The Quality of Life

Last week, I was sifting through some of the photos my friend took along Manila Bay and Intramuros, and this one particularly grabbed my attention.

He looks forlorn, lonely, and dejected. The irony, though, is that he's sitting by the Manila Bay at sunset - one of the most beautiful place and times in the metro. I have to wonder, then: what's the point to the average Filipino's life, if this is the reality surrounding us daily?

We have beauty, knowledge, courage, and truth all around us. They're side by side with horror, ignorance, cowardice, and lies. We all learn these as we grow, and we attempt to live only with the "pretty" ones and try to avoid the inconveniences that the ugly things or concepts bring us. My theory is that with horror, there would most probably be pain. With ignorance, bliss is not always available for one to hide behind. A coward reaps neither praises nor rewards, while liars are most probably the most hated creatures on earth. Dozens, hundreds, nay, millions of stories have been told and retold in every generation, regarding the consequences of "stepping into the badside." However, why is it that they're all still there - and we all still seem to revere them?

Election season for local government posts and congressional seats is heating up and will culminate this May. I've seen and heard many electoral pitches, been given even more "vote-for-me" flyers, and debated about the candidates' eligibility with friends and family. Is there a point to it all? My officemate was very pessimistic about the whole thing - advising a couple of foreigner colleagues of ours that there's going to be a "disturbance" this coming May, all thanks to the election season. The foreigners were immediately alarmed, thinking that "disturbance" means riots, coup d'etats, and political rallies. I begged to differ, and I will continue to hold a differing opinion because, damn it, I still have to have hope for the improvement of my people's quality of life, don't I? The man by the bayside surely deserves it.