‘Make love, not war’

Netnet Camomot . 

AT the height of the Ateneo kid’s bullying videos, Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgil David said, “It is not right for us to just watch situations of bullying. In the viral video, we saw that there were students who stepped aside or went out because they do not want to get involved.”

“That is becoming the norm now—the lack of concern, being a fence-sitter as if it does not involve us,” David added (“Silence an Enabler of Bullies, Says Bishop Bullied by Duterte” by Jovic Yee, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Dec. 30, 2018).

Even adults can be bullies, with the most influential bully of course gaining more points because of his wealth, power and connections. The one who dares to defy the wishes of the influential bully may lose the financial gains he’s already enjoying out of their so-called “friendship.”

David further said that it “is important that we stand up for what is right, true and proper. We should never give that up. If we allow ourselves to give in to fear, we would end up remaining silent, watching still as if nothing’s happening even if we are already being abused.”

I wonder if man’s favorite food groups—pork, beef, chicken, etc.—feel like they’re being bullied each time they end up on the buffet table. Well, give the pig a break in this Year of the Pig. Instead, have some steaks, roast beef, beefsteak, lauyang baka, beef kaldereta, burgers and other beef recipes on Valentine’s Day as a way of revealing your real self to the love of your life. Bawal ang pa-cute by eating veggie salads but the latter still remain as the more environmentally sound food choice now.

Valentine greetings will again be sent through Messenger. Lovers, of course, will have roses, chocolates, candlelit dinners, sweet nothings, and a room so people won’t have to tell them to get a room once the sweet nothings morph into public displays of affection.

Social media management firm Hootsuite and creative agency We Are Social recently released the Digital 2019 report, revealing that the Pinoy wastes, er, spends 10 hours and two minutes online daily, propelling him to the top of the list of “heaviest internet users” (At 10 Hrs, 2 Mins a Day, Filipinos Spend Most Time Online” by Doris Dumlao-Abadilla, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Feb. 1, 2019). Four hours and 12 minutes of that he wastes, er, spends on social media.

There are 24 hours in a day, so, 10 hours must be his daily waking life otherwise he would be online 24/7. Whew. Get a life!

Once the Pinoy has extricated himself from his virtual cage, he may go online only for work and Messenger since the latter is now the preferred means of communication in lieu of texting. Let’s see if he can find other things to do aside from checking out social media updates, watching Netflix and playing online games.

The Pinoy who loves to read and write can always return to reading and writing once he’s trying to wean himself from online distractions. The senior-moment Pinoy may try to recall what he did before, when the internet was merely a figment in a genius’ imagination. Well, he doesn’t have the bones and energy anymore to play patintero and bato lata, with strenuous exercises also morphing into his spectator sports. So, he may climb a mountain to watch the sunrise, and go to Manila Bay where he can make muni-muni while staring at the famous sunset, provided he doesn’t swim there. Coliform galore. Ugh.

But there’s the kind of senior-moment who now shuns climbing anything, even stairs. He may choose to live on a ridge and watch that sunrise forevermore.

But there’s the ridge in a subdivision where rules have to be followed and you would hear a delivery guy saying, “Kasuhan na pud ta ani ug double park.” Haha!

Not exactly “kasuhan,” though. More likely, a guard would ask them to please move their truck to the other side. Village rules may also include no sitting on the curb, no overspeeding, no laundry visible from the street. That last one has also become an ordinance, specifically for undergarments, in Baguio City’s Barangay Holy Ghost Proper where tourists could see these public displays of laundry.

Baguio’s Barangay Upper Rock Quarry, on the other hand, has an ordinance against gossip, which is another type of bullying. This is not the first time for a Philippine barangay to ban chismis. So, if you’re a victim of gossip, perhaps it’s time to transfer to a barangay where it’s prohibited.

Better celebrate Valentine’s Day sans gossip and negativity. Focus on love and positivity instead. As the famous 1960s’ hippie mantra goes, “Make love, not war.”