What does it mean to live? Does it follow that self-defined goals be pursued relentlessly and with passion?
Does it mean coming to terms with the fulfillment of one's dreams and allocating all energies one has in one's very soul to seek it without stopping even for breath?
These past few days was a mixture of bane and boon. Many of our countrymen suffered from the wrath of a disastrous storm. Our country has been dating tropical typhoons since time immemorial, but the one that just passed us by isn't one of those one wishes for a day-off from work or school (though everybody I know was really happy about the "break" we had, myself included).
I went to Bagong Silang for lack of anything interesting during this extended vacation. Powerlines were out and as of the time of this writing are still out, due to the fact that some "creative" individuals pilfered the transformer and cable lines in teh aftermath of the storm.-Filipinos in our glory and in our shame!!
It was total blackout, no water supply for days, the area succumbing to lethargy and boredom. I, myself, find the freedom too boring, with nothing to do but whimper at the lack of power (and anything intersting to do -like watch DVDs, surf the net, chat, etc.) and curse the darkness (though I know it could of curse get even at me by choking me with madness in its solitude).
It was really bare essentials. But it made me think of my own selfish pre-occupation with my itch to be entertained and relaxed (I after all deserve a break from my tedious life of "noble" aspirations of reforming the and educating the young). I was forced to think about my own predicament and the imposition of this limitation. I was naked. Stripped of my toys, my proud sense of busy-ness and my own sense of self worth.
I wonder how the people in the Bicol region reacted (they suffered a lot during the storm) and felt devastated by the typhoon. I wondered at night with nothing but stars and a lonely moon to accompany me in the solitary house. It was just an orchestra of candles and the symphony of crickets chirping their lullabies at night. I was by myself and I thought of my own sense of enormity at the colossal vastness of the night sky.
I took a pen and scribbled down all these musings lest I ignore them at the sudden reappearance of power in the village an go on with the foolishness I have been living with since I was born.
