A Look at 2008

Date drawn: February 12, 2008
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, February 2008

Convolution
By Theresa Soberano, Editor-in-Chief
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, February 2008

Enter the Wonderland. Picture Alice, left in quandary upon reaching a fork in the road. Then came Cheshire cat, and she asked his opinion whether to turn right or left.

“Where do you want to go?” asked the tricky feline.

“I don’t know,” was her riposte.

“Then it doesn’t matter either way,” came then reply, and the Cheshire cat, grinning, vanished into thin air.

It may have been Hudibrastic, but his response had hit the nail – had Alice known her destination, she wouldn’t get quite confused in which the road to take.

As 2008 rolls over, many of us share Alice’s perplexity. What am I to do now? Do I have plans in my life? Am I following a goal? Can I be a coup sur what I really want?

For many of us, making New Year’s resolutions is only child’s play. It is something we are often not serious about. Admit it; the only time you make resolutions is when it’s set as requirement back in elementary and high school. You wouldn’t mind weaving your personal pointers for a better life in order to bag a decent mark, even if you are fully aware that your religious compliance expires rather fast – after the Feast of the Epiphany, at the most.

And as if inn sheer mockery, our year started not with a bang of celebration, but with piles of problems faced by our country – calamities, political conflicts, and moral degradation. People are left hopeless; both for themselves and the government, and opt to see Utopia in foreign soils (as if there is one).

Heard Mojofly? With Lougee attuning: “Wake up, reality bite.” We are left to ponder the rock-hard truth: we are facing a very difficult, arduous, and crises-stricken life – but at least we are sure we are still alive to have it. Anyway, where’s the joy in living, if it would be sans problems? You might as well as bore yourself to death.

At time, it seems God gives us the tasks of Sisyphus, Hercules or Atlas, but we are still fortunate to experience it.

So, given that we are living a challenging life, what’s the catch?

As one of the underground rock shows emphasizes, “Only dead fish swims with the current,” we need to have a purpose in life, a reason for breathing, a cause for braving the stream.

And to do the just that, we need a guide, a streaming beacon amidst the darkness. But where to start? My propositions? Your own honest resolutions. (Is that right? I was ridiculing it six paragraphs ago.) Nevertheless, this time we have to make a resolution not because we want to but because we want to manifest our openness for change, for improvements, for a better life, may it be written or not.

Resolutions may not drive us to where we want to be, but at least we will not be confused as to which road to take. Because admit it or not, life is one hell of a maze.