Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
by CK May is the month of flowers not just in the Philippines but also here in Calgary. A lot of my neighbors have done their spring cleaning and unfortunately I cannot cope up with them. I remember that during this time of the year my husband, Hank gets busier day by day. He takes care [...]
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Page added on September 20, 2010

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THE WAY I SEE IT

by Roger Encarnacion

Freedom is a precious commodity – and an expensive one at that. That is why it grieves me to see people taking it for granted.

Freedom of religion is one freedom that gives us the opportunity to choose the religion of our liking. However, many people try to interpret it differently by saying that golfing on Sunday is an exercise of freedom of religion. They will argue that instead of falling asleep from a minister’s sermon, they will never have a dull moment on the green. It has been suggested that at the golf course one can always sing a praise of thanks to God, especially if he has just sunk a birdie or an eagle.

Think of the alternative situation. Inside the church, one’s mind sometimes wanders in some unwarranted places. Screaming children are always a challenge and a constant source of distraction. People wishing peace and shaking hands with those around them – especially with those who have just sneezed on their hands – appear compelled and sound insincere. And oftentimes, people just go by the motion: sit, kneel, stand, and open their mouth to sing or lip synch a song depending on their state of mind. Singing, as I see it, is looked upon by the majority of non-vocalizing churchgoers as the most challenging part of the Sunday mass celebration.

Compare the above with the serene atmosphere of the golf course where one can hear the soft flutter of the poplar leaves, feel the warm touch of the sun on his skin, witness the magnificent flight of the white ball in the air, and sense the surge of adrenalin in his body as the ball slowly rolls into the eighteenth hole. I wonder if there is any place more blissful to the mind and spirit.

Needless to say, this freedom of religion gives many part time churchgoers every reason to be thankful to our democratic system of government. Doing what they want to do on Sunday at a place where they feel closer to God enables them to be at peace with themselves and the whole universe.
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The other freedom which we give a special value is the freedom of assembly. This freedom allows us to get together according to our belief, principle, commonality, partisanship, and other reasons. The Filipinos exercise this freedom by forming organizations at will. They organize various groups according to what region they came from, what age group they belong, what company they had worked for, what school they graduated from, what sports they play, and so on ad infinitum. It is likely that without this freedom, the Filipinos will be in trouble.

The fact that we have now close to 50 Filipino organizations in the city prompts some observers to quip that we are like shallow rivulets flowing in all directions, instead of a mighty river with depth and powerful currents.

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The next freedom which seems to play the most important role in our life is the freedom of expression. With this freedom, we are able to communicate to other people our feelings, our knowledge, our preferences, our philosophies in life; in short, the complete make-up of our selves.

But freedom of expression carries with it a heavy responsibility. One does not say something just for the sake of saying it. One must always temper his statement with facts, reasons, sound judgment, and good taste. One must always do his best to say the truth.

In our day-to-day existence, we oftentimes hear half-truths, ambiguities, and statements with double meanings. Notorious for clever manipulation of words are politicians who always say one thing but mean the opposite.

To communicate with one another, we use words most of the time but we also use actions, gestures, illustrations, and body language to make a point. At other times, we use silence to show that we are more sophisticated or more intelligent than the people around us. (Remember the saying ‘Silent river runs deep?’) But the converse of this is also true; some people are always silent because they don’t have anything to say or they are too timid to open their mouth.

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The other freedom which all civilized nations give lots of importance is the freedom to vote. It is the freedom to choose the people who we believe can best serve the interests of the country. But it doesn’t always happen that way. Oftentimes, the “masa ng bayan” elect candidates based on their popularity. Worse, they favour the candidates who they think will less enrich themselves in office.

“What are we in power for?” That seems to be the mantra amongst politicians of all stripes and colors. Sadly, over the years, we have developed an impression that to be elected into office means to be given the key to the vault where one can fill his loot bags up to the hilt.

Public office begets power, and power begets greed. This is the sad commentary of our time.

THE WAY I SEE IT

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