OPINION : HUMMING IN MY UNIVERSE
Staying alive
If you are one of the increasing number of citizens of this country who feel almost daily that you are not just losing respect , confidence and trust in the government but are actually threatened by its values and actions , I do not blame you .
We live in a time of madness , an age of incongruence , illogic and total insanity .
Everything has been thrown out the window . The things we used to deem as moral and sacred are now despised and disdained . Human life , rights , fairness , truth , delicadeza , transparency , decency , civility , peace and all the values that fall within a democratic civil framework have been all but abandoned , condemned , or discarded without much thought or soul searching .
The new values are about extreme unquestioning loyalty , cronyism , money , raw naked power , cruelty , disrespect for those who disagree , incivility , crudeness , crassness , indifference , denial of logic , rationality , truth and reality , populism , violence , etc . The pervading political culture is about death and fear .
Sure , we have always had these negative
By JIM PAREDES
values at work in every administration . But no government has been so barefaced and brazen in condemning the enduring values and things we espouse , stand and aspire for as a nation . Instead , we now condone murder , disrespect for human rights , and breaking the law . Cruelty and killing the helpless are encouraged . Mere suspicion is a death sentence . Heck , there are even people now who blame the children tortured and murdered by the police for being out in their neighborhoods . There is no accountability for murders as long as you accuse the victims of doing drugs .
I am sorry for starting my article with so much pessimism . I don ’ t want to get too heavy and serious here . This is a Sunday column . You deserve lighter reading . In these trying times , there must be ways to keep sane , happy and unperturbed . Here are suggestions I came up with on how best to stay alive and keep our sanity . These are the new survival skills we need in this upsidedown world .
1 ) Take to drinking . Consume a lot of alcohol . But don ’ t do drugs . You could get killed . Alcohol will have the same effect . You can escape from everything that bothers you . You will forget your situation , and your feelings will numb and deaden but at least you are half alive . That ’ s a good thing . Then you won ’ t have to listen to that pesky conscience that keeps telling you to be outraged . You don ’ t have to get angry when your moral or ethical boundaries are violated . Just be happy and drink . It will ease so much of the pain . I promise you .
2 ) Block all your friends who express their political sentiments or moral outrage on Facebook and other social media . Facebook can be entertaining without all that bad news . There are enough cat memes , animal videos and articles to lull you into a feeling of lightness . Besides , will it change things if you get angry ? So just post nothing but jokes , articles about sex , or chain letters .
3 ) Stop talking to anyone about politics . No matter what is happening , just avoid all references indirectly or directly that may lead you to a discussion on EJK , morality , decency , the Church , religion , or CHR . There are infinitely more topics to talk about other than politics .
4 ) Have topics ready to change the conversation if needed . During parties or socials , do anything to keep things light so no one gets slighted when political views are expressed . Always be updated on gossip , flippant and shallow news about , oh … whatever . Beauty queens , actors and actresses , scandals , jokes will always save the situation .
5 ) Force yourself to like Duterte , Dick Gordon , Secretary Aguirre , and Congressman
» See ALIVE , page 13
JIM PAREDES is a multifaceted creative . He sings , composes , writes articles and books , teaches at the Ateneo De Manila
University , designs and facilitates workshops . He is a writer of books , a widely read columnist for the Sunday Life section of Philippine Star , and a well-known photographer . www . kalatas . com . au AK NewsMagazine , Vol 8 No 1 | OCTOBER 2017 09