By now, I am sure that nearly the entire Philippine archipelago is frustrated with how seemingly slow relief goods have trickled in to our fellowmen in the Visayas region, considering the tens of billions of global aid we’ve received post-Yolanda/ Haiyan. I am also sure we have all done our part in helping out our kababayans, be it by volunteering in an LGU or an NGO headquarters to repack donated goods, or simply posting a plea for help on behalf of those whose digital lines have been cut off by the super typhoon.
But there’s a growing animosity among us on social media. Every minute, there’s someone dissing someone else’s smiling selfie shot, a foodgasm photo, or for having no time to volunteer. The trend now, it seems, is to do the blame game, engage in cat fights and criticize lifestyle choices.
And you just gotta wonder, so because Filipinos on the other side of the country are suffering, we should also stop living – eating, keeping a little humor, paying the bills, attending to our own pressing matters and appreciating how fortunate we are by celebrating – even in simple ways like smiling – the fact that we are alive and well?
And more importantly, just how is all this blaming and negativity helping the distressed?
I am sorry, but I don’t see how the only way we can show just how SINCERELY we sympathize is to wear our saddest online faces, constantly broadcast how the news sends us to crying fits, detail a blow-by-blow account of how we are helping in the catastrophe, and share lengthy rants about those whose efforts seem pale in comparison to ours.
Isn’t it that when we extend a hand, we do it because it makes us happy and content, not so we can compare notes or seek validation of how good we are? What happened to helping out unconditionally? Getting involved does not give us license to judge others. We don’t even know what actions they’ve taken so far. Judgment and criticism, especially in a time like this, doesn’t make us more caring and deeply concerned. It just makes us annoying, self-righteous pricks. If that’s the case, clearly, we are more lost than our brothers and sisters in Visayas.
I honestly don’t give a rat’s ass what others are doing about the calamity. It’s not my call to dictate how they should help out and how much. If they do, then bless them. If they don’t, perhaps they have a reason and it’s not my job to figure that out. There are lots of other urgent matters that need attending to.The cold-stricken, starving people of Leyte, Samar, Cebu, Iloilo, Bohol and Palawan do not need this intoxicating crab mentality to dampen their spirits further. They need resilient, empowering souls to uplift theirs.
Instead of expending our energy snooping around someone else’s newsfeed or indulging in a debate on whether Anderson Cooper is more ridiculous than the President (there’s a minority who think so) or not, can we not instead focus on what we can actually do for our poor fellowmen in the Visayas region – be it something as big as flying out for a medical mission or something as personal as whispering a short prayer for them?
There’s is no effort too small in these grim times.
“If we can be part of the solution rather than the problem, then that’s a wonderful thing and there’s a terrible tragedy just affected a great number of people, many people have died, many people are displaced and they are in turmoil right now.
So as we celebrate in one part of the world its completely legitimate and appropriate to send an acknowledgement their way. We’re in a very fortunate situation right now and the tables can be turned very quickly.
I’m not in charge of anything, but if I had my way of course. You help if you can. Obviously, we are fortunate to be here and not in some incredible giant storm that’s gonna rip our houses and lives away from us. It’s nice when people do that, it’s solidarity.” – Jared Leto on Haiyan at the MTV EMAs
So as we celebrate in one part of the world its completely legitimate and appropriate to send an acknowledgement their way. We’re in a very fortunate situation right now and the tables can be turned very quickly.
I’m not in charge of anything, but if I had my way of course. You help if you can. Obviously, we are fortunate to be here and not in some incredible giant storm that’s gonna rip our houses and lives away from us. It’s nice when people do that, it’s solidarity.” – Jared Leto on Haiyan at the MTV EMAs
Read this blog ang posted it on Iloilo City page in G+ 🙂
Thank you for sharing, dearie. I pray for the safety, health and peace of all you beautiful people of Iloilo, especially those in Capiz.
Ride on, Sir!