Lamentation of the Dream Un-Winged

From a distance, Dream watched Man staring out his tiny window, a glass of liquor in his hand. Man was gazing unseeingly at the clouds almost completely concealing the rising moon, sadness hugging him tightly. The soft breeze was sighing, and the crickets were eerily quiet.

Dream’s heart went out to Man, despite himself. After all, they used to be inseparable, the best of friends. A tear threatened to fall down Dream’s cheeks, which he was quick to control. He was surprised to find that it was such an effort to fight off his tears.

“Ah, my friend,” Dream whispered through the air. “It saddens me to see that the bright light you once had has considerably dimmed. I would so much want to comfort you, if I could. But I need comforting, too. Because like you, I am also feeling wretched, for I failed to become what destiny designed me to be.”

Dream paused, feeling silly. He knew Man couldn’t hear him. But then, he thought he saw Man look in his direction, but maybe he didn’t.

After some time, Dream continued with his anguished whispering.

“I feel bad that you failed, because your failure is mine, too. But what can I do? I did everything to steer you in the right direction. I made myself your inspiration, your driving force. I always accompanied you in your youth; I used to sit by your side as you planned your moves back when you still thought that the future looked so bright. Wasn’t I the one who kept whispering in your ears to keep going whenever you were down? I held the torch for you every time you walked along dark alleys.

“We were such a team. We could have reached very far. Yes, I had no doubt about that, especially when you cloaked me with hope and armed yourself with potential. I thought we would soon take off. And I believe we would have made it, if only you didn’t back out at the last minute; if only you didn’t chain yourself and me to your fears.

“You should have let me spread my wings across the vast sky because I was meant to fly, to soar. I was meant to grow up and transform into reality. But you didn’t let me. Instead, you un-winged me. Look at me, look at me. Look and see how shattered I’ve become, with my wings now broken and useless." Then, losing his control, Dream let out his anguish, as rivers upon rivers of tears flowed down his cheeks.

In his tiny window, Man was pitying and cursing the weakling that he was, as sighs capped his frustration, and alcohol was drowning his mind.

Outside, there was still an eerie stillness. The wind was refusing to move, and the leaves were afraid to stir. The crickets had gone to sleep. The moon was still hidden behind the dark clouds, afraid to shine.

Then there was lightning, followed by a loud thunder. But Man was already too drunk to notice. He didn't know it was Dream howling.

[seb/20 June, 2008; 10:46pm]

Check out my other blogs:
Brainteaser
Photo.Graphic Thoughts
Taeng ni Ayat

Mining Issue in NV

Would you dare destroy such splendor of Mother Nature?
Photo taken at Abinganan, Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya

As a Novo Vizcayano, I may already be a bit too late in speaking up about the mining issue in our province. This is because I don’t know much about the technicalities involved, and I'd rather keep quiet than speak up about something I do not wholly understand. But I have been following the developments of the mining project, and I am not very happy with how things are turning out.

As a backgrounder, our inconspicuous province has been thrown into the limelight during the past few months because of the Kasibu residents’ continuous resistance against Oceana Gold, the Australian firm who has out-bidded other mining companies to mine Dipidio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya for gold and copper. The Dipidio project is a 320 million US dollar project, and is described by Oceana CEO Steve Orr as "one of the highest grade gold-copper porphyries in the world today,” according to a news report by Yahoo News Asia. Kasibu is located east of Bambang (my hometown), and about 200 kilometers north of Metro Manila.

The Philippine government has given the Australian group the go signal to proceed with the project, but the local government and the Kasibu residents are still barricading the site for different reasons. The local government wants to collect taxes, whereas the residents do not want the work to ever proceed, not only because they will be displaced, but more so because they fear that the project would destroy the province’s natural resources.

I am not one who cares much about gold; I do care more about the preservation of our natural resources. So personally, I do not want the work to proceed.

Many of you may not agree with me, but that’s how I feel about the issue. Nueva Vizcaya is not much of a tourist spot because it’s not well-promoted, but it boasts of a beautiful landscape that only the hand of nature could paint. A land-locked province, it boasts of clear springs, green surroundings, winding rivers, mountains and hills and valleys, rice fields and a cave system. It is the place a weary soul would want to go home to, to get in touched with nature, and to be closer to God.

It is the place I go home to.

No, I would not want to exchange the beauty of my hometown to any amount of gold.

Sick and Twisted

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There’s something that’s gravely ailing the world today. And it’s not global warming. It’s our hearts turning cold and unfeeling.


The culprits probably thought it was a good joke, so they took video footage of it and uploaded it in the internet. After all, it’s not often that one would “be lucky” enough to witness an operation to get a perfume canister out of a poor fellow’s anus. But right now, I can hear the “lucky” fellows’ jeers turned into sobs, and see their jeering faces ‘sorrily’ contorted as they scamper away for cover.

I am talking about the scandal at a Visayan hospital where a team of doctors and nurses and (a) nursing student(s) took photo and video footages of an operation done on a male patient who had a perfume canister stuck on his anus during a sexual act. The video footage was then said to be uploaded in youtube for all the world to see (the video has since been removed from the file sharing site after the scandal broke out). But according to bloggers who have seen the video and to some news report, the video showed several people in the operating room jeering as the perfume canister was being removed, making disrespectful comments, calling the canister “baby,” and spraying perfume after the canister was removed. All these while the patient was lying helpless and unconscious.

Before this offensive event, I was of the opinion that there are two kinds of fun: clean and dirty. But apparently I’m wrong. There’s a third one: sick.

I think it’s sick that some people could get a kick from other people’s grave embarrassment. I think it’s sick that some people could actually laugh at other people’s pain. I think it’s sick that the people we turn to for help would extend their right hand to assist us, only to stab us with their left. I think it’s sick that professionals would act in an unprofessional way in times of crisis. I think it’s sick that we would choose to add insult to the injury when we could opt to ease the pain. Ah, yes, the world we live in can sometimes be so sick. (Or shall I say, we can sometimes be so sick.)


Condemn him not

It’s true, it’s unhealthy to use sex toys during sexual intercourse; but if others decide to use them, to engage in different kind of sex, who are we to condemn them? It is their business as it is their lives. It is not for us to judge them. But reading some blog posts, I realized that some folks put the blame on the poor victim, their reasoning being, “things would not have happened if he did not engage in “abnormal” sexual behavior, if he weren’t gay.

That got me a little lost, because the issue, in my humble opinion, is not the victim’s sexual preference, nor is it his sexual behavior. The issue is that the medical professionals involved violated his rights as a patient, as a person.

He went to the doctors to seek help, but what did he get? Sure, the doctors relieved him of the proof of his physical ‘rape,’ but they raped his soul in return, inflicting upon him a kind of pain that no medicine could relieve nor cure; no expert could surgically remove.

And then, as he prepares to seek justice, someone from the Catholic Church comes forward to condemn him. That, I think, is hypocricy to the highest level. The last thing the victim needs and deserves is for us to be moralistic about it, to play self-righteous and pass judgment upon him. His rights, his person had been gravely violated, and the least thing we can do is to help him stand as he struggles to carry the cross that was suddenly put on his shoulders, and not to whip his back as the Judeans would.


Going back to the basics

I will no longer talk about malpractice, about how legally liable the people involved in the scandal are. News reports and many blog posts about the issue have tackled them. I’d rather focus on the basics of human relationships.

The culprits did not just break the code of their professions’ ethics; they broke the very basic code of social ethics: RESPECT. One need not have a medical degree to know if what he or she is about to do is right or wrong. I do not see any excuse why the people involved in the scandal could not have realized that jeering at their patient and taking footages of the operation and then uploading them in the internet was a grave violation. All they needed to have done was put themselves in the patient’s shoe and they would have known what was proper and what was not.
As a proverb, the commandment, “Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you” is now trite. And as a code of conduct, it is very basic. But somehow, it is sorely ‘underpracticed.’ To think that practicing it could reduce a lot of wrongs. Ah, humans…



Justice

It would be a long, unpaved road, I know. But I guess the only way the victim would heal is by getting the justice that he deserves. I think he must walk the long and hard road to justice, not just to right what is wrong, but also to set example to other offenders and victims.

I would not be sorry to see the licenses of those involved in the scandal revoked, for though it’s true that we have a dearth of healthcare professionals in the country, we are not so desperate so as to allow these vacancies be filled by abusive folks who might just put our medical system in (more) jeopardy.

Because if justice in this case is not achieved, it will surely hurt our bid for a slice in the medical tourism, for we will not just become known as the country where horrible things such as this could happen, but a country that tolerated such things. God forbid!



Some relevant thoughts

As an ex-medical journalist, I’ve written and read a lot of medical articles, a good number of them dealt with male sexual dysfunction.

According to the literature I’ve read, and to some of the doctors I’ve interviewed, many forms of sexual dysfunction can be treated and managed if only the sufferers would seek treatment. But very few men would actually dare talk to their doctors about their problems. It is hypothesized that it may be a natural tendency for the male to never admit to his sexual incapacities because his sexuality is him, to admit sexual problem is to admit to the world that he is less of a person.

In a way, that hypothesis might be right. But I think that there is also another thing that keeps the male population from talking to their doctors about their sexual problems: the fear, rightly or wrongly, that their doctor might jeer at them at their back. I think — or shall I say, I used to think — that that is very remote, given that doctors have heard a lot of stories about this problem, as sexual dysfunction is becoming very common, especially among the elderly.

But now I am thinking that maybe it’s not so remote after all.


//Sherma E. Benosa
27 April 2008; 10:50pm
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Humanity vs Opportunity: A Short Tale

Opportunity and Humanity faced each other at the Chieftain Hall. This was to resolve Humanity’s complaint against Opportunity. Humanity claimed that Opportunity was not doing his job, which was to regularly present himself to Humanity and his people, and give them all the chances in life that they deserved.

After proper introductions were made, the chieftain asked the gentlemen to take a seat. Humanity took the chair on the left of the chieftain’s desk; Opportunity took the one on the right. When both gentlemen were seated, the chieftain asked Humanity to speak to formally lodge his complaint.

“Well, Sir,” Humanity looked at the chieftain, then glanced at Opportunity. “Mr. Opportunity here has not been doing his job. My people and I have been encountering all sorts of troubles because of him. His negligence has been hindering us from realizing our full potentials. We’ve been complaining about this for a long time, and we had been reduced to repeatedly begging him to come to us, but he just wouldn’t.”

The chieftain nodded his understanding of Humanity’s predicament. He signaled Opportunity to defend himself.

Opportunity cleared his throat. “I am sorry that Mr. Humanity and his people have been encountering problems, Mr. Chieftain, but I beg to disagree that it is because of my failure to perform my duty. The truth is that I keep knocking at their door but they don’t always open their doors for me. There are times that they would, but they often hesitate to let me in. It takes them a long time to decide whether or not to invite me, that by the time they’d made up their mind, it’s time for me to leave for someone else’s house. So…”

“But how do we know it’s indeed you who’s on the door?” Humanity interjected. “You show up looking differently each time. You just love disguises. How can we be sure it’s indeed you and not a prankster who’s at our door, when many times you’d come in the company of those shady creatures, Deception and Betrayal?”

Opportunity calmly replied, “There are no disguises, Mr. Humanity. I always come to you looking the same way I always do. And I don’t come with Deception and Betrayal. You always see them whenever you open your door because they live in your neighborhood. And knowing that they always spell trouble, I try not to stop them from accompanying me to your house, as long as they don’t hurt me, or interfere with me. It’s your family members Fear and Distrust that often lodge themselves between you and me, so that you won’t see me clearly.”

Humanity looked blankly at Opportunity, not having a ready and acceptable retort. He was afraid of incriminating members of his family if he’d speak further. The truth is that he would always ask Fear and Distrust to accompany him whenever he would open his door, fearing that Deception and Betrayal would hurt him if they’d see that he was alone and vulnerable.

Having heard both sides, the chieftain instructed Humanity to resolve the matter within his household, especially the problem with Fear and Distrust. He concluded that only when this matter is resolved will they see more of Opportunity. Until then, they will always have a hard time recognizing Opportunity when he knocks on their door, and continue not being able to seize the chances that Opportunity always brings.

Apparently, the matter with Fear and Distrust was a deep-rooted problem with Humanity and his people. They always felt vulnerable without Fear and Distrust by their side, that to this day, his people still keep blaming Opportunity for their circumstances, claiming that he wasn’t doing his job, when the truth is that they just fail to see Opportunity when he shows up, or, if they do, Fear and Distrust would stop them from seizing the chances Opportunity was giving them.

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Inspired by a piece I wrote in 2005, entitled Knocking on Your Door. Click here to read it. This is my take on the question on whether or not there are not many opportunities around.

This morning, I have written a children’s story based from this story. I hope it will be good enough for publication in a children’s book. I’m crossing my fingers! :-)

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//Sherma E. Benosa
11 February 2008

The Portrait that is the Filipina

La Madre Filipina (A statue at the Luneta Park)
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The Filipina of today is a life-size, full-length oil painting on canvas. She is a tableau that can be hung and appreciated, with pride or prejudice, depending on who the audience is. She is a multi-dimensional portrait. The background, shaped by the epochs in which she slowly evolved, greatly influences the main element, which is a mixture of diverse yet solid colors.

To fully understand the whole painting that is the Filipina, we need to scrutinize both the background and the main element. The background shows us a dynamic picture of the Filipina of yesteryears. She was a babaylan or katalonan (chief priestess) during the pre-Hispanic period, an active participant of the revolution, a committed member of the suffrage movement in the 19th century, and now a strong force in every sector of the society.1

She has always enjoyed equality with men, and has always sought and received education. That is, until the coming of the Spaniards that underlined man’s superiority and the woman’s limited capacity², thus forcing the Filipina to take a supporting role in society.

She was typecast as meek and submissive, but was she ever really? Even the world-fabled Maria Clara showed glimpses of an inner strength and a resilient spirit — qualities that always came to the fore whenever circumstances would pit the Filipina against social and personal turmoil. She got through the dark ages of her past — her repression and the rape of her soul and spirit by the colonizers — stronger than ever. She took an active part in building the nation, and in becoming what she is today.

The main element of the portrait, on the other hand, is the modern Filipina — her evolved self. Having recaptured her previous role in the society, that is, her man’s equal, she is busier than ever, charting not just her own destiny but that of the whole nation. She has become the country’s chief executive and a commissioned officer in the armed forces. She now holds major seats in the government, chairs executive meetings in offices, launches civic activities, moulds the young, and lords over her internal and external struggles, among others. She has braved foreign cultures in foreign lands, and is braving them still.

The modern Filipina is multi-faceted. Gifted with an open, compassionate heart, she is loyal and unselfish. She values love and friendship, adores her family, and does not mind putting her loved ones’ needs ahead of her own.

Blessed with a good mind, she loves learning and enjoys getting the kind of education she deserves. Social issues and intellectual debates are as much a staple for her as are talks about movies, social events, and shopping and beauty products. She can enjoy the company of logic and common sense, and get cozy with introspection. She can do anything she sets her mind on and can excel in her own field. She is the sail and rudder of her own ship; she knows what she wants, and does her best to achieve it. She knows and speaks her mind and asserts her views, although at times — when she sees fit — she is willing to hold her tongue to give the platform to her husband.

Endowed with a compassionate soul, hers are the hands that reach out to friends and loved ones in need. Her shoulders, strong yet comfortable, are always ready to caress wounded spirits. She may be quick to tears, but as she pours her heart out, an inner strength surges to the surface, and a new resolve comes over her. She has the resilience of the bamboo that allows her to thrive even in the harshest of conditions. She may bend and sway with the direction of the wind during stormy weathers, and she may cry rivers when her existence is jolted by life’s earthquakes, but she never gives up; she strives not to fall.

Bestowed with a happy spirit and shiny disposition in life, she smiles a warm smile, and laughs an infectious kind of laughter. She deals with life with the necessary amount of seriousness, and licks her wounds with good humor.

Being human, she too commits mistakes. She also stumbles and errs. But her weaknesses do not warrant removal of her portrait from the world gallery of respectable and strong women. It should continue to hang there; it is the spotlight that has been focused on the tiny blemish on her portrait for so long that should be finally properly angled so that the viewers may, hopefully, learn to admire the masterpiece that the Filipina really is.


Notes:

1www.kababaihan.org
²(Roxas-Aleta, 1977:13)


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//Sherma E. Benosa;
12 March 2008; 11:01pm
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Philippine Encyclopedia

Filipina

On medical tourism

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I sit in front of my PC, thinking how best to ‘attack’ the assignment I had been given. I’ve conducted the necessary interviews, and I already have with me the pictures as well as the literature that I need. All I have to do now is to decide how best to present the topic, in the most reader-friendly way. It should really be easy, as the topic — facilities in our hospitals for medical tourism — has already been narrowed down, I no longer need to think of story angle.

But somehow, I find it difficult to start. At first I thought it’s because my mind is still drained, having just finished the marketing plan I was commissioned to do. But having had a good night’s sleep, it’s quite unlikely for my mind to be still so dried-up. I refuse to let my mind off the hook because I want to finish this article today, so that tomorrow I can write things that would bring me pleasure. So I force my mind to concentrate on medical tourism, but as I do, I realize what’s wrong; my mind does think about medical tourism, but not within the confines of my topic.

‘Medical tourism is an irony,’ my mind keeps shouting. She argues that it’s so ironic that our country offers quality health care to foreigners, but cannot even provide the basic medical needs of millions of its people; and that our best hospitals have the capability to perform the most delicate of operations, as we do have the facilities and equipment, as well as human capability (most of the doctors in our top hospitals are trained and certified abroad), yet our politicians and the rich would opt to have their treatments abroad (Remember Erap’s knee operation? It can easily be done in the country.).

I shake my head, willing it to focus on the good things medical tourism can bring to the country. It will be good for the economy, because it will be bringing in more tourists, and of course, dollars.

But what will make the medical tourists choose the Philippines, instead of our neighbors, what with the negative picture we have allowed our country to have? I still remember the comment about medical schools in the country in Desperate Housewives. And I still have to read a positive write-up about the country in international magazines, like Time and Newsweek.

Sometimes — just sometimes — I can’t help but think that the country joining in the medical tourism bandwagon is a joke. But I should not like to let the cynic in me prevail; I would want to see this industry grow in our country, and for us to have a share of the market our neighbors have been enjoying for years.

But for that to actually happen, a lot of things need to be done. We have to have an objective look at our country and at our selves, determine the things we can improve on, and build on our strengths, which our neighbors lack. Because if all we can name as our assets now are our ‘world-class’ medical service, good tourist spots, and our ‘tender-loving care,’ then we will find that we don’t have much to offer, because our neighbors also have the first two, and the third is slipping away, and in some cases, now comes with a tag price.


(Now that these distractions are out, I think I am ready to write what I’ve been asked to write.
Thank you for reading; I am now signing out.)


//Sherma E. Benosa
20 February 2008; 11:21am

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Publishing Responsibility and Paper Integrity

(Malu Fernandez and her 'Diva-ciousness')

I initially did not want to write about it because I thought if I do, I’d just make the person in question — Ms. Malu Fernandez, a Manila Standard Today society columnist — become even more famous (she is now a big name in the Pinoy blogosphere because of a controversial article she wrote for People Asia, a monthly lifestyle magazine).

So many hurtful words have been hurled at her in practically every blog where her name is mentioned, that I don’t think I’d be adding any more effect if I also lash at her. So I try not to (although I admit that to be really nice in this case would entail a lot of effort).

What made me decide to write about her any way, despite my initial restraint, is the fact that most of the bashings I’ve read about her infamous article had been directed at her. How about the magazine that published her piece?

If her piece was self-published (meaning, it appeared on her blog), I would have simply called it rubbish and I would have just moved on to another blog. I would not even waste my time leaving a comment on it. But her piece appeared in a glossy magazine, for goodness sake! What were the editors thinking paying for and publishing an article that contains nothing but bitching and whining, and reflects the author’s palpable insecurity?

If the editors of People Asia had been doing their job, the article should have gone straight to the trash can. There simply is nothing in the article that's worth publishing; I wonder why they published it anyway.

The editors of Manila Standard Today are also not blameless. They should have advised Malu against writing her 'apology' which isn't an apology, but a defense of her earlier article. Could they have not known that her statement would further infuriate the public? I doubt it. I'm sure they have foreseen it.

The editors of both publications (primarily People Asia) may say that what they published are solely the author's opinion, not the paper's, but editors can always choose not to publish a piece if they think it would compromise the paper. That's primarily what editors are for, in the first place.

Another reason I decided to react to her "apology"is the fact that in it, she did not really apologize. She stood by her article, calling her piece “funny and witty” and insinuating that those who found fault in it were either simply stupid or belonging to the “have-nots and wannabe’s” [read: poor]. Her original article is already condescending to the highest level you'd think she cannot get any worse, but you read her subsequent statement and you know you'd just been proven wrong. Her "apology" is so unbelievably full of vile.

Before reading her statement, I thought I knew humor and wit, but now I am not sure. And I don’t think I’d still want to be called witty or funny if to be either or both would mean writing rubbish materials. I think I’d rather be a dullard and a bore.

Ay, wait lang. Didn't I say I’d try to be nice?


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Click on the following links: First page, Second Page to read Ms. Fernandez’ piece published in People Asia.

Read Ms. Fernandez' subsequent defense of her piece (published in her Manila Standard Today column): Defense


UPDATE

It looks like as I was posting my piece, Ms. Fernandez was issuing an apology. Please read her apology below:

"I am humbled by the vehement and heated response provoked by my article entitled 'From Boracay to Greece!' which came out in the June 2007 issue of People Asia. To say that this article was not meant to malign, hurt or express prejudice against the OFWs now sounds hollow after reading through all the blogs from Filipinos all over the world. I am deeply apologetic for my insensitivity and the offensive manner in which this article was written, I hear you all and I am properly rebuked. It was truly not my intention to malign hurt or express prejudice against OFWs.

As the recent recipient and target of death threats, hate blogs, and deeply personal insults, I now truly understand the insidiousness of discrimination and prejudice disguised as humor. Our society is bound together by human chains of kindness and decency. I have failed to observe this and I am now reaping the consequences of my actions. It is my fervent hope that the lessons that Ive learned are not lost on all those who through anonymous blogs, engaged in bigotry, discrimination, and hatred ( against overweight individuals , for example ).

I take full responsibility for my actions and my friends and family have nothing to do with this. To date I have submitted my resignation letters to both the Manila Standard and People Asia, on that note may this matter be laid to rest."

Misunderstood

Dear Diary,

I feel depressed. People stop at nothing to have me, yet very few seem to see me as I am. All they seem to see in me is my superficial aspect; my depth, they completely ignore. They look everywhere for me — in products that promise to deliver me to those who use them, and in treatments that guarantee I’d appear in those who undergo them. And while the patrons of these products and treatments are happy with the results, thinking they now possess me, they don’t know that all they have attained is just but an aspect of me — the one that appeals to the eyes.

That’s why I am disheartened. How can I tell them they are looking in the wrong places, for the wrong concept? How can I tell those good-looking people that it’s just a part of me that they have; that although they are gifted of my physical manifestations, they cannot truly have me if they don’t embody me in their thoughts, words and actions? How can I let them see that while an aspect of me can be had by using those products and undergoing those procedures, the more important part of me resides in them, in the recesses of their hearts? How can I make them realize that I am more than what they take me for, that I am deeper than what they give me credit for? How can I make them understand that I am goodness, and goodness is me?

Oh, it’s sad being gravely misunderstood.

Beauty

Sherma E. Benosa
//February 21, 2007; 11:30am

On beauty...

Beauty is one of the most subjective of all concepts. It means different things to different people. What is beautiful to some may seem ordinary to others. That is a fact of life.

More often than not, we see that which we want to see. Remember the story of the elephant and the six blind men? What we are sure to be right in our perspective proves to be wrong when seen in a different perspective. And what’s more, what seems to be the defining factor of a thing in a certain point of view may actually be just one of the several factors that comprise the whole. At times, that which we put so much emphasis on may not even matter at all when a thing is viewed in its entirety.

Beauty (or lack of) is not all that defines a person. Although it is the first thing that we see, it is not really the one that tells us who the person is.

Am I beautiful, or am I not? That depends on who is the judge. I do know for a fact that I’ll never be a beauty queen. But I don’t mind. What matters is that, whenever I look into the mirror, I like what I see. I smile at my reflection, and she smiles back at me.



/First posted in iluko.com in response to an anonymous posting.

Life is a performing art

An unseen hand turned an unusually bright spotlight upon a darkened stage. Out of nowhere, a figure stepped onto the platform, with no idea how he got there or where he came from. Neither did he know what to do. But in his mind, he seemed to be hearing a voice fainter than a whisper, giving him a vague instruction to act and to say something.

Half-bewildered, half-suspecting someone was pulling his leg, the figure looked to his left and right, and realized that he wasn’t alone; that he shared the stage with several other beings — puppets, marionettes, dolls, and stick figures — who, like him, had no idea why they were there.

It was as he turned to his right that the figure noticed something peculiar: the arena where he and the other beings were to perform had no seats for spectators.


AFTER HOURS OF walking to and fro the stage — many times crossing paths, a few times colliding, and sometimes walking alongside the others — the figure just knew, though he couldn’t explain how, that he was being called off the stage. So he delivered his last lines, bowed to the other beings, and started to make his exit. As he retreated to the backstage, he heard some kind of noise erupt. Whether it was a collective applause or booing, he wasn’t sure; he didn’t turn to see.

Reaching the backstage, the figure saw a silhouette making weird gestures as though he was conducting an orchestra. Thinking that the silhouette was another actor about to step onto the platform, he gave him a sympathetic look and exclaimed, “Whew! That was some kind of a play. A scriptless one! Would you believe that? And undirected, too. Weird, isn’t it?”

Receiving no response, the figure persisted, “By the way, are you an actor, too?”

The silhouette shook his head, not taking his gaze off the invisible orchestra. “No, I’m the director.”

Stunned, the figure exclaimed, “The director? You are the director? Why then aren’t you directing? I would have been spared of all those collisions. I would not have gotten lost. I would have been able to put in a better performance; I would not have a-fretted and a-strutted upon that weird platform like some kind of a drunk!”

The silhouette momentarily turned his attention to the figure. “I was. You just weren’t listening.” [seb/july2005]

Humor is us. But...

Someone trips over, we laugh. Someone makes a mistake, we laugh. Someone says something subtly insulting, we laugh. Someone shares a joke, we say, “Ang corni!” then laugh.

It seems we spend a lot of our time laughing. Even when things go wrong — commodity prices going up, the political weather getting worse, many families barely able to make both ends meet, etc. — we are laughing still. And more than that, we can still afford to create and send jokes via SMS and e-mail. (In fact, a survey of Pulse Asia in 2003 shows that jokes rank third among the types of text messages sent most often by Filipinos, just behind personal communications such as family news and greetings.)1

But why do we laugh?

First, humor is an integral part of our survival. We use humor to convey a message that is otherwise difficult to express. Compared to Westerners, we are said to be non-confrontational. Generally, we never say “no.” We often find it difficult to tell others exactly what we mean especially when we think what we need to say may hurt the other person’s feelings. So we turn to humor to get the message across. We joke about it, in the hope that the other person would understand our joke’s underlying meaning. How many times have we found ourselves wondering if a certain joke, especially if loaded with several meanings, is indeed a plain joke? More often than not, our jokes are “half-meant” or half-truths.

But more than a communication tool, we use humor as our way of coping with the adversaries that come our way. Director and writer Jose Javier Reyes, in his article, “The Power of Laughter,” writes that more than just a source of entertainment or diversion, humor for us is a survival kit. A must-have. It is our way of coping with our misfortunes and means of overcoming our predicaments. “More than just comic relief from the harsh realities,” he writes, “Filipinos have found in humor a reservoir of psychic energy from which they draw a positive outlook in life. Filipinos argue that if they can laugh at a situation, they can rise above it.”

Psychologist Patricia Licuanan, PhD, agrees that indeed, laughter is an effective defense mechanism. She says: “Beneath the laughter is a resilient spirit that enables Filipinos to weather the worse economic and social conditions. Modern Filipinos like to compare themselves to the bamboo that sways and bends with the wind, no matter how strong, but never breaks. And like the bamboo, which thrives in the harshest environment, Filipinos survive the most trying times.”

Finally, humor is a weapon, as observed by Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Conrado De Quiros. He writes: “Laughter is the most potent weapon of the powerless in the country.” When we find it difficult to directly criticize the government or anyone in power, we turn to humor. Is there anyone in the country who still doesn’t know, or has not received an Erap or a Garci joke?

So we laugh because humor is us. It is our way of life. To not see humor in any situation is to be un-Filipino.

But on second thought, and without discounting the good things humor do for us as a people, are we not laughing a bit too much? Isn’t laughter our non “full” verbal way of saying, ”who cares?”

Take for example the controversy involving the president and former COMELEC official Garcillano, which spawned hundreds of Garci and Gloria jokes around the country and the world. While the whole country was appalled at the turn of events, and wondered whether the President indeed was the one on the phone; and as things progressed with the President asking the people for their forgiveness, and a number of politicians making inconceivable moves and some groups calling for the President to step down, most of us stayed glued on our television sets, watching the event as though we would not be affected however it turns out, and created jokes about it.

There are many reasons we didn’t take the heed of going down the streets to oust yet again another president, one of which is the question on her successor. Somehow, the scenario of having Noli de Castro as president doesn’t paint a good picture, yet installing someone else to the presidency would not be constitutional. Another reason is the fact that any change we make in our structure now would spell instability. And then, there’s also the issue of going to the streets being not anymore as effective as the first two EDSA revolutions. So maybe we are left with no other choice than having to contend with a president a growing number of our countrymen no longer trust.

Or maybe we have become too tired to do anything, realizing that whoever we put up there to govern us, would simply do his or her best to fail us. Take Erap. Take Gloria.

So we laugh, believing that there is nothing more we can do with our situation. Either that or we cry. Other nationalities may have already cried in despair. But not us. Crying, we say, cannot make the problems disappear. However, neither can laughter. Still, the latter can make the problem seem lighter; while the former adds weight to it.

Laughter is not always positive. It may also mean resignation. Or worse, apathy. [seb/oct2005]



End Notes & Bibliography

1 San Andres, Emmanuel A. “News, greetings, jokes top list of Filipino’s text messages.
www. Cyberdyaryo.com. June 20, 2003.
Reyes, Jose Javier. The Power of Laughter.
www.livinginthephilippines.com/philippine_articles/sense_being_filipino/power_laughter.html
Licuanan, Patricia B. A People of Hope.
www.livinginthephilippines.com/philippine_articles/sense_being_filipino/people_hope.html