ding reyes writes on!!!

I wish that my friends, including those in Facebook and in the email list groups, to join me in spirit in celebrating on Monday, Ferbruary 1, 2010, the 20th anniversary of the first-ever book launching I had in my book-writing career (with about two dozen titles so far). That launching was held at the National Press Club in Manila for my first-ever book to come out of the printing press, with the title “The Philippines, A Century Thence.” Familiar? It should be.
We ought to have at least heard about Jose Rizal’s prophetic essay popularly known in the Philippines by its English title, “The Philippines, A Century Hence,” as mistranslated from the original Spanish, “Filipinas, Dentro a Cien Años.” That essay was serialized in the Filipino expatriates’ fortnightly journal, La Solidaridad, and the last installment was carried in the magazine’s issue of February 1, 1890.

. Twenty years ago, on Feb. 1, 1990, the exact centennial of complete publication of that particular essay, my “open letter to Rizal” was featured in a ceremony at the NPC. The open letter was a set of comments on the historic essay, exactly a century after the publication of the original. Information about my project, which carried both my work and Rizal’s original essay, may be accessed on http://bookmakers-phils.8m.net/catalog.htm#thence. I have very recently started to upload the contents of its 2nd edition in http://dingbooks.8m.net/thence-opening-page.htm and http://dingbooks.8m.net i intend to do the same for all the two dozen or so other books I have been able to get published under various publishing houses including my own (which is actually a partnership venture between me as a writer and the synergism-oriented SanibLakas Foundation). Before the time of the SanibLakas Editorial and Publishing Services, my “Life-partner and fellow-writer,” Carmencita S. Soriente-Reyes joined me in an educational publications venture, “EduCar” Enterprises, which combined the respective first syllables of our formal names. Cita passed away due to cancer in mid-1994.

. Circulation and revenue figures have always been humble, something not at all surprising, as neither Cita nor I had any illusion that we would be able to earn from that venture even for just our small family’s household and schooling expenses. There have been times our unpaid balance with the printing presses had to remain large for extended periods, but we were blessed not to have been sued even once under such circumstances.

. Quite recently, I came out with a book of my collection of poems in English (1970-2007), with a long title, “Ding Reyes Writes 30 WISHPERS and more.” Somewhere in that book, I wrote about my drive for writing, for influencing minds and actions, somehow relating to the realization that my small-circulation books could only reach a very small readership, and the realization, too, that a good number of copies were being brought by friends and friendly acquaintances who just could not refuse me in my face but could neither make time afterwards to read them.

. “Yes, I do believe that my writings will be accorded more value after I die than at present, but I do want to discern more, and do more in serving the people (primarily by sharing my humble discernments), and share more with others (Yes, to write more), before I go.
In the meantime I am determined to happily live this life fully. As much as I can.

. "This, for me, has been to touch more lives by sharing the flames of light and warmth that I have been blessed with. I fervently believe that the current human evolutionary imperative is for Homo sapiens to make the real leap of consciousness from preoccupations with “myself” (my body, my pleasures, my job, my prestige, my ideas) and all its separative small-group extensions, to really living the “we” and the “ourself” consciousness of the oneness of all, where the benefits of the principle of synergism has been and will be both instant reward and clues that we are on the right path -- the centripetal movement -- in human development.”

. In that same book, I go right back to Rizal, with a poem that was inspired by his very last. Its title: My First Farwell. Some of the lines in Part III (of seven parts) express and preserve an ardent request:

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.

Twenty years have passed since that happy book-launching ceremony at the NPC. And I say, I shall write on, and on, and on... even for long-delayed reading by those who would eventually find my writings worth spending their precious time and attention on.

--Ed Aurelio "Ding" Reyes
of Subic, Zambales

(Please send any feedback on this blog to me via the “comments” option here, or “send (them as) a message” to me via my Facebook account, or email them to dingreyes@yahoo.com. Thanks so much!)

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Death to the "Trapo" System!

(part one three parts)

By Ed Aurelio C. Reyes

“TRAPO” has been a word that has had a worn-out and dirty connotation in the Philippine political context, where it has come to be used to refer to “traditional politicians.” But the term falls short of both accuracy and “political correctness.”

Let’s start with the first word of the binomial. As widely used, “traditional” represents the antiquated undesirable. It falls within and contributes to what we may refer to as many Filipinos’ fixation to the “glamorous and convenient modernity” and aversion to the inconvenient, 'ignorant' and raw simplicity of “old-fashioned” technologies and habits, which pushes so many of us to embrace and idolize Western inventions and products that are, indeed, more convenient to use but actually wreak havoc on the health of our bodies and even that of our only planet of residence.

This thinking makes us laugh or sneeze at the “primitive” ways of our grandparents and makes us try to conserve our bodies’ energies, gradually becoming unwilling and incapable of long walks, and stairs- climbing, and many forms of physical exertion in general, almost getting prepared to lose our arms and legs and other muscles to atrophy. Without much physical exertion, on our part the food that we consume in large volumes, after being made so delicious by various poisons among the latest inventions, often ends up as bulky body fat under our skins.

Such thinking makes many Filipinos consider attaining a deep understanding of our rich historical heritage an unproductive exercise in hollow sentimentalism.

In the field of medicine, the term “traditional medicine” has emerged and there has been a growing number of followers because “real doctors” from America and Europe who even possess very expensive modern equipment (very expensive, so “they must be right!”) believe in the efficacy of Philippine TRADMED traditional medicine), that are coming here in droves just for the opportunity to learn more about it.

And whatever is traditional should have been passed on across many generations, numbering more than four or five. The phenomenon we call “trapo” has been with us for only a little more than a century, definitely no more than five or six generations, and so it does not yet have the established longevity to be called “traditional.” So, since it does not yet have any real longevity, let’s forget the time-sensitive term and stick more to the essence of why the “Trapo” phenomenon ought to be banished from these islands.

We don’t dislike anything just because it is no longer new; that which we call “Trapo” is despicable because it is a tool of elite control over our political life; because it is exploitative, with government functionaries getting motivated and enabled to serve not the sovereign body politic but mainly themselves and their powerful patrons; it is conservative while only the poor have deeply-rooted motives to desire and work for basic change in societal arrangements and such politics as we call “trapo” could only be “safely in the hands” of those who can only gain by the perpetuation of the existing inequitable social order.

Moreover, it is also grossly violative of the democratic governance system that it is supposed and pretended to operationalize. It also abets cheating, lying and violence in electoral processes. The “Trapo” politics that we have had in our country for decades on end, as protected and preserved by an official and cultural atmosphere of impunity, is indeed despicable! And the attendant reasons do not at all include its being an “old system.”

About the second word that goes into the term “trapo,” the “traditional politicians” did not get together one day and unanimously decided to invent and implement the “Trapo System” that we have learned to curse under our breath but have allowed to continue, anyway. These politicians were produced by the system; without exonerating these politicians in any bit of measure, we have to see that the system has been much bigger than all its products and operations, combined. As long as that system continues to thrive, inextrically linked with our economic, business, legislative, police, schooling and all other systems and sub-systems in society, it will stay in our nation’s political life even if we could have all the “Trapos” lined up against the wall and shot.

We can’t afford the effort to simply kill the thousands of mosquitoes, flies, or cockroaches one by one; we have to find out exactly where and exactly how they breed so fast.

For starters, let’s study the “traditional politics” as a system” and study the “trapo politicians” as the current batch of these pests, of their misdeeds, and of their witting and unwitting supporters. We may be in for a great surprise. We have been guilty of supporting them, of breeding them! Jailing demons would not suffice; jailing Satan himself would not suffice. We ought to end all the points of vulnerability we have had that these politicians use to make us sponsor their heinous activities.

(to be continued)

Gayahin ang Bayani; Wag Magningas-kugon, Wag maging Kimi

May "tula" akong nabuo para sa ating mga kaanib na ng Cause group na ito ("Rep.Risa Hontiveros, ang type kong pulitiko") AT para sa mga di pa sumasali: pag-isipan po sana natin at kagyat na aksyunan ito (tatlo't kalahating buwan na lang, eleksyon na!):

"Wag tayong maging kimi! /
Tahasang ikarangal ang kandidatang bayani! /
Huwag magpakakimi /
Huwag magningas-kugon /
Upang adhikain nati’y /
Ganap ngang maisulong! /

Ipakilala sa malakas na tinig /
Nang may buong pagmamalaki— /
Karapat-dapat nga sa Senadong /
Pusisyon itong babaing kampeon! /
Bawa’t araw at linggo ay magparami tayo /
Ng Mangangampanya, di lang ng boboto! /

Wag na wag tayong titigil /
Papainit pa lang ng laban /
Sa Risa mismo ang ating tularan, /
Tagumpay niya kung tayo ri’y mga bayani! /
Hindi magniningas-kogon, at hindi mga kimi! /
Kapag si Risa at Akbayan ang lumaban, /
Ang magwawagi ay ang Sambayanan!" //

ding reyes
subic, zambales
01-20-2010

(magawa sana ng bawat myembro ng Cause group ng "Rep. Risa Hontiveros, ang tipo kong Pulitiko" ang magdagdag ng tigatlo man lamang na aktibong mangangampanya bawat sa linggo at ito ay magawa rin ng mga maidaragdag na ito. )

An Attempt to Summarize my Basic Beliefs

Dear John,
I really felt elated to read this message of yours on my wall in Facebook (a day or two after I had confirmed you as a “friend”): "Please share your philosophy. You are a tremendous thinker." I haven’t really summarized “my” philosophy (I’m not sure there are people would be interested), but I just decided to sttempt a short summary right here and now and to give you some references to augment it. I would really appreciate any feedback on this.

Attempted summary:

The humanity of all is one; each human, as well as the entire Humankind, is a synergy waiting to be fulfilled. Human development at its current stage is mainly the development of iour consciousness. Such human development can march on in earnest only in the contect of human harmony; and would result in more human harmony. Human synergy, with potental fulfilllment at every level of the holarchy , can solve all the big and small human problems (including human-caused/human-abetted planetary climate change which the very recent Copenhagen Summit, obviously llacking in collective will power, failed to address effectivelty); recurring economic/financial crises, elusiveness of real and lasting world peace, rampant/systemic violations og human dignity and rights, etc. etc.). Money is not the root of all evil; but love for money prevailing over love for life is that root, essentially the alienation and separation from “Our Father” and from one another. More important than political or economic power is the human will power; will precedes the wallet!

Some references:

The outline of the book HUMAN HOLONS: Power-Packed Synargies (and also its cover design) can be viewed via a link from http://bookmakers-phils.8m.net. The entire text is available, for free, at http://www.scribd.com/doc/19423640/The-Human-Holonreeditedmarch-2009 (download as Microsoft Word; font size in the display can be adjusted)

Much more of my beliefs and observations can also be discerned by reading the Epilogue chapter of my work DEMANDS OF DIGNITY: Developing the Discourse on the Philippine December 10th Declaration A Decade After (MANILA: Kamalaysayan, 2009), which is also available for free at http://demands-dignity.8m.net, with hard copies in retail available at National Bookstore outlets in the Philippines, and bulk orders accepted at IAME Design Studio, c/o International Academy of Management and Economics. 1061 Metropolitan Ave., San Antonio Village, Makati City Tel. (63-2) 8962355; Fax (63-2) 8962351.
Thankful cheers to you, John!
Your very new friend,
Ding
(Prof. Ed Aurelio C. Reyes)
Subic, Zambales, Philippines

(This letter to John Flynn of Oxnard, California, USA was writtten at 4:30 am January 17, 2010, Philippine date and time.)

Magnetic Field for Goodwill, Conscious Oneness, and Love

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED by magnets. Quite recently, i was able to go beyond the "attract-repel" phenomenon andmagnets more closely, and started moving completely away from the "attract-repel" focus. As a kid I was always playing with magnets, even dismantling the tiny motors in my toy cars just to get my handa on the magnets in them. But I was endlessly experi­menting on making metal pieces stick to them, and magnetizing ordinary screwdrivers and big nails and making metal pieces stick to those. It was very recently that I started paying more attention to magnets affecting metal pieces that do not stick to them, metal pieces that do not even move towards them, the phenomenon of the magnetic field and its invisible but very real effects.

. Having experimented on magnets affecting metal piec­es that are just lying still close enough to them, and having read about how some metal pieces gradually become magnets just because a strong magnet nearby had started aligning a growing number of their atoms along a uniform magnetic field, I plunged into a deep study of magnets as metaphors of synergism in a very profound way.

. It looks like it's going to be a long but ex­citing study, and I’d be glad to share observ­ations and ideas with people interested enough to study appli­cations of the pertinent physics formulas similar to but more powerful than the formulas involving gravitation.

. But this early, it can be said that because of this phe­nomenon of "contagious magnetism," the magnet is a unique metaphor for synergism. After all, coconut-palm reeds do not tie themselves together in a bind, the leaf-strips do not weave them­selves together into mats and the jigsaw puzzle pieces do not really jump into their proper places. But atoms in a mag­netic field do align themselves in bigger and bigger numbers and strengthen that field to make more and more atoms do the same.

. Thus, a magnet system grows stronger and stronger by itself, untouched by human hands. The origin of lodestones bears this out. And scientists are using the magnetic flux from unmoved chunks of lodestone to triangulate past sites of the magnetic/true north pole and the magnetic/true south pole of the earth, where spin axis meets the earth surface.

. Consider that in contrast to the force of gravity, which is indirectly proportional to the square of the distance between the attracting parties, the magnitude of the magnetic force is inversely proportional to the cube of the distance between the magnetic objects that are interacting.

. This means that a strong magnet which is not near to any other magnet aligned or not aligned with it can, by the influence of its magnetic field, align atoms in all metallic objects all around it, and, by itself, create many new magnets around itself and create a growing synergy of a growing set of aligned magnets much closely positioned around it. This is a case of a synergy ever growing by itself. If the first magnet in the neighborhood is rather weak, the entire process still ensues but takes much more time to complete.

. A magnetic field would be invisible. But the consequences of its mere existence force us to admit that it does exist. I have also come to believe in the existence of another sort of field. I view it as the consciousness-behavior field that is actually a field of influence on thinking and behavior.

. Part of this is actually already well-known, something to do with a community's collective psychology, or culture. Growing up within a specific cultural milieu will force you to imbibe at least some marks of it in your behavior, thinking, and even manners of speaking. Part of this would be transmitted by sound from mind-to-mouth-to air-to ear-to mind. As much or even more can go through the cosmic ether via the way of telepathy, and still another way would be through what i prefer to call the "innernet," through the spiritual resonance also known as the "soulhug" bond. If many members of a grouping are imbued with concern and love for fellow-humans, chances are the others will, sooner or later, imbibe the same thing. The group's milieu would host a "magnetic field" of conscious oneness.

. How i wish that such field can be created among humans as each of them would radiate one's unique contribution to the conscious oneness field, to counter the separativeness and alienation field, which coagulates into unexplained discomfort in non-choiceful coexistence, into petty quarrels and even into big wars.

. How i wish that a “magnetic field” for Goodwill, Conscious Oneness, and Love can be created among humans as each of them would radiate one's unique contribution to the conscious oneness field, to counter the separativeness and alienation field, which coagulates into unexplained discomfort in non-choiceful coexistence, into petty quarrels and even into big wars. How I wish I could influence at least some friends to experiment by trying to create such a “field” and to feel and enjoy its effects around them.

. And so I've decided to start doing it myself. Would some of my friends join me in this? Would you?

ding reyes
of subic, zambales
01-14-2010

Gloliath Lieth, 'Harassment!'

The Giant Gloliath is not tall; but her armor is. Her armor intimidates the many, and lures in the few to join her ruling syndicate of pirates. She has only appeared tall because of her gigantic powers and unchecked prerogatives. Impunity abetted by her minions has put everyone, including those mindless minions, under her thumb. They are the majority in the Lower House of the Palace Minions; but there is in that Lower Body a significant minority of brave, hardworking souls, who have succeeded in turning what would have been eliminated as real check-and-balance obstacles to her whims into mere inconveniences, mere aberrations in the reign of impunity she had established long ago and blissfully gotten used to for almost a full decade.

Some of these minority solons are hardworking, searching for the Truth under the veils of secrecy, through the holes inadvertently left by the arrogantly overconfident Phillistines. With the Truth in their hand, they muster enough courage to shout it from the mountaintops, risking the ire of the “Giant” Vindictive Bully.

But wait, we now see this heavily-armored bully shedding crocodile tears in a theatrical performance to demonize her foes and win sympathy for herself from the ranks of the unthinking and the intimidated. The empress is also an actress. She could suppress her laughter beyond a full minute after delivering such difficult lines for her to say as “I’m sorry…” Impunity really works!

Gloliath is now crying ‘foul!’ She is saying she has been subjected to harassment by the young shepherd David (who looks a bit like Joan of Arc), who is armed with twin weapons: the Truth in the form of a formidable rock; and Courage in the form of a sling held by a fragile but firm hand. David has dared stand up to face the ever-bullying Gloliath. And the latter is showing signs of worry. The patterns of perjury, impunity and amnesia might not hold this time.

Instead of just watching, the audience may decide to do something else this time to frustrate the
bully’s gameplans. They may rally behind the few heroes and heroines in the legislative and judicial bodies. outside government, in their communities, in the Acedeme, everywhere.

Many people in the audience have been gradually awakening to the imperative of ending their audience role and getting onstage to join the fray, where their own big stakes lie. The electoral circuses won’t be able to distract and stop them. They recall having actually done this before, with an earlier batch of heroes and heroines.

The current suspense is not about this duel between David and Gloliath. It is about what the audience might decide to do.

"readdingz"
01-10-10

Copenhagen Debacle: Universe Unfolding, Human Consciousness

TWO FRIENDS of mine texted to respond to my blog posting of a few days ago that had expressed my consternation over the Copenhagen Debacle last December. My bestfriend Joydee Elizondo said, "Don't expect too much. "The Universe is unfolding as it should," remember? And my favorite "supergirl," Iya Santiago, texted, "Wag mo problemahin masyado copenhagen." These friends may have been concerned about my blood pressure and the possible effect of my indignant passions on it, the possible effect of my WRATH on my health.

. Okay, I admitted to Joydee a little more recently during a brief visit, that my wrath actually comes from expecting too much. My fault was precisely that. I have had this tendency to take seriously the human claim that the "sapiens" term in our scientific name as a species actually means something and is not a simple sample of narcissistic swooning.

. If the word "sapiens" is to be validated at all, we would all be certain and unmistakably indignant, even nauseated, over the the absurdity of keeping profit levels and comfortable lifestyles of the powerful few as a reason, an excuse, to ignore the syllogisms about the realities of climate change, continuance of environmentally-destructive human activities, and the survival of the planet's biosphere. Corporate thinking has really become dehumanized and "business-as-usual" culture has indeed invincibly steamrollered its profiteering "logic" over the otherwise inteligent decision-making of the world's statesmen, and they agreed to commit Humankind to continue a process of slow-motion mass suicide.

. My doubts about Human "sapiens" have been too generous. The word "insanity" comes as the more appropriate description.

. When powerful corporations, and their representatives in international forums like inter-governemental summits, can afford to lightly ignore or dismiss the very survival of entire populations of nations and of the planet, they are indeed excessively powerful. And the magnitude of such power has apparently reached the proportions of arrogant insanity.

. The universe is unfolding as it should. And this would hopefully include in the unfolding the popular indignation and the powerful actions to be adopted by the passionate and prudent on such levels of idiocy already attained by the reverse evolution of the human mind which may all have been rooted in our collective ignorance about the oneness of all humanity. This ignorance has been behind our difficulty in living along the guiding admonition, "Magpakatao at makipagkapwa-tao tayo."

. Aside from being concerned about my wrath and its effect on my health, i also ask all my friends to join minds with me and all other active advocates of conscious oneness of humans, regardless of economic circumstances, in rechanneling the wrath into doable solutions for the sake of Life on this planet.

(please make time to read my book, BIPED On the Blue Ball, 2000 edition, accessible via a link from <http://bookmakers-phils.8m.net>, and watch for its Climate Crisis edition which will come out by Earth Day April 22 this year. The Copenhagen Debacle will be discussed at the Kamayan para sa Kalikasan monthly forum on third Friday, January 15, 10:30am-2pm, at Kamayan Restaurant along EDSA --near Ortigas-- Mandaluyong City. See map and other info in http://kamayanforum.8m.net/kamayan.htm.)

Copenhagen Summit a Debacle of Humankind

The recent Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change was a pathetic debacle of the Human Race. The supposedly-"sapiens" species clearly failed to defeat the "profit-making-as-usual" attitude of the powerful governments and corporate giants which is ignoring an acute and even worsening danger to the whole planet and to the whole of Humankind.

. Profit "logic" has forced the nations of the world into passively agreeing to an idiotic mass suicide mode. Oneness of All is, apparently, still farthest from our present level of peudo-"wisdom". Can't we grow up now or very soon as humans???

-- ding reyes
subic, zambales
january 4, 2010

Pangungusap ng Aking Buhay

"Ganap kong kakatawanin, sa buhay kong ito, ang panawagang 'MagpakaTAO at Makipagkapwa-TAO TAYO '." -- Ito ang kabubuo ko pa lamang (ngayong araw na ito) na pangungusap ng aking buhay.

Kaya...
"Magawa ko sanang ngumiti /
Sa aking paghimlay, /
Tuldok sa pangngusap /
Ng aking buhay." //
(ito'y tulang isinulat ko
mahigit 15 taon na ngayon
ang nakararan.)

(Ang konsepto ng "Pangungusap ng Buhay"
ay maihahalintulad sa isang may-kahabaang
pamagat sa sisikapin mong maging saysay
ng buong idadaloy ng iyong salaysay bilang
dahilan at layunin kaya ka isinilang at kaya
mo pinatatagal ang iyong paghinga. Maaaring
marami ang maibunga, gaya ng nakamit mo ang
yaman at bantog na pangalan. Ngunit ang pangu-
ngusap ng iyong buhay ay pinili mong pagtuunan
nga sa iyo't pinakamahalaga mong mga pagsisikap,
at pag-aanihan ng pinakamalaki mong tagumpay.
Saysay ito na ikaw mismo ang pumili para isabuhay.
Hindi tayo nabubuhay para lamang mabuhay. Nasa
konsepto ring ito ang una sa 14 na mga aral ng
Kartilya ng Katipunan ni Emilio Jacinto, na nag-
sasabing:
"Ang buhay na hindi ginugugol sa isang malaki at banal
na kadahilaman ay kahoy na walang lilim, kundi damong
makamandag.")

Pag-isipan po natin ang bagay na ito.

Ed Aurelio (Ding) Reyes
"Balani Bagumbayan"
Disyembre 30, 2009

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