Leaving things behind.

It has been my habit for so long as I could remember to keep meaningful messages in my phone inbox. Some of them paint a smile on my face, others make me sad, bother me or at times remind me of the pain brought by misunderstandings with a friend.

For reasons I am not aware of, it occurred to me that I should delete them and acting on impulse, I did.

I deleted everything.

And then I thought about it, perhaps the only way we could move on is for us to stop clinging unto those things that make our load heavier.

One time, my grandmother was watching me pack my stuff for a week tour in Mindanao. I remember her asking the purpose of every thing that I slid down my bag.

"Dal-on mo pa ni?"

"Ari pa gid?"

"Ano pa gid ni ya?"

When she saw the unpractical sized pillow that was already in my bag, she told me to leave it. In seconds, we were already arguing. I reasoned out that I'd need it for comfort away from home (it was reason enough right?) but she told me that I'd be fine without it.

I would have argued some more if she did not share a bit of wisdom to her obstinate grand-daughter,

"Ay Coleen, ibilan na lang na kay damo ka pa masulod sa maleta mo kun wala na kag di ka pa maayawan mag lakat..."

I stared at her.


Everything she said made sense, not only with my packing but in everything else too...


I am being highly stubborn choosing to bring my huge pillow for my comfort's sake when having to bring more bags for my clothes is going to be more tasking and uncomfortable for me. Lola was right.

Sometimes, in order for us to get to where we should be and to make more space for the things that Daddy Lord would give us, we have to leave some things behind.


The ending?



"Ti cge eh, nu pa bi..." (Me)


Still acting repulsive.


(Laughs.)


But I know, she was right.

BATAS MILITAR

"Being an activist means being aware of what's happening around you as well as being in touch with your feelings about it -- your rage, your sadness, your excitement, your curiosity, your feeling of helplessness, and your refusal to surrender."

Batas Militar or Martial Law is about one of the worse events in the Philippine History, if not even the WORST.

I won’t have watched this documentary film if it wasn’t showed in class, I won’t have been sitting in here in pursuit of coming up with a reaction paper if it wasn’t required. Most students of my age would not be curious to watch the particular film since it is so passed our time and many would just say that it belongs to the past, only written in chronicles and is not something that we should fuss about anymore.

However, after having been able to watch some parts of the documentary in class and after having been obliged to watch it in Youtube, I realized that to say that Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s administration is worse than Marcos’s is totally incorrect.

Marcos, as what I’ve also found out in the film, was extremely intelligent. He took the Bar and topped it while still in prison after having been found guilty of assassinating his father’s political opponent. Furthermore, during his time as Philippine President, the country’s economy rose too. These are just two of the many proofs of his intellectual capacity.

But, think of the killings, those who were tortured, and those who had vanished instantly after taking their stand against Marcos’s tyranny. Think about them and weigh if all the roads, bridges and other infrastructures that Ferdinand Marcos had built are worth the lives of those who had bravely risked and lost their lives in fighting this dictator.

To end this and to give a clearer reaction, Ferdinand Marcos may have been brilliant, he may have done so many great things but every time people would remember his greatness, they will also reminisce all the havoc that accompanied his greatness.