Wednesday, September 17, 2008

When Irrationality Should Become Reason Itself

(DISCLAIMER: This is my attempt at doing a normative reflection, which obviously I have not dared to do so since time immemorial save the senseless rantings and flood of words which will not have the least merit in the sewers of the academe. I do not presume the following will make utmost sense despite the fact that we have included citations in CMS format. This is a post intended to generate reactions, whether big, small, relevant or just plain bashing.)

~O~O~O~

One might be tempted to follow the notion of being realistic when one is confronted by the corruption that man has fallen into. In the many ways that we as created beings have fallen short of our capacities and expectations since the fall of man, there is always the feeling that there is no more possibility for us to redefine ourselves and reclaim our dignity. It might be that this stems from our constant feeling of insecurity in the advent of the postmodern world, wherein everything, even the concept of reason which once questioned the irrationality and danger of "blind faith," has been put into the hot-seat itself. As we have witnessed, time and again, the space of the world is rapidly and horrendously becoming what Thomas Hobbes has described in his Leviathan:

Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal. In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving and removing such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. [1].

The tedious and time-honored process of deliberation and pragmatism, however we might applaud the many commendable and monumental achievements it has given to the world, nevertheless brings to mind the innumerable cases of slavery and crimes to the dignity of man it has brought upon us. We need not look far from our childhood indoctrination. Exodus is and will always be the main and primal text on the experience of slavery and why we have been taught to fight for freedom. In any undertaking by man which involved and required superhuman efforts, there will always be men who shall be willing to sacrifice their fellow in the name of convenience and superiority. The jeweller Simoun has voiced it out so accurately:

…only in this way are great enterprises carried out with small means. Thus were constructed the Pyramids, Lake Moeris, and the Colosseum in Rome. Entire provinces came in from the desert, bringing their tubers to feed on. Old men, youths, and boys labored in transporting stones, hewing them, and carrying them on their shoulders under the direction of the official lash, and afterwards, the survivors returned to their homes or perished [9] in the sands of the desert. Then came other provinces, then others, succeeding one another in the work during years. Thus the task was finished, and now we admire them, we travel, we go to Egypt and to Home, we extol the Pharaohs and the Antonines. Don’t fool yourself—the dead remain dead, and might only is considered right by posterity. [2].

It is then a challenge for us to voice out our beliefs, aspirations and statements about freedom and truth. There is a need for us to become philosophers and rebels, for one may philosophize but may not be magnanimous nor daring enough to be able to come out of the cave. As an anonymous political detainee was once quoted saying: Ang payapang pampang ay para lang sa mga pangahas na sasalunga sa alimpuyo ng mga alon sa panahon ng unos. The courage to die, yet having the will to live, is essential.

We have been caught in all the imaginable webs, storms and traps machinated by the enemies of our state and are aware of our misgivings. We have been duped like running dogs for our insistence to confront people in their known terrain. Is it not time that we bring them to our terrain? They say we cannot compete with them in reason. Then why not engage them in the battlefield of irrationality? In a world which values rationality above the dignity of humanity, the only way out is the reassurance that we have been grounded on things not of this world. The only morality in an unjust and corrupt world can only be chance. We say Fortuna has never smiled on us. But have we engaged her well enough to prefer us over them? Have we become fulvo enough to ask this? Is it not true that the self-transformation Fr. Florentino has prayed for so long until the day he died has not arrived yet? How presumptuous of us to ask these, we quivering fesos! How dare we do these, unpatriotic leeches! One who claims to leave the country for it has not given him something to be proud of does not deserve a country, nor does a country to deserve even a citizen like him. The most wretched peasant is better off than him.

NOTES:

[1] Thomas Hobbes, “Leviathan,” in Princeton Readings in Political Thought: essential texts since Plato. Ed. Mitchell Cohen and Nicole Fermon. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, c1996), 208.

[2] Rizal, Jose. The Reign of Greed: A Complete English Version of El Filibusterismo from the Spanish. Translated by Charles Derbyshire. (Manila: Philippine Education Company, 1912), 8-9.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Hindi Madadaig

Mula sa dilim, sa sulok ng paglalaho
Sing-itim ng hukay mula puno't dulo
Nagpapasalamat ako sa mga anito
Para sa matatag na kaluluwa ko

Sa mga nagigipit na kalagayan
Hindi ako lumuha't umiling man
Sa kabila ng pagbayo ni Kapalaran
Ang ulo'y di yuyuko kahit duguan

Mula dito sa lupain ng luha't poot
Ang namamayani'y karimlan ng laot
Nguni't lumipas man ang mga taon
Di matatakot sa masasamang layon

Hindi mahalaga ang makipot na landas
Kahit puno ng pahirap ang kalatas
Ako ang panginoon ng aking kapalaran
Sa kaluluwa ko, ako ang siyang lakan.

(salin ng tulang Invictus ni William Ernest Henley. Sinapakan lang po ng gana ulit).

Pakisuri't bigyan nyo sana ng kritisismo upang mapagbuti.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Labo naman kasi...

(Pasintabi kay Boss Nikko Gaspe: hindi pa ito yung blog ko ukol sa mga kaewanan natin nung Byernes ng gabi. Walang lalabas, pramis.)

(Pasintabi pa uli: Hindi ito ang magandang basahin kung nais ninyo akong makitang nag-aanalisa. Ranting na naman, syepaws. KOPYAHIN NG MGA TORPE ITO!!)

(At pasintabi pang lalo: ang pinatutungkulan ay napakabait, daig pa ang kahit sinong reyna).

Lagi bang iisiping ikaw ay isang pangarap?
Ay naku naman, ang tagal nang naghihirap!
Bakit ba kasi mata mo'y laging kumikislap?
O kaya'y napakaligaya tuwing ika'y kausap?

Napakalaking kalokohan nga namang talaga
Ang isiping sa iyo'y may pag-asa akong lubha
Maaari ngang tayo'y kapwa nagkakaunawa
Ano pa't wala nang iba; dahil ako'y ano nga ba?
Nananatiling hampaslupa, di lapat sayong sumamba.

Kakayanin bang iwasang mabuti ang titig mo?
Ang kaluluwang ito'y nabingwit ng pagsuyo
Sa ngiting matipid nguni't mayumi, wala nang hiling
Isa lamang; na iyo'y para lamang sa akin.


~~~~

Wala pa ring bokasyon.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Kundimang Kung Hindi Man, Hindi Mag-aalinlangan

(Kung nais basahin sa konteksto ng manunulat ang tula, mangyaring basahin po muna ang talababa [footnote] pagkatapos ng tula).

~O~O~O~

Ang ninais ko sanang sabihin kay CJ., RD., MR., MJ, MA., YY. o kay S. na ngayo’y iniaalay ko kay J.

Kung bakit sa gabing ito ako’y sumusulat ng tula
Ay hindi nalalaman, nguni’t hindi dapat pagtakhan
Sapagka’t sa gabing ito’y nadinig ng mga tainga
Ang tinig na matamis ng aking pinag-aalayan

Laang buhay, lakas, nalalaman at pagtatangi
Ay sa kanya ko nga lamang maaaring iuwi
Na ito’y gayon ay bakit? Bakit gayon pa nga ba
Ang ika’y aking makilala’t makasamang minsan pa

Naging layo’t pangarap simula nang ika’y makilala
At nang mapagtantong ang tinatangi’y walang iba
Nang makilalang ang tinig ng amiha’y sa iyo nagmula
Ganyak sa aki’y humilig at managinip na batang tila

Ito ay aking malaon nang ginugunam-gunam
Kahit mula pa noong huli kitang makasayaw
Ang alaala ng gabing iyon ay di pa rin napaparam
Waring naukit na ng talim ng balintataw

At bakit ko nga ba nanaising iyo’y aking kalimutan?
Yaon lamang ang panahong nadama kong ako’y tao
Isang saglit na ako’y nabuhay, nangarap at naligayahan,
Walang makakapantay sa pagpayapa ng delubyo

At paano nga ba ako mabubuhay kundi sa pangarap?
Nang ika’y makilala lahat ay nagkaroon ng kulay
Ang mahirap na pagsubok ay tila mga nahawing ulap
Nagbanyuhay ang mga dati’y salitang malamig at patay

Kaya ngayo’y naninikluhod na sana’y iyong dinggin
Aking pagsamo huwag sanang bayaang inisin
Mula ng tuwa, tungo ng bawa’t pagpaparaya
Ang puwang sa aking puso’y nilamnan mo na

Nalalaman kong tunay na ika’y mag-aalinlangan
Gugulong iyong isipan sa aking mga tinuran
Maaaring ako’y di maunawaan, maaaring kapootan
At alimurahin bilang isang lubos na tampalasan

Na sinamantala ang iyong dalisay na pagtitiwala
Ginawang daan upang ika’y lalong kaibiganin
At nang sarili’y mapabango sa iyong pagkilala
Nang damdamin mo’y tangkain kong kubkubin.

Giliw ko, paano ko nga bang sa iyo’y ipapakita
Itong mahiwagang pagbabago ng nadarama
Kahit pa ang mga talang nagsabog sa kalangitan
Ay saksi sa aking mga himutok tuwing kinagabihan

Wari baga’y ngiti ang tingin sa buwang matalim
Aking tinatanggap dahil sa iyong paggiliw
Yaong kapag naglaho’y magdudulot ng panimdim
Pinagmumulang taos ng tangi kong aliw

Ako ba’y nararapat pang sa iyo’y umasa magpasahuli?
Kandila akong naiipit sa gitna ng marahas daluyong
Alinlangan mang mamatay ang alab ng pagpapatunay
Walang pipigil upang ito’y pagitawin habang buhay

Ah, ito nga lamang ang aking magagawang turan
Laanan ko ng buhay na higit pa sa anumang yaman
Aking hinihintay hanggang sa katapusan ng kailanman
Nakatakda mong pagkilala sa lingkod mo’t tanggulan.


~O~O~O~

Basta, may nagawa akong tawag ngayong pumayapa sa kalooban ko ngayon.

Basta, halata namang may kaemohan ang tula, haha.

Basta, hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin talaga nawawala ang konsepto ng pagmamahal.

Basta, ayaw talaga ako padalhan ng bokasyon. Ayaw yata ako magaya kay Bro. Madz Tumbali (sorry po!).

Basta, tao pa rin pala akong kayang umibig.

Plurk