A View After the Storm

Thank You. These are the words that I keep saying to myself. I don't know who to address it to and I don't know if I should. My family and friends in Manila are safe after that devastating storm. Some weren't as fortunate. According to the last news article I read, typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) left 300 people dead and thousands of people without shelter and food. I really feel bad about this, the fact that I only come to realize how lucky I am after seeing other people in bad situations. I feel bad knowing that people lost their homes, or worse, a loved one through a natural disaster. However, at the same time, I am happy and thankful because the people I care for have been spared.

 

From the outside, I watch how this event unfolds. The end of a calamity is the beginning of a blaming game. Whose fault is it? Somebody from Facebook said it was caused by sinners who deserve to be punished thru Mother Nature. Of course, this crude and insensitive remark has been castigated by the nationalistic pride of the majority of Filipinos. I mean come on, you got to have a black, black heart to even think about that! But hey, I think it was her way of being grateful, she just had to point out that it takes a pure soul like her to be saved. After receiving thousands of threats and rebukes, she released a statement saying her Facebook account was hacked and she would never ever say something as derogatory as what the alleged hacker has posted. Remember, she is not a sinner so she would never ever do something like that. So, dear hacker, I need you to hack into her account again and apologize to us!

 

So, whose fault? One engineer said it was caused by an old-age architectural mistake that nobody dared to fix. He said none of the previous administration even tried to do something about this mistake that was a disaster waiting to happen. So, present administration, are you going to do something about this or are you just going to pass this on to the next? Dear next administration, same question. As an ignoramus to the world of engineering stuff, I hereby end this paragraph about engineering stuff. Let us move on to the next candidate for the blame game.

 

The people. Actually, I applaud the infamous unknown Facebook hacker for her/his offensive comment because it was obviously based on observation. The problem is, he/she presented it in an unacceptable way, like a thesis paper hand-jammed on a used toilet paper (by used, I mean with trace of fecal matter) IT was that ugly. I am not trying to defend anybody here, but I think she is trying to say that the event was triggered by human's failure to comply with Mother Nature's rules. It is not my job to preach about sanitary, proper garbage disposal, or efforts to clean up after ourselves but we must admit that somehow we contributed to the weakening of nature's auto-immune system. Nature has its own way of protecting us and itself from the hazards of natural calamities but it was too weak to function properly, because we failed to take care of it. (Note: Author is a medic) Little, good changes can help, that's all I can say.

 

Politics? I heard howlings from the back of my mind. They keep saying that word. Honestly, I don't think we should put blame on our politicianss anymore. I lost faith in the government's ability to prevent something like this from happening a long time ago. Resources are just too scarce. By resources I mean a.) human resources - our government is being run by clever minds. And how do I define clever? For me a clever mind is a mind capable of producing bright ideas but only if it is stimulated by promises of self-serving rewards. b) financial resources - even if somebody comes up with a good idea for a project, most of the time we do not have sufficient funds for it. Sometimes I do think we have it but I see no proof to support my assumption. In addition to lack of resources, long exposure to poverty leads to corruption of morals. Again, I hate preaching so I will keep this short. Think about this: Do you want your children's life to be a continuation of your own? Having too much of power and money can also lead to poor morals. Knowing that there is somebody out who there is willing to sell his principles, soul and all to be able to obtain a little of what you have can make you play the role of a master -- a temptation that only a few successfully were able to resist.

See, our fingers can point to different directions but really, the goal of finding out who the real culprit is to make us feel better. You can contend that the goal is so that we can make the necessary reforms. For me, the necessary changes should begin right inside our own homes. Instead of finding faults, we should stay positive amidst the many negative forces that make us believe that life is a jungle fill with vicious animals, and drive us to become one, too.

For one moment, be thankful. Yes, there was a calamity which lasted for about a week. How about you? When will your inner storm's going to end? 

Side note: 

Thanks to the men and women who contributed money, goods, and time to various relief drives.

To those who block relief goods convoys, resell received items, steal from other people, etc... You are one reason why the boat is sinking. Yes, you are poor, but what you do doesn't make me want to help you.