"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising in everytime we fall". -Confucius
The Philippines has been tormented by heavy rains these past few days. Some argue that it's about God's wrath while some say that it's about Global warming. I can only assure you one thing though, and that is no one is enjoying this kind of situation.
A lot of students had been persistently wishing that classes would be suspended. I have to admit that sometimes I am one of them. Well, our wish was granted... perhaps, too much was actually given to us. So here I am, in front of the computer, writing my insights on this matter. I'm not really the emphatic type of person, but right now a lot of thoughts just come rushing in to my mind.
I realized that nobody wanted this to happen. Maybe some students did, but without realizing the costs. Who would want to be stuck inside the house with no food or water? Who would want to experience a brown out? Who would want to wander in streets submerged in filthy water? Of course... NOBODY. So, who's fault is it?
The answer to that question would definitely not be NOBODY. God probably made it rain but He didn't make the flood. I was watching the news and saw the horrifying pictures of the piles of garbage floating and then I saw someone blaming the government for what has happened in their Barangay. To tell you honestly, I was really disappointed with this. It's not the first time that this kind of calamity happened. I bet every one knows how devastating Ondoy was and it was just 2009 when it struck the Philippines. Watching the news, I can't help but ask, "When will we ever learn?" Do we have to go through this over and over again? We have to find a solution... and to do that, we must realize or determine the roots of the problem. There's too much evidence that the world is not the same as it was before. If you say you still can't feel or notice it, research or wait for another calamity to shove in your face.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not washing my hands or pretending that I have nothing to do with this. I'm not a perfect steward of God's creation and I bet nobody is.One has to admit that at some point of his life, he has vandalized the beautiful surroundings even by just committing petty stuff such as littering. But I hope that some may be enlightened with what's currently going on, and bit by bit, try to mend their ways. There was in fact a man who lost all his family members in just one instant. 9 of his family members died in the landslide. He was dumbfounded. I can tell that he was overwhelmed by his loss. There are more people out there who are suffering, people who are waiting for help... people who's stories are waiting to be told. I'm not really an emphatic type of person but the news struck me really hard. It was painful to watch because unlike the movies or teleseryes that I guess all of us are fond of, this is something real.... IT IS HAPPENING.
A while ago, my mother and I went to church. Beside it was the parish hall where the evacuees found refuge. Seeing them makes me wonder, what if I was in their situation? What if all that I've worked was just washed out by the flood? I can't even imagine it. And I felt really bad for the many times that I've complained about our food at home or on how ugly my clothes are. I felt bad for the many times I just put a lot of things to waste. I felt bad for the time I've wasted. I felt bad that I wish it that there will be a storm disregarding the fact that a lot of people will be affected and a lot of lives would be put at stake. Right now, I actually feel bad that I'm right here, when in fact, a lot of people are in dire need of help. Melodramatic, isn't it? Well, wait till you experience it.
I've never lost faith on the Filipino people. I will always be grateful that I am a Filipino but we must admit that we have to change our ways. We have to discipline ourselves, not only for our welfare but also for the welfare of others. When will this end? It will end only if we decide to put an end to this. Minimize garbage, reduce waste, conserve and whatever other things that can help us alleviate the bad effects of these calamities.
You know, the one good thing I really see on this is how we help others in these kinds of situation. Look at the rescuers, the reporters and the officials who are almost 24/7 working to help the people in need. They're the real heroes because they sacrifice their lives even for people who they don't even know. There was one who tweeted that she was luck that she wasn't in the Philippines and that the Philippines was so poor. Well, the Philippines might be a poor country compared to the USA or other first world countries, but that would only be on the material aspect. What we Filipino's have is the emotional resilience, that even though these unfortunate events happen, we sill manage to have a smile on our faces and believe that God's invisible hand is always there, and that tomorrow will be a better day. Being materially impoverished is less essential. Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, it chooses nobody. It doesn't care about your status in life. Having the spirit to face these problems is the real important thing. So for that person, who tweeted that, we're also thankful that you're not in the Philippines. We don't need people like you here and I hope these things won't happen to where you are.
I don't know how to end this with words. I guess the more appropriate conclusion would be ACTION and PRAYER. We may not know when exactly the rain will stop but it will... eventually because God will never give us something that we cannot surpass. I don't really know my exact purpose of writing this and maybe only 10 or so people would be interested in reading this blog but for those who are able to read it, I hope that you're safe and that the words I put here would enlighten you. God bless :)
