Blurry-eye Nationalism

When someone, who does not even identify himself and hides behind his profile of propaganda pictures of anti-GMA sloganeering and God damn shallowness, calls you a piece of fuck and a "konyo" (a.k.a. elitist rich kid) for simply taking a position a bit different from theirs---you know nationalism in this country, or at least to certain pathetic groups is outright WRONG.

And what is this basis of being a konyo? You don't even know me. You haven't seen my house. You don't know how hard my parents toil to feed us and still smile when the day is through you ad hominem-lover! Don't misconstrue my formal and smart casual get-up as being konyo. In fairness to you, thanks for thinking I can look this dignified. But please, enough of boxing. 199 has told me that exercise simply is counter-productive.

Call me blown about by emotion, but in truth I wasn't. I laughed upon reading his damn post on my own damn egroup. An offended moderator would have deleted such unfounded derogatory remarks on spot. I wasn't offended. I let it linger there for the members to see what some fanatics of these anti-TFI groups were made of. Whooo! I love sarcasm. A couple of days later, our hard-working orghead made a little disclaimer to this unidentified person. I felt she didn't have to. But I greatly appreciate the response. Two other things that made my general sentiment about UP nationalism resurface this week...and sorry, there's nothing Christmasy about this blog entry.

1. You make an effort to send SMS updates to the entire college and most of the responses, outside plain thank yous, are "take me off your text list, you're disturbing my sleep" and "how can you be this way? no to TFI!"
2. Lantern parade proper (or whatever remained of it) you see a large manila paper with "blah blah kanayunan, mabuhay cpp-npa-ndf!"

And then they make motha f#ck*n AD HOMINEM attacks because you choose not to sloganeer on the streets?! If this is the Left movement in the Philippines, or how SOME misguided members of theirs intend to project themselves then by all means, call me a damn Rightist!!! I can't take their dogma, I can't take all the more their means of getting their point across. Simply disappointing.

Don't get me wrong, I know my fair share of both young and old leaders of these movements. I converse with them and I point out these instances that simply make me laugh. They agree with me. I have faith in these friends of mine, much so the faith that these isolated cases do not become the trend.

Please, UP student should know that attacks on the person, specially ones with no proof, are the weakest form of argument you can present. In debating, it is branded ad hominem and is even STRICKEN OFF THE RECORD. Why? Call it moot and academic.

If you read Nick Joaquin and I agree with him strongly on this: Nationalism should be progressive. It should not be one-eyed, rhetorical, dogmatic, or backward. I loved the remark of a pastor corroborating the great Sionil Jose: NATIONALISM IS NOT INTROVERTED (it isn't inward-looking and then outward-blaming). Enlightenment proceeds as true freedom, true improvement of the human condition to quote sir Pilapil. If this nationalism leads to us be boxed by the dogma of one man in the Netherlands, if it preaches for us to make war and distrust the final hope of the system, if it shouts but whose manners and justification are dubious then the so-called praxis has failed.

I do not wish to question the rhetoric behind the progressive movements of the Philippines. I just want to plead them to look inside and then move on and see how the world works. To consider that capitalism, the very thing some of you so despise, has made empires out of colonial ports. To recognize that being progressive reaches so far an extent to even religion. And I need not cite examples of how something as SIMPLE as true observance, NOT NECESSARILY MAKING THE RELIGION ETHNIC AND NATIONALISTIC,has served countries who now trample us. Christianity and Islam are progressive faiths. It's in the interpretation of them as the tools of the oppressive class that has boxed our nationalists, leading them to sometimes make the Church a supporter of their own rhetoric instead of turning its fervor to improve the lives of its flock.

And please, let's not get started with countries that experienced civil war.

Let's not make the same mistakes we so ardently pointed out after our colonial experience. It is our time to be unbound.

Be unbound.

Our people are a great people bound by tradition and the falsehood ill-conceived liberals seemingly impose at times.

Has the Enlightenment spread to our young country? Moments in history tell us we've had Golden Ages, but no movements leading to a successful end.

And as Tiger Woods says: what separates the great from the good is that the great are able to do it over and over and over again...

We have not.

So I ask myself, what can I do? Perhaps, smile at the weakness of many. Then perhaps inform them on what I think. In the process, may we learn from each other.

And may we excel in whatever occupation we have.

God be my judge and juror.

MERRY and WARM CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(to more work I shall go)