the Maute, in Marawi City (Lanao del Sur) siege also have foreign members coming from Indonesia and Malaysia. The plot has become complicated and we need more vigilance now that the war has entered its sixth day without any light dawning in. The last report says that the marines have been brought in which shows the gravity of the situation already.
I think that the loss of lives is really unstoppable. The terrorists are trained to kill without mercy. Muslims though they are, they could kill their own kith and kin without guilt in the name of gaining power. A radio report says that the aim of the group is to put up a flag on the City Hall of Marawi so that internationally they could be recognized and given support by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
But what could really put peace in this world as the highest and most important agenda for all countries?
What should we, not just the Filipino people, do in order to bring about a lasting peace that would mean that we would still be living with our relatives, our friends, colleagues, and neighbors, our compatriots throughout our lifetime?
I think that this world needs a cultural revolution. The ISIS groups are largely conservative who hate everything western. So they would hate the sight of Ariahne Grande in very short shorts gyrating on a steady bicycle, with her breasts almost popping out and her lips singing some kind of sexy songs. Remember her concert was bombed in Manchester afterwards last week where scores were killed and injured?
At the same time these groups are highly clannish which is then contrary to what democratic societies rarely encourage.
Thirdly, the flaunting of wealth in the print media and online pages bring about a great insecurity on the part of those people as they come from less affluent societies.
I could cite a host of other reasons but these are the glaring differences which could cause great disgruntlement I suppose.
Maybe there ought to be a redirection of the advertising world, especially on the lives of Hollywood movie and music stars. There is too much emphasis on flashy lifestyles, on youthfulness, no matter how barren the intellect or no matter how distorted the lifestyle that is being pushed by the ads. Carefree-ness is always the underlying or the most magnified thrust instead of a caring, humane approach to being a human being in this world.
Licentiousness, philosophy of unbridled lust and passions, egotism, hedonism are the order of the day, Just listen to the news reports in the morning -- as soon as the political news is finished, the entertainment business comes in with non-intellectual reports going round and round the personal lives of the actors and actresses, harping on their personal relationships, their likes and dislikes as if they were some gods and goddesses. Or maybe that is the thrust of the reporting -- to create demigods who would rake in money for the producers pronto.
The effects of such exposure in the media viewed by millions alas have brought about our distorted world, and now our sufferings -- those explosions here and there -- are just one of the consequences. Who knows if we would still be alive tomorrow?
Cultural revolution means being prudent and careful about displaying one's wealth. What is the use of using stars as representatives of this and that cause when in another magazine you could read that they had just bought a mansion with a large swimming pool? Do you see the irony? He or she could have a very honest and sincere desire to help the poor but their managers have a distorted idea of keeping their images in public -- they have to display conspicuous consumption at its highest.
I don't really believe in going back to the Middle Ages but the recent events in the world should make us reflect on our total behaviors -- personally and socially -- are we part of a humane world? Are we connected globally or will we always be worlds apart?
SALVADOR DALI'S PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY
No comments:
Post a Comment