To Blog and Risk Losing Life, Friends and Kinsfolks or Not to Blog and Remain Nice to All…and Stay Alive

To Blog and Risk Losing Life, Friends and Kinsfolks

Or Not to Blog and Remain Nice to All…and Stay Alive

By Apolinario Villalobos

The difference between “blogging” and “contributing” is that while the former gets published in the web of the information technology, the latter gets printed on papers. However, their common denominator is the “purpose” which is to “share”…a risky endeavor, especially, if what are shared concern politics, corruption, and religion. The risk is on losing one’s life, kinsfolks, and longtime friends.

In our province, Marlene Garcia Esperat, a courageous mediaperson lost her life when she exposed anomalous transactions in a government agency. The obviously hired killer had the gall to enter her house and pumped bullets into her head, to make sure that she was disabled for life. That’s one risk, made real – losing one’s life. Similar stories get splashed on pages of tabloids and broadsheets that many people do not take seriously, as they are perceived to be just ordinary incidents akin to road accidents and apprehension of drug pushers.

Bloggers cannot limit themselves with shares about fashion, literary, foods, travel, photography, etc. Sometimes they have to touch on controversial matters, such as politics that include corruption, and religion.  Blogs on these topics may affect the bloggers’ sensitive relatives and friends. Bloggers, therefore, wonder why, all of a sudden, some relatives and friends shy away from them. Some find themselves ignored by friends and buddies since grade school, as well as beloved relatives.

This unfortunate reality is happening to all bloggers. I found this out when I attended a small gathering of bloggers, during which blogging updates were passed around. Two bloggers shared that their sites were hacked, and another started getting threats via facebook messages when he uploaded blogs shared from other sites, about a controversial politician from their province in the north. Expectedly, the sender uses a fictitious personality.

Bloggers are just human instruments of the information technology, so that what they do should not be taken against them. A lot of sacrifice is made, aside from exhaustive effort in coming up with blogs, not to mention the precious time spent and money saved from scrimping on other necessities. Some bloggers earn, but most do not…as they bring out ideas, mainly due to their ardent love for writing and sharing.

Investments in Life

Investments in Life

By Apolinario B Villalobos

 

 

Investments in life are made in stages:

 

1. When a man and a woman meet, they invest TRUST and LOVE to each other with a hope that these shall develop into a wise decision to get married, hence, give them a reason to settle down as a couple.

 

2.  As a couple, they invest PATIENCE and DILIGENCE into their lives in order to earn money and raise a family.

 

3.  The couple invests the MONEY in a home of their own and things for their coming offspring.

 

4.  The couple invests MONEY for the food, supplements and medicines for their offspring so that they will grow healthy. As they grow, more MONEY is invested for their education with a hope that they will have a bright future later on. When the offspring leave home to make their own investments, the couple is left alone. This is the last stage of their investment. They are back to each other’s arms – alone.

 

Unfortunately, SOME couples forgot to invest for their COMFORTABLE retirement. It is only later they learned that social security retirement (in the Philippines), is not enough to cover supplements, medicines, regular medical check ups, and salary for caregiver – expenses  that come with old age.

 

Worse, SOME very unfortunate couples found out that their children whom they nurtured with love since birth and already have families of their own, develop amnesia, causing them forget that somewhere in a province or a depressed residential area in a city, are two aging persons, living in a crumbling house…aging persons who could not even help themselves in going to the toilet or in taking a bath.

 

Not ALL offspring are kind enough to SHOW love to their parents who smothered them with love when they came into this world. SHOWING love to the parents is not paying them back for what they have done. SHOWING love to a person is a SPIRITUAL obligation, be he or she is a kin or a stranger.

 

LOVING parents do not bother themselves with a seemingly wasted investment such as mentioned above. They know, it is their obligation to raise their children decently, properly, complete with love…with affection.

 

Indeed, investment is always shaded with risks that should be accepted what they may be.