Domoguen: Carpe diem, juntos

I DO not speak or write in Latin, but from time to time, I encounter Latin words and try to figure and make sense of their meanings.

Carpe diem is a phrase that came with my fondness with sunsets.

Viewing my photos about mountain sunsets, a friend zeroed in on one that captivated her the most and put an appropriate caption to it, “seize the day.”

On occasions, I write about nature and capture photos about integrated causes characterizing balance in nature. I once shot a photo of a man holding a big fish that he caught. Another man was behind him in control of the oars, in the still waters of Ambuclao dam, very early in the morning. A one-word caption from another friend, “juntos,” had me mesmerized in agreement. The Latin word “juntos” mean “together.”

They both shared the ecstatic feeling of the moment.

What a way to learn Latin, and here I am putting a Latin phrase and a word together, expanding what I just learned. I am not sure if I am doing this right, but here goes, “carpe diem, juntos.” In English, “seize the day, together.”

My intention of putting the words together is pure, like the way a farmer works with the elements to grow a crop. He works with all the elements and oversees how in time, his cause – making food available in the table – is all but achieved.

Carpe diem juntos, mei amicus (seize the day together, my friends). Now that grows into a sentence. I need to say something in Latin that advises human beings about common fates, like the endangered salmon and the people of the Pacific Northwest. The trees with the watersheds, and the relevance of the Cordillera mountains and its people, their culture and their well being to the wellbeing of the regions around it and the nation as a whole. Some other time perhaps, and we can do it together.

From carpe diem plus juntos, I added “mei amicus” to complete the essence of this developing and expanding thought. Tinkling with words and farming communicates life and the living our days; about our good intentions and the meanings of our actions. It communicates legacies of how we have seized our days in our time. To all these, I must really add the phrase “mei amicus,” because things are darn too selfish as it is, nowadays. We sometimes even think that limbs, not the integrated “whole” constitute the body, and trees by their lonesome spread over a mountainscape is a forest.

In development, it looks like a day is seized for selfish and convenient ends, when a food processing center is launched and accepted by farmers, not necessarily a processing center but is better used as sleeping and office quarters. The name of the project is a misnomer.

You wish to the high heavens, you can speak out your thoughts. In development work, thinking is a dangerous business. It earns you powerful enemies, especially when you are expected to think and make “bad thinking” correct, not necessarily right. That does not empower and inspire the conscience of the body politic – to think and do things right. Under authority and current management, that is a preemptive mortal sin. it is best that you keep silent than utter something that bruises the egos of majesties under the circumstance. Those who control the agency and its resources think that you are there to contribute your work and life in sustaining their popularity and power with the masses.

It is a shame actually because the so invested to know better failed to do their work. I risk saying what I just said. It is offensive to the powers that be and their sidekicks. What an operative like should be doing without fail is to write and sing majestic songs about the accomplishments of rulers, even if it willfully distorts the meanings and purposes of service edifices. The important thing is to bring across an image of a super doers with their angels doing mighty works.

The work confuses its recipients and beneficiaries, worst it compels them to start on the wrong foot. Those on the receiving end could not distinguish an anomaly and disservice. If they do, they keep their silence, like me.

My memory of the cultural “ili” or village in terms of governance is different. There can be several clan or geographic “dap-ays” (village centers) where important policies and enforcement of decisions about the “ili,” and its collective will, but still integrated and convergent are made. These are centers where actions for the integrated whole (community) are also synchronized on cultural and historical themes and purposes.

The leaders (elders) of the dap-ay and their members serve community ethics, morals, goals and other concerns pertaining to survival, justice and well being not self interests. There are turfs and fiefdoms of sorts (clans) in a village but the emphasis on tribal cultural mores and ethics, community service and ways, guides or deters individual “majestic quests and its greedy aspirations at the expense of others.”

Current governance is different. Everything is boxed and separate, and promotes divisive turfs. There are as many agencies and offices as there are human needs, all competing for funding and attention. The operatives thoughts, actions and attitudes are rooted in majestic turfs and fiefdoms.

The idea of having separate agencies for separate needs hankered initially on efficiency but overtime are proving to be ineffective tools of integrated development. At the bottom or front lines, an agency’s offices and units, their component programs, projects and activities hardly converge or are synchronized. The different offices and units with their banner programs and components and sub-components can hold their own meetings, consultations, seminars, trainings, etc. in one place or different place in a week. All expect their smallest and weakest unit to cover their activities, document proceedings, sing about their majesty’s accomplishments – be an efficient mixing propaganda machine and when convenient, become the community’s “whipping boy” if things go wrong.

It happens in this age of climate change, a “man-made” age of climate problems through years of mismanaging the environment by self-styled majesties who insult our sense of beings. It adds to the challenge. It may be too late now, to leave nature to its own devices without active human intervention and management in preserving biodiversity and achieving balance. Can even speak that now without noticing the smirk on peoples faces. Can we take a second look at the way we do and manage development with all credibility available summoned.

Can we do that, mei amicus for the sake of common economic survival in the face of the implementation of the Asean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) that seeks to integrate and converge trading and economic growth among its nation members. The name of the development “ball game” now is convergence and integration at the global and local levels, if you allow a motherhood statement here.

At the local level and zeroing on our example of a village processing center, we need to start and do things right, know the rules and standards. A processing center that integrates production and marketing must be compliant to the requirements of the Asean standard for good agricultural practices (GAP). Necessarily, its design must follow Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards for such structures. Its use upholds, and highlight the farmers and stakeholders adherence to GAP. This advises us on the need to design and construct a food processing center in consultation together with all agencies concerned particularly, the Department of Agriculture (DA), FDA, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), local government units (LGUs), and Department of Trade and Technology (DTI).

The goals we seek in nature and development are human goals, goals that reflect an imperfect mix of economic, aesthetic and needs, stewardship and politics. A writer suggested that any approach we take will always be incomplete, imperfect, provisional and experimental. We must keep trying with our integrity(s) intact. I agree.

To move forward, let us get back to that old game of doing things together, having faith, keeping good relationships and seizing the day as friends until we do things right. It is a sports team game too, you know, that many celebrated coaches played to the hilt in making their teams and communities, world champions.

Carpe diem, juntos mei amicus. I am still not sure if I said it right but I have faith, a friend will soon tell me whether I am correct, if not make it right.

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