Sempre

"While Sempre is a work of fiction, the concept of modern-day slavery is not make-believe. There are an estimated 27 million people in the world today, coerced and forced into sexual or labor slavery. The majority of them are female, half being young girls. They’re our mothers, our fathers, our sisters, our brothers. They’re our friends, our lovers, our neighbors, our kids. They’re us. It could happen to anyone,
even you.

Human trafficking is the second most lucrative crime in the world, making more money every year than Google, Nike, and Starbucks combined. It happens everywhere, from the poverty-stricken providences of Cambodia to the affluent suburbs of California. Two children are trafficked every minute—that’s 2880 a day.

Become an abolitionist.
If we don’t fight for them, who will?" ~J.M. Darhower

Disclaimer: I do not own the image above.

How Do I 'Think'?

For me, “Not to think critically is a preference”. I believe it is human nature to take the easy way of things and as much as possible avoid complicated situations and difficult problems. It is a challenge to think, not just plainly “think” but to think critically, for it utilizes so much energy. And to be able to think critically, I have to have enough mental capacity to do so. 

I suppose that I know how to think. No. I know that I know how to think. Although I don’t deny the fact that there are instances wherein I get really lazy – lazy to think things critically or thoroughly, lazy to use my brain and get it working. However, despite the “laziness”, I could say that I am not just a receiver of information nor do I easily accept information given to me as it is. There are times when something is presented to me, no matter how simple it may be, I tend to magnify it and try to consider its possible consequence, “what is in it for me”, its advantages and disadvantages, the other possibilities, and the like. (I account this thought process from the way UP has taught me to think critically, and the manner of how my parents have brought me up wherein I should try to question things and be not afraid to ask questions.) A lot of times I play the devil’s advocate in group discussion or brainstorming or when making decisions, I think out of the box sometimes. Conversely, there are also cases wherein I tend to get apathetic and just follow the majority’s say on issues. Basically, how I think things depends on the kind of mood that I am in. 

If I’ll analyze and categorize myself using Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Stages Theory, I would have to say proudly that I am currently in the Formal Operational Period (haha J)! Why? Because I am by now able to think things logically, even if the rigid scientific method kind of thinking seldom occurs. But, it is not all the time that I think rationally. There are occasions wherein I think unscientifically, I base my judgment on a specific thing’s salient point, consequently disregarding its details and deeper implications. Furthermore, egocentrism is still evident in me, specifically when I’m with my cousins, I think that my “drafted solutions” or plan of actions are better compared to theirs, which I know isn’t nice, though I don’t express this thought to them. Moreover, I am also preoccupied of dreaming about my future, at times I imagine myself in various occupational and social roles. And I just laugh at myself for those silly thoughts, though deep in my heart, I really would like them to happen, to be my “reality” in the future. Also, most of the times, I reflect on my own thinking and that of others. 

My thought process randomly switches from Formal Operational Period to Concrete Operational Period (the "Chaos" Pattern in Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory) from time to time depending on the kind of problem or situation or stimulus I am faced with and on my mood at that moment.

How about you? How do you 'think'? Do you ever 'think' at all (haha)?

Between Culture And Human Rights

Culture is an idea that’s basically over killed. It is often used in people’s regular conversations without conscious thought, without delving further how powerful it is in every sense, and the numerous meanings it connote. For some of us, perhaps we could refer it to an appreciation of good literature, splendid music, remarkable art, and sumptuous food. For a biologist, it could be a colony of microbes in a laboratory Petri dish per se. However, for social scientists specifically anthropologists, culture is the full range of learned human behaviour patterns. 

In the study of culture, we have to consider a lot of variables specifically when it comes to scrutinizing a particular culture’s practices. But can we really judge a culture? Who are we to judge the rightness or wrongness of one culture’s practices? In a culturally diverse world, can universal human rights exist?

Cultural relativism theorizes that human rights are culturally relative rather than universal. What may be right to particular culture may be wrong to another. Taken to its extreme, some cultural practices that are against human rights would be valid; widespread disregard, abuse and violation of human rights would be given legitimacy. For instance, a culture practicing female genital mutilation – the woman undergoing this operation is put at a very high risk to the extent of death. However, despite the pain and the mortality rate it causes, the practice is not sanctioned because it is culturally accepted and exercised. 

Reconciling cultural relativism and human rights for me is quite not possible (given the aforementioned) because the idea of human rights basically stems from a particular culture’s practices and beliefs; what is ethical for this culture may be unethical to another, so it just cancels out each other.

I believe that universal human rights supersede what is culturally relative in the sense that it protects and respects the most basic right of every human – the right to live. If a culture practices a “culture” that defends and uplifts lives, and promotes the health and well-being of the people… it is only then that relativism among cultures can reconcile with the universal human rights.

Metanoia

Does it make you less of a human if you’re more of a woman than a man? From the glorious 1st world countries to the developing 3rd world countries, various individuals suffer and endure bigotry, discrimination, slander, cruel and sadistic assaults every day just because of their gender identity and sexual orientation. 

Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals (LGBT) around the world combat discrimination and harassment 24/7. In fact, according to the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, homosexuality in more than 70 nations remains a criminal offence. Gay men and lesbians who expose themselves are at jeopardy to arrest, imprisonment, torture, and death penalty to the extent. With all these injustices, isn’t it difficult already for a woman to be trapped in a man’s body or for a man to be trapped in a woman’s body to live without acceptance from the world? A personal struggle added by societal discrimination, can normal person handle that? Thus, to all the LGBTs who fought hard and stood firm for their rights and what they believe in, I raise my glass to you. 

The Human Soul Exhibit which I attended last Wednesday, July 15, 2011, at the Alliance Francaise de Cebu in QC Pavillion featured the voices of the distinguished LGBT community; their life stories, transitions, struggles, experiences, their plea to fight against discrimination (and end its devious cycle eventually), and their cries to uplift their human rights. 

The said exhibit was really an eye-opening experience for me. All these time I have perceived that our country, the Philippines is a gay-friendly nation. However, upon listening to Jonas Bagas, the Vice Chairperson of TLF Share (a NGO providing safe sex education for gay men) who wholeheartedly opened up his life story and personal struggles, I came to the conclusion that the perception I had (and most of the people) was indeed just a myth. 

And yes, I agree with Sass Roganda, co-founder of the Society of Transsexual Women in the Philippines (STRAP), who believed that not only a change of law is needed to eradicate the abuses but a change of “mind” amongst the people as well. A lot of individuals do not know what LGBTs’ pleas are all about, what and who they are as a person, their struggles, and their human rights. They don’t understand them. As a result, persecution comes into play. 

This change of mind will only happen if the people are informed and educated. However, in our country, most of the teachers (not all) and the people are brought up in a way that they are accustomed to the conventional gender roles assigned to children by doctors at birth basing on the organ spotted between their legs in the first place. They grimace at children and people who go against the customs. So how can they be effective educators if they are prejudiced? A bountiful percentage of our country’s population are composed of Christians. And as we all know, most of the priests/pastors condemn people who stray away for the teachings of the Lord as reflected in the “Scripture”, e.g. “That He created man and woman.” (No lesbian and gay, neither bisexual nor transsexual.) Ironic isn’t it? They are supposed to be the people intended to lead peace, harmony and unity in the world, and to eradicate division and discrimination among the people. Since they teach us to love our neighbours and even our enemies, thus, they should also educate the people to love each other despite the “diversity”, and that we must accept and forgive each others‘“flaws”. 

Yes. Education will plays a great role in the chain action, as Humphrey Gorriceta (spokesperson for the National Federation of Filipinos living with HIV and AIDS) pointed out. With comprehension comes action, and this will open the door to the room of change – change of mind. However, a change of mind is not enough as well. Metanoia or a change of heart is also a requirement for the people who have “changed their minds” to “accept” their “new perspective” – because understanding doesn’t necessarily translate to acceptance. With acceptance, then we will realize that we are all created equal. All of us are human beings who need equal human rights. 

And if we really are all created equal… if it really doesn’t matter who we are or what we look like…or who we love… Should freedom have to wait any longer? Should equality be something we schedule? We are agents of change. We have the power to compel change. And so we must act now.