Earthquake and Evil

It is a scene I thought I only see in movies. The massive human cataclysm unfolding before us in Haiti, maybe the worst in a century, calls the people of the world to rid our isolation and walls and summon that formidable human spirit of cooperation to help in any way possible for the immediate efforts of rehabilitating the people of Haiti. My prayers and thoughts go out to those who have suffered so much from this unspeakable tragedy and to the people working tirelessly to bring aid to them. This again is a product of evil. I do not assume to be an expert in theology however; I do want to make sense of this tragedy in the light of my faith. In my simple analysis, the evil is not the earthquake itself but something more elusive. Seeing the basic information of Haiti as a state, I can draw a picture of a basic example of how evil arising from human fallibility is perpetuated in human social structures. This evil formed into a weak country, the poorest in the western hemisphere suffering from corruption, poverty and lawless violence. These manmade forces eventually made manifest through weak reinforcement of their building code, lack of proper housing for the poor and poor literacy among their people. All these factors facilitated the destructive power of the earthquake which toppled almost all buildings in the Capital. Even their seat of government was not spared. So this is how I make sense of it all. It is the absence of good that enabled evil to perpetuate and eventually revealed its horrible face through this unspeakable human tragedy.

The RepublikaNeri STATE

After the natural drama of my brothers’ departure for Canada, I have found myself possessing an entire room. A room! I now have a room I can call my own! You see, we are mostly a communal family and this goes along with the property relations that govern the hose hold. With this new found “independent” territory I inherited, I am a step closer in forming my own imaginative state! I always wanted to have this sort of independent space and now I have it. Thinking in a political framework, I know have a territory (my room), I now have a “people” (myself), I also have sovereignty over the properties herein. One thing missing on constitute a state is a government. The best way to express this home “government” is the institution of rules inside my small state. For the meantime, my basic law constitutes 5 basic policies. These are:

1. 1. Clean As You Go
2. 2. Conserve Energy
3. 3. Be Productive
4. 4. Sharpen your Mind and Body
5. 5. Pray Always

There you have it. My childish mind coupled with a fantasy of governing a state finds its expression in my little room. I can now begin to order it in a manner that reflects my values and principles. This little experiment has highlighted that order and prosperity is a derivative of private ownership.

A new Decade begins

As we prepare to end one year and enter another, let us look forward with hope and trust in the Lord who is stronger than all darkness. As we look back over the year and think perhaps with mixed feelings, of all its joys and sorrows, all the promises kept and opportunities wasted, it is important for us to be reminded that our Father is the Lord of all time, and in Him all things are truly made new. It may be that we find ourselves looking back on the resolutions which we made at the beginning of the year, on all our good intentions to improve our commitment to prayer and our spiritual life, and feeling disappointed at our inability to live up to our ideals. Perhaps we find ourselves struggling with the same pat terns of sinfulness which we did a year ago and more.

The Church tells us that today is not a day for disappointment over how little we have achieved but a day for joy and anticipation over what God has achieved. Today’s Gospel invites us to turn our eyes away from the slow passage of days and years and to look instead towards the free unending horizon of eternity.

www.jesuits.ph

Sorting my Future

I just came from a chat with my father. The chat was short and simple. I do not wish to elaborate what we talked about but one thing is certain, this chat made me review the direction I am taking for the future. Let me focus on the worldly profession I wish to take in complement with my inner desire to follow a road less travelled. As I trace my past, on the things that excite me, there is a certain trend that pronounces itself; all my interests are anchored on how societies work and develop. From the development of human civilization, to the interactions of the material world and human nature, all of these interests find its expression in my obsession with world history, economics, and politics. These are the three general sciences which I hope people will remember me for - A geeky person who seeks to find God working in human history, economics, and political dynamics. Now that I am nearing graduation (in a year), I begin to re-examine the depth and applicability of these interests in my future work. I realize that I need some sort of “professionalization” factor that binds these three things together and deliver more impact and weight in my future engagements. I identify the legal profession as the glue that binds my passions together because it integrates human nature and his interaction with the power structures around him. So with this, I shall begin to look at into this path of becoming a lawyer -- a childhood dream that had lost its tune but finally finds its voice again.

[A social scientist (specializing in development economics) and a lawyer]

Room to Room War

In the midst of the coming Xavier Days, Asul went room to room to spread the message of Trash Zero, a campaign for campus cleanliness. I was surprised to see that these students have more than enough confidence to capture the audience and transmit the message. Trash Zero is as simple as 1-2-3. I'll reserve the details later. For now, I just want to share how this seemingly common effort be integrated in the whole agenda of campus cleanliness. I always see this as a 3-front battle just like in WW2. Front 1 is the front for policy. The key people here are the administrators and the students, whose constant lobbying can make a difference. Front 2 is the hardware where actual physical things facilitate the agenda. Front 3, the student engagement where students engage fellow students by way of advocacy and leadership. This is where ASUL's initative could fit. Even though it is just a tiny part of the whole effort, it is integral in bringing about a new greener consciousnesses among the members of the community.

thank you asulites for being part of this great move!

SJSA Comment

One situation of the youth that needs to be highlighted is our growing obsession with convenience. We grew up in the world where almost all basic important things are attained instantly. We have instant communication, instant food, and instant answers. This has been very helpful for mankind in terms of efficiency but we should consider its impact in the very heart of a young human person. This whole obsession is making our world smaller in an accelerating pace. We are starting to live in a constructed reality - that our entire world resides on a computer screen and worst thing is, we feel a sense of “security” from it. This mindset where we operate nurtures a sense of disengagement. This disengagement from the real world has contributed much in the growing confusion, apathy and disempowerment among the youth. It contributed to us losing touch with our true selves and compels us to peg our identity to superficial and ephemeral trends. If unchecked, a whole generation can be lost.

The Old Man selling Balot

Last night as we were enjoying ourselves in Caltex’ Star Mart over some soft drinks and crackers, a vendor approached us. He was selling balot and like any other street vendor, he offered us his basket of Filipino food products. But this “business” encounter was not ordinary. When I turned my head to entertain the vendor, what greeted me is a very old man. As I focused my sight to him, I can see a gray mist in his eyes - a sign of his very old age. It might not be obvious, but the view of his misty eyes made me stutter a bit. At that moment, I can see the age has consumed his sight. When I asked how much the balot is, he leaned his head towards me and repeated what I said with a questioning tone. Anyone can tell that he can no longer hear well.

He answered “kinse” after I affirmed what he asked.

As I gave my money, I had the chance to glance at the pavement and saw his dilapidated slippers housing his very crooked toes. Right there, I can see well that this man is suffering from arthritis.
My friends bought an ample amount of goods from him. As we finished our transaction, he moved away to the next table doing the same thing he did to us. At that moment, I stared with a blank face at the curved back of this old man. Anyone in this scene can be moved into some amount of pity. I ran through that feeling and again amazed by the fact that this man, regardless of his very old age and obvious physical pain is still working, walking for station to station at night. I then wondered who is he working for, who is he labouring for that he can endure that pain and sacrifice to walk around the city in an aged body bearing a heavy basket. And instantly I imagined his family waiting somewhere hoping that tomorrow will bring some food in the table, hoping and praying that no bad elements will take advantage of his fragility, hoping that he can earn something for his family. This is what struck me. Far from the need to survive, this man is enduring such pain because of his love for his family or for someone more vulnerable than him. Tonight, as I review that scene yesterday, I can see clearer that this vendor reminds me of one person who did a similar thing – Jesus Christ. I am starting to understand why he, even though I don’t know his name or even sure of his background moved me with such intensity. He reminded me of such indescribable love for and of family.

The image I see is an old man enduring such physical pain, working hard during unsafe hours just to bring home something for his family. This reflects to Christ’s own suffering and even death for our salvation. I then asked myself, when did I ever labour so hard, against the pains of my body for someone? When did I ever pay attention to these fragile people begging in the streets? When did I care much?

This whole thing occurred only about 3 minutes in Star Mart. But I continuously ask, why does this move me so much? Why does the scene move me to tears? Maybe it’s God’s way of reminding us to fall in love for something or someone greater than your own selves, a love that conquers our pains or his way of twitching us to care more for those who are vulnerable and fragile.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Tomorrow Morning

There is always something special about waking up early morning. The thought of rising before the sun always gives me that sensational feeling to start the day right. Waking up in the break of dawn, inhaling the cool morning breeze, smelling the hot coffee at the breakfast table, seeing the neighbors warm up all seem to fit a perfect picture of a great day. I think the mysticism that lies in early mornings comes from the very simple truth that at the end of the previous day, all we have is tomorrow morning.

So in the dawn of semestral break, i hope to relive my previous routing of waking up early morning. A great start permits the good to flow in every part of the day.

History of Economic Thought Class

One exam down! Not just any exam, this is one of our majors and in a way, one of the most demanding in terms of reading requirements. Our Business Economics 2: History of Economic Thought is over and with it, the endless nights of reading scribbles printed in voluminous papers. I have not really surveyed how my block mates feel about this major but one thing for sure as far as I am concerned, this is one of the most interesting subjects. I should have warned you that history interests me a lot and that is an understatement. So it is not difficult for me to appreciate such a subject. If there is anything this subject has taught me, it is to appreciate the evolution of the human idea towards his material world. If I could just sew the entire history of economic thought and breathe life to it, I could create a living diorama of the entire human civilization from the Old Testament to the Keynesian revolution. The entire subject showed me how man consistently respond or react to an ever-changing consciousness and material environment. Some ideas are born out of anger, others out of a present need. Regardless of the source and differences of these ideas, they all worked together to incubate new ones and that process is in play from the very start of civilization and has become the engine of its development. The world is a living arena of ideas. They are like fighting gladiators whose strength comes from reason and applicability. They outwit each other; they battle each other for the loyalty of the human mind. This is a magnificent spectacle and this is what the history of economic thought showed me.

The Role of Filipino Youth - A talk in SM

I would like to start off with this question: “why do we young people need to get involved?” I’ll give three basic reasons why we need to get involved. First, there is present and clear need. The nation needs us more than ever by virtue of the problems that we see plaguing our country. Second, we are in the best position to help. When I say we, I mean we, the people listening here. We are the once who are educated, who have the opportunity to listen to these kinds of things and the opportunity to learn against the millions of our peers who can’t afford to even go to school. You have the upper hand and it is our moral obligation to make good use out of it. We also have the overflowing creativity and idealism that can be channelled towards change and development. And the third reason is our very future is at stake. The very future we are hoping, we are building now maybe at stake. These three basic reasons should at least compel to do something and this then moves to our roles we young people can assume in this present time.

The first role we can conveniently take is the ideas generator. This role flows from our natural creativity and innovativeness as young people. Let us then employ this advantage of being unburdened by the past and fresh in the present for the development of our people. Let us use or art, our music, our social networks and fuse it with our creativity to spread the message of action. Second role I can deduce is being the mass catalysts for change. By the sheer size in terms of population and energy in terms of idealism, we can literality move mountains. So for us to do that, we should begin to think that we are the primary change agents and with that mind set, it is easy for the millions of youth to unite for action. So let us channel our idealism and energy into cause/civic groups, student organizations, community or church groups that exposes us to how it is to help build our nation. Lastly, we should in a way, influence our elders. Oftentimes, we overturn the rules of nature by influencing our elders, our older leaders through our good deeds and that great sense of hope so they maybe constantly reminded who they are labouring for – that is our future. So constantly communicate to your parents, share your hopes and your dreams because maybe just maybe, they could get extra energy and inspiration to work harder for our country.

This is a very beautiful prayer by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. He was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass in a small chapel in a cancer hospital where he lived. He had always been close to his people, preached a prophetic gospel, denouncing the injustice in his country and supporting the development of popular and mass organizations. He became the voice of the Salvadoran people when all other channels of expression had been crushed by the repression.

He is also the role model for the Sixes in the enneagram. I can relate so much to this prayer because it talks about a never ending mission, our labor here on earth. I wish to share it to you!


It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.

Amen.