EDITORIAL

A Free Spirit

Which is stronger, mahogany or coconut? Most of us would prefer the roof beams of our houses and also our furniture to be made of mahogany, but this being the case then why did most of our coconut trees remain unscathed by typhoon Frank, whilst almost all of our mahogany trees were either uprooted or destroyed? Could this be something to do with the fact that coconut trees have learned how to bend in a storm? This being so, then which tree is indeed the stronger of the two?

Which is stronger, water or rock? One might be forgiven for thinking it is rock, but consider for a moment the persistence of water, and the effect that it has over a period of time. Just look at the Grand Canyon to see how water has carved a great channel out of solid rock, and consider again which is the stronger. And yet water is nothing. It has no color, it has no shape, it has no pretensions. It is just water.

I too am happy to be nothing. I do not aspire to any post or office since this would only impede me in what I have chosen to do.

I see myself as a free spirit, ready to take up a just cause on behalf of those who are downtrodden and oppressed, and those who have no voice of their own. I will continue in my endeavour to expose corruption in whatever form it takes, for this is a cancer that eats away at the heart of our society and hinders our progress. But most of all I will speak out on behalf of the Filipino people amongst whose number I am proud to count myself. For as Filipinos we have every right to feel proud.

My pen is my sword and my heart is my guide. No one controls me. I have no subordinates to maintain. I am who I am, and I am happy simply to be me. Bob Dylan expresses it so well in his song ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, in which he sings;
“When you ain’t got nothing, you ain’t got nothing to lose.
You’re invisible now; You’ve got no secret to conceal
How does it feel?”

Most of us have aspirations or ambition, and each of us wants to become one thing or another. There is nothing wrong with ambition, for we need to set our goals in life. But to seek to know ourselves so that we can become who we truly are, this is the greatest aspiration of all. For it is only when we finally reach this goal that our full potential as human beings can really begin to flow.

The bayani resides within all of us and represents our highest ideals. At times it can be hard because we have our own needs too, and conflict can sometimes arise within. But to rise above this mist and stand tall is the most exhilarating feeling of all and far outweighs the sacrifice we need to make in order to get there.

It feels good to stand there in the early morning dawn with one’s head raised to the sky, and to shout, “Ako ay Pilipino. Bayani Ako”. For we are all of us heroes, each in our own special way, and what better time than now for the bayani within us to rise up from within our soul, to light up our path, and to guide us on our way?/TE