Violence democratized.

SABBATICAL NOTES. 21 JUL 2014. TUESDAY. 
Violence democratized. 

IN THIS THEATRE of the most absurd at this time, we have a catalogue of murder and mayhem in the name of nation, community, people, and the human and humane. 

We have killed 298 people because of a nation, or the interest of nations. We have the Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 and we have lives, beautiful and promising, now wasted, turning to dust for nothing.

We continue to slaughter Palestinians in the name of getting even with what atrocity they have done against the Israelites. The number of the dead Palestinians is increasing, and today, the list has tipped 502.

And we continue to witness the death of Israelites too, at 18 the latest, many of these soldiers fighting a war that probably they do not also fully understand. But what can one do when even at the early grades when in the act of publicly forming the consciousness of citizens the enemy has been concretely identified and demonized, and thus, must be sacrificed in the altar of a nation, a country, a homeland. This is Israel's act, as well as Palestine's, in the continuing demonization of each other even among the ranks of their young, soldiers or no soldiers, rebels or no rebels.

We ask the same thing from the Palestinians, who, lacking an army and a navy and an airforce have unwittingly used civilians as their shield, and thus, sacrificing children, women, and men in the process.

Everywhere we look, it is the same: this violence in our midst, this violence in the everyday, this everyday violence.

From Ukraine to Sudan to other parts of the unjust world, we have troubles galore, and troubles, sometimes, have no names.

In the Philippines, this violence democratized is both physical and structural.

It is physical in the sense of the continuing criminality, kidnap-for-ransom, and salvaging happening as a 'normal' occurrence.

It is structural in the continuing arrangements of the unjust social structures and institutions that are supposed to guarantee the good life for everyone, with the DAP being used as the reason for anything miraculous, economic development included, but in reality, it is the remittance of people selling soul and spirt to the lowest bidder abroad making the economy afloat, and making it able to post some developments for the wrong reasons.

No, it is not true that we have democratized peace, development, and access to the resources of our respective nations.

No, it is not true that we have democratized care and concern for each other.

No, it is not true that we have democratized the meaning of being human.

What we have democratized is poverty.

What we have democratized is injustice.

What we have democratized is violence.

WPH/