professionals can only devote or do so much or so little for each individual case, caused by unprovided piles of cases caused not only by exploding populations but by such catastrophic calamities as pandemics, shooting wars,  natural disasters, etc.

Realizing such incumbency, one is then disposed to undertake personal analyses and assessment of one's own overall health, in light of these impending shortfalls.  And one already in his waning years, has to also contend with the many concomitant  issues inherent to the geriatric phase of life  Current technologies have of course made this task easier and more accessible. Within reach by most everybody in the world today.

And this we, both I and the wife, try to do with our own situations, hobbled a bit by our having to travel from afar to have access to medical care.

Thus so far, we are in the midst of those required visits, eschewed as they have been because of the ongoing pandemic and its constraining mandates world-wide.  But so far, things continue to be okay and we continue to be upbeat.

And we certainly take full advantage of the shortened visits,  encouraged by some preparation and being attentive to the facts and advice coming from the health providers.  And this attitude has been quite helpful and productive for our purposes, resulting not only in timely and efficient medical care, but one as affordable as it can get during these times.

In the case of the wife, she has been a given a clean bill of health for all her prior issues and a thorough-enough going-over of the likely events she can expect will eventually visit her life at these latter stages.

Mine gets a little more complicated, having gone through more medical gauntlets, aggravated by an age seniority of close to a decade.  

A life lived with  pacemakers (2) for over 15 years, one among a score of medical experiences, may not reveal much from the outside.  But one never gets used to the idea that a man-made device hums inside of you, ever watchful and needful when the expected challenges show up.  The device may be viewed as so wonderful, reliable and awe-inspiring,  but still one cannot disregard the fact that it is coming from the fragile hands of man who is heir to errors and failures.  Still a far cry from our body and its life which were designed, created, and sustained by a Higher Power.

Anyway, I too was given a good report on that score.  Rather, the device inside of me which is powered by a long-lasting battery got the good report.  Functioning as designed and configured electronically, save for one issue, or make that, two.

The lesser and not so new finding has been that usage on the atrial lead has been maintained at 100 percent, while the ventricular one is still at 6 to 9 percent.  To explain, it simply means for the function of the atrium that my heart is now completely assisted by the pacer.  It now relies fully on the pacer for that electrical spark to initiate its pumping function.  The crutch is now deployed on a permanent basis.  Not a very good development!

While that may not be a rosy revelation, the other one may be just as grim.  The charge left in the battery as signaled by the interrogation, could suggest that there is an unexpected accelerated discharge that could be caused by one factor that is hydrogen-induced.  And this accelerated depletion could render the pacemaker inoperative.

Or quoted exactly,  "...exhibiting hydrogen-induced accelerated battery depletion."

Language couched in such a manner as to immediately trigger countless questions from any typical patient hearing it for the first time.  Huh?  But I kept quiet and deposited that in my best memory cells.  And the session  ended as the unmentioned (but understood) alloted time came to a close.

Thankfully, it was found that the pacemaker installed in me was not among those models or versions flagged by the advisory.

Still we will continue to monitor the accelerated depletion to forestall any catastrophic incident brought upon by a dead battery.

And in the quiet of my room, I learned more than enough about the latest developments  and made my notes. 

Quietened and assured in the fact that life is proceeding with sufficient foreknowledge and design.

For that is the lot of man.  He proposes, but God disposes. 

Musings On The Go

 

When In Doubt

During bouts of sleeplessness or idle times, one scans through social media groups to pass the time.

And invariably one inherits  the feelings of helplessness and depression.

For what we read are mostly a litany of the things that are observed as being wrong, both in our city and in the whole country. 

Do we need to be constantly and incessantly reminded?

Do we really need to know all the wrinkles we can observe in and around our surroundings?

Isn’t it sufficient especially after all these times to keep those in mind and accept them as there. 

But then start unobtrusively doing whatever little things we may be able to do  both individually and collectively.

In our lifetime and beyond, most of these things observed will still be with us.

There is nothing humanly possible to remove all of them.  

As one problem is resolved, another one pops up. Life is meant to be like this.   

So judge rather the efforts expended than the problems solved. 

There is no going around that.

Much like we are admonished,  lighting that solitary candle rather than loudly cursing the darkness may be more cleansing.

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How Things Have Changed.

Not too long ago drilled into our minds was this pious thought.

That the  Holy Week of Lent was a season for fasting, abstinence, and sacrifice. 

An opportune time for  reverential solitude amidst the din of daily living.  

The time to bear all possible tribulations, doubts, and vicissitudes we could all possibly  endure.

Cramped in those few days of the Lenten season, in imitation of the examples set by Christ.

But now when Semana Santa rolls along, our harried mind wanders elsewhere.\

It starts dreaming of the possible hideaways and getaways that we can sequester ourselves and our families.

All  to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, the torrid summer heat and deafening chaos of urban living.  

In other words, with sacrifices bearing down on all, we seek to enjoy the few days in ease and comfort.

Yet He did counsel and admonish, take up my cross and follow me!  For this leads to eternal life.

Thus, we have to empty our vessels with the temporal pursuits and cares of this world, so we can let Christ in.

SUDDENLY THEY STIR UP OUR COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS

February 2015

But aren't  we STILL missing the bigger picture?

Words heated to red hot when China started reclamations on some atoll islands (called shoals, really).

When the Chinese started its clandestine incursions into some atoll islands geographically close to our shores, we immediately boiled up with passionate and nationalistic protestations about violations of our precious sovereignty, over some outcroppings of land in the vast expanse of the China Sea.  Lands that probably have very little value for agriculture pursuits not only with regard to fertility but because of their miniscule sizes.  Of course we may say that there is always the possibility that valuable mineral deposits could be found in those tiny dots of islands.

Or fishing rights that would be curtailed. But if they are close enough to our national boundaries, then can we not surmise that whatever they’d got there could also be possibly found where we are?  Anyway, all these long years, what have we done in and about these suddenly now famous shoals?  Nada.

Anyway, to this day this is a daily thorn in our national discourses which have of late then at helter-skelter.  Heated words burned continue to spew out of the mouths of our government officials, the media, and from many of us.

Then picture the big and lush island of Mindanao, long heralded but neglected as the land of promise, a veritable goldmine of natural resources and vast fertile lands and valleys.  And what do we do?  

We want to slice and dice it so a good portion of it could be handed in a platter to a minority that has not much to show with regard to democratic governance, no worthy credentials to vouch for its financial cognitive abilities to manage an economy much less a complex political system, and that has always been regarded dating back to the Spanish times, through the American regime and as late as yesterday, as bellicose, troublesome, untrustworthy, and from past labored experiences as unfit for the rigors and demands of civilization.

Why, only last week or so our eschewed national discourses have suddenly been fused into one focal subject – the massacre of 44 of our elite policemen out to arrest a known international terrorist, a bomb maker responsible for the deaths of many innocents, domiciled and coddled right in the heart of the benighted place where some kind of a new state is supposedly to be constituted under some negotiated agreement with our duly-constituted government.

Anyway, while we hem and haw about some bleached shoals out there in the vast China Sea, our resource-rich Mindanao is laid waste with strife and neglect.

Shades of some forgotten facets of our history?

Of Flooding And Self-Awareness

January 22, 2017  · 

After the latest flooding this week, one that brought so much devastation to places not otherwise familiar with or visited by unwanted water, can we declare that the city is now prone to flooding?

I have no answer, except to imagine a scenario that could apply here.

Man breaks into a pristine place blest by nature with bounty and beauty.  It had hills and valleys, meandering waterways, flora and fauna of diverse kinds, balmy and hospitable weather.  Etc. All perfect for human living.

Yet, nature being what it is did provide some cautionary caveats.  There will be rains, tides, and fires, to provide risks for human living, but man is expected to adapt and learn to live side by side with them.

But man is never contented, nor is he a prudent and diligent steward of nature. He did what he could to degrade and alter nature’s provisions.  To a point that nature lost its balance and became a hostile force to man.  And freaks of nature became the norm. Flooding in places where man had chosen to live, harsh typhoons and torrential rains that damage altered topography obliterating humans in the process, deadly diseases in places where humans live in  despicable congested conditions, etc.

Given that, can we humans then declare that our place is prone to hostile flooding and its concomitant miseries?  

Like blaming nature for what is happening?

Rather than pointing the blame to ourselves?

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 SELF-AWARENESS

Self-awareness is one vast and hazy territory to cover and learn.  It encompasses knowledge of one's character, feelings, motives, and desires.

How does one even start learning about all these things?

For one thing, we know that we can detect if a living organism has it or not.  We have tested certain "lower" forms of animals and find them as self-aware, too.

But in humans, the greater challenge is how do we measure it and is it quantifiable?  Thus, some are more self-aware than others?  If not, then why do people differ in their understanding of many things, say even about certain but common facts?

I believe this innate consciousness is very elemental, maybe even non-judgmental, generic, and maybe even, morally indifferent.

Thus, I do believe we need to differentiate between knowledge and wisdom.  Knowledge is raw, unrefined, indifferent and maybe unsorted and unvetted.  Wisdom (and even prudence in the ethical sense)takes the extra and more involved steps to refine the process, sifts through extraneous details, and attempts to arrive at the kernels of truths.

How we are able to delineate and navigate between the two differing notions I do believe accounts for the differences of opinions, notions, and beliefs in man, even among those who may share so many things in common, like family relations, environment, same educational backgrounds, etc.

This is not to say that those who have gone through the process of pursuing and acquiring wisdom are necessarily better of, only that it is incumbent upon all others to initiate those extra steps to try and unify the thoughts of the community of man.

We are all self-aware humans, gifted with the same amount and degree of it, but it is what we do beyond or omit to do that we now find division, tension, and dissension amongst us.

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I thought this observation I discovered today important enough for this medium.

"It is usually futile to try to talk facts and analysis to people who are enjoying a sense of moral superiority in their ignorance." -Thomas Sowell

In my blog profile, I declare:  

"By discoursing together we seek comfort from one another. But let us speak of things that edify."

How can the twain meet?  Without discourse, it truly is a desolate world.

Begin with humility, with the premise that we can all learn from one another.  No one-way street for an open mind.  

Our beliefs stand on their own, and not leaning on somebody we are trying to push down.

Where Turnest Thou?

 In the Year of 2019 one Sunday morning,  thoughts given life by a mind that just awakened from a state resembling death.

Where Turnest Thou?

When the swirling winds of temporal anxieties buffet your hapless soul, where turnest thou for relief and comfort?

To the entrancing and hypnotic allures of worldly cares that provide immediate and placating ease to your labored soul? 

But how truly in a moment we find that these only provide temporary surcease, that the pains go deeper in our souls.

For we also learn that there is no escaping from ourselves and our daily crosses, that best to face them head-on.

And search for promised remedies that assuredly work for our eternal benefit, and not be blinded by snares along the way

When itchy problems appear to sap our resolve to rebuild our tattered lives, then it is time to do violence to outsized egos.

It is ripe to turn to Christ to seek redemption and grace, in holy imitation of His enviable life here,  the self-same life that we all now are dreading and fearing.

There turnest thou.

MORE COMPENDIUM OF THOUGHTS

 

 

Time As the Greatest Equalizer

 It is often said that time is the greatest equalizer, it absolutely stays the same for everybody, rich or poor,  young or old. 

It has been reported that the current Pope has been asking for prayers for himself from the flock, so he can continue to do things which at the rate he is doing them is not humanly possible. Only the grace of God can make that possible.

One finds that very heroic and admirable.

But thinking about Christ’s life, one finds something essentially different.  He appeared not to have been bothered by time, or saddled by its limitation. 

Thus he lived a very short life, spent mostly doing very mundane things like being a carpenter, doing errands for kin and other people, etc..  Or spent a lot of time just being alone with his thoughts.  Remember he spent only 3 years attending and ministering to his growing flock.

So how essential is time for our purposes?

Is it then possible that if we are too concerned about the time of our life, we not only complicate our lives but also risk the added possibility of doing too much for our own good?

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Spot the differences:  A Tale of Two Cities

My unheralded arrival brought on the onset of good rain in northern California, welcomed not only by its humanity but also its flora parched dry by many months of drought.

Shimmering fall leaves teamed up with the rain, racing to the ground for tenancy.  The brownish hillsides are beginning to color themselves the hue of green.  The nippy temperatures have suddenly become bearable, save for the occasional gusts of breezes that push the thermostat down. By some stroke of design, the rain has stayed away during my jogging sessions at the park, visited only by occasional colder breezes.

TV news people have been quite unanimous in their positive assessment of the rains, interrupted only by occasional accidents caused by hydroplaning in the many freeways around the state.

So over all, all’s well in the world and California.

Then yesterday, social media configured for local news in the homeland burst forth with news of heavy rain in the hometown, Cagayan de Oro City.  Initial reports shouted good news too, since the place too had been dry for quite a well, though not yet in drought mode.

But it did not take long for the tables to turn.  Ominous news of flooding in the usual areas.  Brownouts in the city.  Leaky rooftops in both homes and public places like malls.  Antsy citizens stranded in different parts of the city.  Commuters either unable to find their way home, or needing instructions on which routes to take to avoid floods, etc.   All making a citizenry quite harangued and harried. 

So over all, all is not well with the world. 

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Learn Some Lexicon

If you have not noticed social networking is engendering its own unique lexicon.  Two of the most popular creations are” selfie” and “throwback”.

For those who were asleep in their past FB sessions, selfie is a self-taken photo of oneself, usually taken with a hand-held camera or cellphone.  Usage has become so popular even the current US president recently figured in a now infamous selfie with a couple of European leaders.

When I first encountered its usage in FB, I nonchalantly brushed it aside with the thought:  nothing new, been there, done that.

Indeed, even before the time of FB during the milieu of the blogs, I have had to take photos of myself to complete certain requirements of registration forms or what have you.  I usually could not come up with the needed photo, so I would simply take my camera and place myself in front of a mirror.  With some delicate placement and some twisted motion, I would click at the image on the mirror.  Thus, many of the photos of me here are mirror images.  My current avatar is a sample.

But wait, a selfie is supposed to be one taken in front of the real you and not an image.  Bah, a silly inconsequential detail!

The other one is throwback, when showing old images.  Immediately my mind raced:  Throwback or flashback?  Since I thought the latter was the more appropriate term.   But is there no distinction? Found out there is a big difference as one source pointed out :

A throwback is something that acts as a reminder or is reminiscent of something...

Men are now wearing their hair long again, in a throwback to the 1970's.

A flashback is an episode in which you have a mental image of something that actually happened in the past.

He was so traumatised that he is kept awake at night by flashbacks of the accident.

Glad to have learned something new.

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A View on US Minorities

From our own experiences, most minorities in the US are only too happy and focused on attaining the American dream, rather than delving too much on their status, especially as supposedly victims of the system.

It is essentially just one vocal minority group that continues to pursue alleged victimhood and pretends to speak for the rest.  And this is borne by the people who one sees  publicly and visibly promote these theories and advocacies.

In racial tension issues in the US, consider  the 2 sides of the racial divide, and you see this undeniable fact in action.

But of course, not many will point this out publicly for fear of reprisal from the very aggressive cancel culture and wokeness that pervades.

The stain and strain of a previous generation could be rectified in many ways.  One easy way is for the next generation to stay away from those pursuits that allowed the stain and strain in the first place to take place.

We just hope to God, this is realized by the current generation that definitely had no hand in the responsibilities and accountabilities of a previous older generation.

If not heeded, the temptations could easily re-emerge and bedevil that generation.

Some lessons to know and learn from the experiences of one such person in somewhat similar situation.   And how she deals with an unwanted heritage. 

10 Questions for Katrin Himmler - TIME 

http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2129399,00.html

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A contrarian view.

As a people we are wont to elevate mortals to heights of gods, as icons for pride, renewed patriotism, personification of our own aspirations for ourselves, and all the good stuff.

How easily we forget that when we do so we are bound to be disappointed, and yes, frustrated, too.  We forget the inevitabilities and constraints of realities.

Being mortals, our flawed idols are bound to fail at some point or other; there is no going around that nor rationalizing our way out of that.  No amount of weaving wise tales or sagacious advices of lessons to be learned can detract from that.

Unfortunately, no human is worth all that attention and adulation.

We are told in no mean terms that we lay treasures that are not of this world.

Everything else is vanity.  All a fool’s hopes and dreams.  So let us all please learn to hitch our dreams and aspirations, and yes our attention and concerns, on the things that count.

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 How to Spend Your Waning Years

Unfortunately I find serious issues with some statements propounded here. I find that some would try to nullify or diminish the altruistic concepts of sacrifice and charity that are so much part of our quest to imitate Christ. That earthly life is not about happiness and contentment but in faithful imitation of the selflessness and sacrifice shown by Christ. Greater love than this no man hath, that he lays down his life for his friends, and family, too.

Even the more temporal notions of providing for better opportunities for the next generation have to be considered. Thus, our blessings however temporal we try to leave for our next generation for them to have better and more opportunities in life than ours. The eternal quest to try and leave the world a better place for others.

In the statements below, there is even the hint that the next generation may not be worthy to be bequeathed of blessings bestowed on the parents, that it is simply a less than giving bunch prone to deprive the latter of their hard-earned wealth.

 I do entertain more charitable thoughts for the coming generations, given the more blissful opportunities allowed them.

A continual source of some contentment in my puny life has been the realization that the abundance of God's blessings to our family, has in turn given us as parents more instances to bestow more and greater opportunities to our children. And measuredly, more than what we had been given and been allowed during our youth.

And the earnest thought is that when the children reach their own reckoning, they will in turn attempt to provide more and greater opportunities to their own children. And this cherished tradition be allowed to continue on.

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Why can't people pursue this issue to the end?  That if and when Roe v Wade is overturned, it does not mean that abortion will be banned?  That it simply means that this critical issue should be all left to the individual states to pursue and resolve, rather than the Federal government?  Wouldn't that be a fairer and more equitable solution?

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Allow me to clear some nagging thoughts that continue to bother me.

Reading through the handful of groups devoted to the brewing local controversies, it would seem that collective disdain for the current mayor and his cohorts knows no bounds and continues to escalate.  I find myself being drawn into that vortex.  It is very catching.  And could possibly drive one to be less careful in one's judgments and criticism.

So just some idle conjecture.  Do you think he perceives right or wrong the way most people do?  Many judge him to be amoral in that respect, unable to grasp generally accepted moral issues, but passionately driven instead by his whims and caprices.  So does he perceive things through that prism - his own perceptions of right and wrong? Thus, anything goes as long as it is for the kabus?  Even the pervasive use of that color in government property seems confusing. 

 In that light, the act of enriching oneself in public office would appear easier to explain.

 Or can it be explained simply as one dull person having decided that public service was one big private undertaking using huge private resources to be dispensed with any way one wishes?

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6 years ago  March 26, 2015  

Today begins the graduation ceremonies and conferment of honors and honorary degrees in our beloved alma mater, Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan).

As members of its fold, we wish it well and grudgingly hope that the steadfast path it has taken leads to its intended goals, despite rigorous opposition from some sectors both locally and nationally.

It ought to be mentioned that for many of us, we do not question the personal integrity and/or credentials of the honorees.  For all we know, they could be the best specimens humanity could offer for the task assigned to them.  We just do not know and/or are not assured that the path they have articulated and defined in their peace negotiations would lead to lasting peace, security, and equity in this benighted land of Mindanao we all call home.

And we note some irony which could give us pause with regard to attitudes and fears that have been left unsaid publicly.

That amidst all the talks of peace, of peace panelists, of efforts toward peace, etc. we cannot help but notice how security laden the graduation exercises have been reported as becoming.  Making our haven of peace and learning looking more like a military installation at the very least.

What are we afraid of or preparing for?  That the Christian residents of CDO would do violence to the honorees or disrupt the process?  Or is it because some factions of our Muslim brothers might be the likely perpetrators?  There is no history I know that Cagayanons would do such thing.  And what about our Muslim brothers, who with the proposed law would be receiving a lot from our government, save maybe only the kitchen sink?

It confuses the mind.  Does history or current global events have anything to advance regarding this?

In the final analysis, only time will tell.

Would we be still around, 10-20 years from today?

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January 17, 2017  · 

Woke up at 6am today to an overcast sky, though the rain had cleared we got only filtered daylight.  Decided to drive around the city to observe how it was after the frenzied torrential rains last night which caused actual flooding in many parts of the city and kept clusters of harangued and harried citizens huddled in different dry havens away from their homes.

Before anything, we pride ourselves in our resiliency after calamities and disasters.  The following images tell us that though not misplaced that claim can be greatly attributed to one of nature’s ways, at least in this instance and others similar to it.

While the night prior brought on actual hardships and frayed nerves, and founded fears of even greater calamities, the morning after tells or suggests a very different story.

Literally within hours the threats and dangers of unwanted waters in our streets and homes had dissipated, and leaving only mostly telltale signs what had actually happened.

The first of a series of images starts with the areas in and around our subdivision, which the night before had been partly inundated with flood waters as low as waist-deep and as high as shoulder-deep.  Stray stones and debris left clues to where rushing waters made their passage and exit, eventually finding home to the river and the bay.

From A. Velez St. south took the Rodelsa bridge which showed only the usual puddle of water where the drainage is inoperative, and proceeded the climb To Carmen Hill via the Balulang flyover of mystery.

The little landslide going up Carmen Hill was cleared.  Took then the route back via the Calaanan route passing by the landfill.  Back to Agoho Drive Patag and into our cloistered haven in RER.

The typically putrid-smelling and garbage-laden area in the landfill looked kind of clean and fresh after the flooding.  Part of it migrating to the low-lying areas in the paths of the rampaging waters.

Along Villarin St. in Carmen, where the water was above waist-deep last night, showed only residue of water and mud and debris, all coming from the high elevation areas around it, like from Zayas, the landfill area, etc.  Open invitation to infection and disease.

Scenes along A. Velez (Del Mar) St. in the poblacion do not give any inkling that the night previous had been quite a disaster for the entire city.  Mostly dry.  And students in uniform lined the curb and walking about.  Though could be students stranded in their schools and are just now waiting to go home at past 7am.

Drove south beyond this and crossed over the river via the Rodelsa Circle bridge.  Then up the flyover toward uptown.  Some debris left along Pryce Plaza area going up.  Not much different from any ordinary day after a rain.

The Healys of San Francisco

                                                    A little tribute to Margaret and her family.

A family which to me personally typified one of the precious gems we discovered when we migrated to the San Francisco area. Our early challenges and doubts experienced by most immigrant families coming to live in a new place among total strangers, could not have been made easier because of how this family welcomed and treated us. It greatly assisted us adapt to the changed conditions our family found ourselves in.

Maybe a little retelling of the Healy family would help reveal and unravel the great wonder and appreciation we developed over time in our associations with its members.

Margaret and her family lived in the Sunset District of San Francisco, a lovely place comparatively near the ocean and, I was told, was built on mostly sand dune. At first glance, we thought we were inside a movie set when we entered their house. I thought so because it reminded me of the many American movies I had seen as a kid growing up in the old homeland. Except that our experience had become real.

Though looking very Irish, Margaret had an Italian father who once operated a very popular bar in San Francisco. But husband, John Healy, was definitely very Irish and even had two sisters who were nuns. And he retired as fire captain in the SF Fire Department. I used to spend countless interesting times in the Stonestown Mall parking lot conversing and exchanging ideas with John, while we waited for both our wives to finish work in the bank nearby.

Margaret had been such a sturdy support and mentor of Evelyn when she started working with her in the bank. Again the transition was made that much easier because of the presence of Margaret and other friendly co-employees. We also got very acquainted with all their children who were just as helpful and accommodating.

Our first Christmas ever in San Francisco was spent in their house as their most special guests. Our entire family, I, Evelyn, and the 4 kids were in attendance. It was quite memorable experiencing a Christmas celebration largely different from what we were used to in the old country.

And over time we would get similar invitations to their house or to family outings, where we would be introduced to their friends and relatives. They definitely made us feel that we were part of their big extended family.

And for that and more, we are all forever grateful.