Somebody Answer the Phone - A re-post

Did it ever occur to you that the PHONE has
been awarded a very great power over all of us?

No matter what you are doing

- in the shower
- eating
- sleeping
- reading
- in the car
- in the bedroom
- in the church
- in the cinema


very few mortals have the will power
to resist the call of the PHONE.
Voluntarily, we have surrendered our
privacy and freedom to the PHONE.
In moments of lucidity like this,
I wonder why did mankind allow
itself to be dominated bythe PHONE?

It is the single most intrusive contrapation
ever invented.

We run...
We scramble...
We tremble
(I am being melodramatic now, kids)

just to answer that $%&#@ PHONE.

Sure, the PHONE is a great tool for communication.
It has made communicating easier. But better?


Got to go...The phone is ringing...

Getting Even

To those who wished me ill,
May good things come to you;

To those wanting me to sin,
May you also find yourself forgiven;

To you who wanted to make an enemy out of me,
May you open yourself to offers of friendship;

To him who spoke only of my faults,
May he be recognized for his good deeds;

To her who only saw me as a shallow person,
May she be known for her deep compassion;

To some who think of doing me harm,
May their angels protect them;

To that person who hated me,
May you be loved in return;

To you who is reading this,
May you feel that you must get even , too.

- 6/21/07

The Gargantuan Ego

In my moments of lucidity (and idleness), I have tried to find out what would be the most common cause of hurts and pains among humans. I am no philosopher, therefore incapable of unearthing and explaining the different facets of the human psyche, so I will just be speaking from my (limited) experience.

I will propose an answer to the question “What is the common cause of hurts and pains among humans?”.

My answer is, you guessed it : the title of this post (look up, young man (woman), look up! – borrowed from my Mapua days…).

My Hypothesis : The larger the EGO, the larger the hurt.

Caveat: I am not asserting that “Ego” is a bad thing, let’s have that clear and dandy. Since I will be talking within the realm of my own experiences and of those whom I know well, I can not for sure say that this applies to everybody. And I am not talking about senseless violence that causes physical pain to innocent by-standers, only of emotional kind of pain. (caveat-caveat: Although for some, a huge EGO can also cause physical pain, as in those meeting a series of unfortunate events due to overconfidence on their physical strengths and abilities, like the one who tried a blindfolded-motorcycle-jump over 20 burning side-by-side cars; or the one who jumped off planes once too many, and that sort.)

Our hurts – the emotional and psychological kind, can be traced to the root cause - that idea of “self” or “ego”. As we are a species that value individualism AND that sense of community, we are therefore always playing tug-of-war with two opposing needs: asserting our difference or uniqueness from others and, making sure that we are accepted.

Some become overzealous in asserting self, thus the “bloated” ego. The Bloated Ego (BE) leads to too much confidence in one’s abilities, strength and influence on/over others. When other people do not show sufficient “respect” to this BE (acts such as indifference, antagonism, enmity, rivalry, belittling, criticism, ridicule and the sort), we get hurt. Now the bigger the BE, the more hurtful and personal the slight becomes. Do I make sense?

Another type is the Ego that is hinged on acceptance from others. This one is much different from the BE, for it is not based on being superior to others, but on identifying one’s worth or self-image on the relationships that one has. Example, people sometimes define themselves by their relationships: I am a good spouse; a good parent; a good boss; a caring child, etc. If one’s expectations about these defining relationships are unmet, as in the case when you feel neglected, underappreciated, scorned, unreciprocated (is there such a word?), etc, then our ego becomes slighted again, hence the hurt.

One Liners

01. I'm a nobody, nobody is perfect, and therefore I'm perfect.

02. I've got to sit down and work out where I stand.

03. If I save time, when do I get it back?

04. Where there's a will, I want to be in it.

05. I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally.

06. Take my advice, I don't use it anyway.

What's the Matter Here

This song really makes me think about what we do to our kids....

That young boy without a name
Anywhere I'd know his face
In this city the kid's my favorite
I've seen him, I've seen a
I see him every day
Seen him run outside
Looking for a place to hide
From his father
The kid half naked
And said to myself
"O, what's the matter here?"

I'm tired of the excuses
Everybody uses
He's their kid
I stay out of it
But who gave you the right
To do this?

We live on Morgan Street
Just ten feet between
And his mother
I never see her
But her screams and cussing
I hear them every day
Threats like
"If you don't mind
I will beat on your behind"
"Slap you, slap you silly"
Made me say
"O, what's the matter here?"

I'm tired of the excuses
Everybody uses
He's your kid
Do as you see fit
But get this through
That I don't approve
Of what you did
To your own flesh and blood

I'm tired of the excuses
Everybody uses
He's your kid
Do as you see fit
But get this through
That I don't approve
Of what you did
To your own flesh and blood

"If you don't sit
In your chair straight
I'll take this belt
From around my waist
And don't you think
That I won't use it!"
Answer me and take your time
What could be the awful crime
He could do at so young an age?

If I'm the only witness
To your madness
Offer me some words to balance
Out what I see and what I hear
All these cold and rude
Things that you do
I suppose you do
Because he belongs to you

And instead of love
And the feel of warmth
You've given him these cuts
And sores that don't heal
With time or age
I want to say
"What's the Matter here?"
But I don't dare say
"What's the Matter here?"
But I don't dare say

==10,00 Maniacs

May The Force Be With You

Winnie the Pooch