“Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.” – Mahatma Gandhi
The past few days I was wondering if we will ever come to know the real meaning of what truth is. Is it what you see with your own eyes or what lies beyond words beautifully spoken but has no meaning at all? Is it what you see on the roadside, little kids begging for a scrap of something to eat, men and women extending their hands for a few coins and an unkempt baby carried by a distraught mother in the corner of the metropolis hoping for a little help from passersby. There was this old man (maybe he is really not that old but time hasn’t been kind) I often see begging in one corner of the street going to the church here in our place. He has his two feet bound by dirty gauze with the toes protruding, with foot ulcers on almost all his toes. His eyes speak of the hardship, sometimes staring at those passersby maybe hoping for a few coins to fill the small plastic can in front of him. I wonder how he could even walk with those swollen feet and blisters on his legs. Such is the truth as I see it, it stares at you in the face but sometimes you turn a blind eye because you are not the one affected.
I often wondered how some people could still sleep soundly amidst the lies they tell to the vulnerable citizens of the country. I guess social media has a lot to answer for because they use it without any qualm for the outcome of their lies. Trolls and bot are all over the place. The shaming game, the ugly words uttered left and right, the lies told with such a straight face you would think they are telling the truth, the profanities and expletives you get to listen to day by day. Is this the new norm? I am afraid for the little kids who get to imitate and accept that those ugly words are just new ones they learn because they hear it every day – that it is alright to curse and say PI in front of prime time television, that it is alright to shame a woman fighting for the truth, that it is okay to laugh at some dirty jokes that demean someone, that it is okay to kill and kill without due process.
Where are we going? Truth has become just a word without meaning and lies are more believable. We keep silent and the future seems a narrow road of discovery.
Where are we going?
Great post . You write with empathy and sincerity and there is always hope while there is compassion x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Samantha. Sometimes I feel so frustrated with what is happening around here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I started to click the like button to show I’d read your post. “Like” sends the wrong message. You wrote the truth, and the truth is awful in many places. Sometimes you think people can’t sink any lower, and they go beyond low. For some there is no hope.
I have two things to say. One is that people have thought the world was going down the drain for thousands of years. My parents said they were glad they wouldn’t have to face the things we would be up against. John and I say the same thing about dreading what is going to happen during our grandsons’ lifetimes. We shake our heads and pray earnestly for them. It seems the more sophisticated we get, the more our evil explodes. For me, it comes down to belief. I believe God is bigger than all our problems. We need to turn to Him, both individually and collectively. That is where hope lies.
The other thing is that there are still miraculous things happening in this world. Many times they are hidden. I wish I had the stories to tell and that I could write them as eloquently as you wrote about what you have seen. For one, Mother Teresa caught the fancy of powerful people, but she spent her life saving the downtrodden. There are many others who are shining brightly where they are. You are one of the shining ones because you care. You cared enough to write about things that disturb you. That, in turn, may cause your readers to think about injustice and evil and how we can help others.
Thank you for writing from your heart.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the more we get in touch with the world in general, the more we become indifferent sometimes. And you are right Anne, “God is bigger than our problems”. He should be the main figure in our lives. I worry about the future of the youth of today. Thank you so much Anne, I am touched by your words.
LikeLike
Nice article mam, keep it going. Thanks and Good Day! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Bryan 🙂
LikeLike
I worry too about where our world is going. You express this very eloquently and I hurt with you. We must stand together, do our little bits of good when we can and have hope that all the small actions will win out. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Sally (may I call you Sally too?) Yes, the future of the next generation is at stake. We all have responsibilities even in our own small ways.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Please do!
Just another more positive note – your recipe for meatballs has become a family favourite, the recipe is downstairs and I cannot remember its proper name but we all love them! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Longganisa? I am glad you like making it 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! Our grandson likes the mix as a burger in a bun as he says he doesn’t like meatballs! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, that’s good to know and it is so simple to prepare it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Leave it to our teleseryes to speak the truth and proclaim more goodness but the pinoys watching it leave it inside the hollow tube. Quite sad that truth is in plain site but we have grown to twist and refuse to see it as a society.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is so sad that it is staring glaringly at them in the face but they are seemingly unconcerned (at least some of us).
I wonder why this went to my spam folder and your other comment as well on my latest post about books. Sorry for the late reply.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No worries Ate, I regularly check my spam folder din kse some comments go there by mistake. I think I got my settings right. I don’t know how we can avoid this in the future.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I normally check my spam folder before emptying it of all those annoying links. They can’t find anything on my site because it is personal 🙂 Wala silang kikitain 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicely expressed. . . .This post is very thought-provoking.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Sheryl!
LikeLike
One ray of hope comes from being able to connect with others around the world via things like blogging and forums. Perhaps if we all stay in touch, we will all begin to better understand the world.
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As I have always said, blogging has become a way of life for us all. We are lucky to find friends thru this medium.
Thank you so much Pete for the friendship 🙂
LikeLike
I’m not certain at all where we’re headed, but I wish it was someplace better. I try to accomplish something positive with my stories, but I’m never certain it does any good.
I’m going to be taking communion to some folks in convalescent homes. I used to do it before but had to quit because it made me weep every time. I’m going to try to be stronger this time.
All we can do is hope that our small efforts, and those of others, will light a few candles that help us all to carry on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Cathleen. Yes I think in our own little way we can help, we can inspire people too.
Thank you for these lovely comments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] wonder where he is now, that guy I blogged about here exactly two years ago. I no longer see him every time I attend mass at our Parish. His swollen and […]
LikeLike