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PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY July 16 - 31, 2016
OPINION
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Breaking
Point
Rage against the dying of the light
By Rosette Correa
Dylan Thomas more
than a few decades ago wrote
the poem, “Do Not Go Gentle
Into That Good Night” for his
father who was ready to die
because of his illness. In the
poem, he attempts to explain
to his sick father that there
is hope despite what he was
going through. With Justin
Trudeau as our PM, Rodrigo
Duterte as President of the
Philippines and impending
presidency of Donald Trump,
I think I have an idea how
Thomas’ father felt.
Jon Stewart and Cher
said that they will move to
another planet if Trump
becomes president because
the whole world has gone
bonkers. It seems pretty
much so. Just take a look at
the last twelve months in the
history of the world and you
would think, “What has the
world gone to?”
In the last few weeks,
people have died because of
suicide bombing and other
hateful crimes perpetrated
by individuals who have been
brainwashed into thinking
that dying was the best option
for life. Assisted suicide is
now slowly creeping into law,
making it lawful for a person
to commit suicide, as long
as someone else does it or
them. One of the first laws
Duterte wants to enact in the
Philippines is the institution of
divorce (why am I not surprised
that he clamours for it?), and
the total implementation of
artificial family planning, as
if RH-11 wasn’t insulting to
life as it already is. What’s
next, legalizing abortion?
Life seems to be no longer
a privilege, a gift from God,
but a commodity, something
one can trade, discard and
disregard if it was inconvenient
for those in power and who
have the clout and the means
to get rid of it.
It’s hard not to think
that we are in our “last days”
as the Bible has foretold, with
all the mess that’s happening
all over the world, and leaders
that are now in office who
are promoting the culture of
death. Despite their popularity,
behind their agenda is a cause
to thwart life and to choose
only the ones who can survive.
While more and more people
shrug it off as a matter of
fact and something we would
have to deal with for the rest
of our lives, there are people
who hope for actual and
benevolent change - a change
in attitude towards the sanctity
of life and the preservation of
mankind. Divorce, artificial
contraception,
assisted
suicide, same-sex marriage/
unions and legalization of
drugs are anti-life. Today,
Japan and most countries
in Europe are suffering the
effects of these so-called laws
because young people refuse
to get married and have
families. Their populations
are now mainly seniors who
are either retired or ailing and
Bulong
Pulungan
By Deedee Siytangco
about to dies, and
these countries are
having problems
sustaining
their
economy
and
productivity
because
there
are no future
generations
to
sustain it. These
countries
are
literally
dying
because of the
lack of people
- the lack of life
- and here we
are in Canada,
the US, and the
Philippines talking
about how we can
end it.
While there
is a feeling of
impending doom,
thousands of young pilgrims
have flocked to Krakow, Poland
for the 2016 World Youth Day.
Looking at their pictures,
you see smiles on the faces
of young people all over the
world showing a love for God
and a love of life! Despite the
mess we adults have thrown
at them, the young people of
the world are oblivious to the
destruction our generation
has wrought upon them,
with their hearts full of hope
for the future. These young
men and women cry out for
the salvation of humanity,
through prayer, faith and
solidarity. While the rest of the
world around them is seeking
blood and terror, these youth
are praying - praying for us,
and praying for the whole
world. Together with Pope
Francis, they are praying for
humanity - Catholics, nonCatholics, Jews, Muslims,
atheists, pagans - so that God
can put some sanity back into
His creation, and make the
world peaceful again despite
how much we have destroyed
it. While society has sought
for the culture of death, these
young people clamour for
life! Looking at them, I feel
so ashamed of what future
this society has carved up for
them. While they ask for life,
we throw death at them at
every instance.
Despite this, I believe
that these young people will
be victorious. Their prayers
will be answered because
they pray for the whole world,
with no bias, no prejudice, no
judgment, and no thought of
wrongdoing, just like a child
would. In return, we should
make their paths better and
more peaceful, and give back
to them a world and a future
they deserve, not this pile
of debris we call a civilized
society. We have to give them
a future that loves life, not one
that demeans and discards it.
We need to give back to them
the dignity that man received
from God, one that we were
freely given, although we did
not deserve it.
Young p