Sunday, August 05, 2007



I had no idea how barbaric Filipinos can still be. The recent article (published in the newspaper) about 14 marines killed-- 10 of them beheaded, others mutilated-- is simply unreachable for my little world of child-like imagination. It brought me once again to the novel we discussed during Freshman year: Without Seeing the Dawn. Believe it or not, others were tortured before putting an end to their dear lives. Mind you, if I was in their place, I would have opted for the instant decapitation process (but God forbid, may it not happen now.. soon.. or whenever). I know we are ultimately far from where this horrible incident occured but it promtly sent shivers running up and down my spine. Just imagine how scared to death the residents must be. But who are we to blame, this is life-- Life that is bittersweet and tragic. Just another angle of what we used to dub as sweet, sweet life.

May it not be that foreign countries christen us as the "unlikely" Filipinos. Yes, as barbaric as we may be, I am sure we ultimately share the desire of being one as country and nation. The only thing that hinders us is our mindset-- our wrong mindset. Most of us think that we are or we have to be superior than others. Sadly, this leads to competitive thinking which later results to feuds. We close our doors to possible mistakes and drive ourself insane by thinking that we are correct and perfect ALL THE TIME. But then again, who are we to blame? All these competitive thinking root out, at times, in our home and later develop in school. For instance, if you have the capacity, pressure just builds up on you without you actually noticing it. Then, slowly but surely, you are driving yourself insane.

Whatever causes us to be what we are now is blamed on the influence of the wrong surroundings and how we basically succumb to it. If we could patch things up peacefully, we still desire revenge: usually in a cruel, brutal manner that equal to what was done to us or at times, even greater. Revenge just results to revenge-- forming an unlimited chain of "revenge." How come we disregard peaceful attempts and proceed to more ferocious plans? If you come to think of it, one peaceful talk between two opposing forces may result to regaining harmony once again. But no, we skip these "peaceful" processes and disregard them as if they were events in fantasy-oriented happenings. Blinded by too much thinking, I suppose. We cannot anymore see the simple things-- so we look straight ahead to the horizon several miles away. No wonder that we cannot achieve our common goal.

On the contrary, who would even put much effort into attaining the desire without actually letting the other experience the same thing? It is the kind of thinking which somehow goes, "If you do this to me, I will also do it to you (sometimes, at greater expense)." We cannot blame anyone for this way of life because it is the product of a misinterpreted "Golden Rule." And at the now times, who would be courageous enough to face troubles free-handedly and in a calmed, peaceful attempt? With all these fueds going on among the nations (particularly religion-related ones), there are few souls who are willing to hold back their barbaric ways. But even so, I think that if you stand in the middle of a lush-green forest, if the opposing force knew that you were the enemy, you are going to be down in a second-- without being able to recite a heart-felt prayer.

Truthfully, as barbaric as we may seem, I think we are good Filipinos at heart. It's just that, we allow all these wrong doings to accumulate within ourselves and build up pressure between our good and bad habits. It is just a matter of self-discipline, if you ask me. I believe that if a person can control her own mindset, a wrong environment would not easily penetrate within. Everyone has their flaws but we should not let this "tao-lang-naman-kaya't-nagkakamali" thinking to get into the way. Sure, we cannot be perfect but we must veer toward attaining excellence. After all, it is only once that we get to live, make a move, affect a change-- it only happens once so better do your part.