Just last Wednesday, we had a meeting with our lawyer. After we have addressed our agenda, we had a more meaningful conversation. She works for an NGO who helps farmers and others who do not have the capacity to fight for their rights. She sad that a few days ago, she had to go to a hearing about the case of a farmer who had been abused by his landlord. They slit his neck and chopped his arms because he tried to fight for land reform. She also told us the story of the workers of Hanjin in Subic whose ears are poked with a pencil if they are not working hard enough. It was horrible. I never thought such things happen in real life. Looking at my life, I am so blessed. But then, again, so are those people who suffer such cruelty.

I can never imagine man imposing such great pain on his brother. What kind of man will hurt his brother just for the sake of money or power or fame? What good will it do to him to have all the money in the world but lose the chance of living in heaven? What good will it do to him if he has all the power but his people obey him just because of fear and not because of love? What is the use of being famous yet fa mous for doing something ungodly? This is not how God created us, this is not our purpose.

When I see people in the street, begging for money I wonder where they sleep at night and what they eat. If you see a vendor selling water or soda or peanuts in the public buses, do you ever wonder how much money he brings home to his family and if it is enough to buy food for his kids? If you see a madman in the street, all dirty and stinky, do you ever wonder where his family is and what he was before he became that man? If you see that old woman, pulling her cart of Yakult everyday, even on Sundays, do you ask yourself why she has to work this hard? If you say something horrible to someone in the morning, will you think about how it will affect her entire day? If the jeepney is not full, do you even pray for it to be full so the driver will have enough revenue for his boundary and to support his family? When you can’t fit your clothes in your closet anymore, do you even think about those who cannot even afford to buy a new one? When you closed that deal with a big client, do you even thank God for helping you close it? When you look into the eyes of the one you love, do you thank God for giving her to you? When you smile, when you cry, when you succeed or when you fail, do you remember God?

I never thought these things happen, I will never see them until I open my eyes. I hope you see them too. Our lawyer did and she is taking action. I remember a line from Hotel Rwanda: People watch news during dinner and if they watch your story, they will just say “Oh, that’s horrible”, feel bad about it for a while, then forget. Sad but true. We see other people’s misery, we feel bad about it, but it all ends there.

Categories : My Thoughts