Friday, July 15, 2005

Pilipinas

"Bayan ko, nahan ka, ako ngayoy' nag-iisa..."
- Asin

Hindi ko piniling maging Pilipino. Pero hinding hindi ko ata kayang ipagpapalit ito. Kahit pa man meron na tayong global na pag-iisip at diwa. Iba pa rin ang hatak ng inang bayan. Kaya't nakakalungkot ang mga dinaranas natin ngayon.

Sana matuto na tayo. Sana.

Ngunit paano nga ba ima-manage ang pagbabago? At paano tayo magpaplano kung ang mga pangyayaring nagaganap sa ating bansa ngayon ay di-tiyak? Uncertain. Unpredictable. Chaotic. Complex.

Ang Pilipinas ay sistemang binubuo ng maraming sistema. Kung babalik tayo sa Chaos theory (in particular, yung "Butterfly Effect") at kung ihahalintulad natin ang sitwasyon ng Pilipinas sa ating panahon (weather), mapapansin na kahit pa malaman natin ang lahat tungkol dito, hindi pa rin natin mape-predict ang behavior nito. "The weather makes itself up as it goes along."

Ang kasalukuyang sitwasyon sa pulitika, ekonomiya, liderato, kultura at lipunan ay hindi kasalanan ng sinumang tao. Totoo, maraming katarantaduhang ginawa ang liderato natin, at maraming katiwaliang nagaganap sa lahat ng lebel sa pamunuan ng gobyerno. Marami tayong kailangang ayusin sa ating pananaw, attitude at ugali. May kanser ang lipunan, ika nga ni Rizal.

Nandun na tayo.

Pero sa pananaw ko, kulang at masyadong simple ang argyumentong ito. Tingin ko, hindi lang ang Pilipinas ang nahaharap sa ganitong ka-komplikado at kahirap na pagbabago. Sa larangan ng mga korporasyon at kalakalan, mayroon nang tinatawag na Change Management na field of study. Ganoon kalaganap ang pagbabago sa ating mundo. Sa lahat ng antas, mula indibidwal hanggang lipunan hanggang daigdig.

Sa aking palagay, hindi sapat na tumingin lamang tayo sa ating kasaysayan para sa mga solusyon, o kaya'y manghiram ng sistema ng gobyerno sa ibang bansa (although maganda ang argyumento para dito). Dahil sa complexity ng ating sitwasyon, kailangan din nating hanapin ang "emergent" solution sa ating mga problema.

At marahil ang solusyong ito ay isang bagay na hindi pa naiisip ninuman.

Naniniwala ako sa kapasidad nating makapag organisa ng maayos, sa kakayahan nating maging self-organizing system.

Marahil ang problema natin ay hindi lamang politikal, kundi existential at spiritual. Nasaan na nga ba ang kaluluwa ng Pilipino? Nasaan ang kanyang kahulugan, ang kanyang meaning, ang kanyang purpose?

Sa ika-21 siglo, kailangang harapin ng bawat Pilipino ang mga ganitong tanong. Sapagkat ang bawat isa ay hindi na makukuntentong magpaalipin sa vision ng iba. Ang bawat isang mamamayan ay mayroong kapasidad na maging self-actualizing, at nanaisin niyang tahakin ang kabuuan ng kanyang potensyal, ang kabuuan ng kanyang pagkatao.

Umaasa akong ang lahat ng bagay ay may kasagutan, at may kadahilanan.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Namaste

got this from a site:


The Meaning of "Namaste"

What does "Namaste" mean? My yoga teacher says it every week after our practice and I've always wanted to know.

- student


Aadil Palkhivala's reply:

The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. "Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te" means you. Therefore, Namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to you."

To perform Namaste, we place the hands together at the heart charka, close the eyes, and bow the head. It can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye, bowing the head, and then bringing the hands down to the heart. This is an especially deep form of respect. Although in the West the word "Namaste" is usually spoken in conjunction with the gesture, in India, it is understood that the gesture itself signifies Namaste, and therefore, it is unnecessary to say the word while bowing.

We bring the hands together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of Divine love. Bowing the head and closing the eyes helps the mind surrender to the Divine in the heart. One can do Namaste to oneself as a meditation technique to go deeper inside the heart chakra; when done with someone else, it is also a beautiful, albeit quick, meditation.

For a teacher and student, Namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection. If it is done with deep feeling in the heart and with the mind surrendered, a deep union of spirits can blossom.

Ideally, Namaste should be done both at the beginning and at the end of class. Usually, it is done at the end of class because the mind is less active and the energy in the room is more peaceful. The teacher initiates Namaste as a symbol of gratitude and respect toward her students and her own teachers and in return invites the students to connect with their lineage, thereby allowing the truth to flow - the truth that we are all one when we live from the heart.

Monday, July 04, 2005

My niece and nephew will be coming over for a visit this July. Sandali rin lang sila dito, pero will make the most of it.

Friday, July 01, 2005

photo by dan massey Posted by Picasa


hehe matagal-tagal na palang walang update itong blog ko.
what i've been up to:

~enjoying the company of good people
~looking at life as it is, not as i want it to be
~trying to balance my time with all of the things i want to do before i die :P
~listening to Bridge's Love From Lust album (may utang na review kay Johnoy)
~listening to Johannes Linstead's Guitarra Del Fuego
~preparing for an exhibit this October (punta po kayong lahat)
~getting serious about writing as a career (hell, why not. i'm already doing it anyway through this blog, and that goes for all of us bloghoppers)
~dreaming of possibilities
~nagtataka kung ano ang significance ng pagkain ko sa mcdo habang may nagra-rally sa ayala ave kahapon ng hapon. at napaisip na lahat ng tao ay kailangan ng pang-unawa, kaaway mo man o kaibigan...