Rational Insanity
Working for our culture
The other me who is not a columnist is a dedicated cultural worker. I remember a group of culture buffs from Manila coming to Roxas City then meeting me and Marcel -- they had this nifty name that they christened us with, after listening to our stories, historical, and cultural tidbits -- culturati -- they called us. It sounded really nice and empowering, already knowing that another word with the same sound -- illuminati -- was once used to refer to enlightened people; people who knew more than they were taught. I suppose, being called a 'culturati' means knowing more culture than what is normally expected of you, cool!
My work with culture is not obligatory, aside from the fact that I do work in a museum, but that is beside the point. I work for culture because I love culture, and it's not 'me working in the museum' that came first before 'me loving culture'; it's the other way around. Probably, had I not been given the opportunity to work for culture, I would still have wiggled my way through the millions of available jobs and still found something that was related to my field of passion -- wait a minute! Isn't everything related to culture? Regardless of the job we are in there is always that little glimmer of culture that has to exist. If a waiter works 30:70 for culture because of his/her exposure to the different attitudes of his customers and the cuisine of the cook, a cultural worker works 100:100 for culture. So, what's the big deal if I work for culture?
Well, for starters, working for culture is a thankless job, especially in an era where everything is push button and the traditional tumba-patis has become Sonic the Hedgehog on the Wii. Working for culture has its own rewards though, but these rewards are definitely not financial. Being a cultural worker has given me the chance to interact with like-minded people (and, believe me, there are only a handful). Of the millions of people in our beloved country I can count myself in the few hundreds who know the difference between an abrigo and a panuelo, or the similarities between the binakol of the Visayas and the papaitan of Luzon. There is really no big deal in knowing that the repetition of a word such as kare-kare or hagdan-hagdan denotes imitation or 'pretending to be'; hence, the kare-kare 'pretends to be' the Indian Curry, and the hagdan-hagdang palayan 'pretends to be' stairs; but when I learn about these little things, I get an overwhelming sense of achievement, it's as if I cracked an ancient code that only our ancestors knew about, and in essence, I actually did. Do I share this secret code to others? Of course I do! Culture does not belong to me, I was only chosen by culture to oversee it; make sure that others know about it; guarantee that as time passes, the electric iron will have found its place in the Filipino household, but the ancient, round, charcoal flat iron will have lived eternally in our hearts and minds as a remembrance of the creativity, the ingenuity, and the intelligence of our ancestors.
While it is true that working for culture does not make us financially rich, it can empower us with the knowledge of the ages, something that easily turns into wisdom, something that raises our self-esteem by making us aware of how wonderful it really is to be a Filipino.
Many people have asked me why I have chosen to stay here and work for culture when in fact I have so many opportunities waiting for me abroad -- my simple answer is, 'I don't want to be richer than I already am.' My wealth is my culture. Sure, going abroad will introduce me to more cultures, diverse and new, but that is not what I want; our culture is already as tainted as it could get and we should be proud that despite the influence, we have actually held on to something that we can truly call our own. Other cultures are exciting, but aren't there enough Americans out there loving their own culture, working for it? Aren't there enough Europeans out there loving their operas and coliseums? But are there enough Filipinos loving our own culture, working for it? I seriously doubt it, that's why I'd rather stay here and be a cultural worker. I will work for culture because I am positive that sooner or later, culture will work for me. Now, convince me otherwise.
Be rational; be insane...every once in a while! TTFN!
I love you all! Byers!