Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
truth, lies, black and white
This is one topic I have for a long time archived, and even kept, in the virtual partition. The last time I reflected about it, and sought answers for , I found myself not in in the color black nor white, but in a shade of gray ; I was in limbo.
I was in third year college, the first serious year of my course in philosophy, when I was exposed to the real clash of civilizations, between the western and eastern thoughts, and their views about truth. For six months, I practised yoga, and tried to embrace the east. On the side, I read the the nihilist philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and Rene Descarte, and many more. The two paradigms made a strong, pungent brew: I lost my christian beliefs, but did not really embrace fully well the eastern view. I was neither here nor there.
Does God exist? If he does, what does it make of evolution? Science circa 1980's already embraced the Big Bang Theory of the universe, that accordingly, there was a big mass that expanded, and exploded, the great cosmic bang, whilst from it, arose the planets, moons, asteroids and other celestial bodies. And man? the cosmic elements of matter as we know now in chemistry had, by necessity, to form the complex amino acids , which were the cornerstone of the unicellular organism which evolved, in zillions years later, into what we are now.
To grasp the truth of the existence of God therefore is the cornerstone of man's quest for truth. If God does not exist, then we have to hold the truth that we are mere accidents of the physical-chemical processes of the cosmos. We are insignificant made only important by our sense of self-worth.
The problem with our quest for the divine truth is that to know it, we have to have a leap of faith in order to bridge the infinite chasm between the human and the divine. There is always an element of faith, of what we may call, an intuitive perception of the divine. Albert Einstein once said, "Invention is not a product of intelligence, but of intuition." To explain the divine, we have to draw it more from our intuitive perceptions. And here lies the problem: unlike mathematical formulations, intuition can be as random as there are human beings.
My intellectual crisis led to my spiritual limbo: I think I became an athiest. ( which am not also certain about). I looked upon the east. It was difficult enough to understand western thought; it was doubly difficult to cross-over to the eastern civilization. As the poet British poet Kipling said:‘Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.’
For the east, man is living in the veil of maya. What we now experience are mere illusions. The moment we use our senses to perceive the truth, our perception is limited by parameters our senses set. The way I view reality is different from the way you view it. If a pretty lady in pink passes by, our perceptions vary. I may see the pouting lips, and appreciate them,but you see the slender legs, and ogle them more towards the upper part. Imagine the dog, man's bestfriend. When you see a person, you see the complete profile of what a human being is. But imagine the dog, are you sure he sees you the way you see yourself in the mirror? Remember that the dog's vision is drastically different from ours.
The perception of truth therefore, must not start from the senses. To grasp the universal truth, you must go beyond the veil of maya. You must smother the senses. Pure thought engenders pure truth. And to do this, you discipline yourself, meditate, and find the universal truths which are embedded deep in your being, waiting for you to discover, because the truth is both immanent and transcendent. If you are disciplined enough to go beyond your senses, you would find out that the transcendent is inside you, in your self. Budhha had his encounter with the truth when he meditated upon the bodhi tree.
It was exactly in 1985,in third year college taking up Philosophy when I started pondering seriously about the transcendal truths. More than two decades since, I have to revisit this intellectual ferment:I have to restore it from the recycle bin, to borrow the computer lingo, and re-examine my views.
Is there God? There were several ocassions when I went to church out of a social duty as a father having to accompany his kids. [I should not radiate my agnosticism to my kids.] In those times, when I see the images, I recall paganism; when I hear the homilies, I can visualize the grim images of the dark ages when the crusaders, in the name of a compassionate god, butchered human beings. In those times, the mass only added to my doubts.
But one time, in a moment of reflection, from the unknown depths of my being, there was this sudden flash of realization, my own bodhi tree, that alas, there is this Supreme Being, a being whose existence I don't have to logically dissect, but somebody who is as real, if not more, as my existence. If I deny His existence, I deny myself. The fathos of intuitive idea lies in its universal acceptance; neither reason nor conventions can go against it.
I had my own eureka.
The truth is there, and it being so does not depend on our logic nor perception. The west uses a lot of reasoning to arrive at the truth. This is a search method dependent , and therefore limited, by the philosophical formulations of the times. The truth , using this methodology, when apparently grasped, is colored black or white, dependent on the prisms set by the present conventions. On the other hand, the mystics of the east, have to suppress, if not smother the senses, so that they can perceive universal truths, unfettered by the prisms the individual eyes impose.
For Albert Einstein, intuition, and not logic, the pure revelation of knowledge that gives rise to an invention which heretofore previously unknown. For the east, truth is immanent, revealed in the moment of deep meditation. But whether intuitive or meditative, the truth is revealed, free from the limitations of matter, time and space.
Unlike Kipling, I say there is "something that can twain, between the east and west.
This is one topic I have for a long time archived, and even kept, in the virtual partition. The last time I reflected about it, and sought answers for , I found myself not in in the color black nor white, but in a shade of gray ; I was in limbo.
I was in third year college, the first serious year of my course in philosophy, when I was exposed to the real clash of civilizations, between the western and eastern thoughts, and their views about truth. For six months, I practised yoga, and tried to embrace the east. On the side, I read the the nihilist philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and Rene Descarte, and many more. The two paradigms made a strong, pungent brew: I lost my christian beliefs, but did not really embrace fully well the eastern view. I was neither here nor there.
Does God exist? If he does, what does it make of evolution? Science circa 1980's already embraced the Big Bang Theory of the universe, that accordingly, there was a big mass that expanded, and exploded, the great cosmic bang, whilst from it, arose the planets, moons, asteroids and other celestial bodies. And man? the cosmic elements of matter as we know now in chemistry had, by necessity, to form the complex amino acids , which were the cornerstone of the unicellular organism which evolved, in zillions years later, into what we are now.
To grasp the truth of the existence of God therefore is the cornerstone of man's quest for truth. If God does not exist, then we have to hold the truth that we are mere accidents of the physical-chemical processes of the cosmos. We are insignificant made only important by our sense of self-worth.
The problem with our quest for the divine truth is that to know it, we have to have a leap of faith in order to bridge the infinite chasm between the human and the divine. There is always an element of faith, of what we may call, an intuitive perception of the divine. Albert Einstein once said, "Invention is not a product of intelligence, but of intuition." To explain the divine, we have to draw it more from our intuitive perceptions. And here lies the problem: unlike mathematical formulations, intuition can be as random as there are human beings.
My intellectual crisis led to my spiritual limbo: I think I became an athiest. ( which am not also certain about). I looked upon the east. It was difficult enough to understand western thought; it was doubly difficult to cross-over to the eastern civilization. As the poet British poet Kipling said:‘Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.’
For the east, man is living in the veil of maya. What we now experience are mere illusions. The moment we use our senses to perceive the truth, our perception is limited by parameters our senses set. The way I view reality is different from the way you view it. If a pretty lady in pink passes by, our perceptions vary. I may see the pouting lips, and appreciate them,but you see the slender legs, and ogle them more towards the upper part. Imagine the dog, man's bestfriend. When you see a person, you see the complete profile of what a human being is. But imagine the dog, are you sure he sees you the way you see yourself in the mirror? Remember that the dog's vision is drastically different from ours.
The perception of truth therefore, must not start from the senses. To grasp the universal truth, you must go beyond the veil of maya. You must smother the senses. Pure thought engenders pure truth. And to do this, you discipline yourself, meditate, and find the universal truths which are embedded deep in your being, waiting for you to discover, because the truth is both immanent and transcendent. If you are disciplined enough to go beyond your senses, you would find out that the transcendent is inside you, in your self. Budhha had his encounter with the truth when he meditated upon the bodhi tree.
It was exactly in 1985,in third year college taking up Philosophy when I started pondering seriously about the transcendal truths. More than two decades since, I have to revisit this intellectual ferment:I have to restore it from the recycle bin, to borrow the computer lingo, and re-examine my views.
Is there God? There were several ocassions when I went to church out of a social duty as a father having to accompany his kids. [I should not radiate my agnosticism to my kids.] In those times, when I see the images, I recall paganism; when I hear the homilies, I can visualize the grim images of the dark ages when the crusaders, in the name of a compassionate god, butchered human beings. In those times, the mass only added to my doubts.
But one time, in a moment of reflection, from the unknown depths of my being, there was this sudden flash of realization, my own bodhi tree, that alas, there is this Supreme Being, a being whose existence I don't have to logically dissect, but somebody who is as real, if not more, as my existence. If I deny His existence, I deny myself. The fathos of intuitive idea lies in its universal acceptance; neither reason nor conventions can go against it.
I had my own eureka.
The truth is there, and it being so does not depend on our logic nor perception. The west uses a lot of reasoning to arrive at the truth. This is a search method dependent , and therefore limited, by the philosophical formulations of the times. The truth , using this methodology, when apparently grasped, is colored black or white, dependent on the prisms set by the present conventions. On the other hand, the mystics of the east, have to suppress, if not smother the senses, so that they can perceive universal truths, unfettered by the prisms the individual eyes impose.
For Albert Einstein, intuition, and not logic, the pure revelation of knowledge that gives rise to an invention which heretofore previously unknown. For the east, truth is immanent, revealed in the moment of deep meditation. But whether intuitive or meditative, the truth is revealed, free from the limitations of matter, time and space.
Unlike Kipling, I say there is "something that can twain, between the east and west.
apprehending truth
If you have two identical twins who wake up at dawn at the same time, and they both look at the sky, would their experiences be the same? One twin may see the receding darkness, and the other may see the emerging daylight. But all the same, they wake up to the same reality, but they see it starkly differently.
Can you imagine if these twins would fight to the death because they cannot agree on what they see and experience that one fateful dawn?
The problem with apprehending truth is that we always perceive it based on our individual prisms, and the moment we do this, truth is colored black or white depending on the person. Truth then becomes a relative term. What is true to me may not be true for you. The moral relativism is the consequence of this perspective. Every action then can be justified; every wrong tolerable. After all, the final arbiter is the self.
But we know that what we perceive is limited by our senses, and by our capacity to perceive and understand. Besides, ones life history more often than not builds a framework upon which we view things. A person who has been unloved in his childhood would view true act of compassion as a bait, a trap towards violence which he ought to avoid like a scourge. That is why, instead of opening up to a loving relation, he distances away, and coil in his shell.
We thus perceive truth based on our experiences and our capacity of understanding or the lack of it. This way, we never arrive at the truth. Come to think of it? How many lives have been lost due to a misunderstanding because people perceive "truths" differently? Conversely, how many lives could have been saved, if they realized, that like the twins, they only see a version of one true, real world?
The information superhighway has bombarded us with an avalanche of information, which may be true, half-truths, sheer propaganda, or outright lies. This information cannot be filtered by our limited senses and understanding. It must be exposed to the shining light of universal truths which should be the prism upon which we evaluate the information we receive.
The quest for truth goes beyond perception and the limitations of experiences. Universal, transcendent truths are arrived at at the deepest levels of reflection; it's almost intuitive. It is said that man's divine character lies deep within, that draws out in the moment of reflection when he can understand and apprehend truths which are immutable and universal. It is said that there are mammals, marine or terrestrial, that are intelligent. But take comfort that it is only humans who can apprehend these universal truths.
Take the common example of what love is. We all experience what love is, whatever that word conjures. But our own experience of love is calibrated based on what we have understood as the universal concept of true love. You can announce to the world that you love somebody, but your actions may pale in comparison with what we universally understand as love. True love is the total giving of oneself for the beloved, and the joy and excitement that goes with the giving. God gave Christ to us. Mother Theresa offered her life to the sick and dying. In the act of giving, they find happiness and fulfillment. True love is happy in the act of sacrifice for the beloved.
Have you ever wondered why killing is universally condemned? An illiterate cannot cry wolf if he is convicted for murder if he argues that he has not read the penal laws. The moral truths about preserving life are there in the tribunal of our conscience, truths that we reflect about and understand.
Truths are the standards upon which we calibrate human experiences. Without these standards, the shrinking global village may implode with moral decay. In this time of age of moral and cultural relativism, there is a need to re-examine and reflect on these immutable and universal truths upon which we gauge human actions.
Can you imagine if these twins would fight to the death because they cannot agree on what they see and experience that one fateful dawn?
The problem with apprehending truth is that we always perceive it based on our individual prisms, and the moment we do this, truth is colored black or white depending on the person. Truth then becomes a relative term. What is true to me may not be true for you. The moral relativism is the consequence of this perspective. Every action then can be justified; every wrong tolerable. After all, the final arbiter is the self.
But we know that what we perceive is limited by our senses, and by our capacity to perceive and understand. Besides, ones life history more often than not builds a framework upon which we view things. A person who has been unloved in his childhood would view true act of compassion as a bait, a trap towards violence which he ought to avoid like a scourge. That is why, instead of opening up to a loving relation, he distances away, and coil in his shell.
We thus perceive truth based on our experiences and our capacity of understanding or the lack of it. This way, we never arrive at the truth. Come to think of it? How many lives have been lost due to a misunderstanding because people perceive "truths" differently? Conversely, how many lives could have been saved, if they realized, that like the twins, they only see a version of one true, real world?
The information superhighway has bombarded us with an avalanche of information, which may be true, half-truths, sheer propaganda, or outright lies. This information cannot be filtered by our limited senses and understanding. It must be exposed to the shining light of universal truths which should be the prism upon which we evaluate the information we receive.
The quest for truth goes beyond perception and the limitations of experiences. Universal, transcendent truths are arrived at at the deepest levels of reflection; it's almost intuitive. It is said that man's divine character lies deep within, that draws out in the moment of reflection when he can understand and apprehend truths which are immutable and universal. It is said that there are mammals, marine or terrestrial, that are intelligent. But take comfort that it is only humans who can apprehend these universal truths.
Take the common example of what love is. We all experience what love is, whatever that word conjures. But our own experience of love is calibrated based on what we have understood as the universal concept of true love. You can announce to the world that you love somebody, but your actions may pale in comparison with what we universally understand as love. True love is the total giving of oneself for the beloved, and the joy and excitement that goes with the giving. God gave Christ to us. Mother Theresa offered her life to the sick and dying. In the act of giving, they find happiness and fulfillment. True love is happy in the act of sacrifice for the beloved.
Have you ever wondered why killing is universally condemned? An illiterate cannot cry wolf if he is convicted for murder if he argues that he has not read the penal laws. The moral truths about preserving life are there in the tribunal of our conscience, truths that we reflect about and understand.
Truths are the standards upon which we calibrate human experiences. Without these standards, the shrinking global village may implode with moral decay. In this time of age of moral and cultural relativism, there is a need to re-examine and reflect on these immutable and universal truths upon which we gauge human actions.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
of resolutions, dreams, and religions (1-3-07)
I remember having to write down my New Year's resolutions way back my school days. I was still required to write resolutions in my English 101 class during my undergraduate years. Every year was always an ordeal having to write and make yourself bare before the teachers and classmates of what you intended to become, given that the portrait of oneself in his mind has always been the most kept secret in life; once you reveal it, you not only only open your present but also your future.
I was appalled when Saddam Hussein's hanging was flashed on tv, courtesy of the cellphone digital capability. At the last hour, Saddam put up a brave face, and even requested that his face be not covered at the time of hanging. Our national hero, Jose Rizal, at the time of his execution on December 30, 1898, requested that he be shot facing the executioners. Both men faced death with uneasy calmness of nerves, although our hero, it may be said, died for a nobler cause. ( So we naturally assume as if just causes are monopolies of proclaimed heroes, and not of the historical villains)
You might wonder why I mention Saddam when this write-up is about resolutions, dreams, and religions. As I ponder on the subjects, I realize that these three are woven by the same fabric, manifesting only in variegated colors and shapes.
When we commit to a resolution, we always examine what we intend to become for a given year, and perhaps beyond. If one wants a healthy lifestyle, he may commit to a regimen of diet and exercise. I recall that when I was first year high school at Xavier University, I resolved to read the books that my classmates read in the elementary years, considering that language was my handicap then.
Resolutions are dreams for a shorter period of time. A lifelong dream on the other hand is what we intend to become as a person. I had opportunities before that had I accepted, I would have veered away from my incessant dream to become a lawyer. There was this chance to study in the US for further studies in sociology; another was a chance to go to India to hone further my knowledge on Eastern philosophy, if not Hinduism itself. In fact, when I just graduated in college, I was offered to work as a press relation officer for a governor of a province. I did forego these chances due to my dream to become a lawyer. As William Wordsworth said:
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
and I could not travel both,
I took the one less travelled by
and it made the difference"
I am not sure now if I quoted Wordsworth verbatim, but I am so sure of the metaphor. The roads are about life. Spread before us are many possibilities, and we can only take one, and that choice would make a difference in one's life. Had I not forego the possibility of studying abroad, my life, and the people who I know now may not have been there in the other possibility.
Which brings us to again the unanswered question, what's the connection of Saddam to this article?
Saddam, during his heydays, committed genocide, torture, plunder, and even parricide. Name the atrocity, and in the most likelihood, he did it, perhaps in emulation of his idol Joseph Stalin, the butcher of Moscow. Yet, Saddam, in his last open letter, surrendered himself to his Supreme Being, and never showed any sign of remorse, as if what he did during his lifetime was for Allah. Why be remorseful indeed if you believe that what you do is for your God?
Take the jihadists , and yes, the crusaders during the dark era of christianity. They kill innocent people, young or old, in the name of their Supreme Being. Even if these "Holy Warriors" were beheaded, they would even proclaim joy because they have served their God, whatever name He may have. There was no remorse because afterall they did not die in vain, so went their belief which they keep even in their graves.
Saints and martyrs too died for a cause much higher than their physical existence. And they took the cruelties inflicted in them in anticipation of the promise of paradise.
Of course, one may complain, there is no comparison between a jihadist and a saint. If we argue on this matter, it may never end. But one thing is so certain: what drive these men to do the greatest deed and the worst misdeed,fame or infamy, as the case may be, is the burning passion to fulfill their self-projections. These men have a lucid clarity of what they would want to be in the present and eternal life. In fact, the degree of the missionary zeal by which they try to achieve their chosen missions depend largely on the clarity of their self-portraits.
The wave of terrorism in our contemporary history has been ascribed as the "clash of civilization", or simply put, cultural divide. Culture, as sociologists define it, is the sum total of the history of the people, including their collective beliefs, aspirations and outlook of the future. As a nation, people have their collective projection of themselves which we may call, and let me coin the word, a supra-persona. People rally to this supra-persona as if their individual selves are subsumed by the former.
That is why this "clash of civilization" has been recorded in the battle between David and Goliath, during the spread of Islam, the Inquisition period, up to now, and even in the future. You can kill the individual persona but you cannot kill this supra-persona because it is a personality that exists only in the consciousness of the people. You can kill a holy warrior but you cannot kill the mission. You may exterminate a race, but the idea remains.
Western civilization may have this supra-persona, but borne out of liberal ideology, its collective personality is glossed-over by many super ideas that people find a hard time keeping an abinding faith on one idea. Unlike the rigid and inflexible culture of the muslims, their supra-person has been molded by one central idea, that one coming from the Quoran, the Bible for the present and afterlife, for the spiritual and secular guidance.
Pope Benedict XVI may be correct. You can only end the "clash of civilization", not by killing each other, but by discussing about the bases of our faith, as muslims or as christians. The pope in his discourse was trying to hit the jugular issue, that is, the rationale for our schism with muslims. Unless we go back to the philosophical root of discord, there is no basis for dialogue. A debate, a dialogue, and a re-examination of our respective collective personality is the only way to peace.
Resolutions, dreams, and religions, and the success by which men achieve their pursuits depend on the clarity of what they want in the future: in case of a resolution, for a year; for dreams, for a lifetime; and for religions, for the life beyond the grave. If it were not clear to me what I wanted for my life, I would have wavered along the way, and may now possibly be in a different field. If a jihadist or a saint has still doubts of what his religion calls for him to do, he would not have sacrificed his temporal life in exhange for a heaven he does not have a vivid mental picture.
People who are left in the wayside are those who have so many self-portraits but none appear so vivid to them. That is why they try to take the different roads of life and yet reaching no particular destination. They try to swim in the sea of possibilities but drown on it.
As the bell tolls for a New Year, we draw our resolutions. Whether we can keep them at the end of the year depend on how vivid the goal to you at the end of the year.
I do have my resolution for the year, but since I am no longer in English 101, let me alone hear it as a murmur in my heart everytime I am tempted to break it.
I was appalled when Saddam Hussein's hanging was flashed on tv, courtesy of the cellphone digital capability. At the last hour, Saddam put up a brave face, and even requested that his face be not covered at the time of hanging. Our national hero, Jose Rizal, at the time of his execution on December 30, 1898, requested that he be shot facing the executioners. Both men faced death with uneasy calmness of nerves, although our hero, it may be said, died for a nobler cause. ( So we naturally assume as if just causes are monopolies of proclaimed heroes, and not of the historical villains)
You might wonder why I mention Saddam when this write-up is about resolutions, dreams, and religions. As I ponder on the subjects, I realize that these three are woven by the same fabric, manifesting only in variegated colors and shapes.
When we commit to a resolution, we always examine what we intend to become for a given year, and perhaps beyond. If one wants a healthy lifestyle, he may commit to a regimen of diet and exercise. I recall that when I was first year high school at Xavier University, I resolved to read the books that my classmates read in the elementary years, considering that language was my handicap then.
Resolutions are dreams for a shorter period of time. A lifelong dream on the other hand is what we intend to become as a person. I had opportunities before that had I accepted, I would have veered away from my incessant dream to become a lawyer. There was this chance to study in the US for further studies in sociology; another was a chance to go to India to hone further my knowledge on Eastern philosophy, if not Hinduism itself. In fact, when I just graduated in college, I was offered to work as a press relation officer for a governor of a province. I did forego these chances due to my dream to become a lawyer. As William Wordsworth said:
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
and I could not travel both,
I took the one less travelled by
and it made the difference"
I am not sure now if I quoted Wordsworth verbatim, but I am so sure of the metaphor. The roads are about life. Spread before us are many possibilities, and we can only take one, and that choice would make a difference in one's life. Had I not forego the possibility of studying abroad, my life, and the people who I know now may not have been there in the other possibility.
Which brings us to again the unanswered question, what's the connection of Saddam to this article?
Saddam, during his heydays, committed genocide, torture, plunder, and even parricide. Name the atrocity, and in the most likelihood, he did it, perhaps in emulation of his idol Joseph Stalin, the butcher of Moscow. Yet, Saddam, in his last open letter, surrendered himself to his Supreme Being, and never showed any sign of remorse, as if what he did during his lifetime was for Allah. Why be remorseful indeed if you believe that what you do is for your God?
Take the jihadists , and yes, the crusaders during the dark era of christianity. They kill innocent people, young or old, in the name of their Supreme Being. Even if these "Holy Warriors" were beheaded, they would even proclaim joy because they have served their God, whatever name He may have. There was no remorse because afterall they did not die in vain, so went their belief which they keep even in their graves.
Saints and martyrs too died for a cause much higher than their physical existence. And they took the cruelties inflicted in them in anticipation of the promise of paradise.
Of course, one may complain, there is no comparison between a jihadist and a saint. If we argue on this matter, it may never end. But one thing is so certain: what drive these men to do the greatest deed and the worst misdeed,fame or infamy, as the case may be, is the burning passion to fulfill their self-projections. These men have a lucid clarity of what they would want to be in the present and eternal life. In fact, the degree of the missionary zeal by which they try to achieve their chosen missions depend largely on the clarity of their self-portraits.
The wave of terrorism in our contemporary history has been ascribed as the "clash of civilization", or simply put, cultural divide. Culture, as sociologists define it, is the sum total of the history of the people, including their collective beliefs, aspirations and outlook of the future. As a nation, people have their collective projection of themselves which we may call, and let me coin the word, a supra-persona. People rally to this supra-persona as if their individual selves are subsumed by the former.
That is why this "clash of civilization" has been recorded in the battle between David and Goliath, during the spread of Islam, the Inquisition period, up to now, and even in the future. You can kill the individual persona but you cannot kill this supra-persona because it is a personality that exists only in the consciousness of the people. You can kill a holy warrior but you cannot kill the mission. You may exterminate a race, but the idea remains.
Western civilization may have this supra-persona, but borne out of liberal ideology, its collective personality is glossed-over by many super ideas that people find a hard time keeping an abinding faith on one idea. Unlike the rigid and inflexible culture of the muslims, their supra-person has been molded by one central idea, that one coming from the Quoran, the Bible for the present and afterlife, for the spiritual and secular guidance.
Pope Benedict XVI may be correct. You can only end the "clash of civilization", not by killing each other, but by discussing about the bases of our faith, as muslims or as christians. The pope in his discourse was trying to hit the jugular issue, that is, the rationale for our schism with muslims. Unless we go back to the philosophical root of discord, there is no basis for dialogue. A debate, a dialogue, and a re-examination of our respective collective personality is the only way to peace.
Resolutions, dreams, and religions, and the success by which men achieve their pursuits depend on the clarity of what they want in the future: in case of a resolution, for a year; for dreams, for a lifetime; and for religions, for the life beyond the grave. If it were not clear to me what I wanted for my life, I would have wavered along the way, and may now possibly be in a different field. If a jihadist or a saint has still doubts of what his religion calls for him to do, he would not have sacrificed his temporal life in exhange for a heaven he does not have a vivid mental picture.
People who are left in the wayside are those who have so many self-portraits but none appear so vivid to them. That is why they try to take the different roads of life and yet reaching no particular destination. They try to swim in the sea of possibilities but drown on it.
As the bell tolls for a New Year, we draw our resolutions. Whether we can keep them at the end of the year depend on how vivid the goal to you at the end of the year.
I do have my resolution for the year, but since I am no longer in English 101, let me alone hear it as a murmur in my heart everytime I am tempted to break it.
vignettes of martial law
1. Living under the shadows of martial law had never been easy. The martial reign of Ferdinand Marcos lasted from September 21, 1972 to February 25, 1986. As the Filipinos celebrate the most peaceful revolution on earth on February 25, 1986, when then dictator Ferdinand Marcos was booted out from office by the sheer number of Filipinos who went to the streets without arms but bearing only bibles, rosaries, and flowers,it is but fitting to recall the dark days in our country. Looking back in history, and not an amnesia of past events, is the best safeguard that democracy would not be snatched away again. There is a cogent need for remembrance of the dark period especially with the spate of extra-judicial killing of militants and critical media men under the Arroyo administration.
2. I was 3rd year college when I became editor-in-chief of the CRUSADER, the official student publication of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan. That was school year 1984-1985. Rey Gomez, my features editor, decided to spend our semestral break in Libas, Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, my birthplace. The place was rebel infested then. So we wanted to have a feel of the rural situation for our write-up. On our way however, the public utility vehicle we were riding was stopped in one of the military checkpoints in Ampayon, a barangay just 15 kilometers away from Butuan City in the island of Mindanao, Philippines. All passengers were frisked. We were asked for any identification card or a residence certificate, but we had none. The vehicle was allowed to go but the two of us were detained in the checkpoint. When it was nearing night, I decided to use my thespian skill , otherwise, we would have become mere statistics along with the other victims of extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the military. I pleaded to a certain Capt. Ruaya that he should let us go because my grandfather died, so went my alibi. He did not believe me at first, but I shed a tear so he let us run away which we did, fearing that bullets might be following us.
In a twist of fate , sometime in 1997, a certain Capt. Ruaya came to our law firm in Butuan City for a legal consultation. He was the respondent in an administrative case. Immediately, I told him if he recognized me, but he shook his head. I told him of the incident, and I advised him to seek another lawyer lest I might be tainted with bias.
3. The killings, and ham-letting of villages were knocking at the doorsteps of the university gates. Student leadership meant social involvement. The economy was bad. Human rights abuses were rampant. Student leaders simply had to be militants. I decided to lead the students in Cagayan de Oro to rallies, pickets, and civil disobedience. The student paper then had a circulation of about 6,000 per issue, the biggest in Cagayan de Oro. The school paper was my medium. I networked with the other editors of school publications to organize the students into protest actions. I recall that on November 1985, for the first time since the proclamation of Martial Law on September 21, 1972, students of our school went outside the gates, and proceeded to other schools where other students were waiting to join us. That was the start of rallies that culminated on February 22, 1986, the last rally I led and participated. Three days after, on February 25, 1986, Marcos fled the country.
Another twist of fate though deserves mentioning. When I joined the fraternity in the College of Law, a brother who is already a major in the police, told me that my picture was one of those posted, that whenever they decided to "salvage" (a misnomer for killing militants), they take a picture from those posted. The next day, the body would be found somewhere.
4. It was sometime in October 1985 when I joined the journalism seminar in Davao City sponsored by the College Editor's Guild of the Philippines, said to be a front of the communist party. I arrived in the University of Mindanao, Davao City at three in the afternoon. But the host told me that we had to wait for the other delegates from Manila, particularly Ateneo de Manila. It was already around 9:00 o'clock in the evening when we were herded into a bus bound for the seminar site. On our way, we were stopped by the men in uniforms whom I knew later on to be communists guerrillas. When we arrived at the seminar site, we were greeted with staccato bursts of gunfire. I realized that we were already in the rebel's lair. The seminar was a mix of journalism and indoctrination.
5. For the school year 1986-1987, I was already enrolled in the College of law. My staff in the Crusader convinced me to take the editorial exam again so that I would remain as editor but they would do all the odd jobs while I concentrate in my law studies. My role then would be merely supervisory. I did continue as editor and entrusted the odd duties to my staff. But when the first issue for that school year came out, somebody inserted in the school paper a manifesto of the Kilusang Kabataan, the communist arm for the youth, calling for the bearing of arms. I resigned and had the whole thing investigated. It turned out that one of my section editors was a member of the communist movement and he went into hiding. I have not heard of him since then.
6. I was invited, urged, and cajoled by the militant left to join the movement. But I had not and will never be convinced with communist ideology. I have read and thoroughly studied the predecessors of Karl Marx. I understood the strength of the social analysis; the diagnosis may be correct but the cure is simply utopia. No way can there be classless society and equality among men. When the proletariat as a class rises to power, the said class is led by an individual or groups who eventually dictate the directions of the class. They become the new ruling elite in place of the oligarchs. We have to admit, men are not born with equal attributes. Someone among us will rise to eminence.
I must admit though that Karl Marx has the best socio-structural analysis of modern society.
7. I take pride in having assembled the best writers of the school to compose the staff of the school paper. There was the selection board that conducted the oral and written exams to choose the editor-in-chief and the associate. But the rest of the staff was selected by me. There was Brady Eviota who initially studied in the University of the Philippines-Diliman, but had to trasfer to our school because he was already identified as leftist. He wrote literary pieces. After graduation, he pursued his writing career and went on to be the grand prize winner for the First Mindanao Writer's Workshop. (Incidentally, my eldest daughter and his were born on the same date and year). The associate editor, Celerina Rosales joined Malacanang Press Corp right after graduation. Rey Gomez, the features editor, bagged a journalism scholarship to Poland. Nilo Labares was the Visayan expert. He could write beautiful prose and poems in the dialect. He is now a known media practitioner in Cagayan de Oro City. There was also a writer we fondly called Red. He was a prolific writer. He was once with the underground movement. These staffers had a common battlecry : down with the dictator. These select students were virtually plucked out by me from their worlds. You see, prolific writers do not announce their brilliance. You have to seek for them.
2. I was 3rd year college when I became editor-in-chief of the CRUSADER, the official student publication of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan. That was school year 1984-1985. Rey Gomez, my features editor, decided to spend our semestral break in Libas, Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, my birthplace. The place was rebel infested then. So we wanted to have a feel of the rural situation for our write-up. On our way however, the public utility vehicle we were riding was stopped in one of the military checkpoints in Ampayon, a barangay just 15 kilometers away from Butuan City in the island of Mindanao, Philippines. All passengers were frisked. We were asked for any identification card or a residence certificate, but we had none. The vehicle was allowed to go but the two of us were detained in the checkpoint. When it was nearing night, I decided to use my thespian skill , otherwise, we would have become mere statistics along with the other victims of extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the military. I pleaded to a certain Capt. Ruaya that he should let us go because my grandfather died, so went my alibi. He did not believe me at first, but I shed a tear so he let us run away which we did, fearing that bullets might be following us.
In a twist of fate , sometime in 1997, a certain Capt. Ruaya came to our law firm in Butuan City for a legal consultation. He was the respondent in an administrative case. Immediately, I told him if he recognized me, but he shook his head. I told him of the incident, and I advised him to seek another lawyer lest I might be tainted with bias.
3. The killings, and ham-letting of villages were knocking at the doorsteps of the university gates. Student leadership meant social involvement. The economy was bad. Human rights abuses were rampant. Student leaders simply had to be militants. I decided to lead the students in Cagayan de Oro to rallies, pickets, and civil disobedience. The student paper then had a circulation of about 6,000 per issue, the biggest in Cagayan de Oro. The school paper was my medium. I networked with the other editors of school publications to organize the students into protest actions. I recall that on November 1985, for the first time since the proclamation of Martial Law on September 21, 1972, students of our school went outside the gates, and proceeded to other schools where other students were waiting to join us. That was the start of rallies that culminated on February 22, 1986, the last rally I led and participated. Three days after, on February 25, 1986, Marcos fled the country.
Another twist of fate though deserves mentioning. When I joined the fraternity in the College of Law, a brother who is already a major in the police, told me that my picture was one of those posted, that whenever they decided to "salvage" (a misnomer for killing militants), they take a picture from those posted. The next day, the body would be found somewhere.
4. It was sometime in October 1985 when I joined the journalism seminar in Davao City sponsored by the College Editor's Guild of the Philippines, said to be a front of the communist party. I arrived in the University of Mindanao, Davao City at three in the afternoon. But the host told me that we had to wait for the other delegates from Manila, particularly Ateneo de Manila. It was already around 9:00 o'clock in the evening when we were herded into a bus bound for the seminar site. On our way, we were stopped by the men in uniforms whom I knew later on to be communists guerrillas. When we arrived at the seminar site, we were greeted with staccato bursts of gunfire. I realized that we were already in the rebel's lair. The seminar was a mix of journalism and indoctrination.
5. For the school year 1986-1987, I was already enrolled in the College of law. My staff in the Crusader convinced me to take the editorial exam again so that I would remain as editor but they would do all the odd jobs while I concentrate in my law studies. My role then would be merely supervisory. I did continue as editor and entrusted the odd duties to my staff. But when the first issue for that school year came out, somebody inserted in the school paper a manifesto of the Kilusang Kabataan, the communist arm for the youth, calling for the bearing of arms. I resigned and had the whole thing investigated. It turned out that one of my section editors was a member of the communist movement and he went into hiding. I have not heard of him since then.
6. I was invited, urged, and cajoled by the militant left to join the movement. But I had not and will never be convinced with communist ideology. I have read and thoroughly studied the predecessors of Karl Marx. I understood the strength of the social analysis; the diagnosis may be correct but the cure is simply utopia. No way can there be classless society and equality among men. When the proletariat as a class rises to power, the said class is led by an individual or groups who eventually dictate the directions of the class. They become the new ruling elite in place of the oligarchs. We have to admit, men are not born with equal attributes. Someone among us will rise to eminence.
I must admit though that Karl Marx has the best socio-structural analysis of modern society.
7. I take pride in having assembled the best writers of the school to compose the staff of the school paper. There was the selection board that conducted the oral and written exams to choose the editor-in-chief and the associate. But the rest of the staff was selected by me. There was Brady Eviota who initially studied in the University of the Philippines-Diliman, but had to trasfer to our school because he was already identified as leftist. He wrote literary pieces. After graduation, he pursued his writing career and went on to be the grand prize winner for the First Mindanao Writer's Workshop. (Incidentally, my eldest daughter and his were born on the same date and year). The associate editor, Celerina Rosales joined Malacanang Press Corp right after graduation. Rey Gomez, the features editor, bagged a journalism scholarship to Poland. Nilo Labares was the Visayan expert. He could write beautiful prose and poems in the dialect. He is now a known media practitioner in Cagayan de Oro City. There was also a writer we fondly called Red. He was a prolific writer. He was once with the underground movement. These staffers had a common battlecry : down with the dictator. These select students were virtually plucked out by me from their worlds. You see, prolific writers do not announce their brilliance. You have to seek for them.
8. By April 1986, Malacanang Palace , the official residence of the president and his family, was open house. I was eager to see what the seat of power looked like while the entire nation was living in constant fear and poverty. Palace is always a palace. But this was unique. There was one room where the noted 2,000 pairs of Imelda Marcos was stored. The room for the first lady was perfumed garden. Big bottles of perfume were left by the first lady. She could bathe everyday with those perfumes. In contrast, Ferdinand Marcos' room was reeking with medicines. It was a virtual clinic. Ah, there was the mural of the first couple known as the "Malakas at Maganda" ( The Strong and Beautiful), of the Philippine mythology. Unlike the myth , the first couple pretensions to eternal power and beauty had to break in the onslaught of the people's revolt.
9. The university is a microcosm of the society. The political firmament was felt in the campuses. After the proclamation of martial law, student governments and student newspapers were banned. In 1983, together with the radicals among the students, I joined the campaign to form the student government. The school administration vehemently opposed. There were student leaders who sided with the school administrators. But we prevailed despite that we received all forms of harassment including that coming from the military. To my suprise, my schoolmate in high school and classmate in college who opposed the formation of the student govenrment run and won the presidency. The similaries with real politik are evident.
10. If there is any one who prevailed on me not to go underground, t'was my mother. One time, as I went up the stage during a rally, I saw her in a corner shedding tears. She knew then that student activists had been "salvaged". There were brilliant students I know who joined the communist's movement. Most have been unheard of since then.
11. If anything at all, the greatest contribution of the Filipino race to modern history is the EDSA people's revolt. It was the most peaceful revolution. The same method was emulated to break the Berlin wall, to dislodge Romanian dictator Caecescu, and the liberation of the great part of Eastern European nations which used to be part of the iron curtain. As for me, the period of martial law and my involvement in that era has fortified my critical analysis in a given situation, and to form the best response thereto. I could not help but write about vignettes of that era.
9. The university is a microcosm of the society. The political firmament was felt in the campuses. After the proclamation of martial law, student governments and student newspapers were banned. In 1983, together with the radicals among the students, I joined the campaign to form the student government. The school administration vehemently opposed. There were student leaders who sided with the school administrators. But we prevailed despite that we received all forms of harassment including that coming from the military. To my suprise, my schoolmate in high school and classmate in college who opposed the formation of the student govenrment run and won the presidency. The similaries with real politik are evident.
10. If there is any one who prevailed on me not to go underground, t'was my mother. One time, as I went up the stage during a rally, I saw her in a corner shedding tears. She knew then that student activists had been "salvaged". There were brilliant students I know who joined the communist's movement. Most have been unheard of since then.
11. If anything at all, the greatest contribution of the Filipino race to modern history is the EDSA people's revolt. It was the most peaceful revolution. The same method was emulated to break the Berlin wall, to dislodge Romanian dictator Caecescu, and the liberation of the great part of Eastern European nations which used to be part of the iron curtain. As for me, the period of martial law and my involvement in that era has fortified my critical analysis in a given situation, and to form the best response thereto. I could not help but write about vignettes of that era.
dizzying changes (2-27-07)
There were few times when I forgot my cellphone at home, and in those times, I felt isolated from the rest of the world. Electronic communication has become, as it were, the umbelical cord that keeps the modern man interconnected.
Science has made the world smaller. Right now, as I push the keys, I realize that whatever ideas I have are being published worldwide through the web. The chasm created by oceans and continents is bridged by the internet.
And because ideas are transmitted globally by mere click of the mouse, ideas are shared, discussed, synthesized, and at times, adopted in dizzying pace. We are witnessing, the gradual tearing of the cultural divide that distinguishes one nation from another. The events, fashion, and craze of one country are readily accessible to all, in an instant.
At no point in human history has the progress of science been exponential, and therefore, it's influence on society more pervasive and incessant.
China has become a phenomenon of sort. The internet has invaded that once cloistered society that western ideas are creeping into the psyche especially of the young chinese, despite the internet filtering by the politburo. Even the ultra conservative muslims cannot do away with this phenomenon. The Queen of Jordan, Afghan women, and other muslim women who once hid under their burqas are now asserting their rights, and hopefully, liberation, thanks in the great part of the information and news they gather through the electronic medium.
I was surprised when my youngest kid, a six years old , went inside the our room, slept beside me, and whispered to me, "Dad, can you buy me the Play Station III?". I was surprised because I knew then that the game machine was launched yet in Japan and U.S. He was that updated, thanks to the web.
I have been teaching in the university for nine years now, and through the years, I have observed the rapid changes of the students in terms of behaviour, outlook, and vision. When the actresses started to wear t-back bikinis, in matters of days, you could see students wearing them, and flaunting, as they wear the transparent fabric for pants or blouse. I can see students, of both gender, drinking till dawn in bars here in the city. And who ever said only the boys can propose? In my youth, those behaviour were taboos, and if violated, it was in utmost secrecy.
While before, wooeing a lady meant waiting for her in her classroom, or workplace, or proposing in her home, before the quizzical eyes of the parents, now courtship may be done by cellphone or internet. How many interracial marriages have been consumated via the web?
Here lies the danger, as the web interconnects humanity, as we bridge great distances, in the process, we tend to lose the links we have in our vicinity. Go to the internet cafe, you see people chatting with those from far away places. But as they sit alongside each other, the paradox is that they do not know each other. Moreso, as we become a citizen of the world, we cease to be a member of the small community around us.
The onset of the internet is one phenomenon that broke too many rules. Tila Tequilla, the most famous woman in the internet, is now launching her music video in the internet without the comfort of a recording company. While before all singers must plead before the big bosses of the recording companies, now an individual may launch his career alone. The corporate giants are being challenged with the new mode of marketing.
There are rogue states in our global village. North Korea. A host of African nations. Syria. Iran. But while the leaders of these states scorned western civilization, yet the inhabitants, if not them, are eating McDonald's hamburgers and drinking coca-cola products. The system of governments may differ, but underneath is the sweeping change of the culture of the people under these governments. Eventually, the cultural revolution will engulp the powers that be in these nations. The informed populace , and not the leaders, will have the final say on how they will be governed. I cross my fingers. This is a phenomenon.
Science has brought the wealth of information in our desktop, laptops, and smart phones. We now even have to review on our appreciation of intelligence. Ask any question, and you find the answer in the internet. Students do not have to memorize anymore. He has only to understand, and must be equipped with the skills to search and harness the information available in the web. Perhaps, in our present world, premium must be put to Emotional Quotient and not Intelligence Quotient. Faced with the barage of information, one has to have the emotional stability to prevent an information overload. The event in the modern world come in dizzying pace, that the EQ must be superior so as not to be overwhelmed by these events.
Last night, I had a dream. I dreamt that humanity has become one, that the global village has shrunk further to become the nuclear family of humankind.
Science has made the world smaller. Right now, as I push the keys, I realize that whatever ideas I have are being published worldwide through the web. The chasm created by oceans and continents is bridged by the internet.
And because ideas are transmitted globally by mere click of the mouse, ideas are shared, discussed, synthesized, and at times, adopted in dizzying pace. We are witnessing, the gradual tearing of the cultural divide that distinguishes one nation from another. The events, fashion, and craze of one country are readily accessible to all, in an instant.
At no point in human history has the progress of science been exponential, and therefore, it's influence on society more pervasive and incessant.
China has become a phenomenon of sort. The internet has invaded that once cloistered society that western ideas are creeping into the psyche especially of the young chinese, despite the internet filtering by the politburo. Even the ultra conservative muslims cannot do away with this phenomenon. The Queen of Jordan, Afghan women, and other muslim women who once hid under their burqas are now asserting their rights, and hopefully, liberation, thanks in the great part of the information and news they gather through the electronic medium.
I was surprised when my youngest kid, a six years old , went inside the our room, slept beside me, and whispered to me, "Dad, can you buy me the Play Station III?". I was surprised because I knew then that the game machine was launched yet in Japan and U.S. He was that updated, thanks to the web.
I have been teaching in the university for nine years now, and through the years, I have observed the rapid changes of the students in terms of behaviour, outlook, and vision. When the actresses started to wear t-back bikinis, in matters of days, you could see students wearing them, and flaunting, as they wear the transparent fabric for pants or blouse. I can see students, of both gender, drinking till dawn in bars here in the city. And who ever said only the boys can propose? In my youth, those behaviour were taboos, and if violated, it was in utmost secrecy.
While before, wooeing a lady meant waiting for her in her classroom, or workplace, or proposing in her home, before the quizzical eyes of the parents, now courtship may be done by cellphone or internet. How many interracial marriages have been consumated via the web?
Here lies the danger, as the web interconnects humanity, as we bridge great distances, in the process, we tend to lose the links we have in our vicinity. Go to the internet cafe, you see people chatting with those from far away places. But as they sit alongside each other, the paradox is that they do not know each other. Moreso, as we become a citizen of the world, we cease to be a member of the small community around us.
The onset of the internet is one phenomenon that broke too many rules. Tila Tequilla, the most famous woman in the internet, is now launching her music video in the internet without the comfort of a recording company. While before all singers must plead before the big bosses of the recording companies, now an individual may launch his career alone. The corporate giants are being challenged with the new mode of marketing.
There are rogue states in our global village. North Korea. A host of African nations. Syria. Iran. But while the leaders of these states scorned western civilization, yet the inhabitants, if not them, are eating McDonald's hamburgers and drinking coca-cola products. The system of governments may differ, but underneath is the sweeping change of the culture of the people under these governments. Eventually, the cultural revolution will engulp the powers that be in these nations. The informed populace , and not the leaders, will have the final say on how they will be governed. I cross my fingers. This is a phenomenon.
Science has brought the wealth of information in our desktop, laptops, and smart phones. We now even have to review on our appreciation of intelligence. Ask any question, and you find the answer in the internet. Students do not have to memorize anymore. He has only to understand, and must be equipped with the skills to search and harness the information available in the web. Perhaps, in our present world, premium must be put to Emotional Quotient and not Intelligence Quotient. Faced with the barage of information, one has to have the emotional stability to prevent an information overload. The event in the modern world come in dizzying pace, that the EQ must be superior so as not to be overwhelmed by these events.
Last night, I had a dream. I dreamt that humanity has become one, that the global village has shrunk further to become the nuclear family of humankind.
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