Why she closed the book
ProustianNaalala pa ni Joohyun kailan niya unang natutuhan ang kakayahan ng isang simpleng libro na baguhin ang pag-iisip ng tao.
Tahimik siyang nanonood ng kung anumang random na palabas sa TV ng pumasok sa bahay nila yung tito niya ng padabog.
"O Tito R, bakit ang bigat ng aura ninyo?" she said while standing up to get him some water.
"E kasi, yung isa kong estudyante, masyadong pabibo. I was reminding them to study hard so they can earn money and not end up like being one of those streetsweepers na wala ng narating sa buhay," tugon nito habang umaalog-alog yung double chin.
"Bigla ba namang sumagot at nag-muestra na dapat daw mag-aral ng mabuti para maingat ang isa't isa. Dapat daw na sa halip ang minamata ay yung mga streetsweepers o yung mga dukha in general, dapat mas tinututukan daw paano ba puwede maibaba ang mga pulitiko na corrupt. Alam mo Joohyun, gets ko naman yung anti-corruption stance, sino ba naman gusto sa corrupt. But life is wired like that - to each his own. Kung lumaki kang mahirap, that's on you."
Napakunot-noo si Joohyun. Does that mean you should exclude the state from the equation entirely - kung mahirap ka, kasalanan mo? Ano ba dapat ang role ng gobyerno, ng lipunan dito?
She went to school the next day with these questions lingering in her head.
During their Araling Panlipunan subject, as her teacher discussed the roots of democracy, she couldn't help but blurt out, right in the middle of their discussion:
"Ma'am, bakit ba ang daming mahirap na mga Pilipino? Tamad lang ba talaga sila kaya mahirap sila, hindi lang sila kasi nag-aral ng mabuti?"
Her teacher answered: "Ang kahirapan, tulad ng kayamanan, could be integenerational, Joohyun, because of so many factors. Maraming resources ang bayan natin. Pero they're not equitably distributed. There's lack of transparency in the use or allocation of public funds. Most likely, 'pag tinanong mo ang ordinaryong Pilipino, alam po ba ninyo saan napunta ang simpleng pondo ng barangay ninyo, chances are ang isasagot natin ay hindi natin alam. At hindi rin naman ipinapaalam ng mga nakaupo unless mag-eeleksyon na. But there's one thing you have to remember Joohyun -"
"Ano po yun?"
"Knowledge is power - but it's useless without empathy. So magbasa ka - hindi lang ng mga textbooks na pinapasagutan namin sa inyo. Magbasa ka ng kung paano sinubukan ng mga mahihirap hindi maging mahirap not just on an individual level, but as a sector. And maging bukas ka matuto sa totoong nangyayari sa mundo, makinig sa mga tao at intindihin ang pinanggagalingan nila."
"For starters, I'll recommend you to read the books by Lualhati Bautista and Edgardo Reyes."
"Salamat po Ma'am," Joohyun said. She will then find herself
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