Colors of Bukidnon

 

Femnist Jesus Reading 1

If Christians have been born again in the Spirit, I consider 2016 as being born again the nth time like a cat.  I have volunteered at the same place I was more than 25 years ago. And so now find myself having the time to read again, and even feel, what was it like when Jesus was still in human form.

"If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

This comes from a passage in the book of John, New Testament. The woman was caught in adultery, nakikiapid, and the religious leaders of that time dragged her to Jesus.

Old times, modern times, anytime. People can be dragged into adulterous relationships. The reason? Too many to mention. "Baka nabola yung tao, sabi walang asawa," "Alam naman nila ginagawa nila pero ginagawa pa rin" or "Baka pinilit at binubugbog kaya hindi makaalis!" Across ages, from the young to the old, many are tempted or lured.

In Jesus' time, the community stones the woman to death. Modern times, in Philippine society, the stone usually comes in the form of spite, hatred, degradation.  The adulterous woman today could be physically alive but dead inside. If the adulterous person was a man, it will not be stones but praises, both outright and subtle.

So Jesus could have been the first feminist. He was on the side of the woman. In Jewish society at that time where men had the privilege, Jesus stood firm to protect women from discrimination.  

"At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," she said.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Saved from the stoning, the woman gains a new life, and a command to empower herself, to leave the relationship and move on.

It is not love if it is

forced.

not in the mood for love

Storm past but
Not the blackhole in my heart
No matter what you say, what you do
Nothing can change
Me, what I am now
What I will be

not in the mood for love

Storm past but
Not the blackhole in my heart
No matter what you say, what you do
Nothing can change
Me, what I am now
What I will be

not in the mood for love

Storm past but
Not the blackhole in my heart
No matter what you say, what you do
Nothing can change
Me, what I am now
What I will be

rush

in a rush to go someplace
else
nowhere



not in the mood to lay on the grass
and
ponder



seeking without knowing what is being sought
just
because



hoping not to find what is
already
here

so i can always fly

far
away

my true self

...means there are fakes. the spirit is true and the flesh and brain not me but my machines. if my slaves made of senses are able to manipulate me, then i am at their mercy. dumb to fulfill their wishes. if my self is weak, they are strong. if i am strong, they are weak, serving only as i wish. all religions i know point to this. pity if i am slave to the slaves. giving in to their tendencies.. like candle on fire

land sinking, sea rising

...explains the dreams. sometimes when sleeping, sometimes awake. ancient languages spoken to left ear. some angry, aggressive; some advising. the waters from the sea rise not just slowly, but some suddenly. mothers with their children, crying. no time to bring clothes, or food. escape to the mountain where it is not so safe... is this fate?

land sinking, sea rising

explains the dreams i have. sometimes during sleep, sometimes awake. ancient languages spoken to left ear. some angry, aggressive; some advising. the waters from the sea rise not just slowly, but some suddenly. mothers with their children, crying. no time to bring clothes, or food. escape to the mountain where it is not so safe... is this fate?

Race to Nothing

Amazing how we all try to out-do each other. The smartest, healthiest, bravest... the dirtiest, worst, ugliest... from postive to negative, highest to lowest...

If there are people who know the futility of outdoing each other and refuse to join the race to nothing, one of them would be the Iraya in Puerto Galera. Known to Flipino locals and dayuhan (foreign visitors) as the Mangyans (from the word, Mangyan or Mangmang yan, literal translation to English is he/she is ignorant), the Irayas possess only themselves and their freedom.

How I envy their freedom. The sight of them passing by, walking in a line, together, disposses me of what I hold or boast of as valuable--my education, my job, my accomplishments and other stuff. It brings me to question what full human development is--if it is the pressure to become the best that I can be, I would rather call it a progressive imprisonment of a person born free-- without clothes to label if a boy or a girl, a crib and house to determine if rich or poor, branded baby food that certifies a well-nourished weaning years, an education that structures my brain how to think, and an office job that is an improved version of slavery of centuries ago. And so on.

To be healthy and prolong life--an early death because of illness traced to insufficient faith? Not enough effort in scouring funds for industrial medicines... bullshit. But a good take-off point to question rights as a development paradigm.