Haunted November 2, 2006
(Concluded)5. GHOST of the past. This is really the exception to the rule because, among the various ghosts haunting the country, that is the hardest to spot. For some reason, the emanations or exhalations of the past can't seem to penetrate our present.
The late historian Renato Constantino used to call it "the living past," the past that has something to say to the present, the past that remains vital to our lives today, the past that flows on to our present and guides our future. That is what other people have, a living past, a past they recall -- no, they relate to -- with the passion of lovers. It helps, of course, that in some countries, such as Thailand and England, the past is embodied in living symbols like the King or Queen. But it's more than that: The past lives not in the throne but in the heart.
All we have of the past is a dead past, deader than those we visited in their resting places yesterday and today. To say that we are unable to remember the past is to say that Pidal is sensitive about the truth or being called a crook, whichever comes first: It is the understatement of the ages. We can't even recall that we made Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo by People Power and that we can undo her by People Power. But which is why, we now have a:
6. Ghost democracy. People who do not read their history, warned George Santayana, are condemned to repeat it. He's right. People who do not remember Ferdinand Marcos are condemned to produce Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Democracy has pretty much given up its ghost. Or it's but a ghost that's left of our democracy. Forget that in a democracy, leaders are elected by the people, forget that in a democracy leaders serve for a period of time and then go, forget that in a democracy people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Remember only that in a democracy, decency and civility and neighborliness thrive magnificently, with occasional outbursts from people, like the folk of San Francisco, standing up for their gay rights. No, more than that, remember only that in a democracy people are not naturally murdered.
The only thing we have plentifully today is the ghosts of the dead. The real dead, the dead dead. This is not a democracy, this is a ghost town.
7. "Ghostong mapapogi." Frankly, I don't know why Jose Rizal isn't turning in his grave. For some reason the ghost President of this country, one who has no substance, form, or vote, likes putting a wreath on his monument everywhere she goes. She just did that in China. She did that, too in several other countries she visited this year. Maybe, she figures Rizal's greatness would rub off on her?
All it does is produce a ghastly study in contrast. The only thing they have in common is height. Beyond that, Rizal represents the best of the "indios bravos" [brave natives], Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo represents the worst of the "indios cobardes" [cowardly natives]. At the very least Rizal was the epitome of honesty and solicitousness. He didn't have a story about confessing to cutting down a cherry or a balete tree, but he had a story about tossing his other slipper into a river after his first one fell into it, his point being to supply the finder with a pair. I've always found that story magical. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's solicitousness she showed when, in the 2002 celebrations of Rizal's death anniversary, she vowed on his grave not to run.
Rizal did say like Santayana that people who did not look back at where they came from would never know where they were going. But then that advice can't possibly prosper in a nation that cannot cling to the ghost of the past, or even remember him, c.f. No. 5 above.
8. Ghost nation, ghost people. I suggested this last Monday: Why bother watching George Romero's zombie movies when we have zombies aplenty right here? That's us, as a nation, as a people. That's what we've become since July last year when "Hello Garci" became a ring tone; or since late last year when the impeachment bid became a cadaver; or since February this year when General Danilo Lim's attempted "withdrawal of support" took on a ghostly turn -- take your pick. A zombie is a creature that doesn't quite know it's dead, that looks at the world with blank eyes and feels nothing, that walks around with arms outstretched -- you don't really know if in threat or supplication -- not knowing where it's going or what it's doing. That is what a Filipino is too, today.
The ghost nation and people go further. We've only had a ghostly sense of nation to begin with, preferring to live elsewhere, notably in America, from the start. Today, that has taken on a ghastly form, a huge portion of the population sailing for distant shores and many more scrambling for the docks. In part drawn by the lure of green pastures abroad, and more and more driven out by the stench of the dead at home. This isn't a nation, this is a ghost town.
We don't perform an exorcism, and soon, this place will be forever haunted with only a cold wind howling across a vast and lonely expanse dotted by the bones of the dead.
9. Ghostbusters. Fortunately, some exorcists have come by in the last couple of months. During her trip to Europe the other month, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was hounded by angry shouts from the living for her to stop piling up the dead. Jejomar Binay fought off – successfully -- an effort by people who never got voted into office to oust him as the mayor of Makati city. And the Supreme Court saw through the horror movie that was Jose de Venecia's Charter change -- no great thrills, just a lot of (bad) makeup. Who knows? With elections coming in next year, maybe this country can recover some spark of its anger or even idealism, and come to life again. Then maybe we can have a:
10. Ghost of a chance.
* * *
Reminder: Tonight, Stop the Killings Bar Tour, Unplugged, Adriatico Street (beside Café Adriatico), 9:30 p.m., Chikoy Pura, Calla Lily, Imago and Six Cycle Mind. Honor the dead, don't add to them.
http://opinion.inq7.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=30045
The late historian Renato Constantino used to call it "the living past," the past that has something to say to the present, the past that remains vital to our lives today, the past that flows on to our present and guides our future. That is what other people have, a living past, a past they recall -- no, they relate to -- with the passion of lovers. It helps, of course, that in some countries, such as Thailand and England, the past is embodied in living symbols like the King or Queen. But it's more than that: The past lives not in the throne but in the heart.
All we have of the past is a dead past, deader than those we visited in their resting places yesterday and today. To say that we are unable to remember the past is to say that Pidal is sensitive about the truth or being called a crook, whichever comes first: It is the understatement of the ages. We can't even recall that we made Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo by People Power and that we can undo her by People Power. But which is why, we now have a:
6. Ghost democracy. People who do not read their history, warned George Santayana, are condemned to repeat it. He's right. People who do not remember Ferdinand Marcos are condemned to produce Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Democracy has pretty much given up its ghost. Or it's but a ghost that's left of our democracy. Forget that in a democracy, leaders are elected by the people, forget that in a democracy leaders serve for a period of time and then go, forget that in a democracy people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Remember only that in a democracy, decency and civility and neighborliness thrive magnificently, with occasional outbursts from people, like the folk of San Francisco, standing up for their gay rights. No, more than that, remember only that in a democracy people are not naturally murdered.
The only thing we have plentifully today is the ghosts of the dead. The real dead, the dead dead. This is not a democracy, this is a ghost town.
7. "Ghostong mapapogi." Frankly, I don't know why Jose Rizal isn't turning in his grave. For some reason the ghost President of this country, one who has no substance, form, or vote, likes putting a wreath on his monument everywhere she goes. She just did that in China. She did that, too in several other countries she visited this year. Maybe, she figures Rizal's greatness would rub off on her?
All it does is produce a ghastly study in contrast. The only thing they have in common is height. Beyond that, Rizal represents the best of the "indios bravos" [brave natives], Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo represents the worst of the "indios cobardes" [cowardly natives]. At the very least Rizal was the epitome of honesty and solicitousness. He didn't have a story about confessing to cutting down a cherry or a balete tree, but he had a story about tossing his other slipper into a river after his first one fell into it, his point being to supply the finder with a pair. I've always found that story magical. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's solicitousness she showed when, in the 2002 celebrations of Rizal's death anniversary, she vowed on his grave not to run.
Rizal did say like Santayana that people who did not look back at where they came from would never know where they were going. But then that advice can't possibly prosper in a nation that cannot cling to the ghost of the past, or even remember him, c.f. No. 5 above.
8. Ghost nation, ghost people. I suggested this last Monday: Why bother watching George Romero's zombie movies when we have zombies aplenty right here? That's us, as a nation, as a people. That's what we've become since July last year when "Hello Garci" became a ring tone; or since late last year when the impeachment bid became a cadaver; or since February this year when General Danilo Lim's attempted "withdrawal of support" took on a ghostly turn -- take your pick. A zombie is a creature that doesn't quite know it's dead, that looks at the world with blank eyes and feels nothing, that walks around with arms outstretched -- you don't really know if in threat or supplication -- not knowing where it's going or what it's doing. That is what a Filipino is too, today.
The ghost nation and people go further. We've only had a ghostly sense of nation to begin with, preferring to live elsewhere, notably in America, from the start. Today, that has taken on a ghastly form, a huge portion of the population sailing for distant shores and many more scrambling for the docks. In part drawn by the lure of green pastures abroad, and more and more driven out by the stench of the dead at home. This isn't a nation, this is a ghost town.
We don't perform an exorcism, and soon, this place will be forever haunted with only a cold wind howling across a vast and lonely expanse dotted by the bones of the dead.
9. Ghostbusters. Fortunately, some exorcists have come by in the last couple of months. During her trip to Europe the other month, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was hounded by angry shouts from the living for her to stop piling up the dead. Jejomar Binay fought off – successfully -- an effort by people who never got voted into office to oust him as the mayor of Makati city. And the Supreme Court saw through the horror movie that was Jose de Venecia's Charter change -- no great thrills, just a lot of (bad) makeup. Who knows? With elections coming in next year, maybe this country can recover some spark of its anger or even idealism, and come to life again. Then maybe we can have a:
10. Ghost of a chance.
* * *
Reminder: Tonight, Stop the Killings Bar Tour, Unplugged, Adriatico Street (beside Café Adriatico), 9:30 p.m., Chikoy Pura, Calla Lily, Imago and Six Cycle Mind. Honor the dead, don't add to them.
http://opinion.inq7.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=30045
posted by dqfan06 @ 11:52 AM
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