The Moving Times

This blog is owned and managed by Dustin Julian Domingo. It is considered a part of me and a partial window to my thoughts and soul. You have been warned.

[s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s]

Friends,

I wrote a song for Tonya Harding. It’s not at all related to the new biopic (I sent it to the music supervisors but they couldn’t find a way to use it). This song has been years in the making. I’ve been trying to write a Tonya Harding song since I was 15. I wrote a short piece about it here. There are two versions of the song and we are releasing them on tape cassette (available now) and on 7-inch (available soonish). All digital versions are available now:

http://smarturl.it/tonya-harding

Please enjoy. If you don’t know who Tonya Harding is, go see the movie, or read her Wikipedia page. She’s amazing. My prayer is peace on earth. Lord help us.

I love you Tonya.

[s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s]

THANK YOU! http://smarturl.it/greatest-gift

[s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s]

Happy Thanksgiving.

[s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s]

Call Me By Your Name soundtrack is now available:  http://smarturl.it/CMBYN_Sdtk

I have three songs on it plus there’s music by John Adams, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Erik Satie, Maurice Ravel, Johann Sebastian Bach, The Psychedelic Furs, and more! Funsies.

https://youtu.be/NJLs-4J5ZYk

The movie is out in the U.S. around Thanksgiving.

THANKS!

[s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s]

https://www.npr.org/2017/11/21/565363181/first-listen-sufjan-stevens-the-greatest-gift

Thank you!

[s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s]

Truth

[themovingtimes-blog]

To My Fellow Youth and Beyond

Please accept my sincerest apologies for I am no longer a part of you. I have evolved myself from the juvenile delights brought about by temptations of youth. How I wish I lived in juvenile delight but alas the calling of knowledge is loud. It has been calling me for years and only now do I listen. I know that learning has long been overdue for me but I have tried living normally as normally as an adolescent with social anxiety could. This adolescent spirit I have utilized for self-improvement, not for the basking in of youthful things. This, I believe, should be the goal of each and every one of us in the journey to becoming an adult.

 I feel like I am at a loss. I do not feel that I am among the youth but I cannot say for certain that I belong in the world of the higher age just yet. I find it upsetting that I am often the object of ridicule among my supposed peers for expressing my ideas about the universe. I like intelligent conversations; conversations about the world and how to make it better and understand it. Perhaps I have been overestimating the power of the youth. They have all the exuberance and enthusiasm necessary but it is channeled through trivialities of leisure. I long for the day when the youth will be restored to its former glory, as Jose Rizal had envisioned. I fear that the youth may no longer be the hope of the people.

 What to say about our educators? I find it distressing that the because of the youths’ current conditions, they have either lost the zest for their craft or devolved to the distractions of youth. The more that I go into this life, the more I see educators no longer practicing their craft but are doing their job. It’s as if all the knowledge that they impart on us in class lectures are merely a façade. I have had my fair share of educators who have told me that they do not believe the things they teach in class and that the person they showcase to us—the person who is supposed to be passionate with his craft—is nothing but a job being done; an act done for the mere gaining of money. I do acknowledge the importance of money in this cruel, unforgiving society but I, as a student, would much rather listen to knowledge imparters who actually believe what they are saying. Of course, not all of them are like this. For those who do believe in their craft, for those who believe in their stand, for those who choose to share the knowledge that they cherish, I say thank you. Thank you very much for the hard work and effort.

 My fellow youth, I leave you with one final message. Let us re-strategize, re-think, and re-evaluate ourselves. Let us restore ourselves to the once proud succeeding heroes of society. Let us prove to all the doubters that there is more to us than boybands, gossip, puppy love, and trivialities.

 To the educators of the past and present, I am not in a position to tell you what to do. I am merely a student of life. I have a long way to go. I do not even know everything but I do ask that you hold on. Do not give up on the youth. With some prodding, I know that we can become better contributors to society. We will become great inheritors of the earth. What I simply ask of you is to bring back that zest that has been lost. You see, it’s a give-and-take thing. We need your love and energy to bring us back to the path of the love of wisdom. And we, the youth, need to reciprocate that by putting that knowledge into action, and we will have been eternally grateful for it.

 Best regards,

Dustin Julian M. Domingo

[themovingtimes-blog]

The Art & Etiquette of Debauchery

On the night of September 24, 2015, I stumble and limp home from my college’s masquerade party, tired from a night of wild freestyle dancing. The morning after, everything hurts. My arms are dead. My legs are dead. My neck is dead. Every last inch of my body is dead. It’s unavoidable. There comes a time in a student’s life wherein he loses his position as the master of study and the study becomes his master. This is most especially evident in these modern times. In a world where progress is perceived as fast and large in scope, there’s an omnipresent feeling and desire to go with this sort of flow. However, it is inevitable that this will lead to a crash and burn. Before then, we must decide when, where, and how we will crash. Even with my bookworm personality, I must admit that knowledge and I do not jive sometimes. Sometimes, it’s not knowledge valued, rather, knowledge obligated. Oh, the pressures of society! Grades—numbers—are valued by a lot of educators and not knowledge. Such is the case with this one educator who chose to put us through a rigorous and torturous 4-part required project, which was not even preceded by the proper guidance and helping hand. Back to the topic of “crash and burn”. You could follow “the man” and become dull and dead sheep or you could “release” every once in a while and get back to the requirements afterwards. Guess which one I picked. I chose to release, and release I did at the masquerade ball. All the pressures that I had from abusive mental torture are released like an animal caged and unfed, which was the case of my mental state: an abused animal caged by mountains and mountains of “priorities” imposed upon by “the man”, which in this case is, ironically, a few years past our age. I think it is quite telling that the adults of greater life experience understand the pain and pressure. It makes sense, actually. It should be noted, however, that debauchery does not come without the proper etiquette that is observed. I find it rather proper that venue of debauchery be cleaned by the most satisfied guests (read: me), which I did at the masquerade party. I find that since I’ve been given a pleasure, a pleasure must be returned to the giver. Second, make sure that the hosts are thanked properly. A clear line of dialogue such as “Nice party!” will suffice. Make it known to the guest that the party is a success on their part, as well as yours. Never forget that the world you are escaping from is “real” and important. However, it is a knife stab to the mental state if a little release is not administered at the right time. As such, gratitude is in order for the hosts who rescue from the dangers of insanity.

[themovingtimes-blog]

Being Sapiosexual

Sapiosexuality is a neologism, which means that it is a newly created word. It is one of the newest and legitimate terms being used to define specific sexual orientations. But what exactly is sapiosexuality and what does it mean to be a sapiosexual person? Sapiosexuality is what is when a person considers intelligence as the highest object of sexual attraction. Simply put in layman's terms, it is when people think that being smart is sexy. Of course, sapiosexuality is not limited to male-female attractions, rather it covers the whole spectrum. How does sapiosexuality happen? There's really not enough information about it to know for sure. Sapiosexual individuals always seem to get off either through intellectually stimulating conversations or through having sex with a smart person. I don't know, it's all different. It depends on the person. I must confess to you now, dear reader, that I am a sapiosexual person, the kind that enjoys intellectually stimulating acts. I am one of those folks attracted to intellectual individuals. I don't seem to get any lasting sexual attraction in the physical sense, rather, I am sexually stimulated when I hold conversations with bright minds. There need not be any physical touching to turn me on. It's reading and discussion that really excites me. Reading, in a way, is a form of intellectual masturbation for me. In communicating about topics like philosophy, the arts and sciences, life, etc., in a way, I've had experienced mental intercourse. This is also probably why I am physically asexual. I have no desire for the pleasures of the flesh. It is the pleasures of the mind and soul that arouse me.

[themovingtimes-blog]

The Limitations of Human Comprehension

We humans always tend to fancy ourselves the better species as we are capable of comprehension, while the beings beneath us—the unthinking animals of the wild—are subjected to our whims. We either interfere with their existence for our wants and/or needs or we simply let them be. The point being, we are the governors of their lives. An individual must have been around to thinking, though, could there be perhaps unknowable things? And what of the things that we do know?

With humanity’s clamor for all-knowledge and truth with our vessels, we ought to remember that there is a limit to what we can and cannot know. We have established scientific measurements to understand an item that life has spat onto us, we have established religion and belief in order put things into order and into patterns of morality. There are things left in this life that remain unexplainable to us that not even the best of science or Holy Books can put into perspective acceptable to us.

The way we accept the things in life is like the meat that we eat. We cook meat before eating it. This process eliminates the bacteria that can make us ill. And what makes the body ill? Things that don’t jive with our body systems. Things that have not been accepted as normal in our body. We divide the meat into smaller portions for easier consumption. Even if it has been cooked, it is still a big slab of meat that cannot be eaten whole, lest we make fools out of ourselves by making a poor attempt at jamming it in our mouths. We make meat digestible. Such is the case of the intake of knowledge. Knowledge and truth, in its barest form is simply indigestible to us. The knowledge that comes our way is the knowledge that has eliminated the elements that could make us sick. This is the knowledge that has been picked apart so that it is acceptable in our society. Knowledge and truth, in its barest form is simply humanly incomprehensible.

So what pride has humanity to show in the face of fellows and possible supreme beings? Knowing more than what others know puts us in an elevated position but we must never forget that we are merely pawns in the grander scheme of life. Our cooked and undivided meat could perhaps just be a small portion to a higher being, if there is one. The point being that we don’t really know for sure if there is anything “higher” than us. Nonetheless, we should retain humility in the face of digested knowledge.

[themovingtimes-blog]

A Trained Mind: Part II (Brainwave Entrainment)

For this entry, I am going to focus on the brain entrainment method most foreign to most people, which is brainwave entrainment. Now, I have explained in my previous post what brainwave entrainment is all about. In this post, I am going to elaborate on my experiences with this method. I have tried two types of brainwave entrainment, namely, binaural beats and isochronic tones. I shall try to explain both of them with the best of my knowledge. Binaural beats are, as we know, a form of brainwave entrainment. Listening to binaural beats would require headphones or earphones since it utilizes two tones set on different frequencies; one set on the left ear and another set on the right ear. If, for example, the left ear tone is set to a frequency of 300 Hz, then that must mean the right ear tone must be set on, let’s say, 10 Hz. This will create a weird sound in your ears, like the sound is bouncing back and forth, from left to right, and vice versa. Isochronic tones differ from binaural beats in two ways. One difference is that headphones/earphones are not necessary to reap the benefits of this form of brainwave entrainment. Rather, the use of headphones or earphones will only enhance the experience. Isochronic tones can be listened to, with or without headphones/earphones. Another main difference is that instead of using two different frequencies, isochronic tones use only one frequency. The sound used here is a tone that, in simple terms, is rapidly turned on and off. Also, isochronic tones is known to be used as a supplement to binaural beats, though it can be listened to on its own. The range of ways brainwave entrainment like isochronic tones and binaural beats vary widely, as mentioned in the previous post. However, it is not limited to just “scientific” adjustments. It can also be used for attaining a certain spiritual goal such as connecting with your “spirit guide”, achieving a form of higher consciousness, being one with nature, etc. These methods can also be used in place of recreational drugs. Meaning, isochronic tones and binaural beats can be used to attain states of euphoria, relaxation, etc. Another benefit that can be achieved through this method is the alteration of the human body. In the study of body systems, it is known that the brain governs all systems. Messages are transmitted to the brain by nerves when a certain organ or body part requires a certain chemical and the like. Brainwave entrainment can be used to take advantage of this situation by triggering the transmission of messages to the brain. For example, you want to get rid of acne. You listen to a certain isochronic tone track or binaural beat track that will tell the brain to improve the oxygenation of skin cells or something. With regards to my experience with brainwave entrainment, I would say that isochronic tones are the most effective for me and the most convenient since I don’t always have earphones or headphones ready. When I reached a time that I would be questing for knowledge and a better understanding of it, I looked for isochronic tones that would boost my IQ and I found this to be effective as I noticed that my grades have improved drastically ever since I started using isochronic tones. I even listen to it before listening to a self-hypnosis track, as a sort of warm up. I believe this also aided in the increase of my knowledge comprehension. After hearing about these wonderful brain entrainment methods, would you be interested in trying them?

[themovingtimes-blog]

In Search of the Truth

Religions and theists will tell you that the truth is with them because their "holy book" is to be believed. Non-beliefs and atheists will tell you that the truth is with them because of science and research. Is anyone really certain that their beliefs bring them to the truth? The way I see it, all these beliefs that we have established are vessels, and we are at Sea. The destination or the goal is the Truth and we believe that the vessel we are in can take us to the Absolute Truth safely. We also believe that this vessel is the only thing we can rely upon to bring us to the truth. In this day and age, we often criticize others for their choice of vessel, citing their gullibility and/or lack of knowledge. This is not what the truth would want us to do. The truth wants us to come together and support each other in seeking it. Sometimes, we hope and aim to make other vessels sink into the Sea without realizing that they, too, are truth seekers just like us. They are but mere men, just like us. All of our constructed vessels have flaws. In failing to see that, we are simply denying the limitations of human capacity. What we should be doing from the very start is unite. Help save those from already sinking vessels. If I were to be asked which vessel I belong to, I'd say that I am with them all while being with none of them. I always try to keep an open mind and listen to all beliefs, their strengths and weaknesses. In a way, I guess you could say I am an agnostic person. I am not sure that every path and every vessel I take will bring me to the truth. I do, however, accept them and respect them all. I believe that these vessels all proclaim the Truth and they are all true. Therefore, none of them are true. I believe in everything. Therefore, I believe in nothing. The truth has not yet been proclaimed. I know there many more vessels in the world but my puny human body hinders me from experiencing them all. I believe, however, that there are common denominators that bring us together in the pursuit of the truth. Some of which, I believe, are peace, love, acceptance, and understanding. If we could handle the fact that all man-made truth-seeking vessels have their weakspots, I believe we can get closer to becoming unified.

[themovingtimes-blog]

A Trained Mind: Part I

I recently enjoyed the benefits of this thing called “brain entrainment”. The most common idea that we all have is that the mind has certain areas that we cannot control. Brain entrainment allows us to reach into the deep crevices of the mind. I have found 2 forms of brain entrainment that appeal to me and have shown themselves to be effective. These methods are hypnosis and brainwave entrainment. Hypnosis is the method that basically suspends a person's conscious mind so that his subconscious is brought to the forefront. This is when the mind is molded through subliminal & direct suggestions, as well as affirmations. Note that there is a person that we call a hypnotist at present and he is the one making the suggestions and affirmations to the person being hypnotized. Hypnosis is popularized in the media as some sort of hocus-pocus practiced by magicians or whatnot but do not be fooled for hypnosis is a legitimate medical practice that is sometimes used by psychiatrists to treat mental illness or the like. Hypnosis can be also self-administered through pre-recorded tracks by psychiatrists that can be listened to a safe and comfortable environment. In hypnosis, though, you have to, and will be rendered unconscious for a short duration during the process. The next form of brain entrainment I have encountered is brainwave entrainment. You see, the brain runs on certain frequencies. We can manipulate the way these frequencies run through brainwave entrainment. Through this, the brain is driven to a certain state. There need not be an implementer like with hypnosis. Usually, a special software or audio is utilized. With brainwave entrainment, there are no suggestions or affirmations presented to the user. Rather, the brain is stimulated with different frequencies, depending on the desired state. Imagine that the frequencies of the mind are like a water current. They’re going towards one direction. Now, imagine building a dam in its path so that it changes its direction, or perhaps digging/carving out a new path to change its course. That is how brain entrainment works. Brainwave entrainment focuses on the deeper, technical aspects of the brain. Brainwave entrainment is easily accessible to anyone but out of all brain entrainment methods, this is, relatively, the youngest, meaning that there are still skeptics who are on the fence about the effects of this method. Don’t let that put you off this useful discovery/invention. Unlike hypnosis, most brainwave entrainment methods, which are mostly recorded audio tracks, can be listened to while conscious and moving about your day. There are many types of brainwave entrainment like binaural beats and isochronic tones, which are some of the most popular types. Binaural beats manipulate the brain’s frequency or “code” by allowing an individual to listen to one tone on the left ear that is different on the right, creating a sort of wavy pattern of sound. Because of this, headphones or earphones are needed for it to be put to use. Isochronic tones, however, are different. You don’t have to have earphones or headphones (though having so will increase the effectiveness), which is a plus factor. What it does is rapidly turning a beat on and off, creating a sort of “bumpy” sound. Most skeptics aim fire at isochronic tones for being the most recent of brainwave entrainment methods. As such, not much research has gone into it, relatively for folks to say it’s 100% effective. Ponder this, my friends. Imagine that the brain is like a machine, say, a computer, perhaps. In the way that you input data by typing on a keyboard or maneuvering a mouse and clicking things on the screen, such is the way that hypnosis manipulates the mind. Deep inside this computer are wirings that make sure that the inputted data are sent to the right places. In the end, a desired output will manifest itself onto the screen like the results of hypnosis and brainwave entrainment will manifest themselves through our thoughts and actions. Either one is effective in shaping the way your mind works but I believe we can unlock our mind’s full potential by utilizing both. What use does the keyboard have, after all, if the wiring is messed up? And what purpose will the computer have with just a keyboard if the wiring is faulty and not arranged? Now, you may ask, “Okay, so I know about the science behind brain entrainment but in what ways can I use it? Can I, like, use it to make me smarter or something?”, and to answer that, I’d say you can do that. That is the joy that I’ve found in brain entrainment. You can make yourself smarter. Here in this particular example, the difference between hypnosis and brainwave entrainment is evident. Okay, so you want to be smart, right? If you use hypnosis, you can train yourself to be intelligent by ways of listening to hypnosis tracks that would tell you to be intelligent and you would have to adopt these thoughts as your own for it to be buried in your subconscious. If you use brainwave entrainment methods, you have to listen to a track that would drive your brain towards a frequency that utilizes and increases your intelligence capacity or perhaps one that increases your IQ. And that’s not all brain entrainment can do for you. Depending on your sources, you can use brain entrainment to take control of your emotions, boost your self-confidence, increase sexual appeal, etc. It’s all very fascinating to me, actually. Thanks to scientific breakthroughs, the parts of the mind that were once unreachable are now within our grasp. I’ll be explaining more about brain entrainment, the methods that appeal to me, and the effects they have on me in my next post regarding the subject.

[themovingtimes-blog]

Does acquiring more knowledge make us more emotional or does it make us more apathetic?

I’m going through a journey of trying to gain more knowledge. The more I learn about the things in this world, the more I am touched at a deep emotional level. I thought that by gaining more knowledge, I could have disregard for the things that make me feel - make me human. Lucy from the film “Lucy” is a wrong representation for an ultimately knowledgeable being. I mean, look at God, if you believe in Him. He is Love itself. He is nothing but love, and he is all-powerful. A being of ultimate knowledge is not void of emotion. Rather, he recognizes it’s importance and role in the greater search for truth and knowledge. What do you think?

Image Source: http://cms.unige.ch/fapse/people/bavelier/wp-content/gallery/profile-pix/nopix

[themovingtimes-blog]

Problems of Men, Catalysts of Development?

Problems. We, mankind, all have them and we all hate them. Personally, problems suck. They stem from our imperfections as imperfect beings. Being the way we are, we have certain limitations that hinder us from achieving the things that are really most beneficial to us. These are the so-called problems that we face. Problems are the obstacles and challenges that hinder us from our goals. Faced with these limitations and problems, we try to reach for solutions to these problems in the ways possible and attainable to us; we research and develop.

Which brings me to my point: could it be perhaps that problems are the necessary “push” that we need to further advance as individuals, as a collection of civilizations, and ultimately, as a species? What I’m saying is that we wouldn’t have all the discoveries, inventions, and luxuries that we have today. Would we have drugs, medications, vaccines, etc. if it weren’t for the diseases that plagued us in the past and present? Would we have big cities, urban populations, and the like if we didn’t have problems with living in caves and with sticks and dirt? Would we have machines and all the latest technology if we didn’t need work to be done faster and more efficiently? Heck, even with the inventions that we have, problems still arise. Ours is not a perfect existence and problems drive us towards choices that could help us develop, not just in the immediate sense but for the long run, for the collective subconscious of society.

"But what if our solutions fail?”, you may ask. Well, that’s also a problem that needs to be faced and resolved. Failures are problems that drive us forward by providing us first-hand experience on what not to do so that we may seek the things that should be done. Failures make us more self-aware if the circumstances that we faced before should arise once more. Problems like failures are great educators.

At the end of the day, problems still suck but now you should be sort of glad that you have them. A dull knife only becomes sharper after a lot of friction. Not only do you become a better person by overcoming your problems, you also become a potent contributor to society.

[themovingtimes-blog]

Hope

Hope is what gets us out of bed in the morning when we know that we’ve lost everything that can be lost. Hope injects in our minds the very idea that perhaps things might work out as we idealized. Perhaps it will go our way. Hope gives an infant being born the will to crawl out of its mother’s womb into the stunning light of life. Hope makes us believe and hold on to the idea that, yes, things will get better. Sometimes, hope is foolish. It can give us delusions of a time that never was and never will be. Hope gives us the right push to keep moving forward and in that, may lay delusions that will blind us from seeing the reality of the situation.

Hope comes from optimism. It comes from our believers, our saviors, our supporters. Hope comes from the people we love, from the people we care about. The people we rely on, they give us hope. Hope can come from within us. Why  do we hope, knowing that what we’re fighting for might be a lost cause? Simply put, even in our poorest conditions, our survival instincts are there. How could we go on without a boost aiding our morale. That is where hope comes in. Hope may bring us delusions but it is necessary. It is something that prods us along though we don’t want to keep going. Without hope, all the strength that we might have cannot be put to use. Without hope, our strength is invisible.

[themovingtimes-blog]

Why Do People Engage In War?

Wars have been around as long as people have been around. Time and time again, as much as people disagree with one another, civilizations clash against other civilizations. Chances are, it can lead to war. War results in death on both factions. Whoever is the victor there is pointless loss of life, not to mention, the damage that will be done on the economy. War is bad but why do people engage in war?

For individuals, there are different reasons why we should go to war but I believe that there is a collective reason why people go to war. For Thomas Hobbes (my favorite), man is naturally bad. This philosophy can be applied to war. War is a way to release “the beast” from within us. It is putting us in our nature, and what is more naturally evil than violence? Violence is utilized in war. When a nation engages in war with another nation, it gives its people an opportunity to join up and release all the aggression that they keep up inside them. We trick ourselves into thinking that war is a civilized game. We never see it for what it really is: man-on-man violence. Violence is a gateway to our nature. Our nature is evil. Don’t get me wrong. I admire the sacrifices done for our country during war. But should war occur in the first place?

We have to emphasize the fact that war is a political activity. It a result of many factors particularly psychological, economic, socio-cultural, but most importantly political. Psychologically, there is that natural tendency in man to be violent, as mentioned above. There is that  aggressive nature in man that compels him to harm his fellow human beings. Though man is also capable of kindness or being compassionate, he is also forced to be violent depending on certain circumstances. This human nature is perhaps the psychological foundation of war. His subconscious desire to inflict pain to as many people as he can is unleashed by waging war. In this sense, war provides psychological satisfaction to man. It is an outlet to man`s darkest side.

Economic is another apparent reason for the emergence of wars in the history of mankind. Wealth, land, oil, and other forms of resources are the rewards that countries obtain from waging war. Unfortunately, the world has insufficient resources to cater the billions of people around the  world. Countries with selfish agenda usually utilize this reason to engage in war and exploit the natural resources of the weaker nations. During the barbaric times, tribal wars occurred because of the necessity to acquire more resources for the survival of the people. It was why during the primitive era, people were warlike since they were forced by the circumstances to exhibit their aggressive behavior for the survival of their tribes.

On the socio-cultural perspective, certain groups use wars for the proliferation of some religious or cultural ideology/agenda. This was observable in the historical accounts between the Catholics and the Muslims, Jews and the Arabs, etc. It would seem that wars have served as an ultimate solution for certain groups for the achievement of their own social agenda. Consequently, terrorism has also originated from such cultural intention (the spread of Islamic faith) that later on became a criminal act. Thus, even the religious groups, which are supposed to be the promoters of peace, have justified the use of wars for the expansion of their own groups.

Of course, there is that political reason that makes wars seemed to be more justified. It has been proven time and again that countries have the need to extend their territories through wars. History would tell us that the most powerful nations such as U.S., Germany, U.K., Japan, and others have invested heavily on engaging wars for political reasons, territorial expansion. Specifically,  U.S. has engaged in various and bloodiest conflicts  in history. Actually, the said country has participated in the Second World War that lasted 1939 to 1945. It was fought in Europe and some Asian territories. Along with the US were Great Britain, France, China and the Soviet Union against the Nazi of Germany, Fascist Italy and Japan.  Though there were debatable causes of the said war, the most apparent one was the political ambition of the mentioned countries to expand their territories.

As much as possible, war should be avoided. Why should we resort to war if peaceful and civilized manners of settling disputes are available? There is aggression in war at at stake are the lives of innocents. War is a struggle for power and strength. What should be focused on is the opposite of war: peace. Peace gives an equal opportunity for everyone. Peace removes divisions. We should all come together for the greater good. We’ve come a long way from primitive savagery. Do we really want to go back to that? In the words of John Lennon, why not “give peace a chance”? Our country, the Philippines, is near a poitn of waging war with China over issues about territories. The sort of siphoning of strength that we do on one another--we might think it woud bring us the progress and development that we desire, but in the end, it will bring us a bunch of notches below progress and development. Displays of machismo through public displays of weaponry is nothing more but a step back. In closing, I ask you this: why should we take a step back when we could go forward with civilized solutions? In peaceful resolutions, we find not displays of cowardice or softness, but displays of intelligence and patience.

This post has been written with Prof. Frederick Rael, Social Studies Instructor at PLMar.

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