My Pen Mates,
Good fences make good neighbors, the saying goes. And of late, I've began to perceive that a pre-condition is being introduced to erect fences where none is required or necessary. Imagine a vast ranch in the middle of a vast land, where man and animal roam, accountable only to the symbiotic dictates of their respective natures. As is everything in nature, all are subject to the changes in weather and season, and behaviour adapts to maintain survival. So the herd grows thicker fur in Winter, and the farmers till the farms in Spring and so forth. None of this is legislated for they are natural occurrences and tendencies of the evolved ecosystem.
Apply this scenario to the recent natural calamity that has befallen my hometown of Malasiqui which caused disastrous loss to property and livelihood among friends and neighbors. The nurture instinct that binds families together kicks in and relief efforts are mobilized to assist those in dire need. These acts of charity are not limited to the Filipino community; my local church in Fremont, California collected over eighty boxes of food, medicine, blankets and clothes from a lot of generous donors from all walks of life. Volunteers put in time and talent to prepare and transport these goods, with nothing but the urge to help those in need as motivation. They even brought in food to feed fellow volunteers!
That's nature at work. As the river flows downstream, those with more have a natural tendency to send to those who have less or those in distress. That these acts are mostly precipitated by such a dramatic event as this recent deluge only serves notice that there is someone in the world who cares, and that nature guarantees_just as a mother will nurture its child_that those who can, will give.
It may not be true every time, but when the need arises, people will step up. It has nothing to do with acting out a heroic role, but with the hardwired village mentality essential to a society's survival from since cavemen attacked behemoths. It's never legislated_ it's not necessary to do so_ for it's a necessary survival mentality.
Why then, should a tiny movement by otherwise busy, life-engaged people, seek to assume a societal identity that serves nothing but to duplicate a naturally occurring human philosophy? I'm referring to this pre-occupation by Batch-81 members with registering this organization as a non-profit do-gooder, give it "identity" and putting up a bell weather of an organization to rally members, town mates, and what not. Will people rally to the cause? I'd be surprised if people would even bother to know the cause! We already have the Lion's, the Kiwanis, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, UNICEF, Boys & Girls Scouts, the Sangguniang Bayan, the Vatican, etc.,etc. and I doubt anyone in need ever bothered to determine what these institutions' respective causes are when they provide relief! Why add another "SEC registered" organization in the fray when all you want to accomplish is extend help when help is needed? And how often are these relief missions conducted or necessitated anyway?
Oh, I see! We want a sustainable movement, an effort that will strive to engage and involve the participants in projects to bring societal change. We want to create and institute a mobilized base of difference makers and action providers; those who have fresh ideas and bold initiatives that will put to shame these lame public projects by corrupt and unreliable public officials! We want to see positive results that can only emanate from fresh, out-the-box imaginings of untainted, morally upright, self-empowered social change agents!
Please. It's all been said and done before; the only thing new in this world is the history you don't know. The storms are few and far apart; let's not make moments of drama as jump-off points to advance social agenda. Let it be as simple as: those who can, should help. That's what friends do as we roam in this vast expanse of life. Nature has endowed us with a means to care for the young, the poor, the marginalized. Nature dictates that they in turn will do the same when their fortunes and fates turn. Is this an over-optimistic view of the world? History shows that it's actually the rule, not the exception. So let our life's journey be a forward movement to enjoy and share the beauty of the earth, not wasting time erecting fences, putting down stakes, and defining kindness and registering formal friendships.
Mon
< Latest
