Thursday, December 23, 2010

We Know It's Christmas

We bring a felled tree or a plastic that resembles a pine tree inside our homes. We wrap it with blinking lights, colored balls, a star or angel on top, and other ornaments. Below the tree are gifts, miniature of the manger where Christ was born with Joseph, Mary, and the three kings.

We put yellow lights around our houses or around a living tree in front of our houses. The surroundings become brighter because of these extra lightings in the neighborhood.

We buy and prepare gifts to be given to special and dear family members, relatives, godsons and goddaughters, and friends.

We receive invitations to parties.

We sing songs that resonate with the gladness and merriment of our hearts.

We go to Masses. In the Philippines, there are nine Masses early in the morning leading to the eve of Christmas.

In all of these, what makes an ordinary tree turn into a decorated one? What makes the lights around the tree and houses starry and sparkling? What makes the gifts different this time of the year? What makes parties special this season? In all of these transformations, Christmas tree, Christmas lights, Christmas gifts, Christmas parties, we remember the CHRIST that was born on this day. 

Notably, many of us would have a simple tree inside their homes, simple lights around their houses, simple gifts given to and/or received from dear ones, and simple parties to socialize and celebrate. It is because they find similar meanings to these as those grand things. 

However, some of us would have none at all of these things. It is not because they could not find and afford tree, lights, gifts and parties; rather it is because they are constrained to have these things shown in public. Christians in Iraq are not going to show any public signs of celebration of Christmas, otherwise they are putting risks on their lives. The insurgents linked to Al-Qaida have threatened Christians for more attacks after the October 31 siege of a Catholic Church where 52 people died. Christians in the country are fleeing to be able to practice what they believe in.

Let us remember this Christmas day our Christian brothers and sisters in Iraq and other countries who confront threats and persecutions when practicing their beliefs including the observance and celebration of the birth of Christ. Let us pray for peace to prevail on everyone's heart.

Yes, we know it's Christmas. Not because of a tree, lights, gifts, and parties. We know it's Christmas because we let Christ reign in our hearts who gives us joy and consolation, no matter what.

Merry CHRISTmas to all!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Critical Reflection on Enlightenment and Modernity, Rationality, and Emancipation Within Culture

The sweeping far-right wind that has been blowing Europe these days deserves another look on the philosophical, cultural and historical framing of the recent events such as the ascension to power by the Conservatives in the United Kingdom, gain of parliamentary seats of right-wing parties in France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and lately Slovakia. Is this a critical juncture in Europe where the common currency is being troubled by debt-problems and its regionalism being questioned?

Let us take a look then at what's happening in Europe during one of its finest critical point in history - enlightenment and modernity.

The transformations and changes happening in Europe between 16th and 19th centuries such as the invention of printing press, rising of nation-states, colonialization of new lands, standardization of time, development of linear perspective, among others led to demand new ways of looking at, understanding and explaining things and events through the social science (Pertierra; 1997).

Friday, April 23, 2010

War, Peace and Democracy: Enough of Rhetorics

"This essay revisits the classical argument of democratic-peace in reference to more recent political events, including the US and UK led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and concludes that democracy in and of itself is an insufficient indicator of a given state's likelihood of engaging in war. The message of this argument takes on an extra dimension of meaning in light of the recent conflict in Georgia." (Peace and Conflict Monitor, 2008)

Today, more states are embracing democracy than three decades ago.[1] In 2006, there were 77 democratic states compared to 49 anocracies[2] and 34 autocracies (Hewitt et. al., 2008, p.13). What does it mean to the peace and security of the world? Is the world getting more peaceful as more democracies are emerging? Indeed, there is “a distinct downward trend” of the number of both internal and interstate active armed conflicts (Ibid, 2008, p.12). However, the downward trend is attributed not to the rise of democratic states, but to the end of Cold War period.