SI TATAY BEBANG AT "ANG PASKO AY SUMAPIT"

Magandang umaga sa inyo! Kanina ay napabalikwas ako at napabangon kaagad ng makita ko sa aking cell phone na July 23 na pala. Hindi naman sa nagmamadali ako kanina pero sadyang ganuon yata talaga kapag very busy ka hindi mo na namamalayan ang paglipas ng araw. Nuon naikwento ko sa inyo ang aking tatay at ang tungkol sa butas. Maraming nakabasa at natuwa at kahit papaano ay nakapagbigay ng magandang aral. Pinipilit kong alalahanin ang lahat ng mga nangyari ng nabubuhay pa si tatay ng maibahagi ko naman sa inyo. Ngayon ay may naalala ako at ikukuwento ko sa inyo.

Tuwing sasapit ang Pasko, lalung-lalo na kapag ako ay nakakakita ng mga batang paslit na ngangaroling at ang kanilang inaawit ay ang "PASKO AY SUMAPIT" hindi ko maiwasan na sumagi si tatay sa aking alaala. Minsan kasi ay may mga bata na nanapatan sa amin. Nanduruon ako nuong nangyari iyon . Umawit ang mga bata ng ANG PASKO AY SUMAPIT habang si tatay ay nagkamasid sa kanilang harapan at nakangisi. Ang pasko ay sumapit . . . tayo ay mangagsi-awit. . . Natapos ang awit ng mga bata at lahat sila ay nakatingin sa tangan-tangan na mga barya ni tatay na waring hinihintay na iabot sa kanila. "Ulitin ninyo ang inyong awit” sabi ng tatay. Sa pag-aakalang naibigan ng aking tatay ang kanilang awit ay walang tanung-tanong na inulit ang kanta at natapos. Umiling-iling si tatay habang hinithit ang sigarilyo at sinabi “ Ulitin ninyong muli". Inulit nilang muli . . . ang pasko ay sumapit . . tayo ay mangagsi-awit… at natapos. Nagtanong ang isa “ bakit n'yo po pinauulit-ulit ang aming awit? Nakikinig ako at waring interesado sa isasagot at ikakatuwiran ng aking tatay. " Kasi mali!" Sabi ng tatay ko. "Mali????" sabay-sabay nilang sagot "Oo Mali!!" "Saan po kami nagkamali sa tono? Sintunado po ba kami ? ang tanong ng isa . Hindi at sabay inawit ni tatay ang carol - - "Ang pasko ay SASAPIT, tayo ay mangagsi-awit . . .Ayan! dapat ganyan ang pagkanta ninyo! Sabi ni tatay. Bakit po??? Sabay-sabay na tanong ng mga paslit. "Bakit mga bata sumapit na ba ang pasko? ""Hindi pa po!" "O dapat SASAPIT hindi SUMAPIT"mabilis na sagot ni tatay. Sumagot ang isa, "Pero yun po ang turo sa amin at yun po ang naririnig namin kapag inaawit ng iba". "Alam ko" . . . sabi ni tatay . . . Nakangiting iniabot sa isang bata ang mga barya. "Ok ! Ok! sige na at mangaroling na kayo sa iba ng makarami kayo at maraming salamat sa inyong awit." Tumalikod na ang mga bata habang ang isa ay nakalingon sa amin papalayo at tumapat sa aming kapitbahay . . . umawit silang muli "Ang pasko ay sumapit . . .tayo ay mangagsi-awit . . . ."

Ano ang ibig ipakahulugan ni tatay sa kwentong ito.? Bilang pag respeto kay Mr. Levy Celerio na siyang may likha ng awit na ito, hindi ko sinasabing mali ang awit. Ngunit kung pagbabatayan mo tamang panuntunan sa "grammar" sa pagkakalikha sa awit na ito sasabihin mong may katwiran si Tatay Bebang. Huwag na tayong magpaikot-ikot pa at alam ko namang hindi talaga ang awit na ito ang nais niyang tumbukin. Marahil ay may mas malalim pa siyang mensahe na nais ipabatid. Sa buhay ng tao kasi ay mayroon tayong mga kinamulatan at kinagisnan na mga mali. Ito marahil ang nais ipakahulugan ni tatay. Maaring itong mga maling bagay na ito ay ipinamulat ng ating mga magulang o natutunan natin sa kapaligiran na atin ginagalawan. Ang ating daigdig na ginagalawan ay sumasalamin sa kabuuan ng ating pagkatao, sapagkat kung ano ang naririnig o nakikita natin dito ay siyang nagiging batayan ng ating prinsipyo at pangangatuwiran. May mga bagay na alam nating mali sa ating buhay ngunit patuloy nating ginagawa dahil iyon ang itinuro sa atin at tila napakasarap para sa atin na ulit-ulitin. Minsan sadyang matigas ang ulo ng iba kahit pa nga marami na sa kanilang nagsasabi na mali ang ginagawa nila ay patuloy pa rin sila sa ganitong uri ng sistema at ito ang nakikita sa kanila at ginagaya lalung-lao na ng mga kabataan. Marami sa atin ang hindi umuusad tungo sa tunay na pagpapayaman ng ating pagkatao dahil ayaw nating talikuran ang mga mali sa ating buhay at bigyan ng pagkakataon ang pagbabago. May kasabihan tayo na ang yantok raw ay mahirap ng tuwirin kapat naidarang na sa init. Kung bubuksan lamang nating ang ating mga puso at pang-unawa hindi malayong mababago natin sa ating mga sarili ang mga mali at talikuran ang mga ito ng panghabang buhay. Tulad ng isang awit na mali ang mga panitik, maari nating isulat muli ang ating mga buhay upang higit na maging tama at kaayaya sa makaririnig nito. Ang pagbabago tungo sa kabutihan at kagalingan para sa sarili at sa karamihan ay bukas para sa lahat. O ayan, naibahagi ko naman ang isang magandang kwento. Hayaan n'yo at pipilitin kong alalahanin ang lahat upang mai-share ko at kapulutan ng aral. Oo nga pala kaya pala ako napabalikwas ng gising kanina ay kaarawan ngayon ni tatay, Tay! Happy Bithday itong blog na ito ang gift ko sa iyo saan ka man naroroon. O giliw koho . . . miss na miss kita hahaha . . . BEBANG!

ANGER VS. UNDERSTANDING

Last Thursday, July 17, I received a message. It was actually a reply to my e-mail and the sender was enraged against me. I was dumbfounded when I read the message and the first thing I did is go over my sent messages to see if I have written something that burst someone's bubble. I did not see anything, the fact that our conversation was not of quarrelsome issue but was rather a seek- help- support tête-à-tête regarding an approaching project. I just thought I was slapdash with my writing and I realized people are different in comprehension and it is a natural feedback for someone to react on something he feels to be wrong. But with all honesty my reply meant not to cause offense to anybody nor do I have any intention to insult or explode somebody's feeling. I always make it a point to keep rather unspoken or not write something to anyone because I am scared that I may utter something I will regret afterward. I believe in the old Chinese proverb that never write a letter when you are angry.

Jesus Christ also got angry when He squeezed out His outburst in the temple. But His anger was more of a "righteous indignation". Although everybody knows that anger is a sin it is an innate behavior of human being to get indignant. We rage at different intensities and anybody can become mad. It's no hard, but to be angry without basis and justifications, that is not within everybody's control. That is not easy. When anger escalates reflect on its aftereffects. It's like grabbing a hot coal with the intent of tossing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned or booting a stone harming your own foot. When I was still in my corporate life, when my daily routine involves the everyday toil of pressures , anxieties and squabbles with workmates and bosses I used to be angry almost everyday. I have learned through bitter experience that sometimes anger should be delayed in almost every possible way and situation to uphold relationship and friendship and let understanding sets in to takes its own course. I thought I was certain I understand what I thought somebody said, but I realized that what I heard is not what essentially what they meant. Sometimes I feel I am so intelligent but every so often I get the wrong end of the stick on what people are saying. I just thought I have the knowledge a lot about something and not really understand it. How many friends have I lost because of anger? How many times I made myself smaller than the things that made me angry? Of course we need sometimes to be angry especially so not to allow evil to be victorious or inequality and brutality to thrive. These things happen because many believe the world is not angry enough. But more than anger love and understanding can take its place to vanquish them and leads everything that hurt us to a better awareness of ourselves. Anyone can find faults, disparage, and attack anybody when he is angry but it takes understanding to take somebody's self control. We do not need power to let go of something. Or entombs anger to our inside and stock pile tensions for later implosion or explosion to offend ourselves or the others. What we really need is to understand. Anger destroys thing. It's an external manifestation of pain, trepidation and disappointment and the termination of struggle for the truth. When someone is angry he talks articulately as if he makes the best oration of his life. Anger makes someone clever but it keeps him poor- poorer in happiness because for every minute we are angry we lose 60 seconds of it. It is the air which puffs out the lamp of the mind, how can you think unmistakably when your knuckles are clamped and your teeth are crushing? Things will indeed seem different to us if we can only say "I am hurt" and opted to keep quiet and calm down and escape many days of sorrow rather getting angry so sudden. Understanding is the first step towards recuperation from anger. It appeases hurt and enraged feelings.

When Jesus blew up with rage that day in the temple. His indignation was up front. He reacted to the situation swiftly, optimistically, and fittingly then went on his business. His anger is right and justifiable. It's not easy to be indignant with the right person, and to the right extent, and at the right time, and for the right intention, and in the right way just as Jesus did.

My bitter experience of anger, tantrums and poor temperament being a moody artist then urged me to explore the beautiful gift of understanding. I still get angry but I have learned to control it; and I still try to yearn not to feel it. Now I do not easily get angry when a person gets mad at me, I always thought I cannot please everybody nor can I make a day in the sun for all. Instead, I never forget what somebody says to me when he is angry. Somehow I will be able to learn from it to become a better person. It made me believe that he who is slow to anger has great understanding. Anger and narrow mindedness are the enemies of it. A person who holds on to hasty mood leaves him less than he had been before while the calmness of the person on whom he wish to expel his ill temper conquers him... Sometimes you become great when a person misunderstood you. The most splendid pleasure is the joy of understanding . . .