That Psyche of Resilience

Editor's Notes
By Marivir R. Montebon
New York City

After indulging in champorado (rice porridge with chocolate) and arroz caldo (rice porridge with chicken and ginger), two of the most loved comfort foods of Filipinos, I finally got the chance to meet face to face my laptop.

Onward to writing, I said, after my carbo overload I believe I could already try and make sense the huge tragedies besetting my native country.

Yesterday, tears were streaming down my eyes as I watched Love Anover report to GMA's Jessica Soho about the fury of supertyphoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) in her home town in Palo, Leyte. Unlike her usual bubbly and vibrant self, Love was obviously still in a state of shock and disbelief as she witnessed the fury of a super typhoon literally tearing into pieces the roof and ceiling of the cathedral where she sought refuge.

"I thought the cathedral was a safe place to stay. But the wind was just so strong. I thought I might die that day. And I said Lord, if I die here, okay," she said in her report.

Love's personal account of the super typhoon Yolanda represents everybody else's fear and resignation when in the midst of turbulence. It was a powerful reportage, because it was raw in emotion, something which is rare among the species called journalists.

As of this writing, more than 1000 people have been reported dead and the count continues. Death toll is expected to rise to a horrific 10,000.

Super typhoon Yolanda is so far the strongest tropical cyclone in world history to make a landfall at 235 kph. Located in the typhoon and earthquake belt (or the ring of fire) of the earth, the Philippines experiences storms and typhoons almost in an ordinary fashion all throughout the year. Over the years, however, these natural disturbances have become more frequent and intense.

[caption id="attachment_1837" align="aligncenter" width="300"] After the storm, it is back to splendor, always. Cebu Strait, off Mactan island.[/caption]

I think that the regularity of the storms visiting my country may be a factor in honing the resilient character of Filipinos. We perfectly understand that storms are part of our lives. We suspend everything that we do while the winds furiously batter the land and stir the sea (as children, we would rejoice when classes were called off because of an impending storm). Then soon after, we creep out, rejoice, and watch the sun rise again after the storm has passed, mostly with an attitude of gratitude.

That is quite Filipino. Tragedy-tested. Plus, we rise with a smile. This psyche is so deep and molded by the physical reality of being located in the ring of fire, and strengthened by layers of subconscious animistic ancient beliefs and Christian religiosity.

This character is our ticket to survival. We always carry on after every storm, literally and figuratively. And subconsciously, we bring it with us wherever we go. This wonderful trait of resilience needs to be coupled with a strong sense of political maturity, and we shall, perhaps, have come full circle as a people.

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Editor's Notes

Women Shifting to the Center
By Marivir R. Montebon

Pretty soon, herstory and herstoric moments will become a household word. My optimism is grounded on the fact that the feminist assertion is taking center stage these days. This is the age of Aquarius, the age of reflection and action, and therefore, new positive changes. This is the age of the woman, and of Mother Earth, who is obviously ailing and angry at the way we human beings are conducting our affairs.

[caption id="attachment_2872" align="alignright" width="168"] Take the lead, woman.[/caption]

I, and the growing feminist movement, will not be trivialized and relegated as a peripheral issue, just like women are taken a matter of factly as second class citizens. If the world has to get better, women, men, gays and lesbians must begin to acknowledge everyone's relevance and role.

In several quarters of America, there is a growing section of feminism that is blossoming to offer a different world view...transnational feminism, or that feminism which crosses borders and boundaries determined by migration, race, class, culture, territory and religion.

The Association of Filipinas, Feminists Fighting Imperialism, Re-Feudalization, and Marginalization (AF3IRM) is a three-year-old organization of feminists which has boldly organized women and redefine women and their roles in societies and the world.

Enriched by its 21 years of organizing experience, AF3IRM has mapped out the world into only six continents (Asia, America, Africa, Australia, Antartica, and Europe) instead of the seven as we were taught. It has also reexamined the prevailing feminist school of thought of gender equality.

At whose context are we looking at equality? If it is equality with patriarchy and competition with male dominance, it is problematic. "We are not in competition with men in the context of patriarchy. At whose standards are we looking up to when we say we will rise and shine? We will not be solving the problems on injustice and not responding to fairness, if we continue to be defined by them," the feminists say.

AF3IRM positively asserts the position of women in liberation movements in its poster: "A woman's place is at the head of the struggle for the liberation of humanity."

[caption id="attachment_2873" align="alignright" width="300"] Levid (2nd from right): We are definitive. We have the right to develop our own theory.[/caption]

Feisty but gracious AF3IRM chairperson Jolene Levid emphasizes during their recently concluded Centershift conference in Manhattan: "We are not just relevant, we are definitive. We have the right to develop our own theory."

AF3IRM is cooking up a new mindset, a shift to the center of things for women. It echoes the works of celebrated writer and feminist Simone de Beauvoir who asserts that women must free themselves from the bondage of patriarchy in all fronts: gender, economy, culture, politics, and race.

Beauvoir was affront in her assertion that the Marxism did not free women from exploitation and control, citing the experiences in the communist movements in Europe.

Fact is, the political movements all over the world remained male-dominated and piggy-backed on women activists who were doing much work but in silence and without responding to the gutteral issues of respect and fairness within political organizations.

AF3IRM founder Ninotchka Rosca, international writer and novelist and a key political activist at the time of Pres. Marcos in the Philippines, is in the forefront in the center shift mindset, having personally experienced political upheavals in the Philippines and abroad.

[caption id="attachment_2874" align="alignright" width="168"] Rosca: We struggle for what is fair.[/caption]

Quite candidly, in fact, she maintains that the core of the movement for global change is gender fairness. Everything is of equal importance, she says, economy, race, religion, culture, and gender and the struggle for such must be simultaneous.

"Within the mass movements worldwide, it is sad that the progressive men continue to reign dominion, hence, we are not talking of sincere change here," she said.

AF3IRM is relentless in writing its own experiences and drawing lessons from these. Their woman's development theory remains a work in progress. It is quite a dynamic group, ran by young and fully inspired women who bind themselves with reverence to the spirit of the goddesses and babaylans (spiritual healers of the villages before the Spanish conquest) as inspiration.

With faith, fastidiousness, and finesse, these women are moving towards the center for social change at a remarkable pace. "We have a herstory to write and tell," said Olivia Trinlas, AF3IRM's gentle but indomitable chairperson for New York.

 

 

 

Xocai Dark Chocolate: It is a healthy love.

Click here to connect http://www.fraserbasin.bc.ca/about_fbc_history.html

Visit http://cleanworldnewjersey.com/