PARADOXICAL

How Evil Could You Get?

(Notes to self; I hope I am being coherent here.)

The question (posed by C.A.P.) which has been bugging me all week is this: How evil could you be to get there, to that point of no return?

To paraphrase, what would it take for someone, anyone, to cheat willfully, knowingly, in the magnitude of billions in public funds through irregularly won contracts (think rigged biddings and graft money), and the worst part, substandard large-scale public infrastructure that put at risk the very lives of hundreds, thousands, millions of innocent people -- in a country that is prone to earthquakes, typhoons, flooding?

I am asking the question, not to cast aspersion on individuals who have been already judged in social media even without due process (including completion of litigation based on incontrovertible proof), or to pass myself off as holier-than-thou and more popish than the pope. Let's face it: We are all capable of crime, even heinous crime. I am interested only in the inner workings or dynamics of evil in all of us without exception.

Now that I have cleared my vision-mission-objectives out of the way...

We can only speculate, but it's good to look into our own hearts, the innate darkness or evil that lurks within. Or let us consciously put on a criminal's mind to begin to understand.

1. The opportunity is present.

A police officer, in a lecture, once said that, "For someone to be tempted to commit a crime, one important factor is opportunity." This one factor -- window of opportunity -- is indeed a most tempting one, a great 'enabler,' what with the culture of graft and corruption long-entrenched and normalized that it would not be too hard for someone to commit the crime.

In acts of such magnitude committed repeatedly (or so it is reported), there seems to be an element of -- I don't know -- guiltlessness? lack of conscience? Why the seeming lack of guilt in people who commit the crime? There must be some other factors or motives that drive the person from within. Let's move on with the investigation.

2. The desire to get ahead in life

Another no-brainer explanation for the conundrum is, of course, plain old poverty, and the desire to win over it. Indeed, if you started out in life as underprivileged, this is a very strong factor.

But what is not as easy to understand is why anyone would desire to get rich so badly that they would be willing to get it done desperately, by hook or by crook? I have no answer at this point. There has to be something with the way the person grew up.

3. Character formation/Personal values

3.1 Popular culture

Maybe the person has watched too many shows like "The Lives of the Rich and Famous" growing up? Or documentaries on the charmed, perfumed life of Hollywood show biz celebrities and old-world royals, and has long fancied himself/herself to be one?

3.2 Envy

Maybe it is just plain envy at work.

3.2 Family values/dynamics

Or could it be that one was formed with such mentality as a child by her parents, that top-of-the-line luxuries are what to aim for in life? That these are 'the life'?

3.2.1 Weak conscience

If one grew up in a religious or God-fearing family, or was educated in a university proudly steeped in Christian ideals, one expects some restraint and a guilt-ridden conscience.

What would it take for someone who grew up knowing his left hand from right hand turn out bad in the end anyway? To be honest, I am not sure. There must be some other factors at play.

Maybe it is all about poor formation of conscience or ideation of sin?

4. Traditional ethnocentrism and status-consciousness

Through the sociological lens, it could be that everything is merely an expression of the innate desire to be of a social status superior to most. Status-consciousness, or maybe ethnocentrism in another guise, is after all but second nature in a culture and society steeped in a traditional caste system of sorts. I mean, isn't our pre-colonial history all about barangays inhabited by the royal blood (maharlika, datus), freemen (timawa), and slaves (alipin, oripon)?

In this view of the universe, getting ahead for those in the upper echelons is a pressing need, not a mere choice, for it is a matter of inter-generational identity, a tool of one's sense of achievement and self-worth as well as a tool of oppression, of keeping those beneath one's stature to stay put where they are supposed to be. Appalling, but isn't this what today's Philippine society is all about, to a certain extent?

4.1 Culture of patronage

Another possible explanation emanating from the above is the need to fulfill a social obligation (noblesse oblige) to one's inferiors, and for inferiors to expect it like it's the most natural thing, even though such a payoff needs an unlimited funding source.

(Another aside, if it makes sense: Note our society's double standards: how we despise petty criminals, shoplifters caught in the little mom-and-pop grocer who are battling extreme hunger but not those in designer clothes and business suits or the perfumed set. We see the former as cheap and shameful or shameless, the latter "madiskarte," "maabilidad" in gaming a long-accepted system where everyone is complicit in some way, and this despite the disastrous consequences of bridges suddenly falling down, housing projects crumbling because they are made of sawdust (personally seen this in Pasay), inner city roads turning into moon craters in a matter of days or weeks, and new high-rises toppling like dominoes while century-old public edifices stood unperturbed (e.g. 1990 Baguio City earthquake). Our society has long been conditioned to accept the status quo, that some people are "of the manor born," "with a silver spoon in their mouth" at the moment of birth, and some people are poor and must stay so to keep things going. This way, we rarely question whether one's incredible wealth is (a) indeed a blessing from God and something one worked hard for or (b) ill-gotten.)

5. Obsession

If someone wants it so bad, by hook or by crook, or by whatever means possible, there must be something else at work. Who among us wants to be poor? No one. The problem is, therefore, not wanting to get out of poverty, but unmoderated and irrational greed.

I think it takes some kind of obsession, if not addiction, to want more and more and more of a good thing, whether worldly wealth and adulation ad libitum, ad infinitum.

Could it also be that extreme deprivation was a source of traumatic wounding in one's childhood that one is driven to compensate for it throughout life, to an exaggerated extent? Could the person be merely, er, healing their inner child? But note that an element of trauma is that the sufferer is unconscious of how the trauma controls him and his day-to-day thoughts and behavior.

People like me who have a tendency to hoard and collect stuff for whatever reason can totally get this. "I have to have that rare stamp from this obscure country." "I ought to have this particular variety of plant -- I don't care how ugly it looks, I must have it or my collection won't be complete." "I need to taste this type of obscure dish because I have never tried it before." "I must acquire that painting by so-and-so, or I would be dissatisfied with my lot."

These must-haves and should-haves become toxic when they are irrational, serving no clear meaning or deep purpose.

This level of obsession, coupled with other factors, I figure, is probably what makes insatiable greed possible in anyone of us. You must be someone who is unjustifiably "matindi ang pangangailangan" to want to be in that place.

5.1 Megalomania, Self-delusion

The sense of entitlement drawn from such obsession must be another instigating force. Maybe the person believes he or she is a king or queen in a previous life (as believers in reincarnation put it), thus the compulsion to be one, to act like one?

5.2 'Yabang' (Something to boast about)

Maybe it's all about yabang, that very Filipino desire to show off or boast about something, whether justified or not.

5.3 Kleptomania

An extreme reason would be because someone is battling the disease of kleptomania, a phenomenon -- a senseless itch -- I have yet to research on. (I mean, why would you feel compelled to steal a random item like a nail cutter in the store when you don't even need one because you already have a dozen at home?)

5.2 Possession

Another extreme reason is demonic possession, as can be gleaned from an interview with the exorcist Fr. Jocis Syquia, i.e., when someone refuses to admit large-scale embezzlement of public funds because he/she is possessed by the devil.

***

Before this homily of mine turn into a Criminology 101 lecture, let me ask, by way of ending, as a premature point of Lenten reflection: So, which evil are you guilty of? Which evil are we coming from?

posted by Resty Odon  # 2:15 AM 0 Comments

Lessons from a Town Quiz Bee

I was recently tasked with making questions for a municipal-level quiz bee in time for National Tourism Month 2025. Since it was 'right up my alley' and definitely my idea of fun, I gladly took on the task because it was instant research work for me. For sure, it would answer a question that has been intriguing me: How much do today's schoolchildren know about their own town?

I've heard that history has been scrapped as a subject in secondary school and college, and I wonder whether the move was misguided or what. But I've known all along that local history and traditional culture are never taught at all in schools in any level, and it strikes me as odd. This ensures that residents, especially children, will never get to know about their own place except through daily contact with townmates and the kind of local media they consume in their own respective bubbles.

So, while formulating the line-up of questions for the easy, average, difficult, clincher, and tie-breaker rounds, I asked myself: "If you are a Bayambangueño/Bayambangueña, what are the things you ought to know about Bayambang?"

Basic things first, of course: Do you know anything about its history? Then when was it founded? Who founded it? What was the town originally called? Wasn't it part of a bigger town -- which town? Wasn't it a town that used to be this big -- which several towns now used to be a part of?

Do you know any of its earliest freedom-fighters? Who are the historical figures who set foot in this town and did something historical?

Now, on to basic geography. Do you know how many barangays comprise this town? Are you aware that it is further divided into a number of districts -- how many? Let's check your random knowledge: What is its northernmost barangay? Its southernmost? Did you know that you need to cross two other towns to get to this far-flung barangay? Crazy but true! What is this barangay called?

Let's take a look at some of the oddities. Did you know that there is a chapel in this barangay dedicated to, not saints, but to Adam and Eve and features an underground altar?

Let's move on to things that are quite unique to the town: What dance has been invented in this town? The town is considered to be the best maker of this fermented fish dish -- what is it? What other local delicacies do you know? How about the little, often-ignored arts and crafts and traditions that you should take pride in or at least be curious about?

What is the town's patron saint? When was its parish church founded by which religious order?

Which schools are the town's oldest? What years were these educational institutions established? What were they called back in the day?

Who are the some of the top educators who grew up in, or trace their lineage to, this town, and what were their contributions? Have you heard about this lady recognized as a national scientist who hailed from this town? Have you heard of this famous brand of local shoes made by someone from this town? Who is considered "the father of Philippine cycling"?

Are you updated on local current events? Do you know anything about the town's current leaders and their remarkable accomplishments? Have you heard about this farmer's app? Have you even heard about this old bridge named after this famous personage? Bayambang is known for what two Guinness world records? Did you know that the town now has a central terminal? An unlikely development: Did you know that it has a dairy farm? Where? A tertiary hospital? Where? A "prayer park"? Where is it located?

What is the name of the highest accolade the town bestows on its resident-achievers?

I was saddened to know that our participants know only a few of the things I thought they should know, but I was not surprised.

However, I am glad that, although most of the brightest kids in our town are unaware of the things they should be aware of, there are some kids who do. Maybe they truly know these things, or could it be that their teacher-coaches did their homework and were good at coaching? I am not sure.

Without proper knowledge, healthy pride in one's own roots is not possible, sources of inspiration are utterly lacking, and treating one's own town and people like dirt is normalized.

Main lesson from the quiz bee: Local history, local public libraries, local museums, local media, local publications, local-level preservation and promotion of history, culture, and arts... These are all essential to the life of a town and nation. Don't minimize, shrug off, and spit on these things, for that would be sociocultural suicide. That is why, like they say, invaders are essentially iconoclasts: they always attack and systematically destroy one's native culture first if they wish to eliminate an entire group of people or at least their sense of self.

Drat, how did I get there? It was, after all, just a frigging quiz bee!

posted by Resty Odon  # 2:06 PM 0 Comments

Shaky Month

October has become such a shaky month this early. My usual droll, even facetious, self would have said the Philippines is like Shakey's pizza and we are back to the late '80s dancing to "Shake, Body Dancer," but no, earthquakes are no laughing matter. It leaves us shaken, both literally and figuratively, and a strong one can be deadly.

While areas of Luzon were reeling from massive flood from the quick succession of typhoons ('Mirasol,' 'Nando,' 'Opong') together with the usual habagat (monsoon rains) that makes everything sopping-wet, a 6.9 earthquake shook up parts of Cebu Is. and another, far weaker one in the Taal Volcano area. The ancient church of Daanbantayan was in ruins, and the McDonald's Bogo City branch ended up like a crushed tomato. More than 70 people died including athletes practicing inside a gym or dome of sorts with one man pinned down, meeting misfortune in the twinkling of an eye.

The quake in Bogo was reportedly caused by a previously unidentified fault offshore connected to the Philippine trench.

The morning a day before that, our roosters at home crowed one after another nonstop for about four hours straight. It was unprecedented, something that struck me as abnormal, unusual, unprecedented (can't decide which word is better). What a curious coincidence, together with the sudden appearance of earthworms and centipedes here and there in our yard. Other residents' accounts echoed the same experience with their dogs, cats, cattle...

The next few days would prove the roosters and other creatures right, because an intensity 4.8 earthquake shook Baguio City and La Union and the next day an intensity 7.4 temblor would indeed shake the shore off Davao Oriental, then another one with an intensity of 6.7 or something struck exactly the same area. (I learned that earthquake intensities can be downgraded afterwards upon review.)

These earthquakes, of course, caused widespread anxiety, panic attacks, and trauma. (Being a constant sufferer of these maladies, even for a laughable intensity 1, mainly due to the ensuing reaction from equally panicky people, I feel that I am not too abnormal, after all.) Then there's, of course, the appalling destruction of public infrastructure, especially the sudden discovery of those built with subpar quality, and the sudden obliteration of private properties, especially those otherwise charming homes built out of decades of sacrifice of Filipino overseas workers -- all erased, or in journalese, "gone in a jiffy."

The omnipresence of CCTVs has magnified the documentation of these tremors and ensuing chaos and destruction.

I suddenly recall that, on October 2, a massive fire engulfed a district in Davao City and another fire broke out in CDO. Then I saw someone's post showing three rows of photos showing massive flooding in Luzon on top, earthquake destruction in the Visayas in the middle, and large-scale conflagration in Mindanao. How... inspiring.

Life is indeed such a frail, fragile, and fleeting thing: here today, gone tomorrow. Through these shaky shockers, may we all find some meaning, something profound, from deep within us.

And may everyone and everything that fell down from these puzzling tragedies get back up and rise up quickly, or soon, in every possible way.

As for those who sadly perished... Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

posted by Resty Odon  # 3:42 PM 0 Comments

October 2025 Recap

(A quick rundown of things I couldn't help noticing even if I wasn't paying attention that much.)

October has become such a shaky month, with a significant earthquake sending shivers all over the country's spine literally... every... single... day, from Babuyan to Sulu -- except Palawan, it turns out. (See my separate post on it because I hate repeating myself.) Unprecedented is the word, at least in my lifetime. Meanwhile, Mt. Kanlaon erupted while Taal Volcano spewed ash, and we instinctively connected the dots.

People have become so paranoid with the supposed inevitability of the big one finally hitting us that one governor, former TV news reporter Sol Aragones of Laguna, suspended F2F classes and sent schools shifting to WFH or something.

Uploaded videos of that recent shocker in Thailand were certainly the culprit of panic attacks, especially in my case. Seeing a video of lot of people in a similar quandary was consoling somehow.

***

I noticed a number of netizens posting photos of people in their old or present version draping their arm on their child version, like a mother-and-daughter or father-and-son pose. The picture is odd but lovely to look at. There must be an app being used for it. I am reminded of the healing the inner child retreats I have attended which I found extremely helpful to my mental health. I highly recommend it to anyone who had to deal with multiple traumas growing up. I define trauma as any un-grieved grief, unprocessed psychological material, and unresolved issue that a person is unaware of but manifests in irrational behaviors and thought processes (neuroses).

***

On October 2, a massive fire engulfed a district in Davao City and another fire broke out in CDO. Then I saw someone's post showing three rows of photos showing massive flooding in Luzon on top, earthquake destruction in the Visayas in the middle, and large-scale conflagration in Mindanao. Wow, I know it is wrong to think it, but the post sure made us feel like God was punishing our entire country by sending fire! hail! brimstone! literally, all at the same time.

***

Primatologist Jane Goodall passed on to her eternal Eden. Naturally, I will always remember her for the movie "Gorillas in the Mist" starring Sigourney Weaver.

***

Actress Rosa Rosal was falsely announced to be dead. What shame, what embarrassment. It must be distressing for her family to see all those premature announcements in the news. Turns out some naughty creature who peddled the fake news pretended to be Rosal's daughter, the former TV host Toni Rose Gayda. The normally mild-mannered Toni Rose was, of course, livid.

***

A bridge in Alcala, Cagayan collapsed. Since the bridge, called Piggatan Br., looked a lot like Romulo Br. in our town, the news was a deja vu moment for me! I can't forget that day when media people from local, regional, and national levels were calling me up nonstop all day long to inquire about that danged red bridge whose history I knew nothing about that I had to do a quick search on it, only to find nothing except oral evidence or eyewitness accounts. The media people were barking up the wrong tree. The bridge is under DPWH jurisdiction, and it was built, it turned out, in the early 1980s, not in the 1950s as reported.

***

Israelis took to the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to celebrate the end of the war in Gaza after Hamas found palatable President Trump’s historic peace plan to free all hostages. Wow, finally, sanity! How about Ukraine and Russia? Suddenly, the unthinkable and unprecedented happened: Trump was overnight a Nobel Peace Prize contender. (Did just I hear vomiting en masse?)

A brief drone footage uploaded online gave us a glimpse of the utter destruction of Gaza City after the Trump peace plan. An unbelievably sad sight.

Let's not forget how divisive this issue is: As many people who view Israel's action as an act of aggression and therefore applaud this latest development, other people view Hamas' original unprovoked provocation as coming from a desire to erase Israel from the map. If you are a neutral observer, what would be your thoughts on the matter? My unsolicited advice to kids of today? Don't be surprised if other people don't share your opinion on the matter and then start calling them names (the usual ad hominems) and threaten cancellation of subscription. Not everyone thinks as you do and that's partly because not everyone is able to have access to the big picture. If I don't have the big picture, I'd rather shut up/keep mum/clip my mouth.

In other news, thousands of people across America joined the 'No Kings Day' rally against Pres. Trump.

***

Other oddities, as though wars aren't enough: 1. I woke up one day this month to an unthinkably shameless act: A man urinating at the altar of St. Peter's Basilica in front of hundreds of horrified pilgrims and tourists. 2. A Virgin Mary statue somewhere blazing for some reason. 3. Two female climate change activists, it was reported, throwing blobs of red paint on a painting of Christopher Columbus in a museum in Spain. The height of cancel culture gone wrong or a kind of historical corrective? Your thoughts?

***

Cong. Barzaga staged a rally in front of Forbes Park, and observers said that the stunt quickly turned into a dud or a mere meowing of a cat trying to be a tiger.

***

The slender-billed curlew was officially declared as extinct. Congrats, humans! You did a great job! That it was acknowledged that its distribution and ecology remain a mystery gave me hope, however.

***

Mayor Vico Sotto inquired on FB how to make use of various font faces on FB, and the thing went viral. This tells us how wildly popular he is.

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Hollywood actress Diane Keaton died of pneumonia at age 79. I liked her as that spider-phobic woman opposite Woody Allen in that cerebral movie of his.

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The American late-night comic Conan O'Brien was in Manila! But why?!

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More than 400 teachers in Palawan were scammed for a “master’s degree” they took in a school in Maguindanao.

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Little under-the-radar stuff: 1. New study reveals consistent exercise can cause the brain to forget traumatic memories. Apparently, I need lots of it. 2. When hungry, the human body consumes itself, clearing away sick and aging cells. Apparently, I should go hungry as often as I can. 3. The human brain isn't made to multitask; it's designed to excel at one thing at a time.

***

A little consolation to those who dig beauty pageants: Miss Grand International 2025 winner is a Filipina. Every time the country is down in the dumps, a Filipino or Filipina makes it big abroad -- no kidding.

***

Meanwhile, in France... A heist in The Louvre led to the theft of Napoleon-era jewels in about 8 laughable minutes flat. Laughable because the thieves are so smart and an institution of such import could be so deceived. Turns out the lowlifes took a route where there are no CCTVs.

At about the same time, France’s ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy became the first former head of an EU state to be jailed, after the right-wing leader from 2007 to 2012 was found guilty of seeking to acquire funding from Moamar Kadhafi of Libya for the campaign that saw him elected. Sarkozy proclaimed his innocence as he entered a Paris prison.

***

Cong. Barzaga was not content with his stunts. He next released a video calling for Mindanao to secede from what he described as a corrupt government. Isn't that plain sedition?

***

"Fire hit DPWH office in Quezon City amid corruption scandal," and everyone was thinking same thought: Hokage moves or what?

***

"Pope Leo XIV will name St. John Henry Newman a patron saint of Catholic education in a document to be published on Oct. 28 for the 60th anniversary of Gravissimum Educationis, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on Christian education. The Holy Father will designate Newman as an official co-patron saint of education, together with St. Thomas Aquinas, during the Vatican’s Jubilee of the World of Education from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1, which is expected to draw 20,000 pilgrims. The saint will also be declared the 38th doctor of the Church by Leo at the jubilee’s closing Mass on Nov. 1, the solemnity of All Saints."

Wow, imagine that -- you being declared a patron saint and a "doctor of the church." It sure sounds like it has the weight of a thousand honoris causas.

***

Avant garde artist and filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik's wife, the German Katrin Mueller De Guia, passed on. She turns out to be a star in her own right, for she was an independent-minded "author, visual artist, academic, actress, and costume designer." A little reminiscence in connection is in order: As a volunteer student assistant in UP Baguio once upon a time, I helped process her enrolment paper for her MA on psychology. I didn't know then that her study would someday soon lead to a landmark study on the Filipino concept of pakikipagkapwa. She and husband Kidlat and their two little boys were often seen around the campus and wherever there is an art event in Baguio City. I wish I could read that book of Katrin's: "Kapwa—The Self in the Other: Worldviews and Lifestyles of Filipino Culture Bearers," which views us Filipinos unexpectedly positively -- and on hindsight, truthfully.

***
I am not sure whether this is the kind of buzz the producer, director, and actors wanted. Ricky Quezon Avanceña, a grandson of former president Manuel L. Quezon, spouted some choice cuss words to vent his offended feelings about the film "Quezon" by Jerrold Tarog, starring Jericho Rosales. The Internet exploded with people taking sides or airing their own reaction to the movie and to Mr. Avanceña's move. Even without having seen the movie yet, I found myself agreeing with the likes of Van Ybiernas, Clarence Aytona, and Eliseo Art Arambulo and less with Ambeth Ocampo and others who gave the movie a more positive review.

***

Somebody killed someone inside a church in Cebu. Something similar happened in our town, Bayambang, decades ago, when a gunman shot a resident, Mr. Ricafort of Del Pilar, while the latter was hearing mass. He died on the spot. We were all thinking, "Could the murderer not wait until the guy got out of the church?" The parish priest had to lock up the church for a period to atone for the sacrilege.

***

The Christmas Island shrew, Australia’s only native shrew found only in remote Christmas Island, was officially declared extinct by the IUCN. Great job, Homo sapiens: Well done!

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Aljur Abrenica singing trended, but for the wrong reason.

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High-profile personalities accused of corruption in the PDAF scandal were suddenly acquitted. That was fast! Why does it feel like the rug has been pulled out from under us?

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A music group that I presume to be Korean filled the Philippine arena to the rafters. I have never heard about the group -- named TWICE in all caps, so this tells me that I have been out of touch with popular culture even though I feel trapped in my, say, 30s, har. The fact that I didn't have any interest in researching the group's songs shows that I have matured a bit.

***

Kris Aquino seemed suddenly feeling better since she was able to attend a fashion designer friend's birthday celebration and even got seated right next to the First Lady, who we all know is from the Araneta clan -- no big surprise there (you know what I am trying to hint at, of course).

***

Kim Atienza's daughter died of suicide, and it became the talk of the town, triggering discussions on depression, online bullying, childhood trauma, and the like.

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Another historical event: The pope and the king of England praying together. If you don't know why, review your world history and get to know why the Church of England became the Anglican Church.

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Double Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo won gold at the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships vault event in Indonesia.

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England's Prince Andrew relinquished his Duke of York title following new allegations about his ties with convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including some scandalous details with what appears to be a woman of ill repute.

***

New Minstrels singer Louie Reyes passed away in America. Actor-turned-politician Patrick dela Rosa also died, and also in the US where he had immigrated to. Jeremiah's vocalist also died.

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:16 PM 0 Comments

Volatile, Violent Times

The times they are a-confusin', to paraphrase an old song, especially if you're on social media. While we are whiling away the time creating 3D simulacrum of ourselves with one click using Google Gemini, imbibing collagen drink, and dancing to the tune of the latest bubblegum K-pop, "Soda Pop," so many earth-shaking things are going on. The assassination of someone named Charlie Kirk is among them, on top of the wars in various parts of the world. I can't blame people who prefer to tune out or totally unplug from it all.

That's mostly because overnight regime change is once again en vogue around the world, it seems. Nepal, Indonesia, Japan, France... who's next? I have a few countries on my wish list, those with truly unimaginably brutal leaders and unspeakably barbaric regimes -- and yes, your guess is as good as mine which those are.

The incendiary images coming out of Nepal are especially chilling, which are said to have been provoked by a government ban on social media use. A finance minister was ganged up on, then hit with a thick club or something, then pushed down into a riverbank like some slaughtered pig that didn't pass the standards. It's an image that is sure to make all people in high positions quake in their boots. (It brings to mind the swift, no-fuss execution of Romania's despots, the Ceaușescu couple at the height of the post-communist revolt in that former 'satellite state' under the former and unlamented USSR.)

On another day, I woke up to a picture of the Nepalese parliament building in flames, then a Hilton Hotel too, then another. It makes you wonder whether the protesters made the right decision of burning down government property, which is technically their own property built using their taxes. I understand all that anger, but as a government employee, I couldn't help but see it as an act of vandalism and, worse, as some kind of burning one's own house, self-immolation, and self-sabotage.

Next came the image of a bloodied prime minister, I think, being escorted by soldiers away from vindictive hands, mostly young protesters. He was luckier, for he was afforded the luxury of official protection, though I heard that he and other officials were eventually airlifted to somewhere, like the Marcoses before, there to await certain prosecution or, worse, execution.

I winced at the sight of it all -- certainly not enjoyable to look at, not at all relishing on repeat mode.

Apparently, the Indonesians also have reached the tipping point, with a critical mass doing the job of protesting, rioting, ransacking (of the plush residences of the rich and influential), torching and incinerating, turning the place, it seems, into a powder keg. This time, the murder of a lowly delivery rider was the catalyst.

Whatever happened to law and order? to due process? Again, I can't help but ask. Apparently, these basic considerations are no longer tenable under conditions that a mass of people consider to be non-negotiable, like large-scale embezzling of public funds while the rest barely get by from day to day. In Tagalog, puno na ang salop.

To those who have a rebellious streak or revolutionary bent back home, these developments must be a moment of inspiration, I imagine. In the light of the current legislative inquiries revolving around one contractor named Sarah Discaya, exposés on anomalous flood control projects, and the sudden outcry against 'nepo babies,' formerly adored and admired as social media influencers and now despised like common criminals, this must be the time they have been waiting for, and in fact a final reckoning that has been quite a long time coming.

...While to the current dispensation, it is understandably a tight, worrisome situation.

At the rate things are going, it's anybody's guess what will happen next. From the looks of it, based on observations of those on the ground, the protesters in Metro Manila at least are of four kinds: 'woke' youth, leftists, 'DDS' (loyal Duterte supporters), and church types (both Catholic and evangelical/Protestant).

This caustic mix makes the situation quite unpredictable. What are the possible scenarios given these strange bedfellows rallying together? Let me count the ways.

1. Leftist victory: It's no secret what the extreme left wants. To this day, despite world developments, I suppose they still harbor this dream of having a communist state where private property is abolished, among other basic human rights, to once and for all erase the divide between rich and poor and bring about their version of utopia. This would easily translate to summary executions, massive spilling of blood on the streets, mass incarceration on mere suspicion, rampant confiscation of property, the apparatchik seizing all manner of private acquisitions and tools of economic activity, and the like. The question is whether they still have the numbers, or still have enough clout or sympathizers.

2. Socialist victory: Socialists would probably want a tamer, maybe less violent takeover to enforce their version of social equality, using the current government structure, but with major adjustments.

3. Christian social democrat victory: Soc-dems would most likely proffer a far more palatable but still revolutionary formula.

4. Woke-ist victory: The 'woke' youth, i.e., people who regard themselves as "aware of issues concerning social and racial justice" but, I'm afraid, with limited knowledge of the past and zero first-hand experience of what went before, would surely demand something significant or drastic, even violent, such as changes to the Constitution and form of government and mode of governance -- for sure to accommodate their own understanding of equality, equity, and social justice. A widespread repudiation of traditional mores will likely ensue, in the manner of the preachings of liberal American universities.

5. The rise of the political opposition. A great chunk of the 'woke' are mostly 'Leni-nists' too, the ones often derided as 'Kakampinks' or 'Pinklawans.' This sector most likely will push for reforms that will probably be more conventional, as members take their cue from opposition figurehead, former Vice-President Leni Robredo, and company.

6. A Duterte comeback. The DDS mind is a lot easier to read and predict, of course: They obviously wish to unseat the current president, install the Veep as President, and bring her father, the former president, back home, and restore a strongman style of rule.

7. The incumbent weathering the storm despite everything, especially the bizarre ironies. I am not sure where the Marcos loyalists belong, but of course, keeping PBBM as president until his term expires would be foremost on their agenda. An extreme scenario is that PBBM, if properly provoked, might repeat history by declaring martial law.

8. Church and civil society gaining the upper hand. Predictably, as well, church people would rather preach temperance, sobriety, nonviolence, and the primacy of the rule of law, not to mention call for prayers, repentance, and reflection, but at the same time assert and press for accountability and justice, reparation and restitution.

9. Military adventurism. A dangerous but very possible scenario is the military taking things in its own hands out of fear of a communist takeover or that of anyone they don't favor. We've seen too many coup d'etats before, and they weren't reassuring times.

One thing is sure, though: All of these factions want change, fast. Except for those with hidden agenda or selfish ulterior motive, the message is loud and clear: No more business as usual, which is to say foul play or monkey business with our hard-earned funds, the people's money. Away with the status quo (of guiltless wholesale theft just because that's how the cookie is supposed to crumble, with the perpetrators becoming unjustifiably rich and admired for it). In short: "Clean up the mess, or else..."

As the Latin phrase-lovers would put it, Quo vadis, Philippines? Which way to go?

As we reach the bottom of the barrel, where else to go, if not up? But that's only if there is clarity, and if only the best of scenarios prevails in the end.

Speaking of clarity, what really is the roadmap that we want to follow? I, for one, wish for urgent remedial measures so the situation wouldn't degenerate into civil war, the infiltration of undesirable factions and forces, and unnecessary loss of lives and destruction of precious few properties. I hope for our democratic processes to be upheld and for law and order to be observed. Let us pray that these indeed would be the ones that will come to pass in the next few days.

Personally, how I wish I could just dwell on more trivial pursuits like listing down and defending the top 100 dance tracks of all time or tracing the history of poetry or music in general or other more significant matters such as publishing a cache of booklets on Pangasinan language and culture. But these things are a luxury at the moment, as I like everyone else have to constantly keep tabs of what's happening.

Meanwhile, like suitors would say, may the best idea win.

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:54 PM 0 Comments

What an Explosive Month!
(Quick Recap for September 2025)

Outrageously Bad News

People in Indonesia rioted across what is routinely called "the world's largest archipelago" apparently over corruption scandals, but reportedly triggered by the police's killing of a delivery rider and a fat housing allowance that legislators awarded to themselves in the face of widespread hardship among common folk.

Over 2,000 people died in a magnitude 6 earthquake in Afghanistan, with the Taliban's no-skin contact rule for women a big obstacle in rescue operations.

A funicular in Portugal crashed, killing scores of passengers.

Unprecedented rampaging floodwaters and storms seemed to be everywhere, making you wonder whether it was once again the end of the world: Taiwan (where a large bridge was swept away!), Macau, Hong Kong, China... even in places where there are presumably no corruption-infested ghost projects and substandard flood control infrastructure. After all, it's typhoon and flood season, and who knows, maybe the unusual volume and speed of precipitation itself is the biggest factor. Researchers need to take a look at this because the falling of rain this month seemed extra-heavy: by the drums instead of by the droplet, dipper, or pail.

A high-rise in Gaza City was bombed by Israel's military -- yet again. Reading the comments, I get the sense of most people saying, "Don't throw stones if your house is made of glass" and "Don't awaken a sleeping lion" and other equivalent expressions, meaning they are tracing the conflict to the day Israel was infiltrated and attacked by Hamas without any provocation, something that I noticed liberal mainstream media avoid mentioning. I am not saying this is the best viewpoint on the conflict, let me be clear.

‎A man named Charlie Kirk was shot dead while speaking at an event in a US university. Never heard of this man despite myself and the circles I frequent online. (Wait, what circles?) He turns out to be "an American right-wing political activist, author, and media personality."

The murder case sharply divided people, based on the comments, with young people who proudly consider themselves "woke"...not exactly celebrating the death but refusing to lament it like Kirk's fellow conservatives do for the reason that Kirk's views oppose their own take on various matters of great concern. (Not knowing him at all, I can't tell whether I agree with the things he said that so offended his assailant and his ensuing social media critics and haters.)

The cold blood murder also has a chilling effect: it sends the message that you could get killed by someone if you hold an opinion different from anyone who is murderous. (Someone pointed out correctly that silencing someone, instead of giving a rational retort, means you have lost the argument.) Now, Kirk, who is unknown outside the US, is now world-famous and an instant Christian martyr worldwide, definitely no thanks to his murderer, a young fellow white man named Tyler Robinson!

Gen-Z protesters set the Nepalese Parliament on fire due to a number of reasons: a ban on social media and allegations of corruption among them.

Then regime changed happened overnight not just in Indonesia and Nepal, but also in Japan, France. Who's next?

(I wrote about this and the ensuing "Trillion Peso March" in two separate posts. To sum up: Filipinos are rightly scandalized at the extent of allegedly stolen public funds and are truly fed up this time, and there's no telling what will happen next. But the centrist forces avoid calling for the current president to resign for fear of a Duterte comeback.)

The North Korean leader executed (as in killed as punishment!) 30 officials in a purge over flood response, a report said. In contrast...

Israel attacked residential buildings in Qatar. I failed to follow up on the reason why.

No thanks to super-typhoon 'Lando,' there was a scary landslide along Marcos Hi-way squashing several SUVs! It was equally sad seeing videos and photos of landslides in such famous scenic spots as Batanes, Sagada, and Malico, San Nicolas, Pangasinan.

'Lando' and another super-typhoon with another country bumpkin-sounding name, Opong, brought so much destruction in Calayan Is., Batanes, Cagayan, Masbate, and so on.

A busy Bangkok street with a big hospital right beside it collapsed into a massive sinkhole! A leaking pipe or a subway construction was blamed.

***

Word Watch

There are quite a number of new words that cropped up this month.

I often encountered this strange word among young Filipino men: paldo, paldong-paldo. It is supposed to originally mean "bale" or "a large bundle," but in slang means "a huge amount of money." Example: Paldong-paldo ka sa OT pay ha! So I guess it is synonymous to tiba-tiba.

"Nepo baby," from "nepotism," of course, was as ubiquitous as the common cold virus. Used derisively (or with contempt), it refers to the excessively and unjustifiably rich kids of political dynasties.

Unfortunately, other everyday terms that got regarded as evil overnight include: contractor, engineer, politician, and DPWH.

The anime "One Piece" and its character, Luffy, were mentioned a worrying number of times, prompting a quick online search about who the devil this character is. As a viral post by Ian R. Casocot pointed out, you don't underestimate the soft power of culture and arts, particularly pop culture icons or popular art. They have a way of sneaking in until they grab you in the face if you are not watching out.

***

Neutral News

Japan’s Prince Hisahito became the first male member of the imperial family to come of age in four decades—and might also be the last. (But I was like, who still cares about royalties in this day and age? If you view God as the only one true king of the universe, then we are all of equal stature, all "royal blooded" children of His, yes or no?)

***

Sad News

Shocking: Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto was accused of scandalous deeds. But in an interview with Ces Drilon, he denied everything.

Acting legend Robert Redford passed on at age 89. Of course, I automatically had a mental retrospective of movies I had watched with him in it, but I can only remember two, both excellent: "The Way We Were," "a romantic drama featuring Barbra Streisand, exploring love and political differences," and "All the President's Men," "a political thriller where he portrays journalist Bob Woodward during the Watergate scandal." Redford also turns out to be the director of a movie on the complex dynamics of family relationships that I, of course, found very instructive and touching, "Ordinary People."

Nearly 40% of Filipino adults were classified as obese, driven by a combination of genetic, environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic factors, according to health experts citing recent findings. I blame the obvious: high-sugar, high-vegetable oil diet called fast-food.

Gregorio Brillantes, a great Filipino writer, passed on. I remember him the most for the short story, "The Flood in Tarlac," "a gripping narrative that explores the tragic events surrounding a middle-class family during a devastating flood, culminating in a violent confrontation that reflects deeper social issues." What a prescient story, considering today's headlines about flood unwittingly exposing corruption at high places vis-a-vis yawning social disparity! Considered the father of Filipino speculative fiction, Brillantes has that rare gift of literary prestidigitation.

***

Funny News

A lot of netizens hopped on to the Google Gemini trend of generating a computer-generated simulacrum of themselves as a 3D statue of sorts.

Senator Joel Villanueva's over-the-top speech in the Senate trended because, as someone said, it resembled a workshop at the Ogie Diaz School of Acting, complete with blocking and 'garalgal' (raspy) vocals and all.

For some reason Tagalogs (or is that Ilocanos) and Visayans are warring online. I am not sure if this latest inanity is worth digging into.

The Trillion Peso March generated a lot of hilarious protest placards and memes too many to mention.

A young legislator named Kiko Barzaga (Cavite) made headlines by meow-meowing his way through something. Funny, but also a strange and undignified stunt.

At the height of legislative inquiries, Senator Rodante Marcoleta was called names and became the subject of funny memes.

***

Good News

Carlos Acutis was canonized, making him the first millennial saint. Another Italian youth, Pier Giorgio Frassati, was also canonized. Acutis was fond of computer games, while Frassati, I must point out, smoked. What is remarkable about this canonization is it happened at all, at a time when it is almost impossible for the young to be Christian, much less a saint, with all the digital doodads as distractions and occasions for sin readily waiting at one's fingertips, and we all know what we are talking about.

The Wondiwoi tree kangaroo, a tree kangaroo species last seen in 1928, thought lost for about 50 years was rediscovered in New Guinea. I hope all the other species we have officially declared as extinct turn out to be secretly thriving somewhere, starting with the dodo. (By the way, I have personally seen around three kangaroo tree species in their natural habitat (trees) without flying to Australia or New Guinea, when I visited Avilon Zoo somewhere in Rizal. I wonder if they are still alive, but seeing them in the flesh was a most surreal experience because I didn't even know back then that tree kangaroos exist (no, they are not that usual kangaroo we know). (By the way, Manila Zoo used to have kangaroos, and a black bear, different types of monkeys including an entire family of pink monkeys (maybe albinos), and dozens and dozens of other exotic species that are no longer there today. Yeah, I was a lot luckier as a kid.)

Two young teenage boys were swept away by rampaging floodwaters in a dam in Sitio Pangulo, Carangian, Tarlac City, but were found in a cave alive after more than a day of intensive search operations. A miracle!

Owen Cooper, 15, won best actor at Emmy Awards, making history as the youngest winner ever in that category.

Meanwhile, people were dancing to this bubblegum K-pop hit, "Soda Pop" by I don't care to name which autotune-heavy group.

I'm sure these are three great news to fellow Filipinos all over the world, not minor footnotes: Jessica Sanchez emerged as "America's Got Talent" season 20's grand champion and the first Filipino-descent winner of the competition. (Yours truly be like: Meh, shouldn't she have won the first time around? That effortless rendition of hers of Whitney Houston-style "I Will Always Love You" is simply unforgettable.) Another man named Kirk -- a proud Igorot model named Kirk Bondad -- won as Mister International 2025. Third: Veejay Floresca (da who?) won Project Runway's season 21, "a show in which clothing designers worldwide are invited to compete for the top prize." (Who knew there's even such a thing?)

To end, another "wow factor" this month is an injectable drug called benralizumab, "the first new asthma attack treatment" in half a century, targeting "an overactive part of the immune system that drives severe flare-ups of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)." Sounds a lot like a great discovery against an appalling disease that upsets something so basic in life: breathing.

An international men's volleyball tournament was held in Manila.

Pole vaulter EJ Obiena won an event held at an unlikely venue: along Ayala Ave., Makati.

posted by Resty Odon  # 1:45 AM 0 Comments

 "The Bomber Mafia" (Malcolm Gladwell): A Challenging Meditation on the Moral Dilemma of Staging Wars

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:55 PM 0 Comments

TIMELINE: Man's Conception of God

According to Reza Aslan, the origin of the religious impulse is “the result of something [very] primal and difficult to explain: our ingrained intuitive, and wholly experiential belief that we are... embodied souls.” Aslan thus rejects the idea by philosophers and psychologists (Edward Burnett Tylor, Max Müller, Émile Durkheim, Sigmund Freud, and Carl G. Jung) that religion is a product of evolution or, say, natural selection due to its inherent benefits (in fact, religion is a constant source of division and war, he points out), and the idea (propounded by Justin Barrett) that religion is merely a "neurological phenomenon" -- a result of the kind of nervous system we have developed. 

To sum up in broad strokes, these are what Aslan observes to be the major developments in the history of how we humans perceive God:

- Belief in the soul

- Worship of ancestors

- Creation of spirits

- Formation of gods and pantheons

- Construction of temples and shrines

- Establishment of myths and rituals

- Monotheism (the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and most especially, Islam)

- Ditheism

- Trinitarianism (Christianity and Catholicism)

- Pantheism

Let me summarize one reviewer's (Randy Rosenthal) attempt at summarizing these developments in some detail:

- 176 thousand years ago - Neanderthal caves with circular stone altars 

- Around 40 thousand years ago - mythogramic caves in which our earliest ancestors made paintings that can be considered scripture. They initially painted mysterious dots, followed by palm prints, animals, 

- Around 18000 BCE - the first depiction of a god — The Lord of Beasts

- At the end of the last Ice Age, between 14 thousand and 12 thousand years ago  - “the Temple of Eden,” Göbekli Tepe was built, a temple complex on a hilltop near Urfa, in modern Turkey (at least six thousand years before Stonehenge, and seven thousand before the first Egyptian pyramid)

- Devotional sites such as the Göbekli Tepe predate the development of agriculture and the birth of civilization, indicating that the transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic era was due to the birth of organized religion instead of being due to agriculture.

- Around 8000 BCE - emergence of manism, the ancestor worship  

- Birth of polytheism in Mesopotamian Sumer. 

- Around 4500 BCE - The invention of writing seems to have occurred in Sumerian city of Uruk , and by 2600 BCE humans could write down what gods were like for the first time; the gods (ilu) the Sumerians described were quite human-like

- The Mesopotamians eventually worshipped a pantheon of more than three thousand deities, with idols for each. 

- Similar developments occurred in Egypt, India, and Greece, where gods were always described in human terms. They fought over petty jealousies, had family problems, displayed good and bad moods, and “could be all-knowing or just plain stupid.”

- Some of these religious systems can be described as monolatry, the worship of one god with acknowledgment that many other gods exist. 

- Yet the dominant form of spiritual expression under ancient monarchies was henotheism, the belief that “one all-powerful, all-encompassing ‘High God’ who acted as the chief deity over a pantheon of lower gods who were equally worthy of worship.” 

- Around 1353 BCE - Monotheism, “the sole worship of one god and the negation of all other gods,” for the first time occurred Egypt, when Akhenaten raised the sun god Aten to the status of sole god. To enforce his monotheistic religion, Akhenaten released “nothing short of a pogrom against the gods of Egypt,” with armies marching from city to city, smashing the idols of other gods, and even erasing their names from documents. Yet when Akhenaten died, his monotheistic movement died with him. 

- Sometime between 1500 and 500 BCE (Aslan settles on 1100 BCE) - an Iranian priest named Zarathustra Spitama became the world’s first prophet when he received revelations from Ahura Mazda, a term that means “the Wise Lord,” but refers to a god with no name, since he was the sole god of the universe. Zarathustra was the first to promote a dualistic, heaven-and-hell theology, and to reduce other divinities to “angels” and “demons.” Yet the monotheism of Zoroastrianism was short lived. It was revived in the sixth century BCE, but... 

- 6th century BCE - the magi of Cyrus the Great transformed the one god into two — one good and one evil.

- around 1200 BCE - The Israelites had arrived on the scene, and the early Hebrews incorrigibly worshipped other gods, such as Baal and the goddesses Asherah, Anat, and Astarte. These are clan members of El, the chief god of the Canaanite pantheon, who “was often depicted as a bull or calf.” 

- The Bible uses several names to refer to God, the main two being Elohim, which, despite being a plural form, is usually translated simply as “God,” and YHWH, which is traditionally read as Adonai and translated as “LORD.” In Genesis 4:1, Eve says she has “gained a male child with the help of YHWH,” [1] implying that the name was known from the beginning. But officially, Yahweh first revealed his name to Moses in Exodus 3:15, claiming he was the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom he was known as El Shadday. Most believers understand these different names refer to the same god. There are two possible places in the Bible, however, where it appears Yahweh is not only distinct from Elohim, but also inferior to him: Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32:7-9. 

- Biblical patriarchs [Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob] did not worship a Midianite desert deity called Yahweh. They worshipped an altogether different god — a Canaanite deity they knew as El.”  (plural: Elohim)

- The story of how monotheism — after centuries of failure and rejection — finally and permanently took root in human spirituality begins when the god of Abraham, El, and the god of Moses, Yahweh, gradually merged to become the sole, singular deity that we now know as God.

- True monotheism (monotheism as we know it) only solidified during the Babylonian Exile. Perhaps surprisingly, the first expression of unambiguous monotheism in the Bible occurs in Isaiah 44:6, from the second part of the Book of Isaiah, otherwise known as Deutero-Isaiah, which was composed after the fall of Jerusalem, in 587 BCE. Here Yahweh declares, “I am the first and the last; besides me there are no gods.” It’s not that he is greatest among gods, but there are no other gods. Finally, after thousands of years and two misfires, we have true monotheism. 

- But about five hundred years later, this extraordinary development in the history of religion was “overturned […] by an upstart sect of apocalyptic Jews calling themselves Christians.” 

- With the idea of Jesus being God made flesh, early Christians had to account for some pretty tricky theology. How can God be both Jesus and God? Moreover, how can Yahweh — the jealous deity who gleefully calls for the slaughter of anyone who fails to worship him — be the same God of love and forgiveness who Jesus calls Father? 

- Around the time the Gospel of John was being written, 100 CE, Marcion proposed a two-god theory known as ditheism. There must be two gods: the cruel creator God of the Hebrew Bible known as Yahweh, and the loving, merciful God who has always existed but revealed himself to the world for the first time in the form of Jesus the Christ. 

- Ditheism was eventually rejected in favor of Trinitarianism, and God became Three. Tertullian coined the word Trinity, and the Fathers of the Church clarified the matter: God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each of which existed at the beginning of time and share the same measure of divinity. 

- In seventh century Arabia, a 40-year-old shepherd turned merchant turned prophet named Muhammad received revelations from a god he called Allah, the only ancient Arabian god who seems to have never been represented by an idol. Muhammad identified this god with Yahweh and Elohim, saying it was really Allah all along. He devoted the rest of his life to replacing Zoroastrian dualism and Christian trinitarianism with the “Jewish view of God as One,” thereby making Islam the culmination of monotheism. 

- The rise of the Sufis and their pantheistic conception of God: interpenetrating the universe, God is all, and all is God. 

- Conclusion: since we project our humanity onto God, we are God. Each one of us.

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:48 PM 0 Comments

Reviewing God

Is the God you believe in really God, or just the kind of God you want, just the image of your own mind's creation -- in psychological terms, just your pathetic projection of your own weaknesses?

The nerve of this guy to ask, but what a wonderful question.

Unfortunately for the author, US academic and writer Reza Aslan, I have encountered such effrontery before. In a retreat talk or something of that sort, I think, by then Fr. Chito Tagle or some other noted cleric, I learned that it is a question originally posed by one daring philosopher, Ludwig Feuerbach. It was he who first needled believers by claiming that the God they worshipped was just a projection of their inmost longings (as for power, praise, etc.). Good thing Aslan noted it at the outset, getting it out of the way.

But it is in supporting his claim using world history that Aslan's book is highly engaging as to be unputdownable.

The first time I've read a survey of the world's faiths or religions, it was then Pope John Paul II's interview transcript-turned-book "Crossing the Threshold of Hope." But Aslan's book is the first of its kind I have encountered in which the history of man's predisposition to believe in a soul, spiritual word, a god, or an afterlife is traced. Even for a Harvard professor, Aslan's scholarly scope is simply breathtaking: from pre-Homo sapiens stage to the various stages in which humans attempted for the first time to do paintings, perform rituals, worship idols, and build temples until these beliefs and practices evolved into a belief in one God and the practices of various religions today.

Weaving together threads from archeology, history, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, neurology, and the arts, it is a fascinating discussion, to say the least. It is so absorbing that I had to pore through even the endnotes in reduced font size until I got dizzy and had a mild headache.

To sum up in broad strokes, these are what Aslan observes to be the major developments in the history of how we humans perceive God:

- Belief in the soul
- Worship of ancestors
- Creation of spirits
- Formation of gods and pantheons
- Construction of temples and shrines
- Establishment of myths and rituals
- Monotheism (the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and most especially, Islam)
- Ditheism
- Trinitarianism (Christianity and Catholicism)
- Pantheism

Aslan ends his discussion by concluding that his exercise in tracing such a history of the world's religions paralleled his own spiritual journey, and that is why he ends up discussing pantheism as the belief he most subscribes to now, the belief that God is in everything (which is, incidentally, something I have heard before). From being a Christian, then Muslim, he discussed how he ended up choosing to believe in pantheism (the belief that God is in everything) instead, because, if I am reading him right, it is the one belief that does not envision God as something man-made but philosophically speaking, a God that is not formed in the image and likeness of man but the reverse: God as He is, whatever it is He wills to be.

Of course, this reader does not share such a controversial conclusion ("Everything is God." "You and I are God." Me: Of course not!). In fact, as a believer of Christianity as a religion that is a divine revelation of truth, not at all a human creation (but one that requires the agency of human cooperation), I find it laughable though not surprising because it follows a logical train of thought.

In my own observation, a lot of religions claim to have come from divine revelation via a chosen messenger: we may refer to how the Muslims, Mormons, and Iglesia ni Kristo, for example, recall their origin story. Can you argue with people's version of such accounts? You can't. I won't even try. To the uninitiated, it's probably a matter of choosing which messenger to believe.

In any case, whatever your religious inclination is, reading Aslan's academic take on the matter is a highly rewarding experience and even helpful in your own spiritual journey. Personally, in the final analysis, the book strikes me as a scientific and historical account of how man has searched for God and developed its primitive conceptions of god (or more accurately, assorted idols, from Ashtoreth to Zeus) through a length of time that seems to be an entire geological age in scope ("hundreds of thousands of years"), until the one true God with a capital G finally said enough, entered history through Jesus Christ, and revealed his true nature as a triune God.

(Grateful acknowledgment: Joey Ferrer)

posted by Resty Odon  # 2:51 AM 0 Comments

 Mr. Multiple

In a given department/unit/section/division of a local government, there are so many tasks that are hidden, that is to say, unknown to most people, particularly the public at large. 

Because of regular directives, orders, advisories, circulars, and communication letters of that sort from the President through the Department of the Interior and Local Government or some other agency that acts as an overseer, every office is required, from time to time, to implement certain things at the workplace. That's how powerful a sitting president is.

To name just a few of these 'orders'... There is a "no breaktime" policy (i.e., employees can't deny service to a client during lunch time and snack breaks -- someone else needs to be available in case an employee is on official break. Every government employee is required to wear a visible ID. Every employee must attend the flag ceremony every Monday, and in the case of the current dispensation, wear Filipiniana or ASEAN clothes as part of the dress code. All employees with a plantilla position ('permanent employee') must submit a SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth) annually and an IPCR (Individual Performance Review) quarterly or so. I am just getting started.

I don't know with other LGUs and government agencies, but I have found local government work to be almost like missionary work. There is an element of sacrifice, rules to be followed emanating from a hierarchy of officers, a sense of order and discipline, evangelistic zeal, pursuit of ideals (albeit in the name of material and socioeconomic progress), and the like. 

The policies I have observed to have been added lately for each department are the following: requirements to have a GAD (gender and development) focal person, a mini-budget officer, a mini-planning officer, a point person who needs to complete an ICS (Incident Command System) course, a safety officer, an energy savings focal person, a procurement officer, and in the case of our LGU, a Data Management System (DMS) personnel, an ISO focal person, someone who answers Facebook Messenger and comments on a given time frame, a newsletter circulation manager, and a website administrator.

Any head of a department or section would have hypertension just imagining oneself doing everything by one's lonesome. I haven't even mentioned the meetings an LGU head needs to attend as member of a committee, task force, council, or special body each day or per week. Clearly, one needs a lot of helping hands. To prevent the potential of karoshi (go look up what it means) and save on overhead, it would be best to hire someone who is multitalented and if possible has the superhuman capacity to multitask -- preferably at minimum expense.

When Don approached me one day to ask if he could possibly transfer to my section, he was downcast for a certain reason. While listening to his story, I was also bargaining with him as to whether he was willing to perform this and that task that no one else was willing to take on at the time due to lack of skills or being assigned an already optimum workload. He said yes to all the tasks mentioned. 

Soon, he was taking care of the procurement process. Then he was given the access to DMS messages. Then he took over the website updating and administration. One day, he became a safety officer. And what impressed me was when he was assigned to take up the difficult Incident Command System (ICS) course, and finished all four levels! 

What's more, he was even willing to substitute for someone or be an emergency back-up guy if I lacked a photographer, reporter, and layout artist at a given time, or a proxy for an important meeting or seminar. 

For proving to be such a versatile worker, we his officemates have taken to calling him Mr. Multiple (for multiple intelligence), especially since, on top of everything, he sings well too, and he's into various sports, particularly basketball, judo, and lately, arm wrestling.

He's not perfect -- he has Achilles' heels, of course, but who is perfect?

With his transfer to DepEd, I have lost a key workforce member. But I try to be happy for him. After all, everyone needs to look for greener pastures as one does not get any younger with the marching of the years. 

One thing I am pretty sure, though, is that he's learned a whole lot from his time with us in the LGU because he bravely took on everything put on his shoulder. I just hope he'll be able to put them into good use.

Now I wonder where I would find the most fitting person -- or multitude of personnel -- for the various tasks he just left behind. I figure it would be like looking for that Hindu god with multiple arms. 

posted by Resty Odon  # 1:50 AM 0 Comments

Misadventures of a Hesitant Contest Judge

(My funny and exasperating adventure as a judge of assorted contests)

For a few number of times, I ran into the 'misfortune' of being asked to judge in a contest. I have been a judge of a poster-making tilt, cutest baby, tourism brochure-making match, poetry contest, songwriting competition, and even cook-off (note the effort I made in looking for synonyms). The organizers could not have chosen a worse person for these tasks.

First of all, even though I love words and I am a writer by profession, I don't have the luxury of time to do poems and much less read through them in rapid succession. Although I can appreciate a poem and I have had sophomoric attempts at writing poems, poetry for me is something best made and appreciated in the quietude of isolation and retreat, much like meditating on the day's gospel readings. I would much prefer to read and write essays--and save for moments of mental block, I can do so at the drop of a hat, so I guess I wasn't cut out to be a poet.

And while I love music of all kinds, I have never attempted to create music of my own. I have no experience waking up from a dream hearing beautiful melodies or writing a song or composing a tune.

I am also into art and art appreciation, but I cringe at the idea of calling myself an artist, knowing there are so many out there who actually live and breathe art, whose bread and butter is art.

As for cooking, I am oftentimes a disaster in the kitchen, but I do appreciate the finer things in life like a perfectly cooked dish, be it in private kitchens or in restaurants.

So to judge these things I am not even good at, or I am not the proper authority in, is a laughable idea to me. Writers, for one, are like doctors -- they too have specializations.

Secondly, while I love reading top 10 lists of anything, I am someone who hates the mere idea of ranking artworks of any kind. I understand that the whole point of judging is to uphold certain standards -- in fact, the highest standards. But in cases where the parameters or set of criteria are too general for comfort, like the most popular ones on TV ("Britain's Got Talent," "American Idol," etc.)? Sorry, but no go.

...For how can anyone choose between apples and oranges? In the case of competitions involving poems and songs of all sorts, I feel so uncomfortable with the very idea of pitting, say, a haiku against a full-blown epic poem, or preferring a rap music composition to a mere jingle, say, or a ballad. The whole idea is crazy to me! Judging in this context will twist me mentally, philosophically into a pretzel.

But even with much sulking, I did judge the poems and songs anyway, and for this task to work, I forced myself to relish each piece, be it a poem or a song, so that I could find each of their merits, wherever those may be hiding.

True enough, in case of the poem entries, while being extremely pressed for time, I had to read -- carefully -- through not 10, not 20, and not even 30, but a grand total of 95 poems! It was a crazy time managing my emotions while calm-and-collectedly appreciating each work.

There were very short poems, there were longish poems, there were indeed haikus, a couple of sonnets, and what have you's. There were poems I understood easily and there were poems that I had to read repeatedly to make sense of them until I went crazy. There were works that emerged to catch my attention, works that made me shed a tear or two, and works that offended me in many ways: due to pointlessness, incoherence, inaccuracy, ungrammaticality, faulty word choice, faulty punctuation marks, etc. Many entries are quite prosaic, too direct, too literal -- all anathema to art and literature and most especially to poetry. One verged laughably on being an essay masquerading as a poem because of the arrangement of text.

Most works are predictably a paean or "praise release" for our town in general and for the current dispensation -- which is well-deserved, just to be clear. So the entries that caught my attention the most are those that that did it nicely anyway and those that went to another direction by taking up other less expected subjects and themes or those that went for other surprising angles while dealing with the same pedestrian theme.

Among those that are different, at least one poem focused solely on native delicacies, another chose to highlight a local school, another one dwelt on a recent viral controversy, and another turned the spotlight on a giant statue. A favorite is a poem giving a rundown of the town's barangays -- who could have thought? Too bad it didn't deliver as a whole.

Aside from paeans, there was a pledge, there's the usual acrostic type, which is, to be frank, corny, and there was a billet doux (love letter).

Never have I once imagined that these unnoticed everyday subjects would be the focus of poems in this town someday. Apart from the town of Bayambang per se, there are pieces that include an historical sweep, a focus on a significant episode now called SingKapital, the town's lady mayor, the Christmas display called Paskuhan sa Bayambang, the much-overlooked Agno River, and even the LGU's development projects -- who would have thought?

These works are thus unprecedented in that they are the very first ones, to my knowledge, to honor and memorialize in verse the town in this manner when having a dismissive 'small-town' attitude toward it is a lot easier and in fact has been normalized since its founding.

Collected together, these poems are unanimous in their praise of the speedy changes that the town has been going through, matching the unprecedented development of the town since 1614.

"As Bayambang Breathes" captured my attention the most because it trains the spotlight on the typical day in the life of the town in such a skillful way, a unique strategy among the submissions.

As for the song entries, it's the same dilemma all over again. I had to contend with comparing advertisement jingles with ballads, anthems with folk music, and so on.

The cutest baby contest is, as you can imagine, the most challenging to be in, because all babies are, of course, inherently cute.

(N.B.: Don't get me wrong. I fully support these competitions that promote artists and creators of all kinds. And I must credit the creative dynamo behind these endeavors who has been relentless in pushing for this kind of competitions as part of the annual Tourism Week/Month celebrations. Were it not for his conduct of the three Anlong poetry competitions under his wing, the hidden talents that exist right under our noses would have remained hidden forever. I likewise thank our leader-benefactors for giving the greenlight and approving the funding to worthy endeavors such as this. Furthermore, judging is not a walk in the park, so I am thankful for anyone willing to say yes to invites. And being invited is indirectly an irresistible honor -- who doesn't want it?)

But having said all these, please don't repeat the same mistake of asking me to judge anything with such a broad scope -- and in rush mode too. Understand that it is pure torture to me. I don't know how esteemed judges survive the ordeal, but I am especially distressed whenever I find a piece of work to be singularly worthy of acclamation only to see it lose because I don't share the aesthetic philosophy or professional views of fellow judges, or that the work belongs to another realm of interpretation or mode of appreciation. I have a soft spot for 'losers', especially for uniquely but unconventionally talented underdogs losing out to pros like what I have repeatedly witnessed in "American Idol," "Tawag ng Tanghalan," and other singing competitions. (I don't know why I still watch these shows whenever I can despite the sure heartbreak they'd bring of watching wonderful talents feeling like they were also-rans just because they didn't win the first prize.)

Another thing is that all art is subjective, so I fully expect other judges to have judgments entirely different from the ones I hold. Which was exactly what happened in some contests in which I was a judge: the impasse created by different judges choosing surprisingly different set of winners had to be resolved on the spot in creative ways, or else the contest would be one big fail. And if I have learned anything from the history of art... art is like fashion. To potentially misquote Oscar Wilde, "Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months." In other words, man's definition of art, poetry, literature, beauty is simply unreliable, even whimsical, so who am I judge? Get someone like Simon Cowell instead, please.

Suddenly, Korean or Shine Muscat grapes -- green, large, shiny, sweet, and looking like either a gemstone or a plastic toy grape -- suddenly flooded the market. But I prefer Moon Drop grapes or Sweet Sapphire grapes, which is equally pricey.

posted by Resty Odon  # 6:53 PM 0 Comments