A PASSION FOR LIFE

    

What is passion for life? Why and how do we cultivate a passion for life? Some people I think have lost that passion for life. 

They are so immersed in technologies, in earning money, in doing the day-to-day grind that they forget to enjoy the simple things in life like a flower, the trees that line the streets, or  the children playing on the sidewalks. Perhaps they would notice the children and to assuage their guilt would drop a coin or two on their palms. Then after that, off they go to the next meeting. 

Whenever I walk around, I try to see if there are flowers or plants that I can pick and bring to plant in our little space at home. Or when I get bored with the long travels say from UP or Cubao to Quiapo, I gaze at the trees that dot the streets. I compare their leaves -- one would have spread out leaves; another would look very stately simply because it is only a few feet away from the next tree. A botanist told me that trees that are spread apart say by 3 meters tend to spread their branches, while those that are close to each other, grow very tall. I notice such trees at UP. 

Suddenly, now I am thinking like an environmentalist. Why so? Because the issues besetting us are moving, in small steps but still moving. The Board of Inquiry Report on the Mamasapano is out and some people could be charged for their mistakes in handling the situation. 

Do you see Folks the necessity for us to have a peaceful political life? We can then concentrate on the finer things in life -- say watch a movie or a theatrical play; listen to music, watch paintings and enjoy their colors, etcetera.

So as my ride passes through EDSA, I rue the time when I wrote for the installation of the MRT in it. EDSA is no longer the wide avenue where when we look up we could see the skies. Instead we see the overpasses, and my goodness the high rise buildings built so close to the street. 

I wonder why they have to be crowding our street that way. Those high-rise buildings could pose a big danger should an earthquake happen. They could cause lost lives to the people walking in and riding vehicles plying the streets. Do not tell me that the building owners do not have foresight when they had those buildings erected. It is a very simple feeling that anyone could have, once they see a huge 23 or even 35-feet tall building. 

But what really irks me is when I see vendors being allowed to sell their wares along sidewalks and we can no longer pass through without sashaying through. At Carriedo, Quiapo, I notice though that space has been allotted for pedestrians, and the vendors are more wary about occupying that than before whence they used to occupy every inch of the street. 

But to my mind, the control of the crowds that line up to attend the Quiapo Church mass should be implemented. On Fridays, traffic is terrible fronting the side of the Church facing Quiapo Boulevard because the mass-goers spill to the sidewalks. I think that the Quiapo Church should be made to close the doors there in order to allow other MetroManilans to travel more safely, peacefully and conveniently. 

I believe collective worship is good, that is going inside the Church to hear mass with other people; however, when the activity inconveniences a lot of people, then some civil acts have to be done. It does not seem right for anyone to impose their style of worshipping on other people. Everyone is free to worship; we practice religious tolerance; however, we also need to respect other people's need to make a living without having to go through horrendous traffic all the time. In fact, many times I have quit travelling to Manila in the middle of the route simply because the jeep was not moving at all. 

Of course, corollary to that, someone should study the effects  of traffic on public and private drivers. Road rage is very rampant. Public vehicle drivers also lose their discipline; some would even get back at passengers by not stopping right away when asked.

So could we still have that passion for life amid the chaotic situation in MetroManila?

What is passion, but feeling human, feeling sensitive to oneself and others. 

We could cultivate that through meditation -- aside from thinking of Biblical passages and the life of Christ as well the saints', we could focus on breathing in and out, feeling the air passing through our nose and out, and not thinking of the day-to-day struggles at all. 

I actually do that while being seated inside the trains, and it helps a lot in overcoming the eeky feelings of being sandwiched by the crowds as I get in and out. That reminds me of the art exhibit at Tin-Aw Gallery whereby an artist drew on the label of a sardines can. He titled the can -- MRT, and on it were silhouettes of people. It was a very subtle indictment of a city problem of train congestion which is very real today. 

Another way to recover that passion for life is to avoid toxic beings. Some people have that nasty habit of unearthing problems all the time; of going to the past errors; or putting down another and rubbing off their achievements on others. I try to avoid such people because it is difficult to discuss with them. Should I bump into them, I just pray over them mentally and hope that God would do something with them -- erase their negativities and hopefully permanently. 

Some other psychologists would recommend treating yourself with what you have been wanting to do or eat. For example, you want to go to Baguio or to Boracay. So you save up for that and eventually hie off once you have enough funds. Or you want to have a cup of coffee at a posh coffee shop. That is cheap and can be done easily. But this one thing is best -- get an all-over massage at a parlor, or a half-massage at the Quezon City Hall where the blind masseuse and masseurs are plying their business. 

By the way, our kababayan there have better working conditions now. One told me that before their "barker" the one who would call for the customers would cheat them -- simply because they could not see the money. This "barker" would also pocket the tips meant for them. Now the workers have asserted their right to receive the payment from the customers directly, and just give the barker commissions. 

So things are changing step by step, and that is because our kababayan despite their disability, have a strong passion for life, for what is right, in order to survive, to live, with dignity. 

Yes, that's the reason for having a passion for life -- to be able to live with dignity. 

And as we grant ourselves that sense of dignity, so should we accord others with such regard for their own.

Is that so hard to do? To some people who have grown accustomed to being bowed to, to being called "Yes, Sir" or "Yes, Ma'am" I guess it becomes very difficult to soften up easily. But I remember one person who remained very, very respectful, not only of the powers-that-be but also the people who would serve her. The National Artist for Music, Lucrecia R. Kasilag or Tita King,  as we fondly called her. Did you know that she used to call Imelda, "Ma'am?" I asked her, Tita King why do you call her so when you are older than she is? And she replied that her office is under Imelda's and so she must defer to her. I just sighed quietly when she had said that. Then, the girls who served her food, washed her clothes and kept her home clean, were all very nice. She was able to train them to lay down the placemats and the silverware on the table, as well as  serve the food quietly and on the right places every time. Best of all, I never heard her raise her voice on them -- as I lived in her place for about a month one time. She was a very good artist and teacher within the academe and at home. Her niece, Emma took care of her during her later years more closely, as she became less mobile. 

Tita King had a great passion for life till her last days. She wanted to compose music, and because she had lost her eyesight, if I remember right, Edgardo de Dios or Dong, guitar teacher at the Philippine Women's University notated her music for her as she would dictate to him the melody and the accompaniment. Eventually Dong organized a guitar group and called it Kasilag Guitar Quartet. 

And so what drove Tita King to have that passion? Not only music but a firm belief in God. Whenever I would ask her, Tita King what inspires you to create music? Then she would point her finger up there. No more words to say, just a quiet finger-pointing to the heavens. 

Now there are some groups that have a blurry view of life -- "Life is suffering." On and on, they teach the people that in life, we can have no happiness. One can only attain Nirvana once we meditate. And so they teach people to be ascetics. 

I tried practicing that for quite some time. Of course, I lost my appetite for beer. But I could not lose my penchant for wearing earrings and lipstick. My mind goes to the T'boli tribe of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato where the women are beautifully clothed with colorful self-woven tapis (wrap-around cloth); and horse's hair earrings as well as red, red, brilliant redpplipstick -- some of which could have been sourced from "achuete" or annatto seeds I think.
Now why should I turn my back on the ways of our tribal group?

Right now, I still meditate, alone, and while the train or bus that I am riding in cruises along EDSA. Funny but I have an inner clock that makes me wake up before the station I am supposed to get off. I have managed to program my mind to wake up before starting the exercise and so voila, I open my eyes and go back to reality.

Back to the present. That's it, Folks. To have passion for life is to live in the present; to make our mind concentrate on what is now.