#YOLO

Lately I have been hooked on the television series "Once Upon a Time" aired by an American broadcasting network. What kept me going on watching the show was that those who made up the storyline were characters from the classic fairy tales we all knew. The plot started with an angry evil queen named Regina who wanted to avenge on Snow White and her happiness which included Prince Charming who was named David, her daughter Emma Swan and grandson Henry.

As the three seasons went by, several characters have emerged including Regina's half-sister Zelena the wicked witch from the west. As a powerful witch, her powers included shape shifting into a different person similar to Mystique from the X-men. One day, Zelena tricked Captain Hook (Emma's love interest) by disguising as Ariel the mermaid. To make the long story short, Hook gave his trust on the fake Ariel which started a disastrous curse which ultimately affected Emma and her family. But we all know that in a world where magic is present, there is no safety.

However, in the real world where we all live there is also no safety. Earlier this year, known Cebuano lawyer Noel Archival was ambushed in his vehicle at Dalaguete, Cebu on his way home from Dumaguete City. He was a man who did his job as a representative of high profiled individuals in court. I could say he loved his job pretty dearly because his clients were not the ordinary.

A week ago, hotel chain owner Richard King was shot dead in his office while he was reportedly sharing a meal with his employees. The gunman targeted the head and he was hit at close range. As of this writing, the assailant is still to be found and the money at stake is getting higher. Policemen from our region and that of Davao are working hand in hand to solve this huge puzzle but until everything is figured out, his family here are also considered unsafe.

For cases like these, we do not know the real reason why some people want them dead. However, this is not a way to vent on anger or disappointment. A person's life is never worth a petty argument, misunderstanding, or revenge. We don't have magic. Once gone, it brings a tremendous pain to the families and friends involved.

I have heard that a person's life could just be paid for a couple of hundreds and it would be taken care of. It seems that one whole life is just worth money taken out of pockets. This is a very sad reality because while we too, roam the streets of our suburbs, we must always be on the lookout as well.

Us, being on the lookout and all could simply translate to a flawed justice and security system. It seems like there is no security wherever we go especially when it is late at night. Some of the streetlights are not functioning and there are no mobile patrol cars that roam the national roads at night. One just simply feels unsafe, especially now with cases as these.

The world today is not safe and I never said it was. There will always be bad elements which will try to harm the good. The most practical way to outlive it is to be street smart, although nobody should be deprived of security from our defense sector. If their lives could be taken by bullets in an instant, how much more the others who are also doing their jobs well.

Now that all these are happening today, the popular youth tagline #YOLO (you only live once) becomes so real to me. Yes, it is true we only live once but it is not equated to drinking and partying all night like there is no tomorrow. We only live once so we better opt to take care of ourselves as we roam the streets with our every doing.