It feels tentative to have typed 2022 to date this piece. But I am undoubtedly looking forward to 2022 for many reasons – foremost of them because it might just be the year when covid will be a thing of the past, just like many of us are hoping as well. Except maybe (Big MAYBE, in short, in Tagalog “baka lang naman”) the big pharmaceutical companies who have made a killing (figuratively) and still are, what with the new omicron variant running rampage globally. The funny thing is that many people don’t realize that these viruses are all a result of our unhealthy and unsustainable (in more ways than one) way of life. I am no exception, mind you.
(Watch again, if you have already, the documentary of Sir David Attenborough, “A Life on Our Planet”. Perhaps it is still on Netflix.) Of course, it is too late, not to resort to vaccines at this point. By all means, have yourself vaccinated as prescribed by the scientists. Our family and friends are all fully vaccinated including booster shots. But it still worth it to review our lives with the new year here and consider making a change for the better.
I am taking my cue from people I know who have started to change their diet to more fruits and veggies. Many of us will protest no doubt being epicureans at heart. In little ways, I have discovered that, more often than not, it is a matter of developing a taste for other foods aside from what you were used to. An even better and longer-lasting cause for having a healthier lifestyle is a change of consciousness. But this is a tall order to effect a change overnight. Even for Jesus, it took 33 years before he re-emerged as the enlightened Christ. Well, that’s Jesus, you would say. I am just human, I can hear you say.
Sometimes, I make this an experiment based on lessons I have learned from a seminar I took several years ago. I start with reading books on the mind and universal principles, watch nature videos and documentaries, meditate regularly and review the little lessons of Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh on engaged (take note — the operative word here is “engaged”) Buddhism (applicable for all human beings, whatever your religion or even if you are not a religionist). After a while, I find that I am eating more green salads and fruits, eating sparingly, and, in general, eating healthier without putting in any conscious effort. As a bonus, I find myself more relaxed but still engaged with the day to day vicissitudes of life with hardly nary a ruffled nerve. But then I see a crispy, crunchy piece of “chicharon” and I am lost once again. So back to square one again. “Kulang pa ang” ang work on consciousness. Actually, it is a work of a lifetime. Maybe even more of a span of several lifetimes. So despair not, I tell myself. Just keep on trucking. From what I have gleaned from my readings and from seminars on universal principles I have taken, the business of life never ends. If you think about it, life would not be life if it ends. Think about that, my friends.
Somehow, this long, snowy, langorous, cozy Christmas weekend, as I am snugly ensconced in office chair typing away on my desktop, is eminently conducive for ruminating on one’s thoughts and life. Better still though, we trust this exercise will result in concrete actions that will benefit ourselves and the rest of the human race – our other selves. After all, we are all part of humanity and interconnected with each other. As the English metaphysical poet and cleric John Donne wrote in his meditative prose “No Man Is an Island” published as early as 1624 conveying perfectly the essence of the place of humanity in the world. This brings to my mind the traditional greetings in Christmas cards—“Peace on earth and goodwill to all men”—so apropos a message in this day and age of divisiveness and hate.
Speaking of goodwill – I am sending my good wishes to the newly-elected officers of the Filipino Heritage Council of Canada. May you be successful in your endeavors.
Back to new beginnings – if you want to have a new perspective on the history of the world which is not skewed to the western way of thinking, I recommend you read the 2015 bestseller book “The Silk Roads” written by Peter Frankopan a historian based at Oxford University, among other credentials. To my delight, I received a 2017 edition copy as a Christmas gift from my talented (“siempre, mga apo ko yata yan”) granddaughters Nicole and Nina, the former studying to be an animation artist at Sheridan College and the latter to be a scientist or rather an aerospace engineer in the university downtown that is in the process of changing its name. Thanks to the shocking revelations of the Residential Schools Scandals recently. I could not resist telling my granddaughter and soon-to-be aerospace engineer (maybe astronaut) that she should have accepted the offer of U of T. Oh well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. The consoling thought is that even Albert Einstein was kicked out of school at sometime. What I mean to say is that the school does not make you. Rather, it is you that makes yourself, no matter which school you went to. Look at Albert Einstein.
Enough of the digression, and back to “The Silk Roads” –
The Wall Street Journal says of the book — “ A rare book that makes you question your assumptions about the world.”. Thought-provoking , to say the least. My 2 favorite Western magazines, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair say –
The New Yorker – “This provocative history challenges the view of the West as heir to a pure Graeco-Roman culture….Frankopan marshals diverse examples to demonstrate the interconnectedness of cultures, showing in vivid detail the economic and social impact of the silk and slave trades, the Black Death, and Buddhist influence on Christianity.”
Vanity Fair – “ A glorious read….Frankopan is an exhilarating companion for the journey along the routes which conveyed silk, slaves, ideas, religion, and disease, and around which today may hang the destiny of the world.”
But British journalist and scholar Martin Jacques always knew this though. Read his book (also a bestseller, I believe), “When China Rules the World” released in 2009. I was fascinated by this book when I saw this in Manila in many years ago. It really opened my eyes to the growing reality that there is another way of looking at the history of the world. Your knowledge of history is only as good who wrote the history books you read. Since then, I have been on an off and on search for new thoughts and ideas of how civilization came about and to give credit where credit is due. In the same way as Nims Purja, the world famous Nepalese mountaineer, said in his documentary on Netflix, “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible”—“ Let’s give the justice to the people who really deserve the justice. “ Amen to that, Nims.
I bid goodbye to 2021 welcome to new beginnings as we start 2022. May it bring us even closer to the spirit and letter of the message – “ Peace on Earth and Good will to Men”.
Tessie O. Taylor
taylorteresita@gmail.com