The Presidency

The Choice

The Modern Times and the Living Past

"Every act of love is a work of peace, no matter how small." ( Mother Teresa)

  I belong to the Silent Generation and am a product of an American regime.  I am a vintage of that textbook era, Modern Times and the Living Past and The Good Manners and Right Conduct. The Filipinos were immensely taught with heartfelt sincerity by their first English teachers, the "Thomasites who arrived in the Philippines in June of 1901. They were a group of 600 American teachers who traveled from the United States to the newly occupied territory of the Philippines on the US Army Transport Thomas which included 346 men and 180 women hailing from 43 different states and 193 Colleges, Universities, and Normal Schools."

 In High School English and Literature class, we were given the assignment to read the story of  The  Lady or the Tiger written by a full-time American writer Frank Stockton which is mind-boggling. On that day the class was in a  hullabaloo.

 As the national election approaches, I surmise to have some mental exercise. for the Silent Generations,(1928-1945), Baby Boomers,(1946-1964), Generation X, (1965-1980), the Millennials, (1981-1996), and the post Millennials. (1997- present) voters.          

The author's purpose in "The Lady or the Tiger is to present a familiar fairy tale with an ending that will provoke enthusiastic discussion about which choice the princess made. We all make decisions and decisions come with consequences to explore the concepts such as justice and human nature. What actions have consequences? After all, it is the action of the princess to decide if her love is killed before her eyes or if he opens the rest of his life married to another woman." 

"The climax takes place at the end of the story. Just at the moment when the young man accused in the arena, selects the portal that the woman told about. If the accused choose the door with the lady behind it, he is innocent and immediately marries her. If he chooses the door with the tiger behind it, he is deemed guilty and immediately devoured." Now the discussion curtain is open to possibilities. What if that vicious tiger met and gained friendship with the accused? Probability!

"The mood or feeling of the story is passionate, tense, and full of suspense; a chilling and barbaric mood that makes the reader anxious. The feelings run very high, dark feelings of hatred, envy, and anguish over the lost love dominate the story of The Lady or the Tiger."

The take now comes from the voters and all those who can vote. The ball is in their court. Their choice is very important. And this is about choices and consequences. And here's a perspective.

How about a president who unites the people to a noble cause, sans revenge but with love in the heart, who builds to sustainably improve the landscape of the country; resumes the former programs and the unfinished infrastructure projects of past leaders, and rejects the dogma that is impregnating the young minds to topple the government. What about a president who wants to put an end to the destructive drug problems, prune the power of the Oligarchs' political and business clout, and continue the laudable National Task Force-ELCAC program. 

Also, the cleaning of the Augean stables (clearing away of corruption) in the government by this coming election with the likes of the Ocho Derecho phenomenon. The advent of independent and unbridled social media is a boon to the populace whose means of communication was the biased mainstream media - the radio, television, and newspapers.                                                                 

Last, but not least, the Philippines need a president who is not in love with money but with justice; not in love with publicity but with humanity. A president with a genuine love of the people through the complete support of the guardian of freedom - the Armed Forces: the Army, the Police, the Navy, and the Air Force. The president has the passion to serve, to perform, and is an authentic and not a plastic human being. However, the president must have the full backing of the vice president of the party together with the senatorial slate so the legislative body can muster enough votes to pass the measures and not spend time on non-constructive criticism only to gain visibility.                                                                                                            

Now the choice! Please vote wisely as your vote determines the next six years' scenario for the Philippines.

(Greg In Trabanca)

The Holy Cross

 The Time to Ponder

"We can think of Lent as a time to eradicate evil or cultivate virtue, a time to pull up weeds or to plant good seeds. . What is better is clear, for the Christian ideal is always positive rather than negative."   ( Fulton Sheen.) 

     I now clearly see the truth behind the Holy Cross which to me is the essence of Christianity and the enemy of the Devil. It is this Holy Cross that opens the mindset of Christianity and becomes the shield against temptation. It is by this Holy Cross that Jesus, the Christ redeemed the world.

    

 I always make the sign of the cross as a  constant reminder of that Golgotha scenario when Jesus is between two sinners. Remember also that Jesus is human so he can die, but as a Divine, He cannot sin but lives forever. Now, this is beyond the realm of human comprehension. We have to fortify and increase our Faith. The Bible says "...For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that who so ever believeth in Him should not die but have everlasting life.

In the Apostles' Creed - I believe in God,  

  So why did Jesus die on the cross? Because of love and obedience. To prove to the world that all who are born in this valley of tears are the inheritors of sin through that unforgettable scenario in the beautiful garden of Eden when immortality became into mortality as the law was broken  - not to eat the fruit of the tree of good and evil. ( For sin is the transgression of the law... and the wages of sin is death.)

     But God loves His creation and the Word made flesh to dwell among us. Then follows the Birth of Jesus, the Passion, the Death, and the Resurrection.

      That is why I always make the sign of the Cross- In the name of the Father,  and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. When I retire to dreamland; when I wake up from a beautiful sleep to greet a thanksgiving to the Almighty Father for the grace and blessing of being alive. When I eat, when I leave the house, when I  get in my vehicle, when I pass by a church or a cemetery. I make the sign of the cross. 

 

     These my friends are the ritual of my humble, mortal existence. By the way, don't leave home without a Rosary in your pocket or as a necklace. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(Greg In Trabanca)