HOME. SICKNESS. (Part 5)

Misleading Heroes And Dangerous Toys

By Joel E. Ferraris

In spite of the fact that there was almost a bloodbath that ensued after the recent attempt by an opposition group to grab power, some business-minded people have come up with novel ideas to make money. They used the Magdalo soldiers as theme for their new products - toys.

Will these toys be nice Christmas gift for children in the season when we celebrate the birth of our Savior? Will parents be able to stop their kids, Ninongs and Ninangs from buying them?

Well, these are good propaganda for the next power grab attempt huh!?...molding the minds of unsuspecting and gullible children who will make heroes out of the likes of Magdalo and Trillanes or the Marlboro man. And if the coup succeeded and bloodbath ensued, how many lives would have been lost and how many Christmas celebrations and parties be soured by tears, sobs and mourning?

The coup plotters' methods of renewing our system are tainted by the fact that they are military men. Military men are identified with war, killings and violence. And war is a business that cause death just like cigarette smoking. Besides, untold psychological effects on people witnessing carnage and seeing people die or killing people might not have been well publicized or told religiously to warn others of this malady.

"Thou shalt not steal". The money stolen by public officials is just money. If they repent sincerely they will be forgiven and maybe ill-gotten wealth could be recovered. Besides, to those who are not servants of money they know to whom they serve and that is to our Almighty God and Father. But the lives that will be lost, especially because of a distorted cause and methods as a result of spiritual blindness is far worst than losing money!!!

"Thou shalt not kill". We cannot replace life. And most especially if our loved ones have not yet been spiritually enlightened to have sure entry to heaven. We cannot even guarantee to save souls despite many and long repeated prayers like the rosary if we fail to spiritually enlighten our love ones and strengthen their faith before they died for souls have no guarantee of entering heaven if the one who died did not repent, did not accept Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation through Him and worst if the one who died do not recognize our Almighty God and Father and do not love Him. We cannot even guarantee our own salvation if we are so spiritually ignorant and blind and belong to the hordes of confused individuals what with the sea of conflicting and confusing doctrines and beliefs nowadays.

Thanks to our Almighty God the Father that it is by His grace that we are saved.

These acts of vendors remind me of a report in the past that a businessman in China set-up a themed restaurant using the war in Iraq to attract customers. These kinds of people are the ones gullible to be manipulated by people with charisma (but with distorted and anti-Christian mindsets) to do wrong just for the sake of business without thinking about the moral and spiritual aspect of what they're doing.

The corruption in the government is a problem. But isn't it a bigger problem if our children will be influenced by anti-Christian ideas and we later find them becoming one of those corrupt leaders in our country especially when we failed to teach them now what real Christianity is?

Here's some insights from Howie Severino regarding the use of Magdalo by a group of soldiers:

"Magdalo was one of the quarreling factions in Cavite that Andres Bonifacio tried to reconcile. But in leaving his bailiwick in the hills around Montalban, the Katipunan's Supremo eventually lost his life. Some history buffs believe that enticing Bonifacio to unfamiliar territory was a Caviteno plot to grab power."

Read Why use the Magdalo name?

One thing more...I am always disgusted whenever I go home to the Philippines every Christmas and New Year. Why can't people stop selling or buying toy guns? Those airsoft pellet guns are sold in shops and they look very real. I even scolded two groups of boys in Laguna when they played war games using these dangerous toys. The pellets even hit me and my old mother-in-law when they were having war games in the street. It was really a bad Christmas when you find yourself scolding children.

Why can't people stop firing their guns during New Year's eve? I really feel bad about people firing their guns! My own brother was almost hit by a stray bullet that pierced and went through our roof many years ago. It missed him a few feet away while he was sitting on a bed next to me while we were having a chat!

Trigger-happy people who are either drunk or high on drugs do not understand the foolishness of their actions. These acts, including being so intoxicated with alcohol or high on drugs as an escapists' way of forgetting problems, cannot eradicate those problems. Besides, wrong beliefs and traditions must be discarded for no amount of noise and explosions during new year's time can scare our deep-seated problems away. It will always be there to remain after the new year smoke have dissipated not unless we accept the sound teachings of Lord Jesus Christ on how to deal with them by following and obeying the will of His Father, our Almighty God the Father.

It is time that we should start educating our families and relatives and friends simply because not all means are good just to solve the problem of material poverty. We have to be attuned to the statutes of our Almighty God and Father through the teachings of Lord Jesus Christ. Once we established that proper link and right connection to our Almighty God and Father He will answer our prayers and send His blessings and graces to us in His own perfect time while we sit and wait contented and with peace of mind.