Losing the “Moment” and Finding It Again
October 28, 2008 by lisa
Filed under better baguio initiative
I just re-read A Whole New Look Into the Garbage Crisis and did not like the writer. Her post was full of sarcasm, arrogance even, scoffing at government officials and pointing out and underscoring that their capacity to lead is limited by their imagination, censuring residents for their frugality, too.
She should have rewritten the article, over and over before hitting the publish button. She should have appealed to reason, she should have been kind, and her article would have been more effective if she had written her suggestions in a way that would convince others that they were worthy.
Instead, she attempted to make light of a situation that weighs heavily upon a populace that is well-meaning, although a great majority lacking education on, and made totally apathetic towards, matters of utmost urgency like saving the environment, saving the city, and saving the world, thinking that if she delivered her thoughts in that fashion she could mask the desperation that is constantly screaming in her head at how the city is degenerating into a poorly planned, undesirable, highly urbanized jungle.
And the writer, of course, was me.
And I apologize.
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I will not delete the post, because some folks have been kind enough to add their thoughts on the issue through the comments section. I will, however redundant it may be, rewrite the article in a fashion that deserves publication. I will also leave that post intact as a reminder to myself of my responsibility as a blogger to add value to the internet, my responsibility as Baguio Insider to inspire positive action for the city I love.
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What brought this on? I just realized tonight that I have not been in “PAGASA mode” for months, allowing frustration once again to overtake hope.
I can make excuses but there’s no point in doing that, and boring you in the process.
Tonight, though, I suddenly remembered how it was to be “in the moment.” It was a flicker, deep within me, much like the tingling remembrance of a delicacy eaten years before, or a scent that brings on a flood of good memories, that suddenly ignited into a bright fire of happiness and hope, and I found myself grinning, and time stood still, and nothing else mattered, and everything mattered.
Illumination.
And just like that, life became beautiful once again.
We just...
Lisa, so I would also apologize for calling them arrogant. But then again, if you’ve lived in the city long enough, you cannot help but be sarcastic once in a while. Things can be better here but they’re just not into it. Still, I say better sarcastic than apathetic.
Hi Resty,
Do not apologize, They are arrogant, and many other names we can call them, too!
I read it the article again and found it, so badly written… site visitors do not deserve that kind of ‘garbage’ from me. The content, I believe makes a lot of sense, but few are going to ‘buy’ it, with that kind of packaging.
Well, sometimes we can’t do anything with “bugso ng damdamin.” But I know that you wrote it because you loved this city dearly. It only shows that you are a conscientious blogger Lisa. Good day!
With the way things are, i mean the garbage, pollution and all, sometimes we cannot help but be sarcastic…we’re only human after all. There is no easy way in criticizing….it’s just a matter of delivering it. Keep on blogging for the city we all love.
Yes, and it’s the delivery that I did not like. Should have been more positive. Other folks read only the frustration and do not see the merits of the argument… my fault
Ha-ha-ha-ha…!
Love U, Liza… for the courage to mock yourself or, maybe as the ’70s child used to say, that ability “to get into the mode of ‘Criticism & Self-Criticism’ “…
Actually Chi, when I re-read it, I could not even recognize the article as my own!
That post took only a few hours to write’ the new article many days already so far.
Thank you indeed that you are such as one who strives for the better things. I also used to be in such a negative view of developments until I realized that because of such a stance which tends toward being hateful and suspicious, new and better ideas can hardly come along, if not at all.
I once came across of speaker - Dr.John Francis, an environmentalist and writer, sharing his view of what the Environment is and it very much invokes the Golden Rule, going something, like “…how we treat each other is how we treat the environment…” So indeed, if people in communication as you, can instead convey things more in the context of hope and optimism, surely things can only come out for the better.
Thanks Andrew,
Sometimes one does get overwhelmed by all the negativity around us that the tendency is to give in to despair and hopelessness. I guess my lesson here would be to always take a deep breath, remember that man is essentially good, and learn how to bring out the goodness in myself and of others. Love becomes the answer to everything.
