JANUARY is supposed to be a month of hope for a better year ahead. But in the wake of tropical depression “Usman” that claimed 122 lives in Eastern Visayas and the Bicol region – a rarity during the Yuletide season – how are we to deal with unexpected weather systems the rest of the year?
We in Western Visayas could shrug the disaster off because we were not directly hit. In fact, our farmers rejoice, what with the rains reviving their “dying” crops. However, the thought of previous typhoons that had also horrified and devastated us ought to jolt us into empathizing with the new helpless victims in the Bicol region and Eastern Visayas.
It’s scary to even imagine that people who are supposed to rest on their laurels, having retired and are tired of any more work, may suddenly lose everything they have to natural disasters. Imagine a farmer who loses what could have been a bountiful rice harvest to “act of God.” He suddenly falls back to poverty – if not underground for eternal rest.
There are nevertheless ways to soften the impact of natural disasters. We have heard it said that God would not shower us with problems we can’t cope with.
Everybody has heard this: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Everyone needs a little inspiration to go hard and seize the day. Sometimes we need a reminder that we have the potential to be great so that we can chase our dreams and rise above the harsh realities. And so this writer would like to quote a few inspirational writers:
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” – Oscar Wilde
“It’s not about how hard you can hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” – Rocky Balboa in the movie “Rocky”
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill
“If you are working on something that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” – Steve Jobs
Having lost valuable possessions in typhoon “Frank” in 2008, I have what it takes to say that while good days give us happiness, the bad ones give us experience to learn from.
May those words be our guiding light as we dash through another year of adventure, leaving behind the sad memories of the previous year, even if we had been victims of typhoons, floods, landslides, earthquakes and other natural calamities.
It has been five since super typhoon “Yolanda” battered us with strong winds that wrecked thousands of homes and drowned thousands of people and livestock to death. What have we done to deserve another unexpected wrath of nature?
To the religious but superstitious, each natural disaster is literally an “act of God” to punish us for all our sins.
We beg to disagree. Why blame God when it’s we who “sin” against nature? An example of such “sin” is illegal logging that depletes forest cover, consequently causing killer floods.
Because of the fault of a few, the innocent also get nature’s punishment.
On the positive side, we come to terms with this “punishment” as a wake-up call. It alerts us into realization that we are not owners but mere temporary custodians of the earth and all material possessions thereat. Let us preserve it so our children and grandchildren may also live. (hvego31@gmail.com/PN)
That’s true Herbert. Humans are killing the earth. We are the only creation of God that has willfully raped and abused our environment; animals they simply life, flourish and die. I have personally witnessed the massive ecological disaster brought about by strip mining: in Canada, in the Midwest and from what I have seen even in the Philippines. You are an investigative reporter: try getting into the heart of the problem left behind by Marinduque Mining. People there are quiet and even promotes their island as a tourist destination. But the devastation and degredation of the land, water resources is laid in stone. People there are still giving birth to children with birth defects. Thanks to the incomptence of our government bureaucrats who allowed the mining company to coduct their busness unchecked.