Wishful thinking

Netnet Camomot

WHILE writing last Friday’s column, somehow my minute brain failed to absorb the date—June 23, 2017, exactly a month after the Marawi siege.

This is the result of multitasking, when you’re writing all pieces at the same time so that you’re now hopping from one piece to another, depending on which has the most ASAP deadline.

I’m guessing Marawi’s evacuees would rather forget about days, too, otherwise, they’ll remember it has been a month. One month of staying in evacuation centers. One month of staying with relatives in cities, provinces, and islands outside of Marawi, with some of them even reaching as far as Luzon and already planning to stay there for good. One month of waiting for relief goods, waiting for medical missions, waiting for the siege to be over.

Some friends have been visiting those evacuation centers and they say the evacuees’ trauma is palpable. No one expected for the siege to last this long. If it’s still ongoing by the time you’re reading this, Marawi’s Muslim residents will have to observe and celebrate Eid’l Fitr away from home.

Unlike floods, like what Sendong caused, which can last for a day or a few days until their level subsides, armed conflicts like the Marawi siege will only subside once the military is convinced of the enemy’s defeat. Well, surely the military is hoping that’s the outcome of the siege.

Flooded houses can be saved if rampaging waters have not totally damaged them or carried them away. Bombed houses especially those reduced to smithereens have to be rebuilt if renovation won’t be enough. If you see pictures of these kinds of destruction, will you be able to notice if the damage was caused by water or bombs?

War is supposed to be worse because it’s man-made—the siege and the airstrikes could have been avoided. But floods can be man-made, too, no thanks to deforestation and allowing people to stay in flood-prone areas. And guess who made raining cows and carabaos possible—climate change caused by human beings who abused nature and invented things that destroy the climate.

If only we could go back to the beginning—apes, or Adam and Eve, or whatever your belief has taught you about the beginning. And even that can cause conflict among human beings in their fight on whose belief will prevail.

If only we knew what we know now. So, we go back to the beginning when man had not yet abused nature and created things. When apes had not yet morphed into the human species. When Eve had not yet eaten the apple.

In a high school religion class, one student commented, But the apple is merely a symbolism of… And her classmates began to wonder, too.

Asking questions about your own religion is good as long as you don’t kill or harm anyone simply due to differences in opinion. Don’t shove your beliefs down anyone’s throat because that’s when conflict starts.

Listening to opposing beliefs must be like watching “Transformers: The Last Knight.” You’re wearing 3D glasses, hoping this would lessen the confusion, but the Michael Bay franchise continues to inspire a longing for the beginning when Bumblebee was still as cuddly as Jollibee. The dialogue tries to inject humor—a character, I don’t know who that was, says he has goosebumps whenever Optimus Prime is talking. But “unsa daw?” became my favorite question while watching. Too many characters spoil the script—that’s the vibes this latest Transformers installment emits.

With Bay promoting the movie as better watched on IMAX since it’s the first ever that had the privilege of being filmed using IMAX cameras, watching its 3D version is kind of a must for the Cagayanon who has to deal with one tiny detail: Cagayan de Oro has no IMAX cinema.

And then, I watched its regular version the next day. I didn’t watch “Wonder Woman” twice, but this Transformers, yes, I did. Go figure.

From superheroes to autobots to superheroes again when “Spider-Man: Homecoming” opens next month. Haven’t you had enough of fictional characters? All movies do have fictional characters unless they’re based on biographies and autobiographies. But autobots and superheroes do bring us to the next level of fiction. Technology, however, always manages to catch up and inventors are now talking about robot waiters, robot sales staff, robot chefs, and these are not merely figments of wishful thinking. China has had robot waiters since 2006.

And then, there’s the male sexbot. 100 percent silicone, complete with six-pack abs and a private part whose speed can be adjusted accordingly. Which may give his curious partner goosebumps. Not like the goosebumps that Optimus Prime inspires. But still, goosebumps where they matter the most.

Artificial intelligence, anyone? The robots’ creators will continue to develop them until you can no longer tell the difference between real and, uh, fake man. If only they can also help us tell the difference between real and, uh, fake friend.

Now, how about robot soldiers? So, no lives are lost in this fight for the best ideology, the best belief, the best god.