Accents
Again, I’m leaving on a jet plane (3)
Continued from Friday
In loving memory, a eulogy for my brother Geronimo Carreon
We moved on—each to his/her own separate life in near or distant places, carrying within us the unbreakable bond of sisters and brothers. We pulled through. We continue to pull through the ups and downs of the winter-spring-summer-and-autumn cycle of our lives. Life goes on. It has always been like that since the dawn of history.
We all differ in our answers to the big questions: Kung hindi tayo, sino? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa? We dream of a tomorrow shining in liberte, egalite, fraternite as the French revolutionaries would have it. With our all too human inadequacies—individual failings and flaws—we differ in degrees in the pursuit of that dream. But you tried, as we do try to make a difference in ways big and small.
Alive in his music on Michael Jackson
I say, we cannot thank you enough, Michael Jackson. The world cannot thank you enough for your legacy of music.
I lack words. I cry in silence. I shed invisible tears. Gosh, allow me to wax sentimental. My mind courses through the lines of four of his songs, my heart suffused with the beauty of the lyrics and the melodies that haunt…For as long as technology continues with its wonders, Michael Jackson will always be alive in his music.
Beyond “trabaho lang”
“Trabaho lang” is usually followed by the cold “Walang personalan.” Nevertheless, there are instances when the milk of human kindness overflows to douse the cynicism in our souls. That’s when a smile, a word of concern, a tender gesture blend to make our day. Life’s rough edges get polished, and we move on strengthened to reach our goal — the pathway cleared of obstacles.
Often enough, in the face of adversities, we hear the optimistic bit uttered in solace: Hope springs eternal in the human heart. And may I add, so does kindness — springing forth beyond our expectations, beyond “trabaho lang,” beyond “walang personalan.” I like to believe the fount of kindness doesn’t run dry.
No birds and beetles and trees?
The population exploding? The United Nations Population Fund said the Philippine population (at present more than 90 million according to WikiAnswers) may double in the next 25 to 29 years unless the government aggressively supports the use of artificial birth control. (Hi, contraceptives! Hello, Reproductive Health Bill!) Population exploding? Let Popcom, the neat shortcut for the Commission on Population, diffuse the ticking time bomb (but that’s an entirely different story, gargantuan in scope, that Popcom must contend with) so that Francis (one of the kids from a neighboring barangay) and the rest of the boys would not be left without their birds and beetles and trees.
Letter from Melissa Roxas
She was a community health worker and a strong voice for a Philippines free from what she calls a “disease of poverty and oppression.” An American citizen and now back in the U.S., Melissa has filed a case against the Arroyo administration for the human rights violations she suffered while doing medical mission in Tarlac. Her letter in part:
“When my own experience of abduction and torture ended and I was reunited with my family it was not a second birth for me. I realized that it is a continuing journey for the search for truth and justice. Repressive governments and military use torture as a form of control, to instill fear in people in debilitating ways, so they stay quiet and lose their light inside. But I realized no amount of pain or suffering or fear can stop that earth in me to keep rising. Instead it gave birth to new births. My experience has convinced me even more of the value of freedom and justice and the importance of fighting for and upholding the principles of human rights and human dignity.” Way to go, Melissa. More, more!
(Email: lagoc@hargray.com)