A MENTOR OF SELF

A MENTOR OF S.E.L.F.

On February 20, 2017, Dr, Judy Johnson-(author of Seven Secrets of the Universe_- accompanied by member of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, graced the SELF drug rehab facility in Talisay, Batangas to present a seminar called "Resilience of the Mind".
The activity began at the Sacred Heart     Auditorium where Dr. Johnson conducted a series of workshops. She led staff and residents through a number of meditation processes essential to discovering peace within the soul which may enable people to heal themselves from individual dispositions.

In this instance, meditation apparently stands as an alternative method for persons recovering from drug addiction or attitude disorders.

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*SELF- Self-Enhancement for Life Foundation

VIGILANTES OF THE LAW

NOT ALL VIGILANTES ARE ABOVE THE LAW

The meaning of the word ‘vigilante’ is used to refer to any individual who operates outside the limitations of the law. They formulate their own concept of justice and carry it out without any authority, permission, or instruction from judicial factions of the government. Their actions, without the consent or support of judiciary system, make them no different from what they oppose. Because they practice their own methods of fighting crime instead of following regulations based on the law; they become branded as criminals as well. However, they are criminals who have a ‘two-faceted’ social standing. Their actions are either condoned or criticized by society; each judgement is dependent on the relative outlook of society. This is the commonly accepted description of a vigilante.

The Duterte administration, however, proves an offshoot from the generally accepted meaning of “vigilante”. A president who is biased against drug-related issues fabricates a ‘war against drugs’ and empowers subordinates with the privilege to practice extra-judicial killings. To add, Rodrigo Duterte unreservedly proclaimed his ardor for the eradication of any individual/s connected to drugs; whether they are users, pushers, or members of syndicates. He makes no attempt to conceal his indifference with regards to the methods law enforcers use to act out his orders and propagate the elimination of drugs from the country.

Other than suspected drug lords and syndicates, even local citizenry begin dropping like flies when officers show no reserve during raids. More often than not, such operations ended with corpses of persons whose civil rights have been neglected. As a result, appropriate civil procedures have become obsolete; and the public share opposing views with regards to this social issue.

The current administration, by the impression it has made upon the masses, have garnered both the favor and criticism of the people. Opposing factions either support or condemn the procedure by which the ‘drug-war’ is put into practice. The individuals who carry out these unorthodox methods, as well as those who support them, are the people who wield positions of authority in the government;  Justice Secretary Vitalliano Aguirre II and PNP Chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to specify a few.

Vigilantes fight crime in their own way, with complete disregard to the letter of the law. This is the reason they are considered ‘above’ it. When government officials and their subordinates connive to meet ends in the fashion of vigilantes, they are an undeniable example of the latter, but WITHIN the law.

THE TECHNOLOGICAL ANGEL OF DEATH

THE TECHNOLOGICAL ANGEL OF DEATH

     How is the technologically advanced world similar to the Angel of Death and Aryan superiority? It seems a rather far-fetched question considering Biblical and historical aspects in relation to the new world of today. Religious legends and Austrian dictators hardly have anything do with the digital/computerized environment global societies have entered. But in a way, they do share something in common.

    In the Bible, the chosen people were instructed to smear the doors and windows of their homes with ram’s blood. This was done as a process of selection. When the Angel of Death came upon the land, it left alone those who had the definitive mark on their homes and castigated those who did not. The people who remained alive after that event were, in a sense, a ‘processed by-product’ of civilization.

    At the onset of the Second World War, Adolf Hitler influenced the idea of Aryan superiority among Germans. Aware of the shrewd methods of Jews, and how this affected the German society; he utilized military forces to carry out the termination of Jewish communities. These people were either made to live as proletariats, servants; or were executed. Hitler failed to rid the world- (or his world)-of what he considered a despicably inferior race. The end was not met; but the means were remembered in history.

   

    Consider this fact in modern Philippine communities:

    Computers and cell phones have undeniably brought a modernized evolution to the country. It has bequeathed society with convenient and expeditious procedures to get things done. The new generation of computer-dependent Filipinos no longer have to stand in queues at government offices to acquire credentials. They can make purchases online; accomplish tasks and duties faster; and even communicate with each other through social media.

    What is the down side to all these?

    Simple: this technological evolution is practically, and realistically, not for everyone. This, rather, exists as an inconspicuous means to ‘filter’ society which stands behind the premise of enhancing it. It is an undeniable truth that not everyone can afford to own a computer or an Iphone. In urbanized areas, the enhancement of digital age has become common and routine to those who have the means to acquire and utilize these appratus.

     Farmers, workers, and indigenous residents in underdeveloped and rural areas do not-or hardly- have this privlege. The same can be said of those in impoverished or proletariat areas of society. Include as well the individuals who are academically illiterate becaue of their compromised financial status and cannot distinguish a server from a browser, or from a router. And what of the physically handicapped who find operating a computer-or digitally enhanced devices-an arduous, or perilous, undertaking (i.e. persons with phtosensitive epilepsy*). Are these indiviuduals fated to be the “residue” of Filipino civilization by the hand of the‘computerized age’?

    Moreover, such enhancements are done in a postive and enticing manner. Notice how the cell phone terms such as ‘hersheys’, ‘jelly bean’, and ‘kitkat’ keep upgrading itself. Its added functions attract consumers to buy newer devices; and those who cannot-and do not want to- end up as ‘castaways or cast outs’. They are fated to suffer the truth that their phones’ models are defunct or obsolete.

    Microsoft Windows keep upgrading itself as well. Those who propagate this development make money by impressing the people who use computers. They have no regard for those who cannot afford to keep up and/or comprehend the innovations; thus leaving them behind. When these products become too expensive, even those who can afford the outdated versions may no longer have the opportunity keep up with the modernization.

    The advantages provided by such devices as computers, laptops, cell phones, the internet et al have become appreciated by society in a myriad of nations around the globe. These evince an idealism of development and progress supposedly meant for the benefit of humanity. Whenever it is regarded from an acceptable perspective, one can overlook the fact that this apparent progression is not for all to benefit from.

    Technological advancement is an unpretentious equivalent to the potential outcome of a nuclear holocaust. Individuals with metabolisms that can withstand atomic radiation are fortunate to remain in existence. Some of them eventually die sooner or later than others in the same situation; and woe to those who do not possess similar faculties and perish instantly.

*- www.epilepsy.com/learn/triggers-seizures/photosensitivity-and-seizures

‘Exposure to television screens and computer monitors, due to the flicker and rolling images may trigger a seizure for people with photosensitive epilepsy.’