By Fr. Carmelo O. Diola
Dilaab Foundation Inc.
The sheer destruction and unimaginable scope of relief and rebuilding needs in the aftermath of the recent earthquake and typhoon that visited our country demands a coming together of various individuals, groups, sectors, and regions.
When
disasters visit they wreak havoc and disrupt lives. They also open up fresh
opportunities to rearrange our ways of doing things and of working with one
another and of building a new Philippines.
But
we have choices to make for such shared suffering can either bring out the best
or the worst in us. Fear and panic is a contagion but so is faith, hope and
love. Shall our sufferings make us a better people, creating more networks of
care and compassion—making us more human—or shall they make us less human?
Our
unbending spirit and faith, in the words of one media personality, teaches the
whole world how to live. The spontaneous and organized relief efforts of
individuals, families, and groups in the country and from the international
community is a feast of hope! Humanity's heart beats as one as we reach out to
victims. Yet, in truth, is it not our own hope that is ignited when we do so?
And when foreigners show concern and pour massive help does it not somehow also
reflect the world's appreciation for the work of our OFWs? All these bring out
the best in all of us.
The
worst are not those who scavenged for food for survival, not even the looters,
though this is unacceptable behavior. The worst are those who take advantage of
people's sufferings, from leaders who initiate the blaming game to some
businessmen who hoard and speculate. The worst are those who exploit people's
misery for political advancement and who bring political colors in the relief
effort. The worst are those who may already be thinking of schemes to siphon
off resources intended for victims.
How
about government workers who hinder the outpouring of compassion by ordinary
citizens and groups by their unwelcoming stance brought about by the spirit of
turfing, compliance-only mentality, bureaucratic red tape that makes them
inflexible, and an NIH (not invented here) mentality thinking they have a
monopoly of goodness and competence? All these show in faces and action that do
not inspire hope.
We
need to change our mindsets and ways of doing things. We need to move fast in
creating new, life-giving cycles. Let us not waste our suffering as we work
towards a "new heavens and new earth" (Revelation).
Let
us not waste our sufferings. Huwag nating
aksayahin ang ating mga pagdurusa!
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