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Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Aguilar: Searching for hope in 2005
By George Aguilar
Rational Animal
LOCAL soothsayers and crystal ball gazers are one in saying that the year 2005 will be one of hardship.
Year 2005 is the year of the rooster, according to Chinese astrology, hence the dire predictions. An effeminate Filipino psychic came out on TV the other day for example, complete with turban and an exotic silk shirt, to proclaim that more calamities are in store for us, plus more jobs will be lost, and more people will die this year. That's probably because the rooster or chicken to be more exact, according to Filipino tradition, is a symbol of poverty (isang kahig, isang tuka). But are those proclamations of disasters and death really predictions? Yes hardships will continue this year but that's not new. That not even news as economists have been saying that we are in for hard times as early as two years ago.
As for deaths, hundreds of people die or loose their jobs each day so that's not a prediction either. I have reasons to think that 2005 will not be worse than past years. It might even get better. A more thorough look at Chinese astrology shows that the rooster is actually an auspicious sign. In China, the rooster is the friend and sparring partner of the dragon, symbol of wisdom and great accomplishments.
The rooster symbolizes the sun. As the roosters crow, darkness and creatures of the dark are frightened and run away. The rooster ushers in hope and new beginnings.
In Korea, the rooster symbolizes warriors. The rooster s a warrior of light. This tells us that if we fight or what is right and work hard, hope and new ventures wait us. We don't even need astrology to arrive at hat conclusion. Good things happen when people take courage and work hard to accomplish things. If we work hard together we might even get out of the mess the government, through its unwarranted spending the past few months, got us into. So instead of cowering in fear let's look forward to the new year and resolve to work harder and save money and bring more light, rather than darkness, into our lives.
Things that we can work for in 2005:
1. More light. The government plans to put up a couple or more energy generating plants in Negros Occidental this year. Run by ethanol which can come from sugarcane these energy plants can provide more electricity to the regional energy grid and provide a local market for locally grown sugar cane;
2. Stronger tourism. Senator Dick Gordon was right. The devastation caused by the Tsunami to neighboring nations in South Asia is truly deplorable. But it is proving to be good for Philippine tourism. Tourists with bookings to countries hit by the tidal waves (Phuket, Thailand for example) have transferred their bookings to local hotels and resorts instead. Let's call 2005 another "Visit the Philippine islands year" and promote local as well as international tourism this year;
3. Bountiful harvest. We can prepare for the drier months ahead by stocking our wells and reservoirs and hope for better yields in rice and corn this year. Not a lot of people know that 2004 has been a banner year for rice production and other agricultural crops. Let's hope that we can have the same in 2005;
4. More milk and better diet. More and more Filipinos are becoming more health conscious and are starting to eat better food. Let's drink more milk, instead of malt, eat fewer carbohydrates and polished rice and introduce salads, olive oil, and fiber into our daily meals;
5. More gains in the communications and transportation sectors. Telecommunications remain to be the growth leaders in Philippine economy. As more and more people get access to cellular phones and mobile computing, communications will surely come out strong this year;
6. Less fireworks next new year. Still got all your fingers intact? Let's keep it that way and stop spending money for useless and dangerous fireworks. More and more communities have opted for firework-free New Year celebration last December 31. May their kind grow in our country;
7. Less religion more spirituality. Let God take control of our lives. Worry not about what the year may bring and trust that the Lord knows what he is doing. Let's work real hard and leave the rest to God. May we all be more prayerful this year and turn to Him especially in trying times. There is no hope without Him but with Him by our side, what can go truly wrong? Happy New Year to one and all!
(January 4, 2005 issue)
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