Death awaits us all. The moment we open our eyes and take in our first gasp of air, we began our inevitable walk towards death. Every life, every death. All of us will face this in just two ways: either we die in peace or we die in violence.
Tomorrow, some of us will go to church and take part in that ritual called " Ash Wednesday". It is when we remind ourselves of our mortality and our inevitable fate.
People are like winds that blew past and simply go where the forces of the universe dictate. Life is like a wind that blows fast and hard and soft and gentle, and fades away. Our bodies are likened to ash but life, itself, is comparable to the wind.
What would be left is how people talk about us. Those pharaohs are being talked about because of their pyramids, some, like Karl Marx, is still being discussed animately by people because of his influence in other people's perceptions and work.
What we leave behind are our contributions to society. It is not our monies. Money cannot guarantee that people will remember you, but your kind works will do the trick.
Every man can build his own pyramid of good works and sayings that people will swap stories with. Every man can create his own wonderful works for all the world to see and marvel.
Think---those who live forever are the philosophers, not the kings they counselled with.
Think---those who live forever are the painters, and not the people whom they drew their inspiration from.
And think---those who build those majestic buildings are never remembered---only those who financed it.
Life, however short, must be lived.
Showing posts with label karl marx. Show all posts
Showing posts with label karl marx. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Sunday, August 12, 2012
The primal screams of Tears for Fears and my Eighties New Wave songs
Reliving the music of my generation, the eighties, rekindles in me the primal screams of my youth, of struggling against the very system that caused me and every single one, pain and of plotting its eventual demise.
Seeing my idols of old still fighting the fight of others, makes me shout to myself, and every single one of my screams create the standing armies of Change.
The songs of my generation are stark rebellions of the age, precursors of many Arab springs and the first borns of micro revolutions. Those songs are stories of the early man born in a system of rottingness, of a baby awakening in an era of convoluted Ideas, of a baby waking up in a greasy, icy, love-less world, where the dictum has always been and will always be the survival of the fittest.
Those early New Wave songs were expressions of primal screams, of individuals expressing themselves through ballads and of ballads showing the slowly rotting system of rotting men.
The songs of Tears for Fears, of Depeche Mode, of Simple Minds are some of the songs of my age. I rather describe them not just songs, but expressions of the age, of the early rebellions that happen in the lives of my early youth, where rebellions are necessary antidotes against the traditional, the UnChanging, the Rotten, and the Pygmies of Excess Faith.
While others of my Youth forget these rebellions the very first time they stepped unto the world of the Big Corporate and became junkies themselves of corporate life, in my case, the very Light of Revolutionary Reason is still burning within me.
What I reject though, is unbelief in the existence of a God, while retaining much of what I learned and of what I read during five years of painful hours spent in various libraries, asking Marx, Lenin, Weber, Friedrich Hegels, and the philosophers before them, the whys of this World.
Exposing myself to these philosophies and embracing them as my own, made me the man that I am now---a Leader of Men, precisely because that knowledge that I gained from these men empowered me to understand Man and the System He Created that now swallows him whole.
Listening to these songs makes me remember the importance of dialectics, of applying the very precepts of scientific inquiry in discovering the depths of man's follies.
'Change you can change," reminds Tears For Fears. How? By "breaking things down again." Everyone is "Head over heels" of something, which reminds us of how philistinistic people are, and "every one wants to rule the world."
We can always strive for change, because change is the only constant in this world, there is no other.
Change is what makes the end of this system, an inevitable certainty. Change is Hope that the present system of Pain would eventually lead to a system of Bliss, eventually.
Seeing my idols of old still fighting the fight of others, makes me shout to myself, and every single one of my screams create the standing armies of Change.
The songs of my generation are stark rebellions of the age, precursors of many Arab springs and the first borns of micro revolutions. Those songs are stories of the early man born in a system of rottingness, of a baby awakening in an era of convoluted Ideas, of a baby waking up in a greasy, icy, love-less world, where the dictum has always been and will always be the survival of the fittest.
Those early New Wave songs were expressions of primal screams, of individuals expressing themselves through ballads and of ballads showing the slowly rotting system of rotting men.
The songs of Tears for Fears, of Depeche Mode, of Simple Minds are some of the songs of my age. I rather describe them not just songs, but expressions of the age, of the early rebellions that happen in the lives of my early youth, where rebellions are necessary antidotes against the traditional, the UnChanging, the Rotten, and the Pygmies of Excess Faith.
While others of my Youth forget these rebellions the very first time they stepped unto the world of the Big Corporate and became junkies themselves of corporate life, in my case, the very Light of Revolutionary Reason is still burning within me.
What I reject though, is unbelief in the existence of a God, while retaining much of what I learned and of what I read during five years of painful hours spent in various libraries, asking Marx, Lenin, Weber, Friedrich Hegels, and the philosophers before them, the whys of this World.
Exposing myself to these philosophies and embracing them as my own, made me the man that I am now---a Leader of Men, precisely because that knowledge that I gained from these men empowered me to understand Man and the System He Created that now swallows him whole.
Listening to these songs makes me remember the importance of dialectics, of applying the very precepts of scientific inquiry in discovering the depths of man's follies.
'Change you can change," reminds Tears For Fears. How? By "breaking things down again." Everyone is "Head over heels" of something, which reminds us of how philistinistic people are, and "every one wants to rule the world."
We can always strive for change, because change is the only constant in this world, there is no other.
Change is what makes the end of this system, an inevitable certainty. Change is Hope that the present system of Pain would eventually lead to a system of Bliss, eventually.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Bagong Tao (The New Man) in Philippine Politics
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| " The birth of the Bagong Tao has yet to happen in the Philippines" |
Both Hegel and Marx believed that the evolution of human societies was not open-ended, but would end when mankind had achieved a form of society that satisfied its deepest and most fundamental longings. Both thinkers thus posited an “end of history”: for Hegel this was the liberal state, while for Marx it was a communist society. This did not mean that the natural cycle of birth, life, and death would end, that important events would no longer happen, or that newspapers reporting them would cease to be published. It meant, rather, that there would be no further progress in the development of underlying principles and institutions, because all of the really big questions had been settled.
When societies have achieved a state where "all the big questions" have been answered by every inconceivable theory, History ends. Creation ends as far as human intellect is concerned. There is also an end to theory making since every single inconceivable thing has been conceived and answers found that satisfies man.
Does this applies to the Philippines? That since the rest of humankind have found their solutions to their most basic and fundamental questions, the Philippines will also stop evolving its institutions and will end theory-making.
No.
For as long as imbalances remain, the centuries-old problems exists and the oppression of man by man still is being seen in the backwaters of this society, theory-making and institutional re-engineering will remain.
The pursuit of Meaning will remain as an intellectual preoccupation by many and the profession of theory-making will remain for as long as there is no dominant theory, the proverbial "theory of everything" in building political institutions, its pursuit, will remain our predilection for the coming years.
In other societies, theory-making ends when they agree and implement provisions of the Constitution. The Constitution is supposed to be the blue-print that the State uses to achieve a definitive order of things. That's why it is often referred to as an organic code. The code dictates every single legal or allowable action in a state.
Problems arise when actions, though moral and allowable in other states, occur in contrast with actions as stated in the Constitution. Likewise, when Socialist ideologies merged with what seemed to be liberal democratic ones, there is a convolution, leading to a crisis in perception.
It is therefore, necessary for us to develop a new thinking based on current observations of Philippine reality and from there, create a paradigm that will dictate what direction this country will take in the next few years.
That lack of paradigm, often always, put us in an embarrassing situation, because our leaders content themselves on making things work in a system which runs in contrast with that of political reality.
When a system fails to work, it just shows that the underlying principles behind its creation is simply discordant with existing conditions. And where discordance exists, there is a necessity of correcting it to prevent the fall of society.
Let me therefore say, that this new thinking should gravitate from the seminal reading of the Times--that the anchor of every successful and prosperous society lies in the emergence of the New Man or Bagong Tao.
What is the New Man, but a completely satisfied individual of the State, who acts completely with a new set of values. These values are actually interpreted as sociological needs, such as the willingness to prioritize God, over Self, and Country over the Individual is the primordial practice rather than an aberration.
The Philippines suffers from a syndrome where it is being hostaged by the past. The past is simply unresolved. Therefore, it drags modernity and progress along and leads to a statis.
Lastly, problems which occur here are resolved by application of someone else experiences such that, solutions lead to new problems, solvable by another or someone else experiences.
The Philippines suffers from a syndrome where it is being hostaged by the past. The past is simply unresolved. Therefore, it drags modernity and progress along and leads to a statis.
Lastly, problems which occur here are resolved by application of someone else experiences such that, solutions lead to new problems, solvable by another or someone else experiences.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Resurgence of the Left
Seventeen years ago, the Manila-Rizal chapter of the Communist Party of the Philippines formally announced its split from the biggest Communist party in the country. The reasons were two-fold: first, differing analyses on the current state of socialism in the country and beyond and second, the correct revolutionary strategy to be employed to achieve victory. The actors were members of the First Quarter Storm, the bit players the activists and cadres active both in the underground and open democratic movement. Both sides hardlined with ideologues from the CPP branding those who opposed the Re-Affirmist line as counter-revolutionaries. While those in the rejectionist side further split into various groups, mainly due to differences in leadership.
Now, with the emergence of a pseudo-populist government represented by President Aquino, the question remains---is this the right time for the left to reconsolidate and strengthen itself? With the blurring of ideological lines, there are indications that both sides are softening their stances and the possibility of a unification looms.
Unification, ah, this thing was inconceivable back then when the M-R led by Ka Filemon "Popoy" Lagman directly contravened the prevailing ideological stance of the party which he so supported since his activist days in the 70's. Lagman's views remain relevant since the objective conditions which existed seventeen years ago remain unchanged, even to some, worsening. What is so impressive about Lagman's views is its somewhat "prophetic" nature, a sign that Lagman applied the Marxist-Leninist framework of analysis correctly. Back then, direct opposition to the views of Jose Maria Sison led to expulsion from the party. Now, the central leadership is fast losing its ideological dominance and sooner or later, even its influence since its monolithic interpretation of objective conditions lacks the vibrancy of analysis as shown by Lagman's, Marty's and Sonny Melencio's.
Now that the CPP leadership is "age-ing" and most young cadres involved in the movement right now show signs of "open-ness", there are expressions of hope that, sooner or later, these groups from the Left would converge and form a new invigorated revolutionary movement. What is most impressive is the possibility that this movement would now be composed not just of hard-line Marxist-Leninists and Mao Tse-tund adherents---the possibility of having a progressive and Left-thinking segment of the military and the nationalist bourgeoisie coming together with the underground and open organizations and form a stronger coalition of forces remain. That is the first stage. The second stage would actually be the establishment of a stronger, more vibrant, Party which adheres strongly to the Filipino concept of liberation rather than the foreign-inspired frameworks.
There is now a recognition that the entire struggle of the Filipino Masses is not entirely predicated on a foreign ism. Isms are just constructs which the revolutionist applies in correctly interpreting the things happening around him.
The possibility of these forces from the left again resurfacing and forming a stronger revolutionary force remains. There is now a recognition that the most important component of every struggle is correct communication of its goals. The correct communication lies on the correct use of Filipino indigenous symbolisms that communicate the same Socialist concepts for change.
This would be entirely possible if all organizers both from the underground left recognize the fact that the dominant thinking should not be based on foreign sounding ideologies and terminologies; rather the most dominant philosophical world-view should actually be that of the masses, the poor, which is the potent force for change right now.
There lies the element for solidarity and unity of forces---the recognition that even prior to the 1969 re-establishment of the party along Maoist lines, a more potent revolutionary organization existed that successfully fought for the establishment of a transitional revolutionary government. That organization, the Katipunan, has once again animated the minds and hearts of the Filipino Masses.
The Bagong Katipunan could actually be the party which can solidify and synthesize differing view points under one political platform for change. The thinking which Marx, Lenin and Mao formed a century ago could be fused together with the thoughts and philosophical world-view of the Filipino and form a new, more vibrant and simplier Filipino ideology which the Masses would identify themselves with. With this, the resurgence of the Left is deemed possible.
Now, with the emergence of a pseudo-populist government represented by President Aquino, the question remains---is this the right time for the left to reconsolidate and strengthen itself? With the blurring of ideological lines, there are indications that both sides are softening their stances and the possibility of a unification looms.
Unification, ah, this thing was inconceivable back then when the M-R led by Ka Filemon "Popoy" Lagman directly contravened the prevailing ideological stance of the party which he so supported since his activist days in the 70's. Lagman's views remain relevant since the objective conditions which existed seventeen years ago remain unchanged, even to some, worsening. What is so impressive about Lagman's views is its somewhat "prophetic" nature, a sign that Lagman applied the Marxist-Leninist framework of analysis correctly. Back then, direct opposition to the views of Jose Maria Sison led to expulsion from the party. Now, the central leadership is fast losing its ideological dominance and sooner or later, even its influence since its monolithic interpretation of objective conditions lacks the vibrancy of analysis as shown by Lagman's, Marty's and Sonny Melencio's.
Now that the CPP leadership is "age-ing" and most young cadres involved in the movement right now show signs of "open-ness", there are expressions of hope that, sooner or later, these groups from the Left would converge and form a new invigorated revolutionary movement. What is most impressive is the possibility that this movement would now be composed not just of hard-line Marxist-Leninists and Mao Tse-tund adherents---the possibility of having a progressive and Left-thinking segment of the military and the nationalist bourgeoisie coming together with the underground and open organizations and form a stronger coalition of forces remain. That is the first stage. The second stage would actually be the establishment of a stronger, more vibrant, Party which adheres strongly to the Filipino concept of liberation rather than the foreign-inspired frameworks.
There is now a recognition that the entire struggle of the Filipino Masses is not entirely predicated on a foreign ism. Isms are just constructs which the revolutionist applies in correctly interpreting the things happening around him.
The possibility of these forces from the left again resurfacing and forming a stronger revolutionary force remains. There is now a recognition that the most important component of every struggle is correct communication of its goals. The correct communication lies on the correct use of Filipino indigenous symbolisms that communicate the same Socialist concepts for change.
This would be entirely possible if all organizers both from the underground left recognize the fact that the dominant thinking should not be based on foreign sounding ideologies and terminologies; rather the most dominant philosophical world-view should actually be that of the masses, the poor, which is the potent force for change right now.
There lies the element for solidarity and unity of forces---the recognition that even prior to the 1969 re-establishment of the party along Maoist lines, a more potent revolutionary organization existed that successfully fought for the establishment of a transitional revolutionary government. That organization, the Katipunan, has once again animated the minds and hearts of the Filipino Masses.
The Bagong Katipunan could actually be the party which can solidify and synthesize differing view points under one political platform for change. The thinking which Marx, Lenin and Mao formed a century ago could be fused together with the thoughts and philosophical world-view of the Filipino and form a new, more vibrant and simplier Filipino ideology which the Masses would identify themselves with. With this, the resurgence of the Left is deemed possible.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Being personal for a change
Finally, I met Jester-in-Exile and some of the younger writers over at FilipinoVoices. I also met Manolo Quezon at the Philippine Blog Awards 2008. It's really nice meeting fellow bloggers and it was just my second time to do so.
I'm not supposed to reveal who I was but there's an itch to connect with those whom I consider as colleagues. And it is equally nice to know that Jester, Marochim and even their common friend, Maya, are all young people attending the University of the Philippines-Diliman. I told myself, there is still hope since my alma mater is still producing such fine young specimens of brilliance with a conscience.
Sometimes I think that it is time for me to rest my pen and pursue family interests. Because whenever I don my activist robe, I sacrifice my family. Truly, the time I'm spending with my family now, I consider the best of my life. For most of my young life, I spent pursuing causes which either nearly destroyed my professional career or put my life in extreme danger. The last four years are ones I consider stable since I'm blessed with jobs that provide me financial comfort. Yet, I'm still not that financially stable and it's just 3 years before I reach 40.
My contemporaries are enjoying the prime of their careers. Mike Defensor, a classmate of mine, has his own companies and enjoying the fruits of his collaboration with Gloria. Same as Miro Quimbo and even Bong Bongolan. My batchmates at the University are now either here, practicing law or abroad with their families. I heard that I can only count with my fingers the number of classmates I have here, still living a tough life in this patch of earth, called home.
The ones we've beaten during our active university life are now political heavyweights. Alan Peter Cayetano, who lost his campaign against Angelo Jimenez for the UP Student Council plum post, is now a Senator defending his political patron, Senate president Manny Villar. Those who still hold the torch for the masses, they are those who still continue the struggle.
Sometimes I think that those years studying Marx, Engels, etc. are just worthless years since I'm not even using them in my job. My job requires me to think like Guy Kawasaki or a Nora Ephron or do the things that Charlie Agatep or Dante Ang or Babes Romualdes did in their prime. If I think like Marx, i'll go wreck the establishment and probably de-construct it the way many people want it to be. But, would it be the best thing to do?
And sometimes, I blame myself for going back here. My years working in Singapore, I consider, truly the most memorable years of my life. Probably, I should not have left Singapore. It could have been great studying another Masters over at Nanyang Business School. Yet, I chose to raise a family instead of pursuing my intellectual interests.
I told Marochim that I tried to write lifestyle pieces. But I can't. My soul lives and breathes politics. But, irony of ironies, I'm not directly involved in politics, just doing polemics. And I'm doing it just here, in the blogosphere. My years doing political work is probably over. I'm too out of touch and too far of reach by those who are still working for a Truly Just and Humane Philippine society.
And I'm probably doing okey, since my peers nominated me for the Best Blog in the Social, Historical and Political Commentary division. I lost eventually to a guy whose passion is to write about birds. Well, I could have wrote something about the Philippine eagle and probably, won? Like what the Rebel Pixel said, it's not the award, it's the peer recognition.
I long for the day when I can (a) make money out of a business which I have a passion about (b) not report to a boss (c) directly work for the liberation of the country from tyranny and (d) raise my family while building a country. Someday, I'll do it. I'll plunge myself into the entrepreneurial world and make history.
I'm not supposed to reveal who I was but there's an itch to connect with those whom I consider as colleagues. And it is equally nice to know that Jester, Marochim and even their common friend, Maya, are all young people attending the University of the Philippines-Diliman. I told myself, there is still hope since my alma mater is still producing such fine young specimens of brilliance with a conscience.
Sometimes I think that it is time for me to rest my pen and pursue family interests. Because whenever I don my activist robe, I sacrifice my family. Truly, the time I'm spending with my family now, I consider the best of my life. For most of my young life, I spent pursuing causes which either nearly destroyed my professional career or put my life in extreme danger. The last four years are ones I consider stable since I'm blessed with jobs that provide me financial comfort. Yet, I'm still not that financially stable and it's just 3 years before I reach 40.
My contemporaries are enjoying the prime of their careers. Mike Defensor, a classmate of mine, has his own companies and enjoying the fruits of his collaboration with Gloria. Same as Miro Quimbo and even Bong Bongolan. My batchmates at the University are now either here, practicing law or abroad with their families. I heard that I can only count with my fingers the number of classmates I have here, still living a tough life in this patch of earth, called home.
The ones we've beaten during our active university life are now political heavyweights. Alan Peter Cayetano, who lost his campaign against Angelo Jimenez for the UP Student Council plum post, is now a Senator defending his political patron, Senate president Manny Villar. Those who still hold the torch for the masses, they are those who still continue the struggle.
Sometimes I think that those years studying Marx, Engels, etc. are just worthless years since I'm not even using them in my job. My job requires me to think like Guy Kawasaki or a Nora Ephron or do the things that Charlie Agatep or Dante Ang or Babes Romualdes did in their prime. If I think like Marx, i'll go wreck the establishment and probably de-construct it the way many people want it to be. But, would it be the best thing to do?
And sometimes, I blame myself for going back here. My years working in Singapore, I consider, truly the most memorable years of my life. Probably, I should not have left Singapore. It could have been great studying another Masters over at Nanyang Business School. Yet, I chose to raise a family instead of pursuing my intellectual interests.
I told Marochim that I tried to write lifestyle pieces. But I can't. My soul lives and breathes politics. But, irony of ironies, I'm not directly involved in politics, just doing polemics. And I'm doing it just here, in the blogosphere. My years doing political work is probably over. I'm too out of touch and too far of reach by those who are still working for a Truly Just and Humane Philippine society.
And I'm probably doing okey, since my peers nominated me for the Best Blog in the Social, Historical and Political Commentary division. I lost eventually to a guy whose passion is to write about birds. Well, I could have wrote something about the Philippine eagle and probably, won? Like what the Rebel Pixel said, it's not the award, it's the peer recognition.
I long for the day when I can (a) make money out of a business which I have a passion about (b) not report to a boss (c) directly work for the liberation of the country from tyranny and (d) raise my family while building a country. Someday, I'll do it. I'll plunge myself into the entrepreneurial world and make history.
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