Sunday, November 30, 2008

Stop Passing on Horrible Heritage

"Light of Truth, that had been banished for a a long time to vanish in pitch darkness of intended oblivion, can never die. It remains alive to intermittently or incessantly whisper or even shout out from behind your eardrums, with sparks of light that inevitably prick to severe discomfort your otherwise peaceful mind. It even bursts into many rays that refuse to be pushed back to be forever lockedin the darkness of secrecy, denial and oblivion.

"Widows cannot forget that they had lost their spouses, and orphans know well that they had lost their parents. Burnt homes leave not only scars on the ground but deeper scars in the soul.

"The Light of Truth continues to forever whisper, at times wail aloud, within your ears until you decide to forgo the self-defeating momentary convenience of distracting and denying, and finally surrender to this truth known well only to all the wise: Wrong will always have to be inevitably, eventually, and ultimately fully acknowledged, regretted, and set aright. Your future peace of mind demands it; your dignity demands it.

"You do not dishonor your victims by killing them-- you dishonor only yourself, even as you pass on to your descendants. the bloodstains on your hands, that they'd pass it on to theirs, until one of them decides to stop the passing of horrible heritage. Will is crucial; it can even overpower the fear of truth and the arrogance of hypocrisy.

"While many people have to be reminded not to wallow in their own guilt and be paralyzed by them, many others seek to hide and deny their grave misdeeds, pretending still to stand on the moral high ground, assuming themselves that their own clean self-image is believed by others."

12-1-08

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Distinction is NOT Conflict

Distinction should not be allowed to mean separation, much less conflict. Without distinction and diversity, all complementation, harmony and teamwork cannot be possible. Separation is the intellect's mistaken negation and denial of the actual fact of oneness.

--ding reyes
from Human Holons: Power-Packed Synergies

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Words of Light

Fierce fears, woeful tears upon your plight,
Depression, despair in the long, dark night,
Banish them all and forever send to flight:
Shine upon them the Words of Light.

Seek for your Mind the Words' loving might,
If upon seeing them you feel instant delight,
Their Spirit has always been glowing bright
Deep in your heart, those Words of Light.

Breathe on, then, in peace, with nary a fright,
As you focus on them your innermost sight!
Conquer all your fears, set things a-right,
Cherish and share all Words of Light!

ding reyes
August 9, 1999
from WISHPERS

Monday, November 24, 2008

Criticisms

we must all learn
to welcome criticisms...

most of them can be useful.
some of them are even valid.

makati, 11-25-08

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Certain Dawn

faith in the certainty
of the coming dawn
brings us across
the longest ones
of the darkest nights.

11-23-08

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

My First Farewell

I.
To each with life, whether human,
animal or plant, death of body
is an unalterable certainty
Part of Life’s very mystery,
as God had planned, is that
to its fated end it flows inexorably.
For almost all, however, the time
of death’s coming is something one
cannot predict and foresee
Jose Rizal, one of the greatest
of the heroes of our beloved
Motherland, the Philippines,
Was afforded the distinct honor
and opportunity — the colonial
military court had set the date
Even the hour of his execution
by musketry to ensure
that he would forever be stilled
So, across the hours of that night,
on death’s eve, he let flow
through his pen a loving poem,
It was a fond farewell, that his own heart
heaved love so great, in no less
than a valedictory.
Such opportunity has to all others
been denied,denied to all
whose lives were gone in a flash
All the others who had cared
for our Motherland so, spoke such
love not by words but their lives!

II.
Even an inkling have I not when, really,
shall it be that I would finally
breathe my last.
As infant I had lain near-dead,
with a ready coffin; Sobbing had
already started by my next of kin
But the mysterious ailments that had me
in their grip suddenly disappeared
and I got instantly healed.
From that time more than five decades
have rushed by, Thank God,
a bonus life for me was bequeathed!
Despite all the moments of peril
to this precious life that I have
knowingly or unknowingly faced.
My time has still not come, up to these
very moments when I am
weaving words to form this poem.
Still unsure am I, if really I can get
this piece finished, If the next sunrise
would find me still breathing.
In just these past few days quite a number
of my friends had gone to their rest
or were brought to the brink.
Should I sigh out my farewell
to my Beloved Nation, after being
overtaken by the stealth of my end?
I seek now to imitate Rizal, about the time
of the 110th anniversary of
his Ultimo Adios; this is my first!

III.
As has been usual before fond farewells
are said I seek to declare
some advanced requests:
Accord value and attention not to my
mortal remains that are like clothing
already put aside by Life.
Focus not on my hole-studded shoes
with worn-out soles, ponder, instead,
the footprints being left behind
For these are markings made not merely
by my feet but by my real self
as no less than spirit!
Rather than spend time to think
of that pair of shoes that has been
taken off and is wasting away
Ponder well the story and statement
of my footprints; know well the paths
they had chosen to tread.
I did make profuse attempts
to explain well about the spirit
and content of all these efforts,
But many of them, even from among
the ranks of my workmates
have yet to firmly decide
To really patiently listen to my statements,
to read and comprehend well
my explanations.
After I depart, may they remember to
review them and even as these are long,
to comprehend them this time.

IV.
In this same farewell, to my beloved
siblings, fellow-offspring of
Inang Bayan, I seek to share
These grains of light that I have gathered
from my own experiences
and from those of my workmates.
Most important among these is this
two-fold challenge and call
that I raise before all the people
Of this nation, the Philippines,
and of the whole world — bloom as
humans and behave as fellow-humans!
Accord this a real fulfillment
by day-to-day living of each one of us
as created in the image and likeness
Of the Creator – with innermost spirit
glowing in goodness flowing
from limitless unconditional love
And boundless almighty power
that fully deserves to be reflected in an
invincible sense of confidence.
Let Rizal be our model in self-development
and actualization as human beings
fully worthy of this exalted term.
And let Bonifacio shine as the epitome
of fully living the spirit of oneness
among fellow-humans or kapwà
Let us love our fellow-humans, knowing
well the lesson from our sage Jacinto:
The humanity of all is only one!

V.
Our Motherland is now prostrate,
victim of battering
at the hands of greedy exploiters
Who despise our capabilities,
using as justification widespread traits
that we have only acquired
From enslavement for less than the past
half-millennium, thus completely
ignoring, turning a blind eye,
Denying the innate honor and nobility
of our race, our honesty,
love for work and levels of skill,
That had lasted across many thousands
of years; sunk into dependence,
we have been exploited!
Many of us who love those of our brothers
and sisters who are now mired
in deep impoverishment
Have been misguided about the way
to show concern and to extend
assistance to the poorest among us,
And unwittingly foment among the broad
populace a disempowering
culture of dependency.
May we all be able
to teach others how to fish
instead of daily doling out fish!
Bring into play a renewed bayanihan,
our collectiveforward movement
through the tangkilikán way!

VI.
Whoever is helped has the responsibility
to develop their own knowledge
and exert their own efforts,
For whoever rises absolutely dependent
on others cannot really stand up
on his own two feet;
He is but lifted like a soft blanket raised.
if the hold be slackened
it slumps back down!
Building such knowledge and capabilities
of people has been attempted
by many organizations,

Including those that I have spent time
to initiate in formation, consolidation
and expansion,
But apparently I have been unable to
explain fully well this framework
even if only to my workmates,
So while these groups
have accomplished much, many people
have remained virtually unaided
In discovering their wisdom and various
capabilities based on knowledge
from their own experiences.
What our beloved Motherland,
the Philippines, needs
is the real attainment of synergy
Among Filipinos who have deep-seated
initiative, confidence, and perseverance
for the upliftment of all!

VII.
For as long as my lungs continue
to breathe in the remaining years
that I shall remain alive,
I shall help in carrying forward the torch
of such efforts for the deliverance
of our people,
I shall continue to resist the temptations
of exhaustion and defeat all those threats
of ultimate failure,
And go on linking up those who should
be teaming up, reconciling those
who are in senseless conflict,
Helping strengthen further the cooperation
among us who have started to practice
“bayanihan” synergy,
So confident am I that with my passing,
the great torch of the effort
to attain oneness shall be carried on,
Ever forward, by many who shall join us
and remain with our Pamayanang
Sanib-lakás ng Pilipinas.
My love for our people, for our nation,
shall continue being lived along the path
that I have chosen—
To help our people and our communities
fully realize: we are, precisely, our
Inang Bayang Magiliw!
No other would love and care more
for the Philippines if not we, ourself,
if not our synergized self!
The final call in my First Farewell is this:
Synergize and rise up on our feet,
Beloved Philippines!!
May my footprints be reexamined
to yield some lessons. Let us live long,
and live well for our Motherland,

Live well until we finally breathe our last!

Makati, Philippines, December 29, 2006
(117th anniversary of Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios)
translated into English on April 26, 2007

Friday, November 7, 2008

What we all just got with Obama’s victory

What we all just had with Barack Obamas victory in the US elections:

a new historic sequel to hailey's roots; a new episode to lincoln’s gettysburg piece, a new challenge for the ideals of sgt. fagan of a century ago; a new opportunity for the fulfillment of luther king's dream for togetherness of children of many skin colors, and for the jackson-mccartney harmony on harmony; a new hope for a multiracial nation who has just chosen a chief leader from a race other than white, who can now face the “white man’s burden” from a perspective quite different from kipling’s; a significant stride towards bishop tutu’s real humanity in togetherness.

We encourage the new US leadership to commit itself to the well being not only of the American people but also the Whole Planet and of all people.

Ed Aurelio C. Reyes and Donald Goertzen

Lead Founders and Overall Coordinators
SYCONE Humanity

SYCONE-Humanity is a member of the Human Development & Harmony (HDH) Cluster, Pamayanang SanibLakas ng Pilipinas
(Synergy Community of the Philippines)

SYCONE (pronounced “Seek ONE”)
stands for Synergy in Conscious Oneness
See our website:
http://sycone-international.8m.net

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Focus on My Footprints

to my beloved friends, during this season for remembering those beloved who have gone ahead,
i offer some lines from my long poem MI PRIMERO ADIOS (written in Filipino in December 2006; published in English in 2007):

accord value and attention not to my mortal remains
that are like closhing already put aside by Life.
focus not on my hole-studded shoes with worn-out soles;
ponder instead the footsteps left behind...

---dingz, 10-31-08

Friday, October 31, 2008

Focus on My Footprints

to my beloved friends during this season of remembering those who have gone ahead of us to the Afterlife i offer some lines from my long poem Mi Primero Adios (original in Filipino composed on December 29, 2006, translation into English published in September 2007) :



Accord value and attention not to my mortal remains

That are like clothing already put aside by Life.

Focus not on my hole-studded shoes with worn out soles;

Ponder instead the footprints left behind...



dingz, 10-31-08

Monday, September 8, 2008

NOSTRAVERUS -- Our Truth, for Peace...

some years back, days after the 9-11 explosions in new york whose authorship has remained mysterious and controversial, an instant hate-all-muslims campaign emerged, complete with the circulation of a fake nostradamus quatrain to lend a flavor of urgency and mysticism to the hate campaign. some members of the synergy-oriented saniblakas foundation conducted a special session of its monthly new-moon jamming to sing only one song repeatedly, "All we are saying...is give peace a chance," interspersed with taking turns to share personal insights on the 9-11 event and its aftermath. The insights and sentiments shared were gathered and i had the task of putting them all together in the form of a single quatrain, which we decided to label "Nostraverus." Subsequently received sharings, views and feelings from other members of the saniblakas family, that were expressed at another sharings session, or came in via short-texting and e-mail messages, produced nine other quatrains. Near the anniversary of 9-11, let me share with you our truth, our necessarily-urgent and necessarily-emphatic cry, our Nostraverus piece for peace...

please click here: http://saniblakas.faithweb.com/NOSTRAVERUS.htm

Subsequent events have firmed up our resolve.

Monday, September 1, 2008

the poem WISHPERS

my first post came from the back cover of the book Ding Reyes Writes 30... WISHPERS ...And More, which i released on my 55th birthday last year. below is that title poem .WISHPERS...

deeply-felt wishes
my heart whispers
draw silent smiles
from within
many other hearts,
for these, after all,
have long been
their very own
whispered
wishes,

our common
'wishpers'

Quezon City
April 30, 2007

Sunday, August 24, 2008

in our midst, within us



whenever two or more of us
are gathered in unified "WISHPERS"
and in earnest efforts to serve well
the least of His brethren,
He, Himself,
as unconditional love and powerful synergy,
is in our midst.



(back cover blurb from Ding Reyes Writes 30 'WISHPERS' Poems and More,
Makati, Philippines, 2007)