Expectation vs reality

Netnet Camomot .

THERE are stories that need to be revealed, but there are times when the revelation can morph into a TMI—too much information—especially for sexual assaults.

“What I have watched over the last two years is the world trade on the labor of survivors. They trot us out to tell these gory details, and nobody takes into account what that does to us,” said #MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke. “We should be careful that people don’t turn over stories into fodder for their trauma porn.”

Burke shared this advice at Women Deliver, a gender equality conference in Vancouver, Canada last week.

Sexual-abuse cases filed against Catholic priests may also result to some kind of trauma porn once victims are disclosing details of the abuse. Among the latest of these cases are that of Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick who are accused of sexually abusing seminarians. Gasp!

Religion can be a never-ending story if ever Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and Kabus Padatoon (Kapa) Ministry International founder Pastor Joel Apolinario will find themselves debating on who is the “Appointed Son of God.”

But I gotta feeling Pinas’ religious conflicts began when Ferdinand Magellan arrived on March 16, 1521 for which Pinas may commemorate with a bonggang-bongga quincentennial anniversary two years from now. Well, it has been almost 500 years and here’s the Pinoy still believing that Kapa will save him not only from hell but also from financial woes.

I had not heard of Kapa before, thus, I was shocked when people began saying, Kapa, in the last few days. Que horror! Could this be the President Rody Duterte phenomenon, with the Pinoy so confident in blurting it out since it’s simply a variation on p***ng in*. But this “kapa” has no “mo.” That’s when I learned it means Kabus Padatoon.

No one has come back from the dead to tell us how heaven or hell looks like, or if heaven and hell exist. Since atheists don’t believe in God, where do they go then when they pass on?

See? That’s how debates start.

But if you believe in science, then, there’s always proof for the answers you’re looking for, right? Hmmm. I slept through most of my Science classes, so, I’m not exactly an expert on that. That’s why I chose Accounting, since Accounting is an art.

As proven by some churches whose ceilings are morphing into helicopters, the Big Ass Fan may help cool down Zanchetta, McCarrick, Quiboloy, Apolinario, and the Kapa investors who are still waiting for their payouts.

Yup, it’s called the Big Ass Fan—talk of truth in advertising.

As for payouts, well, we learn something new every day. Payouts and Kapa are often uttered now even by the Pinoy who has not donated a single cent to Kapa and, therefore, should not expect a payout.

A donation to Kapa has a promised return on investment (ROI). Yay! Sarap ng buhay!

A donation is supposed to be a gift, with the tacit understanding for the donee to pay it forward. But Kapa seems to have a new definition for it.

Religion is a business. Oh, that won’t sound good to the religious, so, let me rephrase that. Religion is a business that strengthens your faith? The question mark is there because there are people who don’t rely on religion to strengthen their faith.

Politics and religion are two of the worst topics to discuss as proven by the “Dutertard” and “Dilawan” who used to be friends but are no longer talking with each other, and surely, the respective followers of Quiboloy and Apolinario are also not talking with each other, except perhaps for the Quiboloy follower who dared to donate to Kapa, lured by the high ROI.

Churches always accept donations in kind and in cash. A Catholic Mass even has the offertory, but the Catholic believes that’s one way to share his blessings with others as he expects the church to pay it forward to the less fortunate.

Social media has its share of photos and videos of expectation-versus-reality scenarios that may, say, discourage a potential tourist from visiting a place. If you’ve seen photos of the Mona Lisa and the mob of tourists who are craning their necks to see her, that’s one sad example of reality. Don’t expect a quiet and peaceful Louvre where you can sit on a bench and stare at her.

Same with churches and religions—expectation versus reality. And once the expectation is not met, the follower looks for another religion to sate his thirst and hunger for the truth and nothing but the truth.

Well, here’s unsolicited advice: “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed,” as the saying goes.