Culture of Fear… by:Maribeth Q. Galindo November 18, 2008
Posted by beth95 in current issues and historical facts.add a comment
What’s with the culture of fear? How the people live if they are bounded with the culture of fear? Is there any possibility to put an end with the culture of fear? These might some of the questions that you would probably ask…..
Anyway, you are within the premises of culture of fear if you live in a society wherein the government leaders, influential personalities or group of people do actions that causes anxiety and sorrow. Thus, by impending danger, evil or pain among people it arouses distressful emotions, then you are bounded within the culture of fear.
Historically, before colonization period, culture of fear was instilled into the minds of the local settlers by their chieftains or the so-called Datu, the head of their barangay. According to history writings, it was made clear to all members of the community that those who were proven guilty of violating the laws will be punished. Thus, the imposition of cruel and bitter punishment such cutting the fingers of a robber or cutting the head of a rapist or a murderer developed the culture of fear for the other not to follow.
Moreover, during Spanish period, culture of fear was more emphasized by the Spanish colonizers in order to control the people of the colony. Any Filipinos who go against the Spanish government by any means will be punished. Those who questioned about the unjust Spanish governance in a form of writing were usually put into jail or some of them were exiled to far places. In addition, those who led the uprising against the Spaniards were arrested and executed. Sadly, most of the leaders of the revolts who implicated a revolutionary plot if caught were given harsh penalties. To name some, Agustin de Legaspi, Martin Mangan, Dionisio Fernandez and others who attempted to regain their lost freedom in Tondo, Manila were brutally hanged. Their heads were cut off in public and place in iron cages. These cruel penalties created fearful emotions among Filipinos. It developed anxiety to the colony and it brought sorrow to those who lose their loved ones. With the evil deeds of the colonizers, it showed a great danger to people who tries to detach from the Spanish tyranny. Indeed, it caused so much pain to those who became the victims of injustices. Nevertheless, same scenario happened during American and Japanese colonization. The inculcation of culture of fear was deeply implanted into the minds of every Filipinos.
In the contemporary time culture of fear still prevail. Newscasters, radio announcers, writers or journalist who publicly criticized or exposed the anomaly of a certain person who has the position in the government unfortunately, they were assassinated. With the killing of these media people, it clearly shows that the culture of fear still prevalent at present time. Terrorist act were used in order for these people to remain in power.
Now, is it possible to put an end with this culture of fear? Yes, there would always be a possibility to end this up if the people will overcome the fear in their mind and be courageous enough to say something if they have seen any wrong doings and be brave enough too to stand for what they believe is right and truth no matter what it takes even sacrificing their own life. But it’s not easy to do this it takes a very long process of reshaping the mind of the people and abolishing the culture of fear. Can you take the challenge?…………….
Do You Believe That Life Is Fair?…by:Maribeth Q. Galindo November 11, 2008
Posted by beth95 in Uncategorized.3 comments
Who said that life is fair? Do you believe that there is fairness in life? Primarily to some extend there is fairness. As human being, we both feel love and wanted to be loved. We both feel pain if we are hurt. We both feel happy if we succeed. We both feel sad if we fail. We both shed tears if we lose our loved ones. We both feel empty if something is missing. We both get sick if our immune system is weak. We both feel tired if we work too much. Most of all, we both die on earth. In other words, with no exemptions, all will feel love, pain, happiness, sadness, bitterness, emptiness, sickness and die where the fairness of life lies regardless whether you are rich or poor.
However, unfairness of life will always be felt by those who are less fortunate. They could not feel the fairness of life if they see that there are some people who live in a house worth 20 million and above and yet many who live in a squatter area or under the bridge that made of plywood and cartoons. They could not feel the fairness of life if they see that there are people who can feed their family more than three times a day having bountiful, delicious and abundant food in their table during meal time and yet many have difficulty of feeding their family others have to scan the garbage first to look for left over for them to have something to fill in their empty stomach. They could not feel the fairness of life if they see that there are some people who can send their children to school where they always wanted and take the course that they like and yet many families who have difficulty of sending their children even to public schools and finish at least elementary level. They could not see the fairness of life if they see that there are some people who can go to other countries for vacation and yet many have not even visited to nearby places coz they could not afford to pay for the fare. They could not feel the fairness of life if they see that there are some people who could bring their family members to hospitals in case of sickness and emergency and yet many who could not even afford to buy a medicine for their sick family members. They could not feel the fairness of life if they see that the well-known drug lords, obvious corrupt politicians, master mind of kidnappers and carnapper can freely enjoy their life outside the prison cell and yet many suffers in jail because they were caught stealing a pair of slippers, food or minor violation were charge against them and they stayed in jail for many years because they could not pay the bail for their case. Most of all they could not feel the fairness in life if many whose dignity is taken away from them and nothing is left anymore.
Now, if we look at life brought by its external factors such how much wealth that an individual possess or how influential an individual can be based on his/her positions therefore, life is never been fair to everyone……..How about you, do you believe that life is fair??????????
It Pays When You Have Money… by:maribeth Q. Galindo November 4, 2008
Posted by beth95 in Thoughts.add a comment
Warning: The money that I am referring to is not the cents in your pocket or the money in your wallet. I am referring to the amount of money that is more than enough for one to live in comfort and have a luxurious life.
Nowadays people work for money. Sometimes they live with money and die for money. Other says money is the source of all evils and mistakenly made money as the center of their lives thus, making money as their god. But nonetheless, money is also an instrument for doing good. Who doesn’t want to have money? Everybody wants it. You’ll be sarcastic if you said you don’t want it. That is why we worked hard simply to look for money. Unfortunately, there are people who worked hard day and night and yet the money that they’ve earned is not enough to suffice their basic needs. And there are people who are lucky enough that even without working that much and yet money just come and go and enjoy not only their basic necessity but also all their wants in life. How one wish to have that kind of life? Are you envious?
You may say, no I am not envied, why should I? After all money is not the most important thing in this world nor it can’t buy everything. The answer may sound sour grapping but there is a truth in it. Yes, it may be true that money can’t buy everything but it can almost buy everything. Let’s face the fact that money can make the world round. It can prolong one’s life. It can make the right wrong and make wrong into right. It can even delayed justice and buy it sometimes. It can make one smells good to other thus, the more money you have, the more friends you have too. It can make one beautiful/handsome especially if one is riding the latest model of BMW, it can make you famous then. And if you have the money, you have more honey to come.
When you get sad and you wanted to get away with sadness for a while all you have to do is simply get a plane ticket for Singapore to take your brunch there and in the afternoon you will fly to Paris to have some shopping and stay in a five star hotel for a night. The following day, you will proceed to Vatican City to hear a mass after that you will purchase a ticket again for Las Vegas to watch some shows. The day after, you found yourself in the Caribbean Island for relaxation in a couple of days. Before going home, you pass by Africa to buy some diamonds as part of your jewelry collections and then get back home….. I am sure sadness will not be entertained and will be forgotten. It really pays when you have money, isn’t it?
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