Nests of hornets

Being at the receiving end of the !@#$% actions of followers of the so-called volkish movements (whew!) comes as no surprise to me, more so in the place where it actually originated. But still one wonders how can people ever be cruel in their treatment of others. Is insensitivity really a matter of race or religion? Do cultural differences justify the way we view things? Of course, naysayers will always declare that this is a democratic world and they have the right to do what they want. But they seem to forget that there is such a thing as a hierachy of rights. Under a system that promotes the rule of law, a balancing of interests must be made. In a way, it can be said that some rights are higher than others. And that is a fact which should be recognized by those who purport to be rational human beings who want to be respected in return.

Scores of columnists have written about the Wowowee stampede and how sadly it reflects the state of the nation. Most of them said it was bound to happen. Crowd control has really never been a priority in such events. I can remember attending the Bon Jovi (yes a long long time ago) in the Rizal Coliseum. Can you imagine little old me trying to squezze myself through the bars as the organizers (misrepresentation!) simply could not control the unruly crowd. As for this recent catastrophe, the finger pointing will continue. Hearings will be conducted on the matter. After which, everybody will immediately acquire amnesia and forget the lessons. One writer has said that "But what I truly find tragic is the fact that this country has become so poor, so destitute and hopeless that in the process most of its people have forgotten the value of hard work and diligence. Subsisting merely on instant noodles, does it still come as a surprise to you that most people now rely only on instant fortune and among the youth instant fame through those artista searches as their means to embrace financial comfort? That we have gotten this low is the biggest tragedy of them all." I beg to disagree. The greatest misfortune is never learning from our mistakes. We Filipinos are fated to subsist in a "groundhog day" state of mind.

I watched Memoirs of a Geisha, Brokeback Mountain and Munich. Love was the central theme of all three movies, whether it be Sayuri's unrequited love for the Chairman, Ennis's repressed passion for Jack and the love for home (the promised land) unequivocally declared by both Israelis and Palestinians.


"Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].

Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.

Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.

This has been my life; I found it worth living."

BERTRAND RUSSELL