Musings Re Facebook Tint

This period has heard a call to be true to one's self. There is an outcry to SPEAK. We are encourage to speak our truth, to voice out our opinion, to push our ideologies. Thus, anywhere in the internet we can read anything and everything, from the most important to the very trivial. Maybe it's good because it allows us to tell our stories and be a part of something and aid change.

However, in that wake, we are in haste to belong. Maybe on some cases we resonate to the cause (whatever that may be) and, the idea in which it has been founded echoes our sentiment. That's good because we have companies to rally with. Strength in numbers, shared ethos and zealousness - the very same factors that usher the movement of extremists - are fundamental requirements that drive a revolution.

In this era where everything seems seamlessly connected and the line of true identity that separates one from the rest is blurred, how do we sift the revolutionists from the junkies who just choose to belong "just because". Should we identify ourselves to what's popular, what's trending, what's common...because, you know, status quo and oh, "I'm doing it because everybody's doing it!". Blah. I sometimes wonder which is more tragic, being well-informed or being blissfully ignorant, being highly sensitive or being indifferent. If there's no absolute truth, there is no such thing then as rightful indignation?

I would leave the musings as they are rather than explain in long narrative my stance on the (no) Facebook tinted profile picture (in my opinion it promoted divisiveness), which the musings alluded to. Restrain is acutely painful when you have a lot to say. But sometimes, being unobtrusive is more empowering than being very opinionated. 

The Curious Case Of Apolinario Mabini In The Modern Era

There was a post in someone’s Facebook that went viral in lieu of the showing of “Heneral Luna”. I found it amusing that an important figure in history, Apolinario Mabini (A.M.), was lost to the younger generation, which should not be, because his role in reshaping the Philippines was vital, even if he was on his wheelchair.

The girl asking her boyfriend why A.M. was on his chair all throughout the movie roused netizens to mock her, that she should have paid attention to her history class, stressing further the need for less internet time and selfie indulgence. They may seem separate arguments, the time spend online may not be the cause of her ignorance. However, the fact that a teenager asked it and considering there is an abundance of information, what then the youth has been doing with it. Obviously, there was negligence on her part and forgetting a Philippine hero is quite unforgivable and, every re-share compounds the crime (imagine that in thousands). How then are the younger generations behaving in this digital era?

On the other hand, the one who posted it on her wall could have not posted it, but that was her prerogative. In a sense, it brought something good. It became a point of discussion. It raised awareness on everyone the importance of history, individual responsibility and medium of communication. How everyone is going to take it from there however, remains to be seen.

There was an interesting point my friend raised when we discussed about the viral post. He said that maybe the girl knew about Apolinario Mabini, but her recollection of him as polio-victim hero on a wheelchair was not deeply rooted, because polio has been contained (thanks to medicine!) and there are not many victims around on wheelchairs she could associate with the disease. It could be the case.

Still…

Excuses do not make blunders right.

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This period in history, wherein almost all information is available in a stroke of a finger, we should feel lucky. Bless are the souls who revolutionized the digital universe. They make life easy! From the ways of tying shoes to the big bang of the universe, the internet provides million links in a matter of seconds and all one needs to do is choose which one of the links provides the closest information to what he or she is looking for. We do not even need to exert much effort.

Gone are the days when students have to make a queue in the library to make reservations on the assigned reading materials. They do not need to wait for hours or days of the availability (because someone else have it before them and forgot to return) of the reserved books.  They do not need to rush to the library after class to find answers to their assignments, nor do they need to stay for hours inside the library because the reference materials they are using are not to be taken out. They do not need to borrow books from classmates or friends, either.  All these considered, it is a good thing. Less time spend on research would mean a spare time for other (valuable) pursuits.

However, it promotes dependency. In the context of personal growth, it is not exactly commendable. It reduces the ability to be resourceful. If not lost, the ability to be analytical has also lessened.  Most are contented to accept information at face value and mistake it for a fact, without making further and deeper dig on the subject.  Why should they, if it is in the internet, it must be true, right?

With progress, have we become shallower individuals? We feed on gossips, showbiz news, and faster trends. We are indulgent: selfie, shoefie, bagfie, and etc-fies. Some correlate their worth with the likes they get. Some revolve their lives in social media. Does it fill what is missing in our lives? We can deny it if we must, but it has become the reality. And the youth is catching faster on it.

With too much information, I do not know though if this period has depth that could seduce the future minds, whether it has the same allure and enigma that draw us to the history of the past.

I hope so. 

Humanity, More Than Ever

War is everywhere. Innocent people are dying, caught in the crossfire of factions fighting to push their own truths (no matter how perverse the truths are). Millions of people are displaced - a Diaspora like no other - driven from their own home, seeking refuge in other countries, even where they are not welcome. It is easy to focus on the beauty this world can offer, but it is harder to ignore atrocities.

Few days ago, when I tuned in to CNN, there was a woman and a man lost in their grief. The woman was rocking herself back and forth while sitting on the pavement and crying without tears. The man was singing in lamentation with eyes close, held by another man. Both were parents. Both lost their children from the bombing in Ankara. It broke my heart in thousand of ways and, made me think of my parents and my future children.

The extent of evil one can do - in the name of religion, in defense of ideas, in pursuit of power, in claiming autonomy. It is unthinkable.

Do they ever reflect what is right from wrong? Were they even aware of the consequences of their actions? Desecrating their homeland by destroying thousand year-old architectures and beating and killing their people to instill fear, is a death of a culture.  Terrorism is selfish. It is cowardice.  It is bullshit.

To make it worse, some people commercially thrive on war and fatten their bank accounts.

Man is born with inherent goodness. When and where then the character got twisted.

In my opinion, only the weak yield to wickedness.