Estremera: Practical spirituality

Estremera: Practical spirituality

I’VE often been fascinated by the so-called “banal na aso” and the “santong kabayo”, such that I loved it when Yano made that song. In that song, I got a better handle of the self-righteous.

By having a name, two names in fact, they no longer rankle my nerves and I could easily just put them away from my consciousness during unintentional encounters.

Something like...

Warning bells and blinking red lights, “Watch out, santong kabayo to your left!” (siren and loud bells)

Me: “Oohkay, then I turn right.”

Or...

Warning bells and blinking red lights, “Slow down, slow down, a friend is morphing into a banal na aso!” (siren and loud bells)

Me: “Interesting! Ok, ignore!” or “Ok, unfriend!!!”

Sometimes, all it takes is to have a name for what rankles at your nerves in order to be unaffected.

I need that amid the negativities we are surrounded with, most especially those of the same political beliefs as the ones ousted from power and are trying to move heaven and earth to get it back.

Which brings me to the sheer hatred being perpetuated by this camp, the taunting Mindanao got when it was rocked by a series of strong earthquakes for three long months.

Never before in the history of the Philippines has one of its islands been demonized as widely as it has been. Thanks to social media. How sad. But then I see them for the dogs and horses that they really are, and thus manage to keep my cool and just laugh at their pathetic attempts to be relevant and pray for Taal. In Luzon. Right smack at the Katagalogan.

It’s not something new anyway. Pre-social media era, we from Mindanao of Luzon parentage have been regarded as “moros” by our unevolved kin and family friends in Luzon. The same kin who loved to comment on your weight and state of singlehood. It rankled, yes, but hey, I know how miserable life in the national capital is, and so I can afford to be more benevolent with my tolerance and understanding. After all, you can’t evolve much if you have to fight for every bit of space in the bus, in the traffic jam at Edsa, in multi-million condos, and along the “riles ng tren”. It’s easy to become rabid dogs in such situations than evolve to higher spirituality. You are forgiven. May you find greater peace in your next life. Bless you.

That was then. Now, it’s not just the unevolved kin as the world is now right in our hands. Our mobile phones feed us every piece of distraction they can muster, it has become more tedious not to learn to hate.

I take consolation from the fact that while indeed the internet in our mobile is full of distractions and hatred, it also has apps for higher spirituality.

As in everything, we have a choice: Engage in evil or explore the higher realms. The irreverent self-dances the “tinikling” between these two choices. It’s more fun that way. Just in case you don’t get it yet, this article engages. Happy Sabbath!

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