Think about it
Freedom
By Jun Velasco
“Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.”– Aesop
THERE are many Philippine flags everywhere you go today.
Oh yes, we are celebrating – or we are being made to celebrate by government edict — Philippine Independence Day. We do this year in and year out without grasping its significance.
Word War II veterans find meaning in it. They who knew the rigors and pangs of war they fought to free ourselves from the clutches of foreign invaders mark this day with poignant memories. They know the meaning and value of freedom.
We, too, have had a taste of un-freedom, of prison life; the harshness of being clamped in jail, courtesy of Martial Law, in Camp Aquino. We felt how deathly life could be when you couldn’t move at will. The irony of it all was that we then were fighting to free the country from the yoke of foreign imperialism implemented by corrupt local regime.
In our view, freedom is only a word, a meaningless word amidst pervasive poverty and ignorance.
The sight of beggars, shabbily clad children roaming the streets for food and alms and wayward people who do not know their rights and whose being has been snatched by their supposed guardians and protectors tells us of a country in chains.
The massive fish kill which took away from the mouths of the poor precious food that is rich in protein and Omega 3 speaks of unmitigated greed. The greedy deprive the millions of their sustenance and decent existence, making them prisoners of poverty.
We think that the worst human rights violators are those who deprive the poor of access to basic needs like proper nutrition, housing, ordinary joys and happiness.
How long will Filipinos free themselves from these chains? We should observe Freedom Day by pondering these things.
* * * *
At the program of a wedding party of dashing media man Dave Paragas and petite bride Danica Solis last Wednesday, Jojo, the emcee, called us being one of the ninongs to say something, say, an advice to the newly wed, after ninang Retired RTC Judge Alicia Decano did her meaningful piece, a motherly counsel.
Dave, by the way, is the son of our esteemed colleague Leo Paragas and pretty wife, the former Criselda Maramba, while Danica is the daughter of Roberto and Lorraine Solis of Ermita, Manila.
With the divorce bill hogging the headlines, we were anxious with our impromptu assignment. We knew that many marriages have not been working.
So what advice to give?
We began by saying Dave should be like his father, a seasoned newsman and faithful and religious husband.
Weddings, we said, are a launching pad to sustained joy or gloom. Its sustainability or success would all depend on the couple, who should recognize their good points and shortcomings and individual differences. And so it should be their sacred assignment to make it work – else they join the ranks of divorced or separated couples. Or mournful couples forever.
Warning about the worsening statistics of broken marriages, we asked Dave and Danica to put a Bigger Power that would hold and sustain the marriage on a permanent basis – God.
The decision to sustain a marriage should start with both. Both should be prepared to give up the things they used to have. Love takes a new meaning after marriage – it now means responsibility. It’s no longer the many splendored things but a challenging road that is like a boulevard of broken dreams. They should watch their steps to keep the relationship intact.
We recalled an anecdote when a boy was asked to spell m-a-r-r-i-a-g-e. He was told that he can’t spell marriage because it is a long sentence. To lighten or beat the boredom out of it, couples are advised to put Christ at the center of their lives. And the long sentence will feel like a taste of happiness every second of their wedded life!
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