It’s pretty amazing what Yolanda has wrought. Eighty to 90 percent of media releases are connected to Yolanda. Before that it was the PDAF scam for months. And now, it is people helping each other in a pervasive way. 


During one of those times when my mind is in a reverie, I feel for the planet and how we live. I can feel the forces of greed wreaking havoc and slowly destroying it, and then I feel for the people. Is there any hope here? Our lifestyles are not sustainable. Forty percent of the problem of climate change is due to the use of cement. And yet we keep building high-rises, we do not recycle our computers, so we need more and more nickel. But the nickel supply of the planet, or the lime, is not endless. So are we just going to slowly kill our “home� What is the solution? Where are we headed? Can we not plant more trees, more mangroves?
I saw Ted Failon’s episode on environmental destruction on Nov. 30 and my heart sank. What will it take to make a firm stand that the common good must never be sacrificed no matter how much money is involved?

I also watched Blackfish. It had a 98-percent rating in Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a very well-done documentary on orcas or killer whales. My son insisted that I watch it. It took quite a bit of prodding because it literally hurts when I see creatures being maltreated. It was so hard for me to watch The Cove, a documentary about this cove where dolphin mothers and children are massacred for their flesh. I have a deep resonance with dolphins. So seeing them butchered was painful. It’s similar with orcas. Seeing these gorgeous creatures captured and then put in small areas, deprived of food in order to train them — when they should be free to roam — ouch. Hard for me to watch. Even their trainers were crying. Even the divers who caught them cried. Yet they were influenced by the forces of greed that hired them (sigh). Movie critics predict that Blackfish might win the Best Documentary award in the Oscars next year.
It’s all interconnected — our consciousness and the consciousness of the planet. It’s one whole ecosystem. If within our hearts there is reverence and integrity, the environment will receive that. If there is indifference and greed, the environment will be the first victim and we, the people, will follow domino-style. 

Life is so interconnected. Technology has made this even more so. It’s a web of humanity. The question is, where are we going to go? What forces will win their way? And when the forces of greed are overpoweringly rapacious, is it still worth making a stand? 

“Yes,†answers the voice in me. We make choices. That’s what life is all about. Throughout the day, we make choices up to the second: what to think, what to feel, how to perceive, what to do with one’s time, what to do with one’s heart. Choices, choices choices. We have no control over the outcome of these choices. But we do have control over the choices we make. Each time we make a choice aligned with integrity, every time we make a choice that will benefit the common good, every time we make a choice for personal growth, something deep in us grows and gets structured. For every time we stand by truth and the common good — even if it may not be successful — the fact that we made a stand, the fact that we didn’t fence-sit, the fact of living by principles, has its own rewards on the soul level.
Life is all about choices. I even think the world is designed to be chaotic. There is some benevolence in all the chaos because it gives us the opportunity to make choices. And these choices are the key to our growth. 
I’ve talked about clarity before. I will mention it again. Often — quite often — we are driven by forces in our subconscious or traumas in our past so things just happen. Reactions just explode. I know this. I lose my cool. What choice? It just happens. There is no breathing time for me to decide. Things just happen. Therein lies the benefit of living life seemingly from a distance. Not so in it so that we are sucked into whatever is going around. It’s not easy. But meditation absolutely helps. At the very least, it helps me size up the situation after the fact. It’s still better than nothing. The habit of reflection results in significant growth. 

So is it worth taking a stand against seemingly impossible odds? Yes. Is integrity worth it even if it is not appreciated and, in some situations, even mocked at? Yes. Because that is what life is all about. We learn how to navigate, we learn how to live. A habit of reflectiveness is so key. I sit with someone twice a week and look at my day. She tells me what she sees — no BS — just like it is. Clarity and honesty. And I look inside and see what I see — no defensiveness. And I move forward. Remember, you are not alone in whatever your heart aspires for. There is an Orchestrator up there. There are forces helping. I feel them. You are not alone. We are not alone. Always go deep inside. Make the right choices. The ones that feel right. And even if there is a seeming mistake, that’s cool, too. The most important thing is to keep on going. Keep on living. We make choices at the societal level. We make choices at the personal level. Go for the choices that make a difference. If you think our country should remain beautiful, come and visit our eco-tourism sites. SMS Mari-An at 0927-643-4809 or e-mail her at mari_an.santos@yahoo.com. We keep our country beautiful. That’s the way to go.
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I can be reached at regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com.