Think about it
Worst-case scenario
By Jun Velasco
WHILE reading the horrific news headlines yesterday — Japan earthquake/tsunami, nuclear explosions and fallout tragedy, the political upheavals in the Middle East and threats of similar calamities descending on the islands — we were asked by a friend, “what shall we do to avoid getting hit?”
His query gave us a jolt. Thoughts of a worst-case-scenario, another killer Pepeng flood that reached the rooftops in Central and North Luzon last year, and the like gripped us, because It could stage a comeback, God forbid!
Let’s not forget that the Philippines is within the so-called ring of fire and the Pacific’s earthquake belt. In point of fact, we fear that our government — granting it is determined to prevent the occurrence of these natural calamities — is only certain about one thing: every thing is uncertain in our uncertain world these days.
By the way, there’s a good side to the Japan tragedy. It showed the exemplary discipline of the Japanese people. There were no food looting, no riots, no disturbances of peace and order. The people acted almost as one helping one another in the name of brotherly care. It highlighted the inner strength of the Japanese. Their heroic stoicism and equanimity are a far cry from the image of the rapists that pillaged and dehumanized our women and people during World War II.
Our friend, former YMCA executive and Punchman Phil Celi, 66, told us last night that when he and Gonzalo Duque were in Japan in the 80’s, they had a direct experience with the greatness of the Japanese people.
One day, due probably to their excitement after they had touched down at the Narita Airport, they realized they had left a traveling bag containing some P200,000 in a taxi.
Their predicament soon vanished when the taxi driver came back looking for them to return the bag, with the cash untouched.
In another incident (these guys really loved taxi riding, huh?) a taxi driver mistakenly brought them to a wrong address. Minutes later the same taxi came back, looked for them and brought them to the right address, without any additional bill.
The frequency of calamities – the killer quakes in Chile and New Zealand, the floods in Australia, the snowstorm in the US, many others — has sent a strong message to all of us — the fragility of the world and the temporariness of life.
Have you seen that terrifying shocker of a movie, “2012?”
With the avalanche of unthinkable reverses on the earth’s behavior, we find that movie disturbing, drawing form what has been documented pointing to a realignment of the planets that seers say will climax in the year 2012 – on December 12, to be exact. It staggers the mind — beloved earth physically breaking up into nightmarish devastations brought about by earthquake, floods and storms and the massing of rebellious peoples against their rulers.
This report should alert us to an indisputable fact — the fragility of the world.
Everybody, the rich and poor alike, now find themselves on equal footing. Those who have been driving themselves like crazy in grasping at millions of cold cash may now realize the futility of it all – this mad rush for wealth and power.
And so, after all, what matters in the world is the world inward, the divine world, that unique place that should lead to eternal peace and joy. Don’t cry for mercy because these reverses in Mother Nature are all God’s divine sways. We should only pray for enlightenment which by the way we can achieve by being obedient, loyal and His faithful children.
A writer said, “the testing of our faith that God allows in our lives molds our perseverance – and that perseverance must finish maturing us so that we are “complete, not lacking anything.”
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
