Kim’s Dream Orlan Ravanera
“Let My People Awake!”
Amidst the gospel of lies disseminated by the mainstream media that has already captured the mindset of humanity that is giving high veneration to the profit motive, buried in so much unbridled materialism and consumerism and so much denigration of spirituality, let us go back to history a century or so ago, when the Indian struggle was raging against British Colonialism. All eyes were focused then on Mahatma Gandhi as he led in freeing his people against British Imperial rule, using not the firepower of guns but by the strength of the human spirit called “Satyagraha,” or love-force. The most powerful empire in the world then which bragged that under its domain, “the sun does not set,” because as the sun sets in one of its colonies, it would rise in another country in the world which was also under its colonial rule.
Never would the Indian people succumb to the might of an empire with all the outpourings of lies to control the mindset of a conquered people as the success of the Indian struggle which was championed by a Mahatma Gandhi, the epitome of a brave freedom fighter, came about because the spirit of Indian People was mobilized not only to dream of freedom but to fight for it. Unknown to many was an Indian poet laureate by the name of Rabindranath Tagore whose poems and writings did awaken the people to struggle for freedom. One of his poems which reverberated through-out the land and until now is found relevant goes this way, “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free, Where the world is not broken down by narrow domestic walls, In the heaven of freedom, my Father, Let my people awake!”
As Filipinos are buried in the fallacies of life whose mindset is focused on quest for fame, power and wealth, let us zero-in on the social, political, environmental and economic realities besetting our country. These poetic lines should now come across the public imagination to reflect on why the people must be awakened.
Let our people awake on why we are now suffering the brunt of ecological degradation, in fact our country is the 4 th hardest hit country in the world by Climate Change. Indeed, our country is facing ecological crisis that unless soon averted will lead to an impending socio-economic collapse. Let us awakened to the fact that the sins of a few loggers and miners are now visited upon our people. From 17 million hectares of natural forest a century ago, an archipelago of 7,100 islands that need some 10 million hectares of forest cover to have ecological integrity, has barely half a million hectares left.
Let our people awake that while we are supplying the consumerist lifestyle of the people in advanced countries as some 200,000 hectares in Mindanao, the choicest of lands have been transformed massively to high value crops plantations, we cannot even produce enough basic staples, i.e., rice and milk amidst so much hunger and malnutrition as 85% of the Filipino children are malnourished.
Let our people awake that after two people-powered revolutions and 14 years of Martial Law, social change has been so elusive all these years. True, there were “changing of the guards,” but the structure that breeds oppression and poverty is still as formidable as ever.
Let our people awake that despite the constitutional provision of dismantling political dynasties, no legislation has been enacted all these years as glaringly economic power begets political power and no way will the oligarchs, conglomerates and cartels stop elitist rule.
Let our people awake that even social legislation such as agrarian reform that should have liberated our poor farmers from the bondage of land and from the quagmire of poverty is being put to mockery by hidden forces whose lust for land can only be equated by their limitless greed for profit and power.
Let our people awake that while we glorify in the thought that in this country no one is above the law and all must bow down to the majesty of the law, yet this is not so with regards to massive exploitation of our natural resources done by those who have utterly disregarded environmental laws and the future of the coming generations.
My 30 years of environmental struggle that included mobilizing the people to barricade logging trucks, to stop industrial pollution and hydraulic open pit mining operations have brought forth concrete evidence and proof that the flagrant violations of environmental laws in shameless connivance with those whose sworn duty is to enforce such laws.
Let our people awake that the only way to effect social change is for the people to be empowered to put the future into their own hands, to establish a more just, human and sustainable society., The Indian people did it when they woke up to the call to advance Satyagraha. Our awakened people must now debunk the fallacies of life and religions! VERITAS LIBERABIT VOS!
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