THE next few days will be an occasion to pause for many Filipinos. Practicing Catholics will act true to religious tradition as they have done for many years. Whether or not they internalize their rituals and strive to be consistent in their day-to-day behavior, or merely act out of habit, is a matter between them and their faith.
The affluent, able to afford vacations, will be spending the next few days enjoying the good life. So long as the money they are spending is their own hard-earned fund — not a product of corrupt or manipulative activities — we share their joy at reaping the fruits of their labor.
Others will simply take advantage of the opportunity to rest. Exhausted in recent weeks trying to eke out a living, or worn out from various concerns, this break affords an opportunity to breathe, to come up for air, before the constant struggle resumes next week. Those who will stay at home, by choice or force or circumstance, will perhaps catch up on their reading, viewing, or chores.
Whatever the mode, the hope is that people could rekindle their bonds with their families – natural or chosen – and friends. May they also find the solace to reflect on their existence and how the sum of their days best illustrates the kind of person they are, whatever religion they possess.
This year, however, times are extraordinarily tough.
The world is in a precarious state. It will no longer serve us to believe that the events in the Middle East – if we do not have relatives working there – are so remote that they do not concern us.
Already, just a month into the war, ordinary Filipinos are experiencing the effects of the rise in the price of oil in the world market. How many rounds of price increases have we seen in gasoline stations in recent weeks? How many transport strikes have made life difficult for consumers? We do not blame public utility vehicle drivers and operators in the least – this is how they make their living. This spells the difference between eating three times a day and eating twice, or between buying essential medicine and forgoing it.
Ordinary people are reeling from higher prices, and we do not know until when the uncertainty will last. It does not matter that the decisions are being made by narcissistic world leaders who have no regard for the lives of ordinary citizens regardless of the country they are from.
This week, may we include these realities in our reflections as well. If we come from a position of privilege, or if we are at least not as adversely affected as others, may we find it in ourselves to refrain from conspicuous consumption. May we learn to live simply, empathize with others, make better democratic decisions, and situate ourselves always in the bigger picture. The Middle East war is not just a Middle East crisis – it is also ours.
