Staying At It, Showman's Style

For the nth time, I am profoundly pondering on a topic to write. It seems I cannot get to one when I pick up pen and pad. Over the long years, I have stubbornly limited myself to write-ups that center or border only on the aspects of loving, living and believing. I have established it as a reaching-out instrument of hope and inspiration. My little role here is just to nudge a heart or two into awareness every now and then. It just looks like I am running out of subjects of this nature, but I am not calling it quits.

This article shall start another collection of similar essays that will eventually make up the fourth installment of my book series, Yet Not One Sparrow. Those who have availed of a set of the previous three volumes are aware that my writings mainly deal with matters concerning feelings and behaviors, values and ideals, beliefs and realities. Anything that falls under the scope of love, life and faith - the three essences of our existence here.

I know the road ahead is narrow and rough, but I must look for more insights, answers and revelations. I see difficulty in the search for new subject matters, but I must find ways to squirm through this. I am not going to close the books, so to speak. Forgive me my ego griping, dear friend, I sincerely seek for your indulgence not to leave this piece of writing. The above account is just to point out the theme of this article.

All of us are part of a play ensemble doing a life dramatics that is dead set on a direction of come-what-may. We have life's on-goings to keep pace with and we have to comply and act on them. Even as distractions set in, even as impediments plague us, we must scramble and see to it that life goes on. We must get down to business. The message I mean to convey here is that we have to strengthen it with the battle cry of show business - the show must go on! There is a need of staying at it, the showman's style.

That is the way I feel about my book "show."

So...on with the show! This hurrah is not for show business people only. It is for everybody. The cry simply means to continue, to complete, to go the whole length. In the case with my books, I have to keep the balls rolling. Everyone of us has got to. We have also our life's business to attend to. We shall not be cowed by the ominous shadow of resignation or by the dread of failure. We shall not shrink from our convictions and obligations. We have to move on.

There is at stake the worthwhileness of life as there is the theatrical profession to show business. Obviously, this counterpart to life is money business as indicated in the term "profession." The show has to go on, no matter what the consequences are, because what is put in escrow is one's credibility. That's the showman's creed. There is a name to protect, and the imminent threat of failure and bankruptcy to ward off. Just like in any other trade or occupation.

Life, actually, is a complete show by itself. It is a changing show window that keeps transpiring on. That is where show business copies life. Showbiz, as defined, pertains to the industries of the theatre and of entertainment. The theatre wears the masks of life - comedy and tragedy. Entertainment signifies life's parties. Showbiz, indeed, is a replica of life.

The two are akin, the real and the clone. Here are some analogous portraitures of them. Motion pictures, Broadway plays, operas are the reflections of life. Hollywood, Mardi Gras, Moulin Rouge are the glitters of life. The Olympics, Disneyland and Las Vegas are the celebrations of life. A telenovela speaks for itself. Tinseltown equates to the colorfulness of life. The Olympics are bigger than life. Thus, for show business, for life's business - the flame must be kept burning.

What we are occupied with is life's business. Even if we are in showbiz, it is still life's business. Life's business relates to the concerns, conditions and affairs that we are subjected to. It is the run of things that we have to go through all the while. A job to do. An action to take. An obligation to meet. These activities may entail going the distance and we have to jog along it. No rest, no wait, no stop. Just grinding on.

We wake up to the order of the day, a memo of things to do confronting us. So we sweat, we dig, we slave at it. At end of day, we end up with still unfinished business. Next day, we are at it again, aiming to make sure everything is done. No matter what the odds are, we are not going to give up the ship; we are not going to turn in the badge. This is the right attitude. This is the perseverance of keeping on course the cry of determination - never say die!

Life is not quite as fun as showbiz. Showbiz spells glamour, jamboree, carnival, banquet. That is deliberating on the concept of showbiz as seen on the entertainment side, sans the commercial. On that outlook, life is very much different. Life's business is hard and drab. It spells bad times, rough goings, tough breaks.

We have to contend with untoward happenings, ugly turn of events, and other stark realities. We cannot escape life's trials, hardships and troubles. We are beset with misfortunes, heartaches and problems. When these complexities come about, we must be resolute and be psyched up to the rallying cry - the show must go on! In all consequences, be it show business or life's business, we must raise that war whoop. We must do it - full strength, full throttle, full faith. We must stay at it, the showman's style.