cause we have the right to

Why do you think were there journalists and other writers who still wrote during the time of martial law? Why do you were there protests even though they could get caught and be tortured? Why do you think that up until now, there are rallies here and there? What do they do? They cause traffic, that's what they do. But there's more to what they're doing than what we think. They just don't march on the street, carrying banners, creating a scene just to be noticed. What they're doing is what we, as Filipino people, ought to do.

When my lola saw the news on TV about the rallies which were happening, her reaction was "Ano ba naman 'yan? Hindi na sila tumigil. Nanggugulo pa. Akala mo naman kay gagaling." Before, I also thought of them as those people who does nothing but soak themselves in the sun, get blisters on their feet and cause traffic. But come to think of it, they're expressing their right to be heard. They have something to say and they want to say it out loud. They want everybody else to hear. And although they can't persuade everyone to listen to them nor can they persuade anyone to believe them, they still do what they do.

I admire them for what they do. Yes, maybe at times they do get a little annoying but can they help it, especially in a country where everyone chooses to close their ears and pretend they hear nothing? And guess what? No, they just don't go out there without knowing what they're talking about. They research. They study what they are fighting for. We don't have to agree with what they say. They just want us to listen and I think it's good if we do.

I admire them for wanting to be heard. They know they have the right to. This is something we must also do. If we want to say something for the whole world to know, why don't we do it? Why don't we express ourselves? What are we afraid of? And it's not just about our right why we need to speak up. We need to speak up because we'll never know what difference our opinions can make. We'll never know how many lives we can change by speaking up. Do you know why the martial law came to an end? It's because people spoke up. One person started it and the others followed. If that one person never spoke up, do you think the Filipino people would have been saved from the martial law? What if right now, it is you who can make all the difference? Would you still choose to keep silent? Consider yourself dead if you do. You don't exist in this world if you are not seen nor heard.

wrong move

Wrong move for Pope. I personally think that he need not say what he said. He shouldn't have insulted Muslims. Why in the world did he need to say those things? We are Roman Catholics and the problem about us is that we brag about being "the real religion" and we think that the other religions are praising the worng god. But hey, we should also know that in whatever religion we may be, we are still praising one God. It may be Allah for them and God for us but who cares? We are praising just one God only in different ways, depending on what religion we are in. It isn't their fault that they were born Muslims, were they? What is important is that we do not harm other people in what we do and believe in.

Even though there are a lot of contradictions in the beliefs of the different religions, they are one in one thing: that we shall avoid war and hatred and share love to each other. I belive that in every religion, there is at least one rule that we shouldn't harm each other in this world but instead, love one another. So what's the problem? The problem is that some people think their religion is better than the other, thus wanting others to join them in their beliefs too. This isn't a game. We shouldn't be competing about who gets more followers and who gets the least. In the end, what matters is that if we did what we were supposed to do here on earth and if we did nothing bad to hurt others.

I am a Roman Catholic and I have a strong faith in my God. I do not plan to change my religion but I respect other's beliefs as well. Although I confess that I am not as open-minded as you think I am, I do respect other's preferences in their beliefs. After all, what is important is how a person grown in his/her faith.

Let's respect and love each other. I think Allah and God would be happier that way.

hmmm

And I still catch myself looking your way...