God has us in his sights. Zeroed. Marked with an "x." Us meaning mankind in general, the Philippines and the United States in particular. Why? We're in a meat grinder. We don't see millions dying as in a Hollywood war movie, but there is something going on in our souls, a feeling of listlessness, perhaps, despair, perhaps, of chaos closing in on the good and beautiful. Perhaps.
Nothing is ever sure nowadays. The Lord can descend on recalcitrant earthlings before I finish this article or he may leave us to our own devices for the next million years. Putin may be unseated as I write, or he may eventually push the button and be done with it, the world turned to ashes with him. Marcos may go back to partying as a private citizen or he may usher in 300 years of repurposing the Philippines from the land of the morning to a howling wilderness where bad is good and good, bad.
We may still look the same, Neanderthal with handsome looks, but our spirit is being flipped. How do you explain a churchgoing Filipino or American who is basically a Marcos or a Trump supporter down to his socks? A safety-conscious American who would not rebel, yes, rebel against the Second Amendment? An educated Filipino who believes that Sara can rule without honesty?
The good news is Leni Robredo can call on millions to swamp the Commission on Elections headquarters in Intramuros to compel the government body to produce evidence of cheating in the May 9, 2022 elections. The bad news is only Leni can do that.
So, we are in the era of prognostications, people waiting for the clouds of doubt to disperse to bring back 20/20 vision.
In the meantime, while God and man reflect on our ultimate destination, there are several things we can still do:
Pray. Go back to God if you haven't done so yet. God is the God of surprises. But he wants to be sure that we have the minimal number of fish and loaves as moral capital before he multiplies them before our very eyes.
Do S.T.E.W.A.R.D.* - Sunshine, Tiring Exercise, Water, Air, Rest, Diet. Invest in yourself. What's going to happen will happen, but we can at least be physically fit to have humor and presence of mind. You are responsible for the people closest to you to grab them to safety.
Keep a hobby, defined as doing the thing you like best. It defines us and keeps us in our center, ourselves whole as the day we were born.
Join a group created in your likeness. There are people who are eerily our doppelganger in values, speech and behavior. Find them, as in the game The Ship is Sinking. As I said you need humor to survive, you need lightness and companionship to survive.
Determine your center and stay there no matter what happens. What is your center? If you want to help people and it completes you, that is your center. There may be darkness and confusion all around. You need people like you around you. Loners are good, but social animals help each other to push on one mile more.
Read articles like this. Stop going to porn or anything that departs from God. There are people who are sending out signals, leading us to light. Find them if you haven't yet.
Hug each other as in a warm family picture. I won't explain that. It's self-evident.
Lastly, whatever happens, stay with God.
By Wilfredo G. Villanueva
May 29, 2023
*From a nursery rhyme. Acrostic mine.
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