A Nation Torn
Here’s an example of an old short essay I wrote a long time ago during the EDSA 2 and the violent event notoriously known as EDSA 3. As I said in the disclaimer, this blog will contain articles such as these. This blog will serve as a depository of such.
A nation torn, a people split
apart, blood, tears, anger, hatred; these words prevail in the past
few hours of the events happening all over the Metro. Not only stones
are being thrown from one side to the other in the course of the
violence, but also the hopes of healing. For every rock flung to our
fellow man, we loose part of our humanity, part of our citizenship as
peaceful Filipinos. As we loose our humanity, we also let go of our
capacity to forgive.
We all know what this is about. We
are in the verge of social collapse, as I see it. Even if a new
government is put up or if the current government is retained, the
essence of our authority as a people over our own government, no
longer holds firm. The recent bloodshed and the property destruction
have proved that.
We are a lost people. Lost within
our own selfish desires as politicians and our failure to recognize
what is moral as common Filipinos. The lust for power has fueled our
so-called leaders to pollute the already faulty logic of our masses.
Time and time again the saying goes “power corrupts, absolute power
corrupts absolutely.” Power is defined as influence over another
and this is precisely what these politicians have demonstrated.
We are democratic. This government
is for the people or so is dictated. Most of our leaders seem to have
forgotten this important notion. They have taken advantage of our
confused populace and have driven them, intentionally or not, to
bloodlust and destruction.
The Filipino masses have problems.
This is a fact that cannot be denied ever since this nation declared
its independence. In the course of the events in the past several
months, these problems have risen from a simple yelp into a violent
war cry. This is the coal that our dear(?) leaders need to fuel the
fire of the Filipino people in order for their selfish locomotive to
be set to motion.
The EDSA shrine has always been a
symbol of peaceful protest. This is where bullets, tanks and stones
are countered with flowers, rosaries and sandwiches. The recent
atrocities have desecrated this icon of Filipino peaceful protest not
because the populace means to, but because they have been
“influenced” to do so. And, in their weak state, how could they
resist?
Every
one of us has the capacity to initiate change, positive change,
within our nation. Every individual who participated in EDSA 1 and 2
proved that. However each of us has the capability to degrade our
country’s well being, economically, politically and spiritually. It
is all in the matter of our deciding what path to follow, with the
aide (supposedly) of our leaders.
As a
citizen of birth in the Philippines, as a Filipino, as a UP student,
as a Christian, and lastly as a member of the human race, I am
appalled and enraged by the current events.
I
have only one question, a query that will hopefully be answered after
the fires have been extinguished and the wounds healed. What will
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue hold for our nation in the future?
Hope this reminds us of those dark days and NEVER let them transpire again.
