Year Enders

Beginning this year, I have vowed not to watch "year enders" broadcast by major television networks. I do not want to relive in my mind Typhoon Ondoy's deadly floods, or the heart-rending Maguindanao Massacre of 57 people, the fires, the crimes, the poverty, the corruption, the political turncoats, etc.; all the silliness, the cruelty and the evil that men are capable of.

For the economically-marginalized like myself, anticipating another year is in itself fraught with anxieties, it will be quite foolish to add the current year's share to them. Will I have work that will put food on the table, pay the bills, keep body and soul together? Will we keep our good health? Will we remain safe? Will we keep to our dreams' path or be led astray? Will those whom we hold close to our hearts live through another year, or will some of them pass away? Simple questions by simple people, the "small fry" in our society who remain poor year in, year out, their only fault being that they labor honestly in a system populated by dishonest and corrupt government officials and businessmen.

Those who make life miserable and a living hell for the majority of us, the ones who beget their wealth through corruption and stealing, and still have the temerity to flaunt it; the ones who maim and kill without even the slightest trace of remorse or vacillation, will most probably be only concerned with whether or not they will continue to enjoy the benefits of unbothered consciences, as they continue with the finesse of their devious craft.

From hereon, "year enders" will be cast out from my New Year's Eve agenda. Though it smacks of idealism, I want to start with a clean slate, the year fresh, unencumbered by the regrets of unfinished business, and the wails of human suffering from injustices.

I find it appropriate to start the new year with prayers: That may those who labor hard and equitably, who live and love genuinely, be meted heavenly kindness and reward; may all good people's good dreams come true; and may all those who are brutal and cruel, those who have ill-gotten riches and lead ostentatious lifestyles, flaunting them in the faces of people who are poor and hopeless, with sunken eyes and cheeks arising from a lack of decent meals, be dealt a humbling blow by the hand of Divine Justice, so that for the remaining years of their lives, they may rectify the wrongs they have done by acts of contrition, generosity, kindness, and love.