This is day 6 of our cruise and every moment continues to be so relaxing and enjoyable. It is really quite a novel and pleasant experience to be travelling together with about more than five thousand other passengers and crew of seafarers on board a vessel as high as a fourteen story building. Being in the middle of a vast ocean with no land in sight somehow feels like being stranded in a far away and tiny islet except that in our case, the place is like a floating and moving island complete with all the modern amenities consisting of a bedroom with a balcony overlooking the deep blue sea, several restaurants, theatres, shopping promenade, playgrounds, swimming pool, ice and rolling skating rinks, mini golf, basketball court, athletic gym and even a casino and sky bar complete with all the drinks and panoramic view of the sky and the ocean waves.
This is really quite a novel and pleasant experience for us because of the many lessons imparted by this sea cruise on board the “Mariner of the Seas” of the Royal Caribbean International. First of all is the realization that having a smaller area to accommodate less number of inhabitants or residents is really more socially intimate and easily manageable especially in the maintenance of peace and order and in the enforcement of rules and regulation by a no non-sense management which does not tolerate any form of corruption or ineptness and incompetency.
As I look at the equitable, friendly and supportive way that all those on board treat each other, not only the passengers but also the crew members, the more I am convinced that what our country needs now is to federalize our government by dividing our country into several smaller “States” consisting of one or more provinces run by a separate and autonomous government composed of either three branches like what we have now; or of only two branches, particularly the legislature or the parliament and the judiciary. Under this setup the role of the central government will consist mainly of coordinating the federal states and representing them in the international community of nations. This is a system that has been repeatedly proposed but never implemented obviously because the present ruling elite of oligarchs and political dynasties do not want to be eased out of power, influence and wealth, if it will be adopted. It is about time that we give it a try if we really want to get rid of poverty in our land, have a more progressive and wealthy nation.
Another significant and vital reality that my wife and I observed during this enjoyable sea cruise is that despite the onslaught of modernism and secularism against marriage and family all over the world today, they remain to be the strongest and the most basic social institutions on which every nation is founded. It is really quite pleasing and surprising to note that almost if not all of the passengers on board, coming from many nations like China, Japan, Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, India, Vietnam and Singapore, are travelling either as married couples or members of a family. In fact even the members of crew are either parents or children working for the sake of the family they left behind.
It is really quite a pleasant surprise for us to see our fellow Rotarians from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan and the South Pacific Region bringing along their wives with them like us Filipinos, to attend this Area 3 General meeting of the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians even if they are not actually participating in the said conference. More surprising of course is to see most of the other passengers apparently enjoying the trip with their wives not only during meal time but during all other activities and events during the cruise like playing games, seeing the movies and other stage presentations, shopping and enjoying their drinks at the bar. What we are seeing from these couples during this cruise reminds us of the kind of relationship that a worldwide organization of couples, known as the Christian Family Movement, (CFM) has been promoting among their members. This is a relationship more aptly and convincingly described as “couple power.” Couple power indeed seems to permeate into the hearts and minds of almost every couple on board this cruise.
But more heartwarming and encouraging is the strong family solidarity displayed by the seafarers particularly Filipinos who have been away from home for years and years. Somehow we can feel their loneliness because of being separated from their loved ones. But they endure the hardship and pains of separation precisely because of their love for their family by improving their way of life and uplifting their conditions of want and deprivation. What these Overseas Filipino Workers are showing us is not only an act of heroism but a manifestation of family solidarity and strong family ties.
As so as we go into the last two days of our eight day cruise from Shanghai to Singapore, our hope and aspirations for our country and people have been rekindled and somewhat strengthened again. We have seen that with strong marriage and family ties, our country and our people will eventually overcome not only our present deplorable political situation but also the looming moral decay the present administration has caused with the passage of a law that threatens family solidarity and the sanctity of marriage.
E-mail: attyjosesison@gmail.com