Sariling bersyon ng "Indolence of the Filipino": Tamad nga ba si Juan?

Tamad nga ba si Juan?

Ito ang isa sa mga katanungan ang uukilkil sa isipan ng sinuman kung susuriing mabuti ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging tamad. Ano nga ba ang ibig sabihin ng katamaran? Ito ba ay simpleng kabaligtaran lamang ng kasipagan? Ano ang kasipagan kung ganoon? Ang kasipagan ba ay nasusukat sa pamamagitan ng dami ng nagawang trabaho? O ito ba ay nabibigyang kahulugan sa pamamagitan ng kalidad at kahalagahan ng nagawang trabaho? O ito ba ay ang pagmamahal at pagpapahalaga dito na ipinapakita sa pamamagitan ng pagtatrabaho ng maigi at masigasig? Kung ang huling depinisyon ang pagtutuunan ng pansin, maaari bang masabi na ang katamaran ay nangangahulugang walang pagmamahal sa trabaho at hindi pagtatrabaho ng maigi? Masusukat nga ba ang kahulugan ng kasipagan o katamaran sa dami o kawalan ng ginawang trabaho? O mas higit pa dito ang kahulugan katamaran? Sapat na ba ang ganitong klase ng pag-iintindi sa daynamiko ng semantiks ng katamaran?

Sino nga ba ang taong masasabing tamad? Ito ba ang mga taong nagsaka mula madaling araw hanggang ika-sampu ng umaga at nagpahinga na lamang pagkatapos? O ito ba ang mga taong nakaupo sa de-aircon na opisina ng gobyerno habang nagbabasa ng dyaryo at umiinom ng malamig na mineral na tubig? Ang katamaran ba ang siyang pangunahing dahilan kung bakit hindi umuunlad ang Pilipinas?

Marami ang nagsasabi na tamad ang mga Pilipino, na ang mga Pilipino ay hindi marunong magmahal sa kanilang trabaho, lagi na lamang nagpapahinga at nakatunganga, at mahilig magsayang ng oras sa paggawa ng wala. Sinasabing tamad ang Pilipino dahil madalas sa hindi na nakikita sila sa nakatambay sa labas ng kanilang bahay, o kung hindi naman ay nakikipagtsismisan sa kanilang kapitbahay ng umagang-umaga. Ang ganitong senaryo ay karaniwang nakikita sa mga mahihirap na lugar sa kabihasnan at mangilan-ngilang lugar sa probinsya. Sinasabing tamad ang Pilipino dahil konting trabaho lang ay magpapahinga na agad sila. At madalas sa hindi, ang katamaran na ito ay sinasabing dahilan ng kahirapan ng bawat Pilipino. Ito ay madalas na ginagawang sangkalan upang bigyang rason kung bakit hindi umuunlad ang ating bansa. Ito ay kadalasang ginagamit upang paliwanagan ang mga kapalpakang nangyayari sa Pilipinas (halimbawa ang madalas sabihin ng mga tao: Kaya naghihirap ang mga Pilipino dahil ang tatamad eh).

Ngunit kung titingnan ng mabuti, hindi masasabing tamad ang mga Pilipino sa tunay na kahulugan ng pagiging tamad. Ito ay sa kadahilanang ang mga Pilipino ay masisigasig sa kanilang trabaho, isang bagay na makikita sa kultura ng mga katutubo natin. Ang ganitong katangian ng mga Pinoy ay kilala maging sa ibang bansa dahil sa mga OFWs. Isa pang dahilan ay tinitingnan kasing katamaran ang pagpapahinga. Ang mga magsasakang nagpapahinga tuwing ika-sampo ng umaga hanggang sa makalipas ang init ng araw ay sinasabing tamad, ngunit ang hindi nakikita dito ay ang katunayan na ang mga magsasakang ito ay nagsimulang magsaka ng madaling araw pa lamang. Ang balik-bayang OFW ay hindi masasabing tamad kung siya man ay magbuhay-donya panandalian. Katamaran na bang matatawag ang pagpapahinga matapos ang isang mabigat na trabaho? Gaya nga ng sabi ni Rizal, hindi naman ang pagtatrabaho at pagkita lamang ang silbi ng isang tao., kundi ang paghahanap ng kanyang kasiyahan.

Hindi ang katamaran ang siyang nagbubunga ng kahirapan ng bansa, bagkus ito ay ang kabilagtaran. Ang sinasabing katamaran ng Pilipino ay dulot ng mga salik ng lipunan tulad ng kasaysayan at kultura, nanatiling ideolohiya sa lugar, ekonomikong kalagayan, at pulitikal na aspeto. Ito ay bunga lamang ng isang mahabang panahon ng kolonisasyon ng mga Espanyol, ng kahirapan ng bansa, at ng isang hindi magandang sistema ng pamamahala ng gobyerno sa kasalukuyan.

Alam naman nating lahat na ang katangiang “mamaya na” ay hindi sariling atin, dahil ito ay tumataliwas sa kultura at paniniwala ng sinaunang katutubo ng bansa. Ang ganitong katangian kasama pa ng siesta at pagpunta ng huli sa mga kasiyahan ay ilan lamang sa mga kaugalian ng kastila na siyang nakuha ng ibang Pilipino sa atin bilang manipestasyon ng tinatawag na passive racism. Ang mga ito ay nakaapekto sa kaugalian ng Pilipino ukol sa trabaho at iba pang aspeto ng buhay.

Walang tambay sa kanto kung sila ay mga nabigyan ng oportunidad na magtrabaho at makapag-aral. Hindi sila magiging “tamad” kung ang sila ay nagkaroon ng liberasyon sa pamamagitan ng edukasyon at gabay ng pamahalaan. Kung sila ay nabigyan ng oportunidad na magkaroon ng trabaho, hindi sila magiging tambay. Subalit ang isang pang tanong dito na hindi mabigyan ng tamang kasagutan ay: Sino ang gaganahang magsumikap sa ilalim ng isang dispahiladong sistema kung saan ang kurapsyon at pagnanakaw ay talamak (katulad na lamang din noong panahon ng kastila)? Hindi ko naisin na maging aktibista, isa lamang ito sa mga katanungan na pumasok sa aking isipan.

Maaaring may tama at mali sa bawat sistema, may maganda at pangit sa mga ideolohiyang mayroon ang isang sistema, subalit kung patuloy na hindi itatama ang mali at hindi gagamutin ang pangit, magpapatuloy ang sinasabing “katamaran” ng Pilipino. Bagaman madaming salik ang sanhi ng katamaran, at bagaman tila hindi kasalanan ng Pilipino kung bakit siya naging tamad, marapat lamang na malaman ng bawat isa na tayo ay mga taong pinagkalooban ng kakayahang mag-isip ng kritikal. Ang kakayahan na mag-isip ay gamitin sana upang malunasan ang sakit na tinatawag na katamaran.

Disillusionment.

The world is harsh.

I have said this many times before, especially on the events where I could not do something to give justice to some things or some people. I feel obligated to feed the hunger of the world, to protect the rights of people who cannot protect themselves, to advocate indigenous peoples rights, to relieve the world from poverty, inequality, and injustice, to empower marginalized people, and to do something just. I feel that it is my duty to do something in order to save the world (or at least my country) from further deterioration. I should do something to make things better for my fellowmen, that's what UP education has taught me.

"Save the nation through oblation." as the UP shirt said once. And I plan to live up to it. I want to serve my fellowmen who sent me to a good university. I want to pay back the country that housed me since time immemorial. I want to save my nation through oblation.

But. I have to face the truth. No matter how much I wanted to change the world and no matter how hard I work for its betterment, there are certain things in this world that still remain to cause conflict. For instance, corruption, inequality, and injustice (things which may result in poverty).

Corruption is every where, not just in the government. It lives in everyone's house. It happens when the parents bribe the children with money just to go to the nearest store to buy something. It happens when the children take the excess money when they were asked to buy in the grocery. It happens when the children steal money from their parents' wallets. It happens when the household engages in "reward system". Corruption exists since time immemorial. It exists, not just in the arena of politics, in every social institution. It is a fact of life. And it is sad.

And just like corruption, inequality and injustice have been existing for only-god-knows-when. These things, which the "presidentiables" promise to alleviate, are already a fact of life. And it will take a very looooooong time to ease these. It might even take centuries to get rid of these things because as long as there is capitalism and greed, these things will exist.

Nobody wants to be poor. And the world is simply harsh. Though I can do something about it, I cannot change it. I simply cannot.

Public School All The Way

If there is one thing that I will say to my future employers, it would be this: I am a product of public schools, and am proud of it.

From my grade school to college, I have been reared and educated in a public school, and never once in my entire school age that I regretted it. In fact, I enjoyed my public schooling. And I am just glad that my mom did not agree with my father when he said that he’ll send me to a catholic school (Oh Lord, I am just so glad).

Public schools are known for its wrecked and worn facilities. The classrooms are (too) small to occupy 70 apprehensive students. The windows are in the state of disrepair just like the doors. The desks and chairs are either slightly broken or totally dysfunctional. The library (if there is such thing in public schools) is just as inaccessible to students as the comfort rooms (for students, because teachers have their own clean and stink-free comfort room). The comfort rooms smell horrible and bring no comfort at all. The water supply is almost non-existent. In short, comfort rooms are off-limits unless you have a strong stomach or you just have no choice at all but to “expel” right there and then. But some rooms have their own comfort room, which is less vile as the communal CR. These master rooms, as I would like to call it, are usually rooms of lower grade school students (grade 1 to 3). To add to these, there is no computer room. IF there is one, it is only accessible to the faculty or to lucky students. And the computers are either outdated or defective. As for the books, public schools are also known for its tattered and limited number of books. Only a few number of students can have a complete set of books (which are not free, because the students have to return them to the school at the end of the class). Some students share books with some partners. Ration is sometimes 1:5. And that, my friend, is quality education for you (if you base the quality on the school’s facility).

But in this kind of school I have survived. In this kind of school I have learned something beyond what private schools can offer. I have learned more about life, which is something that one cannot learn from the four corners of his/her air-conditioned room. I have learned to open my eyes and to look beyond what is superficial. I become aware of the realities of life—that not everyone is equal and has the capability to be schooled up until college, that poverty exists, that some students go to school without food and/or money and that I cannot help all of them, and that the world is simply harsh. I was educated more about what happens in real life than about what the academics and scholars would say.

The public schools I've attended taught me to be street smart rather than be intelligent. They taught me that limited resources do not mean failure or low quality education. Instead, this limitation actually adds to the skills and abilities to make something great and creative. This limitation taught me to be careful with whatever I do, and to be creative as to maximize whatever resources I have. With this, I learned that it is not the means that define a student's capability, but it is the process as to come up with an end that matters most.

Those public schools taught me that the four-cornered room is not the only reality there is, that it is not even the whole of life itself, and that it is just the beginning of something more. Having been reared and educated in public schools is a real blessing for me, because I would not be the person I am today if not for public schools I've attended. Go public schools!

Do not fall in love.

"It is either we are friends or we are not."

Through rigorous contemplation, I have come up with a decision almost two years ago never to fall in love with anyone, especially when that someone is a close friend (note: opposite sex). Though it is easy to fall in love with a close friend, it has many hang ups. It has its disadvantages

For one thing, the friendship is in big jeopardy. A person in love with his/her close friend tends to act and to react differently. S/he perceives the reality with rose colored glasses, and may misunderstand some actions of the person s/he is in love with. The relationship gets messy. The emotion gets tangled up with the platonic one, which may result to confusion and worse heartache. A person in love, no matter how s/he may deny it, expects something in return. There is no such thing as a free gift, much more an emotional investment. Expectations always come up in the process of falling in love with a close friend. And that's where the danger comes in. Expectations have its way of ruining everything. Believe me.

Another thing is the awkwardness of the situation. Come on. It does not feel "exactly right" to fall in love with a friend. Everything gets awkward because something has changed, "you" have changed. Everything gets mixed up, and reason starts to be blurred. Emotions are cluttered. And then one thing you'll notice: the friendship is not the same anymore, and it is your fault. It is your heart's fault.

So you see. Falling in love with a friend is messy. It confuses the mind. It breaks the heart. And it leads to the deterioration of the friendship, which is more important than the sexual relationship because it can last longer than the latter. One might argue that we cannot choose who to fall in love with, but I beg to disagree. We can choose the person we fall in love with. We can, just as we can choose to be happy or not. It just takes time sometimes.

So for those who feel like s/he is already starting to fall in love with her/his friend, restrain yourself. It is either you are friends with that person or you are not. You choose.

On Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief

I am not the type of person to write a decent review on something I have watched or read. I am not articulate enough to do so, but I have my own judgments and comments on a lot of things which I keep only for myself. However, I will deviate tonight because I will "try" to give some decent comments on the book-turned-movie Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief.

I must admit that I put Percy Jackson series on hold for quite a long period of time. I stalled some months before finally reading the first book. Actually, I watched the film first before deciding whether to touch the pages of its original form or not. So you see, I have joined the bandwagon of people who watch the movie first before being able to read the book (which is very unusual for me). Do I regret it? No. In all honestly, I am thankful that I did. Why? Because the movie is upsetting. Even for me who has no idea about the content of the book, it is an epic fail. I don't know why they make film out of books when they can't even give justice to the original piece. It is like they bastardized the book. No offense, but the film was a major failure for me.

Movies should take the audience to a new kind of world. They should have an effect on the audience's reality. Movies should make the audience feel. And that what lacked in Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief (movie). I felt nothing while I was watching the film. I felt NOTHING! That rarely happens to me. I was detached from the movie that I was more aware of the reaction of the kid on my right side to every scene. I felt nothing. This might be due to the cinematography.

First, the color and texture (my knowledge on film jargon is limited, so bear with the layman's term) are somewhat more apt for a romantic comedy film. I wished that the film was darker than it was because the "mythology mood", as I would coin it, was not felt in the duration of the movie. I did not feel the angst of what mythology should be. Second, the camera movement did not involve the perspective of the audience (which I value so much, btw). Third, lighting was not used to the advantage of the film. There were not much mood setters in the film. And lastly, the effects were crude (though the water effect was okay). I did not feel like Medusa head was real. It was more like a painting, IDK.

There are a lot of things I could say about the actors, but I will just have to say 'so-so' and leave it like that. There is a room for improvement, as they say. I just really hope that the next Percy Jackson will be directed by Steven Spielberg. No offense to Chris Columbus.